Vikings Recently Held Private Workout With Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
The Vikings' deep-dive research on the 2024 NFL Draft's quarterback class has been in full swing for weeks. They met with all of the potential first-round quarterback prospects at the combine, they've had representatives — including QB coach Josh McCown — at these schools' pro days, and most importantly, they've been traveling to campus sites to put the players through private workouts that are specialized to their offense. In those workouts, which are led by Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, O'Connell can see how well a quarterback learns a concept from the Vikings' offense and immediately translates it to the practice field.
The Vikings recently traveled to Seattle to put Michael Penix Jr. through a private workout following Washington's pro day, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz. The Heisman finalist is projected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick in a few weeks.
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.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 1, 2024
Penix will have top 30s with the #Broncos, #Falcons, #Raiders and #Commanders, per… pic.twitter.com/b4ef1exDYz
Penix is an enticing prospect and a fascinating potential target for the Vikings. Unlike the top four quarterbacks — Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy — Penix isn't expected to be a top-ten pick. He'll almost certainly be available at Minnesota's No. 11 selection, and perhaps even at 23. That means, if the Vikings are big fans of Penix, they could stay put instead of trading up for one of the top four options. That would allow them to make multiple first-round picks in this year's draft and also retain all of their future selections.
For that plan to work and make sense, they have to believe Penix is the same level of prospect as the likes of Maye and Daniels and McCarthy. There are analysts who believe that to be true, but the general consensus is that he isn't in that tier. The positives with Penix are his size, electrifying arm talent, and general athleticism (he ran a 4.5 40 at his pro day). The big concerns are his age (he turns 24 next month), his lengthy injury history, and his ability to put touch on intermediate throws that he can't just rifle to a spot.
It still feels likely that the Vikings make a move up into the top five for one of the perceived elite quarterback prospects, but it's not remotely out of the question that they could stay put and wind up with Penix (or perhaps Bo Nix) as their guy.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long.
WILL RAGATZ
Will Ragatz is the publisher of Inside the Vikings, an SI.com channel in the Fan Nation network. He's in his fourth season as a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat writer, covering the team at practices, games, and all offseason long. Will posts daily Vikings articles year-round. Not only is he on top of all the latest news, he provides the analysis and context to put the news into perspective. He knows the team inside and out, which allows him to bring depth and quality to his coverage. From free agency to the draft to training camp and the NFL season, Will covers every relevant story surrounding the Vikings. Prior to taking this role in 2019, Will attended Northwestern University and studied at the renowned Medill School of Journalism. As a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball, among other sports, for SB Nation's Inside NU. Will was a co-editor-in-chief of the site during his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned at Sports Illustrated's newsroom in New York City, writing articles primarily on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com. A native of Minneapolis who still resides in the city, Will grew up a diehard Minnesota sports fan. He played baseball at Southwest High School and wrote for the student newspaper.