Vikings Take Their Quarterback Search to the West Coast, Meet with Carr and Fales

According to ESPN.com, the Vikings reportedly took their QB search to the west coast last week. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Norv Turner and general manager Rick Spielman visited Fresno State for Derek Carr‘s Pro Day.  The following day, the two met with San Jose State QB David Fales.

Despite suffering from the flu on Thursday, Carr delivered an above-average performance on Thursday, throwing 43 consecutive completions. He was intentional about the types of passes he made, offering a range of professional-level scenarios. “He wanted to prove he looked very comfortable under center and in the pocket today,” NFL Network’s Paul Burmeister said. “That’s exactly what his workout was setup to do.”

Thus far, Carr has not been expected to go in the first roundafter all, this year’s draft class is being called the deepest in several years. However, Carr has apparently received feedback from a variety of sources that lead him to believe he will break into Round One.

Carr worked through his illness to prove that he will have a strong presence in the Draft. In an interview with Burmeister, Carr said the following:

“From what I’ve heard from the Senior Bowl, the combine, meeting with teams in-between then, talking to teams, I think we’re going to surprise some people come May 8.”

Don’t expect the Vikings to use their No. 8 pick on Carr. At this point, several draft experts are placing Carr as a favorite to land in Oakland.  However, if Carr falls to No. 40 and the Vikes are still without a QB, he could be an option at the helm.

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On Friday, Turner and Spielman met with Fales at San Jose State.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the Vikings arranged a private workout with Fales. Two days prior, Fales hit 52 of his 53 passes at Pro Day. It is unclear whether or not Spielman had arranged the meeting before or after the QB’s solid Pro Day performance, but he certainly is an interesting prospect for Minny.

ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer, who was at Fales’ pro day on Wednesday, called him a Trent Green clone.”

ESPN reports that Fales is projected to go as a mid-round pick, but his level of accuracy may raise him a bit in the draft. If Fales stays in the pool until the middle rounds and the Vikings have not yet taken a QB, he could be a strong option as a young QB who can develop under Matt Cassel for a season or two.

Considering Spielman has stated that Minnesota will likely get face time with at least 10 QB’s prior to May 8, a lot of mystery remains around which option will be the best fit and how early the Vikes will go for the QB position.

 

 

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