The Minnesota Vikings must come away with a quarterback in this year's draft. They let former starter Kirk Cousins leave through free agency when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell decided that their former signal caller was not worth the four-year, $180 million deal that he got from the Atlanta Falcons.
The Vikings have signed Sam Darnold to man the QB1 role, but he appears to be a stop-gap type of player. Darnold (one-year, $10 million) might be good for several games, but he does not have a track record of NFL excellence. No matter what Adof0-Mensah and O'Connell admit to in the weeks before the draft, the Vikings need a quarterback for the present and especially the future.
After adding the No. 23 draft pick in a trade with the Houston Texans, the Vikings should have an opportunity to combine that pick with their own No. 11 pick and move up in the first round. There is an excellent chance that the top four QB prospects — Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy — will all be selected at the top of the draft.
However, those two picks may not be enough to complete a deal. If the Vikings want to move to the No. 2 or 3 spot — currently occupied by the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots, respectively — it may cost even more to get there. Insiders are suggesting that a 2025 or 2026 first-round choice may have to be added to the package in order to get to that position.
Vikings may be better off not making a deal
If the Vikings can't make a deal that would allow them to get one of the top four quarterbacks, it may be the best thing that could happen to them.
The Nos. 5 and 6 quarterbacks are also excellent and could turn out to be the better long-term prospects. Michael Penix of Washington has elite arm strength and accuracy, but he has a significant injury history. He has had two shoulder surgeries and a pair of knee injuries. Teams might hesitate to commit to Penix for good reason.
However, Penix has been healthy each of the last two years and helped propel the Washington Huskies towards the top of the college football world.
One of his top rivals is Bo Nix of Oregon, and he has all the tools needed to be a winning NFL quarterback. He is smart, creative, elusive and accurate, although he may not have the zip on his fastball that Penix has.
If the Vikings can't get one of the top 4, they could use their No. 11 pick to get a top defensive player and their No. 23 pick to select Penix or Nix.
If Adofo-Mensah really wanted to get the maximum value out of their selections, he could trade back to get multiple second-round picks by trading the No. 23 pick. That would require full knowledge that Penix or Nix would still be available and that could be too much of a gamble for the general manager to take.
Drake Maye appears to be top Vikings choice
The North Carolina quarterback is apparently the choice of O'Connell, as the Vikings head coach is recognized as a legitimate expert on QB play.
Maye completed 269 of 425 passes for 3,608 yards with 24 TDs and 9 interceptions for the North Carolina Tar Heels last season. He threw for 4,321 yards with the 38-7 TD-interception ratio the year before.
Maye has a ideal size at 6-5 and 220 pounds, and he has the intelligence and maneuverability to make key plays on a consistent basis.
The North Carolina quarterback could be the choice if the Vikings can make a deal for the No. 3 pick with the Patriots.
J.J. McCarthy could be a close second
If the Vikings can't get into the top three, making a deal with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 4 pick of the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 could net the Vikings the opportunity to select J.J. McCarthy of Michigan.
McCarthy does not have the history of working in a sophisticated passing offense, but he has been an effective quarterback throughout his college career. He led the Michigan Wolverines to the College Football Playoffs after the 2022 regular season and to the National Championship last year.
Jim Harbaugh, his former head coach at Michigan, has labeled him the best quarterback in this year's draft. While that may not be an unbiased opinion, McCarthy may have the makeup that Cousins never had with the Vikings. He is at his best against elite opponents and pressure seems to bring out the best in him.
McCarthy completed 240 of 332 passes for 2,991 yards with a 22-4 TD-interception ratio last year. He threw for 2,719 yards with a 22-5 TD-interception ratio in 2022.
Dallas Turner could be the alternative
If the Vikings can't get one of the top four quarterbacks, they could hold on to their No. 11 pick and use it on Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.
The Vikings lost ace pass rusher Danielle Hunter in the offseason, and while they have picked up a couple of excellent defensive players in free agency — Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel being two of them — they may want a top pass rusher.
Turner had 10.0 sacks last season for the Crimson Tide, along with 14.5 tackles for loss and 53 tackles. He appears to be a player with a fine future at a position where the Vikings feel they have a particular need.
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