Wednesday Newsletter: Michael Penix Jr. gets the start, Ewers undecided, and Tom Brady's influence
Welcome in to your daily newsletter! We've got a lot to talk about.
The Atlanta Falcons starting rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.? A second Texas wide receiver worth talking about in the 2025 NFL Draft? (perhaps more than the first)?
Those are just a couple of topics touched on in Wednesday's newsletter.
So let’s see what some of the bigger news in the NFL Draft world was yesterday and get you caught up! Don’t forget to listen to the newest episode of the Daft on Draft Podcast!
Falcons giving first rounder Michael Penix Jr. the start
The Atlanta Falcons have benched quarterback Kirk Cousins and are already turning the page to the eighth overall pick Michael Penix Jr. after less than one season with the veteran.
Sitting at 7-7 and with a favorable schedule the rest of the way out, Penix has a chance to lead the Falcons to the playoffs and even has a primetime matchup against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in two weeks.
Let’s see what the rookie has got as the NFL is experiencing a youth rising.
Quinn Ewers isn’t focusing on his NFL Draft decision yet
Preparing to take on the Clemson Tigers this weekend in the first round of the College Football Playoffs, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers answered questions about his future. Or didn’t. He has stated that he is undecided about what is next for him.
Just a Redshirt Junior, Ewers could potentially return to the college level.
And he may have to after a disappointing campaign with his draft stock on the line. He has the lowest Weighted On-Target Percentage of any quarterback in the class, and his arm talent and decision-making have taken a hit this season.
The question then becomes where Ewers would play in 2025 as Texas is likely moving on and would force him into the transfer portal to jumpstart the Arch Manning era in Austin.
Tom Brady to influence Raiders search for QB
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Tom Brady is a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Anyway, he’s expected to be a key figure in helping the franchise find their next quarterback.
Owner Mark Davis has stated that Brady will have “a huge voice” in selecting the next gunslinger to lead the franchise.
Sitting with the first overall pick if the season were to end today, is it worth noting that the future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer once trained Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders?
Talking about an underrated Texas receiver
Everybody wants to talk about Isaiah Bond. And for good reason! He’s a good player (character checks pending). However, the man across from him, Matthew Golden, is a hell of a football player.
While he is not the burner that Bond is on the vertical plane, Golden is well-rounded and does the little things of playing the position so well.
At the top of routes, he knows how to leverage an added inch of separation and use his hands to create a pocket. He stacks defensive backs at a high level and possesses a great deal of body control to accelerate/decelerate at will and contort his body to off-target footballs at extension and around the boundary.
This dude should go in the second round.
A new episode of Daft or Draft!? drops
Dalton and I, just as we do every week, took to the Daft on Draft Podcast with three more hot takes and whether or not we are buying or selling them. This week, we cover the following topics:
-Is the spread too wide in the Ohio State vs. Tennessee game this weekend?
-Does Michael Penix Jr. have the pathway to be the best rookie quarterback over the last three weeks of the season?
-Will Missouri OT Armand Membou be one of the first five offensive linemen taken in April?
Listen!
That’s all for today!