THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: It wasn't Penix, but an anchor for the 'run wall'

We never got an answer.

Question: Did the Seahawks intend to draft Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.?

The Husky QB supposedly wasn’t a cinch first-rounder at the NFL draft, but whispers during the past two weeks suggested that Seattle GM John Schneider was keen on the prolific left-hander.

Schneider is known for something like a magic feel for quarterbacks, and word was getting around that if Penix was available when the Seahawks drafted at No. 16 Thursday night, the Seahawks might well pull the trigger on a potential long-term QB.

Basically, every scouting or analysis service had Penix ranked fifth or sixth among quarterbacks in the draft, and there were respected personnel evaluators who pegged him for the second or even the third round.

So, would the Hawks have taken him?

Schneider will never tell, but the question became moot when Atlanta saw a lot of a super traits in Penix that others overlooked.

The Falcons grabbed him at No. 8 overall — ahead of supposedly higher-profile throwers J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Oregon’s Bo Nix.

Ahead of a lot of people, in fact.

Besides the choice coming so early, Atlanta was strange destination for Penix in any event. 

The Falcons just signed 36-old slinger Kirk Cousins to a free agent deal worth $140 million over four years — with all the money guaranteed.

IF HAWKS fans were waiting on Penix, and hoping he would slip past quarterback-needy teams like the Raiders (drafting 13th), the tension ended quickly.

And shockingly.

You can picture family rooms and saloons around the Northwest — jammed with Seahawks fans — hearing commissioner Roger Goodell announce the Atlanta selection, and crying: “WHAT??”

Meanwhile, I have a suspicion that new Seattle coach Mike Macdonald wasn’t exactly crying in his root beer.

While the rumors surrounding Penix were firing up the populace, and draft evaluators tabbed the Hawks to draft offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, Schneider handed Coach Mac a shiny new toy.

Macdonald, remember, became a well-known name in NFL circles by creating a monstrous and effective defense for the Ravens.

He’s said more than once that any defense needs to build a “run wall” to succeed.

Well, he now has a very bright (three years on the honor roll), 297-pound gentleman to hold down the middle of that wall — Byron Murphy II of Texas.

The first instinct is to tag Murphy as a nose guard, and he certainly does everything necessary to hold down that position.

But various scouting reports, almost all of whom named Murphy as the top interior lineman in this draft (by some distance), mention that while the Longhorn alum is strong as a bull at point of attack, he’s also quick going side to side — and thus can play 3-technique and even get outside of that.

Murphy’s only weakness, and this was almost unanimous, is that he’s short (just a shade over 6 feet) and that lack of length extends to his arms.

One report went far enough to point out that Murphy never knocked down a single pass in college.

BY ANY other standard for a guy you want anchoring the middle, though, Murphy should be a dream for Macdonald.

He’s set records in weight rooms everywhere, he never takes plays off, and Texas coaches said he became a team leader as a junior last season.

Then, there’s the sheer power he brings to the line of scrimmage, and the wreckage he can leave.

Dane Brugler, who does an exhaustive NFL draft report for The Athletic (evaluating nearly 2,000 players), named Murphy as the best DT in this class and picked him — so, so ironically — as No. 16 overall. 

Here’s a bit of Brugler’s summary on Murphy.

“Power-packed, explosive first-step athlete … comes off the ball low and strong with natural body flexibility … lines up in a wide stance and uses lateral quickness and loose change of direction to access multiple gaps.

“Hands are both urgent and purposeful … go-to move is a slap-club-rip combination … skillfully grabs and shucks the wrists of blockers for easier access.”

This DOES sound like a Mike Macdonald creation, doesn’t it?

There’s more in Brugler’s conclusion on the newest Seahawk.

“Overall, Murphy doesn’t have ideal length, but his rare combination of lower-body twitch, natural leverage and power throughout his frame sets his apart. 

“With his disruptive energy, both as a pass rusher and versus the run, he projects as an impact starter.”

That should work.

I still wonder what Schneider thought of Michael Penix.

But if he felt Penix would be the franchise guy for a decade — the phrase he once used about Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes — I believe he’d have gone the distance to get him.

Even up to No. 8.

No fretting.

You got a beast, Hawk fans, so just smile every time Murphy blows up a play.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”