How the Vikings Can Make a QB Splash in the NFL Draft

How the Vikings Can Make a QB Splash in the NFL Draft
Malik Willis

Listen up, especially if you’re ready to be done with Kirk Cousins as the QB1 for the Minnesota Vikings.

The following “plan” is a way for the Vikings to blend both worlds — transition away from Cousins as the franchise quarterback while holstering a contingency plan in a Chiefsian way reminiscent of 2017-2018.

This atlas to quarterback change is not a prediction of how things will pan out. Instead, this is a roadmap to get the Vikings in bed with a quarterback on a rookie deal.

His name is Malik Willis, and he’s the guy who does wholesome stuff like this:

Step 1: Let Cousins’ Contract Play Out

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Don’t panic. This involves void years added onto the deal, easing the pain of $45 million in 2022 by spreading the money out over a couple of additional seasons. In a twist, the Vikings don’t fall into the trap of trading or extending Cousins, which has been fans’ trench-warfare prediction for about two months.

Minnesota simply lets Cousins play out his final year. And if he absolutely thrives with Kevin O’Connell — like Matthew Stafford did in Los Angeles — well, great.

The takeaway here: Cousins is afforded one final crack at it with the Vikings after some cap finagling.

Step 2: Re-Sign Patrick Peterson

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If the Vikings do not sign free-agent cornerbacks, they’re in trouble because Adofo-Mensah would be tasked with finding two startable corners in the 2022 NFL Draft. Right now on the Vikings depth chart, the CB section is Cameron Dantzler and dregs.

The plan needs Peterson in the mix so that the CB room showcases Dantzler and Peterson. That’s a decent starting point. Then, the Vikings can sign another free-agent corner like Kyle Fuller or Bryce Callahan.

Minnesota, with this article’s scenario, cannot spend the 12th overall pick on Ahmad Gardner or Derek Stingley Jr. as most mock drafts foresee. Ergo, the CBs have to be found elsewhere — free agency.

Step 3: Retain Danielle Hunter

Danielle Hunter
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If the Vikings don’t draft a cornerback in the 1st Round, the natural “substitution” is an EDGE defender like David Ojabo. Well, we’re allocating the 12th pick to a quarterback, so the EDGE portion of the roster can’t be skimpy heading into O’Connell’s maiden voyage.

Keeping Hunter around in Minnesota — despite his recent injury history — ensures the 2022 pass rush doesn’t die. And, to be clear, bringing Hunter back in 2022 isn’t a problematic financial task. It all comes down to whether the Vikings believe Hunter’s injury maladies are mostly over.

Step 4: Draft Malik Willis with the 12th Overall Pick

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This is the big enchilada for the plan.

Because we hypothetically shortened Cousins’ commitment to the Vikings for one-year-only, the franchise needs a path forward. With Willis’ mobility, youth, and rookie contract, he’s the nominee.

The plan could be thwarted if a team like the Carolina Panthers or Washington Commanders steal Willis before #12, but that’s how it goes. We shall see.

Choosing Willis for the future situates the Vikings in a model executed by the 2017 Chiefs. Cousins, like Alex Smith, is a more-than-capable NFL quarterback, but the idea is Willis would be a game-changer and injection of youthful mobility — in more ways than one.

He probably won’t be as productive as Patrick Mahomes. But who is?

Step 5: Draft an EDGE Rusher in Round 2

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The final piece to the Willis puzzle.

Minnesota will run a 3-4 defense in 2022 — after 60 years of a 4-3 scheme — and pass rushers are required. At the moment, the organization has maybe-Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, Janarius Robinson, and Kenny Willekes. The Vikings need one more ferocious pass rusher, not a foursome of dudes who might eventually pan out.

A man like Myjai Sanders makes sense here. Chris Tomasson from the Pioneer Press tweeted about him on Sunday:

Sanders has a 2nd-Round draft projection, and the Vikings actually have a 2nd-Round pick this year, unlike 2021. Ideally, Sanders would start in Week 1.

Overall, Cousins-into-Willis would be on the menu. The cornerbacks would be Peterson, Dantzler, Fuller/Callahan, and depth players. Hunter and Sanders would be the primary pass rushers. And Minnesota would check all boxes for a competitive team (the ownership’s words) in 2022 while exalting the future of Willis.

It could work, particularly if Cousins truly wants $40 million per year via his next contract.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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