The Minnesota Vikings are facing a critical juncture as they prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings are hopeful of selecting their quarterback of the present and future, and it is quite essential that they do just that.

The Vikings made a key decision prior to the start of free agency that Kirk Cousins may have been a good quarterback with impressive statistics and popularity in the locker room, but he was not the man to take the team to the promised land.

Cousins struggled when facing elite teams in the regular season or the playoffs and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell came to the conclusion that Cousins was not worthy of the four-year, $180 million contract that he received from the Atlanta Falcons.

The Vikings have signed a stop-gap signal caller in Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract, and he is likely to be the starter in 2024. However, with six high-level quarterbacks available in this year's draft, it is essential that the team finds a true QB when the NFL Draft commences April 25.

Vikings armed with 2 first-round picks

The Vikings have the No. 11 pick based on their finish last year with a 7-10 record and they also have the No. 23 pick as a result of a trade with the Houston Texans.

The obvious strategy at this point would be to combine those two picks in an effort to move up in the draft. There is an excellent chance that the first three picks will all be quarterbacks with Caleb Williams going first to the Chicago Bears and Drake Maye along with Jayden Daniels going with the next two picks to the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots.

J.J. McCarthy of Michigan is likely to be the fourth quarterback selected, while Michael Penix of Washington and Bo Nix of Oregon are the No. 5 and 6 quarterbacks.

If the Vikings are going to move into the No. 2 or 3 spots, it will likely cost them an additional No. 1 pick in the 2025 or 2026 draft. However, they should not spend more than the two first-round picks they have if they are not going to move into the top three.

The Vikings have been rumored to like Maye and McCarthy, but the belief here is that they have little chance of working a deal with the Bears for the No. 1 pick for Williams. Chicago clearly has a need at the position after trading Justin Fields and the idea of them trading that pick to a division rival makes it extremely unlikely.

However, the highly rated Williams may be the biggest wild card among the six quarterbacks. He was dominant for USC in 2022 but he was not as good in the 2023 season, and he may have more diva characteristics than his peers.

The Vikings should not try to entice the Bears into giving up that pick.

Vikings have multiple needs, but should stay away from Kool-Aid McKinstry and Ladd McConkey

After the Vikings select their quarterback, they will attempt to address other key needs with their middle-round selections. The Vikings have two fourth- and two fifth-round selections at this point with no picks in the second- or third-rounds.

That could change as the draft gets closer, but they should avoid selecting Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry and Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

McKinstry has a reputation as a lock-down cornerback, but it will be difficult to maintain that at the next level.

The 6-0, 199-pound McKinstry has decent stopwatch speed, but his technique may not allow him to stay with the league's fastest wide receivers when they go deep.

He also has a problem against the more physical receivers, and those players will clearly test him at the next level.

Another problem for McKinstry could be anxiety in the red zone. He may have problems reading receivers and biting on the initial move, allowing quality receivers to get open in the end zone.

He does have a physical style, but there's a fine line between the initial redirect of the receiver and crossing the line.

McConkey is a fluid athlete with excellent quickness. However, at 6-0 and 186 pounds, he does not have the size and physical strength to win the battle when running outside patterns.

There is a legitimate question about his ability to separate from defensive backs and also make contested catches. Another problem for McConkey is making a smooth catch-and-run. It seems he has to stop or slow down when making the catch, and that will limit his run after the catch ability.

McConkey also seems to run the same pattern over and over again, and he could be easy for opposing defensive coordinators to figure out.