Michael Penix Jr. NFL Draft projection: 5 teams who can upgrade with Washington QB

2. Minnesota Vikings

What the Minnesota Vikings plan to do with Kirk Cousins as he's set to become a free agent this offseason after a season-ending torn Achilles that also puts at least some of his 2024 season in doubt is a guessing game at this point. But as it pertains to the long-term future of the quarterback position, the Vikings don't have much of an answer right now.

After a Week 17 loss to the Packers, the safe bet would be that the Vikings will miss the postseason. With that said, Minnesota could have the first crack in Penix's projected draft range and it would be intriguing to see him enter this situation.

The Vikings have a solid offensive line and an enticing group of pass-catchers headlined by Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson (though he recently tore his ACL) and Jordan Addison working with an offensive-minded head coach in Kevin O'Connell. It's not hard to imagine Penix stepping right into quarterback and finding immense success right away with the pieces that would be around him in the Twin Cities.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Now we get to the "if the Pittsburgh Steelers move on from Kenny Pickett" portion of the programming.

Since the Steelers made Pickett the only quarterback drafted in the first two rounds in 2022, it's hard to view his NFL tenure as anything but an abject failure. People were quick to blame now-former offensive coordinator Matt Canada and, while he was part of the problem, Pickett has still not turned the corner, which is putting his future in the Steel City in doubt.

On the whole, though, the Steelers still have a ton of intriguing talent on offense. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are a nice running back duo, George Pickens and Dionate Johnson are extremely talented, and the offensive line has improved. If Mike Tomlin and the Steelers regime deems it necessary to move on from Pickett to contend once again, the fit for Penix for a team that should be in range to feasibly draft the Washington star is one that makes a ton of sense.