Latest Minnesota Vikings NFL Draft Buzz, Rumors, Reports: Trading Up For a QB?

There is a lot of smoke surrounding the idea of the Vikings trading up for a quarterback.

At long last, the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday night. Ahead of what promises to be a fascinating few days for the Minnesota Vikings, let's go over the latest rumors regarding the franchise and what it might do this weekend.

Buzz continues to grow about a move up for a QB

The Vikings have done a lot of work on this year's quarterback class. Holding the 23rd pick, they appear to be a legitimate candidate to trade up for one of the top four QBs in this class, especially if one starts to slide. It won't be Bryce Young, who is the heavy favorite to be taken first overall, but one of C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis could fall a bit if not taken within the top four picks.

Vikings Draft: Trading Up For Anthony Richardson is a Risk Worth Taking

Buzz continues to grow louder when it comes to the possibility of the Vikings making an aggressive move up for a QB.

• Ian Rapaport mentioned the Vikings, along with the Lions (18th pick) and Buccaneers (19), as teams who could trade up if a QB falls.
• Benjamin Allbright reports that Minnesota has been calling teams about moving up.
• Brett Kollmann has the Vikings trading up all the way to pick 3 and selecting Richardson (over Stroud and Levis) in his annual mock draft. "This is kind of a combination of what I expect to happen and also what I would do if I was (the Vikings)," Kollmann said.

Trading up all the way from 23 to 3 would require a massive haul, almost certainly including the Vikings' next two first round picks (2024 and 2025) and additional Day 2 selections. It's not impossible, but it doesn't seem particularly likely, either.

"I'd be very, very surprised if they go up as high as 2 to Houston or 3, Arizona," KSTP insider Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North's Scoops show. "I'm not saying zero percent chance because as far as I can tell, when it comes to the quarterback, every scenario is in play."

What seems more reasonable is the Vikings waiting to see what happens with the quarterbacks at the start of the draft and then potentially moving up if the right one falls. The Texans and Cardinals at 2 and 3 could both take non-QBs (say, edge rushers Tyree Wilson and Will Anderson Jr.) if they don't trade back. Even if one QB goes at 2 or 3 and the Colts take one at 4, that still leaves one of the top four on the board — and there isn't a clear-cut team set to take a QB in the rest of the top ten.

The Vikings met with Richardson at the scouting combine and have done a lot of homework on him, according to Wolfson. There's the Liam Coen-Kevin O'Connell Rams connection with Levis. And don't count out Stroud — once seen as the likely No. 1 overall pick — as a dark horse to slide a bit.

Still, if one QB is going to fall, Richardson seems like the best bet. NBC's Peter King mocked him to the Vikings at No. 23 this week, meaning they wouldn't even need to move up. A more realistic middle ground would be trading up to somewhere in the 10-17 range.

Hendon Hooker at 23?

If the top four quarterbacks all get snatched up early, keep an eye on Tennessee's Hendon Hooker as an option for the Vikings, whether at 23 or after trading back.

Wolfson has said on numerous occasions that the Vikings "have the book" on Hooker. He also said that they spent some additional time with Hooker earlier this month (though not on an official visit at TCO Performance Center).

"The bottom line remains that the Vikings have done incredible homework on Hendon Hooker, but not just Hooker, a number of these draft-eligible quarterbacks," Wolfson said.

Hooker is a very polarizing prospect. He's 25, coming off an ACL tear, and he played in a very quarterback-friendly offense in college, but he also has major arm talent, poise, and leadership traits.

"Hooker must refine his internal clock and progression reads, but his instinctive athleticism, football character and poised decision-making amid chaos are appealing traits," The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote. "He projects as a developmental passer with down-the-road starting potential, as long as his knee is healthy."

Could Vikings trade Dalvin Cook this weekend?

Vikings Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook remains an obvious trade candidate due to a plethora of factors including his salary, age, and 2022 advanced stats, plus the fact that the team brought back Alexander Mattison for more than backup RB money. Could a trade finally happen this weekend?

"Another name to watch as a potential trade target this weekend would be Dalvin Cook," wrote SI's Albert Breer. "The Vikings have been communicative with their star tailback — and receptive to the idea of bringing him back — but it just won’t happen at the rate of $11 million he’s due this fall. Minnesota hasn’t shopped Cook, but if it comes away with a back in the first three rounds, I’d bet the Vikings will be open to the idea of moving him on Saturday."

If the Vikings do end up trading Cook, they'll likely want to add to an RB room featuring Mattison, Ty Chandler, and Kene Nwangwu. I've been assuming that might happen in the late rounds of the draft, but could they try to land an impact back earlier than that?

Here's a very interesting tidbit: Wolfson says a name to keep an eye on for the Vikings is Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs, the consensus No. 2 back in this class behind Bijan Robinson.

"It sounds like they've done a good amount of work on Jahymr Gibbs," Wolfson said.

Gibbs is a shifty, explosive, Alvin Kamara-esque playmaker who had 1,370 yards from scrimmage and ten touchdowns last season. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry at Alabama and also had over 900 receiving yards over the last two seasons.

Still, it would be stunning to see the Vikings use their first draft pick on a running back, considering the positional value there.

Jordan Addison interested in being a Viking

One more from Wolfson: He says USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, who visited the Vikings in Eagan, "thoroughly enjoyed his visit."

"There's a lot of appeal to being that No. 2 receiver next to Justin Jefferson, to playing in O'Connell's offense. Trust me, a lot of these draft prospects are well aware of those NFLPA ratings that say being a Minnesota Vikings is a really, really good thing. The buzz is Jordan Addison would love to be a Viking."

If Addison — the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner at Pitt — is available at 23, he could be a great fit in the Vikings' offense alongside Jefferson.

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