A ‘Russell Wilson Type’ QB Will Be Available to Vikings in Mid-Rounds
The Minnesota Vikings may be quarterback shopping in two weeks during the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.
Incumbent QB1 Kirk Cousins is under contract for one more season, and if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants to get a jump on planning his successor before absolutely necessary, he could scoop a passer out of the draft in 14 days.
A ‘Russell Wilson Type’ QB Will Be Available to Vikings in Mid-Rounds
There’s one problem, though: the Vikings don’t own a desirable 1st-Round draft pick to effectuate the plan. At pick No. 23, Minnesota must hope an Anthony Richardson or Will Levis falls down the board.
Accordingly, some Vikings faithful believe Adofo-Mensah will select a quarterback after Round 1, perhaps in Round 3 or 4 or so. Should that come to fruition, ESPN has identified a ‘Russell Wilson type’ mid-rounder — BYU’s Jaren Hall.
With consultation from NFL executives and scouts, ESPN labeled comparisons for 13 quarterbacks in this year’s draft, and for Hall, he’s evidently a mirror image of Wilson — the good version from the Seattle days.
Wilson floundered in Year 1 with the Broncos in 2022 after a trade from the Seattle Seahawks 13 months ago.
After slapping the Wilson brand on him, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote about Hall, “Next in a line of NFL passers from BYU, Hall completed 66% of his passes for 3,171 yards, 31 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games last season. He was erratic at the Senior Bowl, where he was hampered by an ankle injury, but showed a variety of on-time throws at his pro day.”
Fowler continued with a few bits of commentary from league personalities, “‘He has the most going for him in [this tier],’ an NFL scouting executive said. ‘Mentally sharp, accurate.’ Added a personnel director: ‘Good kid, pretty good athlete, good arm, longtime backup, can maybe get you out of a few games.’ Teams had positive experiences with Hall in meetings, with one veteran offensive coach pointing out, ‘The more time you spend with him, the more you like him.'”
Hall could be drafted anywhere from Round 2 to 5, and if it’s after Round 2, the Vikings should be in decent shape to pounce, if they happen to agree with the Wilson-infused evaluation. Age is the knock on Hall — like Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, who is frequently linked to Minnesota. He’s 25, an unusually old age for a rookie quarterback, a byproduct of “the COVID year.”
The BYU alumnus also batted concussions in 2019 and a hip injury in 2020.
If not Hall, Adofo-Mensah can explore the after-Round-1 draft candidacies of the aforementioned Hooker, UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Tanner McKee of Stanford, or Clayton Tune of Houston.
The Vikings could also trade up the board for Richardson or Levis.
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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