If only the Pittsburgh Steelers had access to a time machine, they wouldn’t have to ruminate about their future at the quarterback position this offseason.

In a re-do of the 2024 NFL Draft, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso had Pittsburgh selecting Michael Penix Jr. at No. 20.

“Without a clear plan right now at the quarterback position, the Steelers roll the dice on Penix Jr., who flashed when he was inserted into the Falcons’ lineup late in the season,” Trapasso wrote.

In reality, Penix was a surprise selection made by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 8 overall pick. The team had signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal the month prior during free agency, and the consensus was that they’d take a defensive player in the first round.

Penix was coming off a fantastic season at Washington where he led the program to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to Jayden Daniels, but there were still concerns about how he’d translate to the next level.

First off, he was just over a week away from turning 24-years-old at the time of the draft. Furthermore, Penix endured a string of four-straight season-ending injuries to his knee and shoulder from 2018 to 2021.

Considering he was also one of the last of a dying breed of left-handed quarterbacks and wasn’t particularly mobile in college, Penix’s profile had plenty of red flags.

He became Atlanta’s starter in Week 16 after Cousins was benched, and would finish his rookie season with 775 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions as the team fell short of winning the NFC South with an 8-9 record.

Penix impressed enough to the point that the Falcons are likely to part ways with Cousins this offseason, so perhaps that pick wasn’t as perplexing as originally thought.

The Steelers never had a shot at drafting him or any of the other signal callers in last year’s class, which was among the best at the position in recent memory.

Pittsburgh ended up taking offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, who was Penix’s teammate at Washington and played in just one regular season contest after dislocating his kneecap ahead of Week 3. He was not chosen in Trapasso’s re-draft.

It’s unknown what direction the Steelers will ultimately go in to find their quarterback for the 2025 campaign, but that wouldn’t be a topic of discussion if Penix was on their roster.

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