The Minnesota Vikings suddenly find themselves in a tough position in the NFC North. A year ago, the Vikings came were the defending division champions. However, the 2023 season saw the rise of the Detroit Lions and a resurgent Green Bay Packers team that found their footing with Jordan Love at quarterback.

When Kirk Cousins went down shortly before the midseason mark with an Achilles injury, the Vikings were left flailing. They finished the season tied for third place with the Chicago Bears as their record was a painful 7-10. The offseason has seen the Bears gain footing by drafting quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, wide receiver Rome Odunze and signing free agent wide out Keenan Allen.

As all this was happening, the Vikings lost Cousins and Danielle Hunter to free agency. Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons while Hunter moved on to the Houston Texans.

The Vikings have not taken all of this lying down. General manager Kwesi Adofo Mensah has responded and the team should have a fighting chance in the 2024 season to battle their division rivals. It's very likely that many of the preseason publications will pencil the Vikings in for last place in the NFC North, but they just might be able to overcome those expectations.

Vikings draft quarterback of the future

Once the Vikings decided that they were not going to overpay to keep Cousins in purple, it was clear that they would draft a quarterback this year. Since this was a year with six elite quarterbacks in the draft, it was clear that Adofo-Mensah was going to do what he could to get his new QB1.

The Vikings came into the draft with the No. 11 and 23 picks in the first round, and the belief was that they were going to try to engage the New England Patriots in a trade and acquire the No. 3 pick. New England director of scouting Eliot Wolf had said the pick was “in play” in the days leading up to the draft, but he held on to the pick.

New England selected Drake Maye of North Carolina, and that may have been Minnesota's quarterback of choice. Once he was unavailable, the Vikings set their sights on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings moved up to the tenth spot in a trade with the Jets and selected McCarthy.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell may need some time to develop McCarthy and help him play at the NFL level, but the Vikings believe he will be a winner when he gets his opportunity. He did not play in a sophisticated passing offense with the Wolverines, but he led his team to the College Football Playoff two years in a row.

The second of those trips ended with Michigan beating the Washington Huskies and winning the national championship. McCarthy is an excellent athlete with a strong arm, quick release and the ability to read defenses. He is also very competitive, and he just may be ready to take the starting quarterback position before the Vikings reach the midseason mark.

McCarthy's development is likely to be the best and most important move the Vikings made in the 2024 draft.

Turner gives the Vikings a legitimate pass rusher

Prior to the start of the draft, it appeared the Vikings would combine their two first-round picks to find a quarterback. They did not have to give up the second first-round choice to do that.

As a result, the Vikings found themselves in a spot to draft a defensive impact player with their other first-round choice. Adofo-Mensah made a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up to the No. 17 spot and he drafted outside linebacker Dallas Turner from Alabama.

This was an essential move for defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his unit after losing Hunter. Turner was the best pass rusher in the draft, and he should have an immediate impact. He had 53 tackles, 10.0 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 13 quarterback hits last year.

Prior to drafting Turner, the Vikings added free agents OLBs Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel as well as inside linebacker Blake Cashman. As a result, Flores may have enough key players to help the Vikings improve their middle-of-the-pack defensive status.

Adofo-Mensah refuses to mortgage future

Once the Vikings made their decision not to bring back Cousins, the heat was on the general manager to find the team's new leader at the quarterback position.

It's clear that outstanding quarterback play is needed to keep a team in consistent contention for playoff appearances, and many leaders would do anything they could to bring in a quarterback that they believe is “the man.” That includes overpaying for that signal caller.

However, there are no guarantees that first-round quarterbacks will be successful. If Adofo-Mensah had pursued his QB choice with desperation, he almost certainly would have had to give up a 2025 first-round draft choice in addition to the two the Vikings had this year.

He did not do that. He held his position, and the Vikings held on to next year's first-round pick. That took some strength and gumption, and it was a move that indicated he can be successful in making the key moves for the franchise.