The road to the NFL Draft has been a long and tumultuous one of Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr.. As the Heisman Trophy runner-up prepared to lead his team into the College Football Playoff, news broke that some teams around the league were concerned that the medical evaluations on Penix — who suffered a torn ACL multiple times in college, in addition to a serious injuries to both shoulders — would be so bad that some teams wouldn't even have him on their draft boards.

Fortunately, two months later at the NFL Scouting Combine, Penix received a clean bill of health, and has since dazzled scouts with both his measurables and his arm (and maybe his Big Penix Energy). Since then, Penix's draft stock has sky-rocketed, proving that the only thing keeping him from receiving a 1st round grade was the possibility that his iffy health history would prevent him from having a long, and hopefully successful career. Now, with the NFL Draft just four days away, public opinion of Michael Penix Jr. may be at an all-time high, as the Huskies quarterback is linked to multiple teams in the top half of the 1st round of the Draft.

“Some regard his [Penix] draft placement and destination as a mystery. Others believe he’ll be taken in the top half of the round,” writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio went on to list the Vikings (picks 11 and 23), Broncos (12), Raiders (13) and Seahawks (16) as potential landing spots for Penix, while noting that it's possible that the Saints (14) and Steelers (20) could also have interest in him as a long-term option once their short-term quarterback solutions (Derek Carr and Russell Wilson respectively) are no longer in the picture.

Even inside of the top ten, teams may be taking an interest in Michael Penix Jr. In recent weeks, Penix has visited both the New England Patriots (3) and New York Giants (6), and has been linked to the Atlanta Falcons (8) by one NFL insider. Presumably, Penix wouldn't be selected inside the top eight. This would likely be considered a reach even for the biggest Penix supporters out there. But if the Patriots, Giants or Falcons were to decide to trade back in the 1st Round, Penix could potentially be their target depending on how far they go back.

Ultimately, there are very few quarterbacks in this class or any class that possess the sort of arm talent that Michael Penix Jr. yields, and while that's not the sole determining factor of where a QB will be selected in this or any other NFL Draft, having a signal-caller who can effortlessly launch deep balls and make just about every throw imaginable is certainly a nice place to start.