"There's some guys who have medical question marks. Michael Penix, surprisingly, is not one that I'm hearing about," Schefter said on "The Pat McAfee Show" this week. "He's got a basic clean bill of health for a lot of teams."

That, and a fresh perspective, gained from four seasons of scar tissue and rigorous rehabs.

On Monday, Penix penned a letter published by The Players' Tribune, directly addressing his injuries.

"Truth is, I'd be more worried if I had never been injured. We don't all come back the same," he wrote. "I can't speak for those that have never gone through anything. But I can speak on me. I've seen how deep my foundation is. I know the storms I'm prepared to weather. For most people that'd be the end of their story. But there's more to my story, and I own every page of it."

Truth is, football is an unavoidable, violent sport. But the biggest reason Penix started 28 consecutive games in Seattle is because he was rarely hit, due to a confluence of factors. UW's offensive line — led by tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten — was named the top unit in college football last fall and surrendered 19 sacks the past two seasons. But Penix's ability to shift protections and maneuver the pocket played a significant part as well.

Which brings us to a longstanding misconception: Penix's mobility (or lack thereof). It's easy to scan his 265 rushing yards across six collegiate seasons and conclude he can't scoot. And yet he tallied a 40-yard dash between 4.46 and 4.56 seconds — depending on your stopwatch — at Washington's pro day.

Penix primarily uses his legs to accent his arm — to sidestep a rusher, reset and rip a touchdown to Ja'Lynn Polk against Texas; to spin out of a sack, drift left and locate Devin Culp in the corner of the end zone against USC.

Rushing statistics can't encompass Penix's athleticism and mobility.

Truth is, they never could.

"He's played quarterback since he was six or seven years old. He was the only quarterback I knew at that age that would stay in the pocket," Penix's father, Michael Penix Sr., told The Times in 2022. "Because most quarterbacks would take off running at that age. It was crazy, people used to tell him to run, because he was the fastest person on the field. But he'd just stand back there and wait for his man to come open. He just had no worries and no fears in the pocket."

In the pocket, Penix inflicts fear. He flat-out spins it, as they say. He outlasts injuries and detractors and Oregon Ducks. Whether via pass rushers or seismic stakes, he welcomes pressure. He puts on a show.

All of which is why Penix is worthy of a first-round pick.

Come Thursday, will the Seahawks — or Falcons, or Raiders, or Giants — say the same?

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