Vikings Clear Path to Drafting NCAA’s Leading Passer if Trade Fails

Getty Quarterback Michael Penix, formerly of the Washington Huskies.

The Minnesota Vikings have positioned themselves to trade into the top five of the NFL draft for an elite QB prospect, but they’ve also cleared a path to a second option if the initial plan falls through.

Minnesota already owned the No. 11 pick and acquired the No. 23 selection from the Houston Texans via a trade earlier this month. Packaging those two picks — and potentially a future first-rounder — is how the Vikings can make a deal with either the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5, Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 or New England Patriots at No. 3.

However, if a scenario plays out in which three QBs are taken with the top three picks and another team swoops in ahead of Minnesota to grab the fourth quarterback off the board, the Vikings are positioned to pivot to a second-tier prospect later in the first round.

“Sending an offer to the Patriots for the No. 3 pick should certainly be the first plan of attack for Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, which would allow the Vikings to have a chance at LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy,” Jason Reid of ESPN wrote on Saturday, March 23. “If the team can’t pull that off, then the Chargers’ pick at No. 5 feels like an obvious fit to make a swap.”

That is the first plan, but the second plan isn’t bad, either.

“The real beauty of that deal the Vikings made for No. 23 is that they now have options,” Reid continued. “Even if they can’t secure a trade up the board, they suddenly have two first-rounders, bettering their chance to get a QB outside of the top options. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon’s Bo Nix could be an answer at No. 23.”

Michael Penix Jr. More Likely to Fall to Vikings at Pick No. 23 Than Bo Nix

GettyQuarterback Michael Penix Jr. of the Washington Huskies.

Reid also noted that the Vikings could potentially trade down from No. 23, acquire another asset and still potentially land Nix or Penix later in the draft. However, that is a less likely outcome if Williams, Daniels, Maye and McCarthy are all gone after just four selections.

The New York Giants (No. 6), Denver Broncos (No. 12) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) are all potentially in the market for a first-round quarterback. In a scenario in which the Vikings can’t get a top-four signal-caller at No. 5 via a trade with the Chargers, one of those three organizations probably trades up into the fourth spot.

However, that still leaves two QB-needy picking will before the Vikings make their second selection of the first round at No. 23.

The most likely of the top six QBs in this year’s class to remain on the board into the low 20s is Penix, who led the NCAA in passing last season with 4,903 yards. At least, that is according to the most recent draft projections from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who has the Broncos selecting Nix with the 12th pick.

“Nix isn’t going to be for every team, but [head coach Sean] Payton might see a little Drew Brees in him,” Kiper wrote on March 19. “He’s a super-fast processor who can make every throw and was one of the most productive passers in college football the past two seasons. He had 74 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions after transferring [to] Oregon.”

Michael Penix Jr. Finished Collegiate Career With Impressive List of Accolades

GettyFormer Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Penix was no slouch in college, either. He tossed 36 TDs compared to 11 INTs last season and posted a QBR of 84.1, which ranked him sixth in the nation in that category.

He also bested Nix twice in 2023, leading the Huskies to a 14-1 record and a second-place finish in the College Football Playoff. His only loss of the season came in the National Championship Game to McCarthy and the undefeated Michigan Wolverines.

Penix finished second in Heisman voting behind Daniels and is a mature player after multiple injuries and a transfer kept him in college through the age of 23. Penix will turn 24 years old in May, approximately four months before the first game of his rookie NFL season.