NFL mock draft: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. to Arizona Cardinals in 2024 NFL Draft?

USC QB Caleb Williams, North Carolina QB Drake Maye and LSU QB Jayden Daniels are widely projected to be the first three quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

But another quarterback, who is still playing this college football season, continues to impress with his performance.

Could that QB be an option for the Arizona Cardinals with one of their picks in the 2024 draft?

A recent mock draft from FanSided had the Arizona Cardinals taking Washington's Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 67 pick in the upcoming draft, with Lou Scataglia writing: "How are we getting this lucky with this mock draft? One of the best QBs in the nation has fallen to us at the top of the third round, so Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort makes the move to bring in a long-term QB2 who might be able to take over as the franchise QB at some point in the future."

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Penix Jr. to the Cardinals in the third round?

That would be very lucky, indeed. And perhaps very unlikely after Washington's 37-31 College Football Playoff semifinal win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.

Penix Jr. dazzled fans with his play, completing 29-of-38 passes for 430 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while threading the needle on some pinpoint long passes.

He is 336-for-504 for 4,648 yards and 35 touchdowns on the season, with nine interceptions.

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Could the Cardinals actually draft Penix Jr., perhaps as a backup to Kyler Murray?

The team is currently in position to land the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, and it also is in line for the No. 17 pick because of a trade with the Houston Texans last season.

A recent CBS Sports NFL mock draft had Penix Jr. going to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 11, meaning Arizona could  surprise people and take Penix Jr. with its first pick, or potentially trade down to land him with that pick. It could also trade up with its second pick to get him, were he to go around that position.

A 2024 NFL mock draft projection from Bleacher Report had Penix Jr. going to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6, one pick after it projects the Cardinals to pick, so Arizona would have to take him with its first selection if it wanted the Washington QB, according to that projection.

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Some projections, however, still didn't have Penix Jr. going in the first round, like a recent Sports Illustrated mock draft, meaning Arizona could potentially land him later in the draft, if it wanted him.

But that third-round mock draft selection of Penix Jr. right now seems like a pipe dream for the Cardinals, if they covet the dynamic quarterback.

Murray is also playing well for Arizona down the stretch (did you see the team's 35-31 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17?) for the Cardinals, perhaps entrenching him as the team's starting QB of the future and making a Penix selection even more improbable.

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But that hasn't stopped some on social media from imagining Penix Jr. on the Cardinals in 2024.

Would you like to see the Arizona Cardinals draft Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.?

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL mock draft: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. to Arizona Cardinals