Top QB Prospect (Who Has Garnered Interest from the Vikings) Gets Some Great News at the Combine
Josh Frey
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This year’s NFL Draft appears to be chock-full of quarterback talent at the top of the board.
As a result, the Minnesota Vikings, who could be facing the reality of parting ways with Kirk Cousins in a couple weeks, have been doing a ton of homework on this year’s QB prospects. One of those quarterbacks is Michael Penix, who just finished his final collegiate season with the Washington Huskies and received some very positive news at the combine.
Top QB Prospect Gets Some Great News at the Combine
Penix has had a bit of a tumultuous history with injuries over the course of his collegiate career. After graduating high school from Tampa Bay Tech in 2018, he committed to the University of Indiana. However, he played just 21 games during his career with the Hoosiers and suffered season-ending injuries in each of them.
The QB went through ACL tears in his right leg during the 2018 and 2020 seasons while breaking his shoulder in 2019 and separating his shoulder in 2021. Luckily, though, he has been able to rejuvenate his collegiate career over the past couple seasons at Washington.
This week’s combine was an opportunity for NFL teams to do a full medical evaluation of Penix to see how healthy he actually is as he prepares to become a pro. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Penix passed all his medical tests this week.
Rapoport tweeted on Saturday, “From our combine coverage: #Michigan QB JJ McCarthy may be closer to the top 3 QBs than we all thought. Plus, #Washington QB Michael Penix Jr passed all medical tests.”
Penix has a rocket-powered arm and is able to spread the field with his accurate throws downfield. He also possesses some underrated athleticism that allows him to maneuver around the pocket through pressure and pick up yards with his legs when necessary.
The Indiana/Washington product has been right in the middle of that second tier of quarterback prospects alongside names like J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix, but many have been concerned about raising his draft stock due to his lengthy injury history.
That doesn’t have to be a concern for many teams anymore, though, and the results of his medicals could see Penix vault into the first round.
The Vikings have done extensive homework on Penix so far this offseason. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell were both in Mobile, Alabama, at the beginning of February to watch him throw during the Senior Bowl practices. Additionally, Minnesota has met with Penix at the combine to get to know him a bit better ahead of the draft.
Perhaps Minnesota could be a landing spot for Penix at the NFL level if the quartet of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and McCarthy are off the board prior to the 11th overall pick.
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.