Report: Vikings could take QB in first round 'if the right one is available'
Can anyone realistically put a stamp on the quarterback the Minnesota Vikings might actually take in next week's NFL Draft?
"The Vikings have done extensive work on this year's quarterback class, and while they have a number of areas they could address in the first round, it's believed they'd take a QB in the first round if the right one is available," writes the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling.
That begs the question: Who is the "right" quarterback for the Vikings?
This year, everyone on the planet says Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis are surefire first-round picks. But as we get closer to the April 27 draft there's more and more talk about Stroud allegedly no-showing the Manning passing thingy and posting a low score on the S2 Cognition test, and others are suggesting Levis could tumble in Round One because he eats bananas whole and wasn't as good in 2022 as he was in 2021.
If we're all being honest, nobody knows anything. Not even the excellent Minnesota native and NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, who on Friday released an awesome piece with projections and commentary from anonymous NFL sources. He's got Young, Stroud, Richardson and Levis all projected as first-round picks.
But keep in mind that this is what Pelissero wrote about last year's quarterback class: "Both Willis and [Kenny] Pickett are expected to be Round 1 picks. Some combination of Ole Miss' Matt Corral, North Carolina's Sam Howell and/or Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder could slip into Thursday night, too."
Pickett went 20th overall to the Steelers. Ridder went 74th, Willis was off the board at 86, Corral at 94, and Howell wasn't selected until the fifth round. Nobody was correct about last year's QB class, so why are we to trust anyone this year?
If we do believe the Pelisseros of the world, then Young is destined to go No. 1 to the Panthers and Stroud will go in the top four, probably to the Texans, Colts, or to a team that trades with the Cardinals for the third pick. So unless the Vikings are the team that trades up, we can logically eliminate Young and Stroud.
Another thing to consider is which quarterbacks the Vikings have reportedly talked to or shown some level of interest in. We know that they had formal meetings with Anthony Richardson and Will Levis at the NFL scouting combine. We also know that Tanner McKee had a private meeting on a top-30 visit to Minnesota. It's been reported that UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson met with the Vikings at the combine, too.
And we know damn well how connected Hendon Hooker has been to Minnesota in the mock draft world. So the logical list of quarterbacks who might be "right" includes:
- Anthony Richardson
- Will Levis
- Hendon Hooker
- Tanner McKee
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson
“When you stand next to him, it’s like standing next to Cam (Newton), but [Richardson] throws the ball better," an anonymous NFL source said of Richardson to Pelissero. It doesn't seem all that likely for Richardson to fall outside the top ten, but again, nobody knows anything, he has just 13 college starts to his name and completed only 56.7% of his passes at Florida.
If he slides, is Richardson the right fit for Minnesota?
"I'll tell you what, I wanted to get back to my seat in a hurry when he came in," O'Connell said of Richardson when they met in Indianapolis. "What a presence. I thought he did a great job, not only seeing him throw today but seeing him go through this whole process all the way through the pro day and the rest of it. He seems like a great kid."
If Levis slides, is he the right fit?
One thing to remember is that Liam Coen and Kevin O'Connell were on the Rams coaching staff together, and Coen was Levis's offensive coordinator at Kentucky when Levis lit up the world in 2021. Does that mean anything? Nobody knows, but it's an interesting dynamic that can't be ignored.
As for McKee, he can't be ruled out because the Vikings met privately with him. But Pelissero projects him as a sixth- or seventh-round selection, which doesn't scream future Vikings starter.
As far as the Vikings are concerned, it's remains very much "all things are possible" ahead of Thursday. They could trade up and take a QB; they could stick at 23 and take one if one falls to them, or draft one of the many other positions of need; they could trade down knowing they have limited picks in this year's draft.
Only six days until the madness ends.
