Latest Draft Theory Is Noteworthy for the Vikings QB Plans

Vikings
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, after a 20-17 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 9 of the 2022 regular season.

April is the month of draft speculation. Smoke screens appear all month, and it’s hard to differentiate between true and made-up. Agents obviously want to get the word out that their players are incredible, and they do that by talking to media people. The same media people, however, talk to team officials and get told about their plans. Many of those plans are fake.

Everyone has an agenda, and despite those rumors and news, nobody knows what will happen in the draft. That makes the event special, and round one is one of the most interesting days in all of sports.

Latest Draft Theory Is Noteworthy for the Vikings QB Plans

Latest Draft Theory
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While many theories and rumors leading up to the draft aren’t true, some folks in the media are plugged in and could know some stuff. One of them is ESPN’s NFL insider, Adam Schefter.

Schefter is one of the guys who consistently break the news whenever a player is signed or traded. He knows agents, players, and team officials. When he makes a prediction before the draft, it’s noteworthy.

On Monday’s show NFL Live on ESPN, Schefter talked about a potential draft scenario he likes and the Vikings should prepare if it indeed happens.

Let me ask everybody this, what if the run on quarterbacks gets a little bit delayed? What if it’s a little bit later to start than people thought? We have been hearing about quarterbacks going one, two, three, four. That’s not going to happen, I don’t believe in this draft.

We have seen Carolina make the move right away for a quarterback at one but we haven’t seen anybody trade up to two and Houston is open to listening, we haven’t seen anybody trade up to number three because you know what, I think Indianapolis thinks there’s a real chance right now that they can sit right where they are at four and get potentially the second quarterback in this draft.

Adam Schefter | ESPN

Schefter later finalized a bet with former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Granted, it was for only $10. However, there’s a good chance that Schefter didn’t just spill that out with no intel. He might have heard teams talk about that.

The Vikings currently hold the 23rd overall pick, way later than the draft range Schefter is talking about, so why is it notable?

The ESPN Recommendation
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Minnesota is looking for a new quarterback. Kirk Cousins is in the final year of his deal, and the new regime is clearly pivoting toward a new guy under center, or in other words, in common NFL terms, they want their guy.

Cousins is a decent passer and can run Kevin O’Connell’s offense at a high level, but he’ll turn 35 years old in August and could start to decline in the next few seasons. A younger and cheaper option could help the purple team build a better all-around team.

Some excellent QB prospects are available, but most expect them to hear their names called within the first ten picks, maybe even in the top five. Minnesota would miss out on the top prospects at the most crucial position in the sport.

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports.

It will be nearly impossible to get a deal done to move up inside the top five, but if one of the guys starts to tumble down the board, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should be ready to make a power move to trade up and grab O’Connell’s new project.

According to most, the top passers in the draft include C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis, with Hendon Hooker as the fifth option. Many people, especially Vikings fans, aren’t sold on Hooker because of some red flags, even though he has some nice tools.

9. Carolina Panthers — Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida Syndication Ocala Starbanner

Young is the betting favorite to be the pick when the Panthers select Adam Thielen’s new QB with their first overall pick. Stroud is probably the safest bet of the class and would be a home run for the Vikings. Richardson and Levis require some more development, but their upside could be enormous.

Trading up to get one of them will cost the Vikings a lot, at least one, maybe two additional first-round picks and the 23rd selection in this year’s draft. That’s a steep price, but if O’Connell identifies his guy and the new franchise QB works out, nobody will ever bring up that price. No one is ever talking about the additional first-rounder Patrick Mahomes cost the Chiefs in 2017.


Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt

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