NFL Expert Who Nailed Vikings 2022 Draft Prediction Gives 2023 Pick
Dustin Baker
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Twenty-eight days separate the Minnesota Vikings and 31 other teams from the 2023 NFL Draft. We’ve slipped under the one-month threshold.
The Vikings have five picks in the event for now, and it’s a reasonable expectation that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah fires off a flurry of trades from April 27-29, like he did last year, to grow the total to 7+.
NFL Expert Who Nailed Vikings 2022 Draft Prediction Gives 2023 Pick
But according to the man who accurately picked the Vikings first two picks in 2022, Minnesota might have a grander vision for this go-round — a quarterback.
Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter mock-drafted CB Andrew Booth and FS Lewis Cine to the Vikings — just in the wrong order. He theorized Booth in Round 1 and Cine in Round 2. It happens.
Reuter may still have one or two more mock drafts for publication before this year’s final edition, but at the moment, he foresees a Vikings trade up the board to No. 10 with the Philadelphia Eagles for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
Reuter wrote last week about Levis to Minnesota, “Kirk Cousins is entering a contract year, and the Vikings expect to be good enough to keep them out of the running for the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. Minnesota might choose to shoot its shot now, getting Levis in a trade with Philadelphia in exchange for a third-round pick this year and 2024 first-rounder.”
“Levis may still find a fan among the teams at the top of the draft because of his arm strength, mobility and competitive fire, but he reminds me of former NFL passer Jay Cutler, who went 11th in 2006. And in some recent drafts, we’ve seen at least one highly regarded quarterback come off the board in the 10-12 range: Justin Fields (2021), Josh Rosen (2018), Patrick Mahomes (2017) and Deshaun Watson (2017),” Reuter concluded.
Enthusiasm for a 1st-Round Vikings quarterback selection has spiked in the last week and a half, mainly Levis and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. Getting Levis would likely require a large trade in the Top 10, whereas Hooker will be available to Minnesota after Round 1, according to most draft scouts.
There’s a small chance, too, that Levis tumbles on draft night, although it’s speculative as of late March. Draft expert Chad Forbes tweeted Wednesday about Levis’ recent reputation, “Will Levis is bombing interviews. ‘Arrogance, entitlement. Plus… just bizarre.’ 24 years old. Should be far ahead of guys that graduated from High School in the pandemic 25 months ago (Stroud / Richardson / Stroud). ‘Why didn’t he beat out Sean Clifford.’ Levis could go Day 2.”
Minnesota also has roster needs at cornerback, off-ball linebacker, and perhaps interior defensive line + wide receiver. It’s not set in stone for Adofo-Mensah to take a 1st-Round quarterback. But momentum is growing.
Too, Reuter will likely drop one more mock draft before April 27th, and it was his final edition last year that nailed the Booth and Cine picks. We shall see if he predicts to Levis in Minnesota in the last mock.
Reuter was the only notable draft brain to predict both of the Vikings first two selections last year.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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