Vikings Absolutely Need to Draft a Quarterback in the First Round
Ali Siddiqui
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Drafting the best player available is usually a very good strategy (Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson are great examples), especially when you have multiple holes to fill such as the Minnesota Vikings currently do, but this team really needs to find a long-term solution at quarterback.
That is the most important position in football and it is continuing to be more and more important since the league keeps becoming even more pass happy. Rules today also benefit offenses more than in previous years.
Trevor Lawrence is expected to be the first selection in the draft. It is highly unlikely the Vikings will be selecting that high. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields may very well not be available for them either. North Dakota State’s Trey Lance could though. With the Vikings win at Green Bay and plenty of winnable games left, they may not even pick in the top 15 though. We will see though.
If the season ended today they would be picking tenth overall.
Even if Lance wont be available, Zach Wilson (BYU) could be. Kyle Trask (Florida) definitely should be. Maybe trader Rick will move up in the first or trade back in the first round like he did in 2014 when he selected Teddy Bridgewater.
Nobody knows how good any of these quarterbacks will be, or even if any will be at all. Only time will tell. We have seen many good college quarterbacks become very good in the NFL, but some have also been the exact opposite such as Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, Matt Leinart, etc.
Regardless the Vikings need to find a long-term solution at quarterback. Kirk Cousins was good (not great) the past two years, but has struggled this year and the decision to extend him is looking very bad. They need to take a quarterback with their first selection regardless. Maybe they’ll end up with a dud, but also could very well get a stud.
Unless they pull off a miracle trade, Cousins will remain with the team the next two seasons. Whichever quarterback they draft (whether they do so in the first round or second), they could have him sit all or most of the next two years and then make him the full-time starter in 2023.
Since this franchise had a quarterback named Fran Tarkenton, they have not had much luck finding a long-term solution at the position. Daunte Culpepper looked to be the guy, but after his great 2004 season he did not look the same without Moss and later tore three ligaments in his knee. Tarvaris Jackson (RIP) and Christian Ponder did not pan out.
Bridgewater looked to be the guy until his horrific knee injury right before the start of the 2016 season. That injury continues to look worse. They have been scrambling for quarterbacks since and it was understandable why they went out and signed Cousins, but once again the decision to extend him is looking very bad.
Bridgewater could have been a top-10 quarterback in the game right now or at least very close.
This team has not made it to the Super Bowl since they had Tarkenton. Yes, bad luck is part of the reason for that (Darrin Nelson drop, Gary Anderson miss, 12 men in the huddle), along with the infamous Herschel Walker deal, but having a franchise quarterback gives you more opportunities to win. It matters even more now than in previous years.
Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham and Brett Favre had very good seasons here but were only short-term solutions.
Yes Russell Wilson and Joe Montana were not drafted until the fourth and Tom Brady was not until the sixth, but given how badly the Vikings need a quarterback of the future, they need to draft one early.
The best quarterbacks typically come in the first round.