The Vikings Held a Private Workout with a Potentially Underrated QB Prospect
Josh Frey
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This spring’s NFL Draft is chock-full of talent at the quarterback position.
With the Minnesota Vikings holding a pair of first-round selections this spring, there is reason to believe that the team will do their best to draft one of theses quarterbacks. That could involve trading up into the top-10, but it could also mean the Vikings just stick at No. 11 and select the QB prospect that they feel comfortable with.
This past weekend, the Vikings held a private workout with a quarterback who may be becoming underrated in this class. That prospect is Washington QB Michael Penix.
Vikings Hold Workout for QB Michael Penix
Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report had the scoop on this news, tweeting, “Things are heating up for Washington QB Michael Penix Jr: Sources say he had dinner with the #Giants in Seattle after his Pro Day, followed by a private workout with the #Vikings in Seattle. Penix will have top 30s with the #Broncos, #Falcons, #Raiders and #Commanders, per multiple sources.”
Interestingly, three teams who are slated to pick above the Vikings also showed interest in Penix, including the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons who will have him come to their facilities for a top-30 visit.
Atlanta recently signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract, so it is very interesting that they would have this type of interest in Penix while Washington holds the No. 2 overall pick and will have their choice of every prospect at the position sans whoever Chicago ends up selecting.
Penix has spent a good chunk of the winter tumbling down draft boards for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, he is an older quarterback who played six total seasons at the collegiate level. As a result, he will turn 24 years old in May compared to Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy who are only 21 years old while Caleb Williams is 22.
Then there is the matter of his injury history, which is lengthy to say the least. During each of his four seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers, Penix suffered some sort of season-ending injury, including a pair of shoulder injuries as well as a pair of torn ACLs. There is a decent bit of risk involved with taking any quarterback early in the draft, but a laundry list of injuries only adds to that risk.
That being said, Penix has done nothing but thrive since he transferred to Washington in 2022. Over those two seasons, he completed 65.4% of his passes for 9544 yards, 67 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions in 28 games. He led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff this past season where they ultimately lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the National Championship Game.
On top of this production, Penix largely has been able to stay healthy while donning a Washington uniform. Given his talent as a passer, if he is able to keep the injury bug away, the Washington product could be one of the more underrated prospects in this draft class.
If the Vikings strike out on landing any of the top four prospects, Penix could be a backup plan later on in the first round.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Sports Reference CFB.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.