Bleacher Report Names Ideal Vikings Draft Pick
Janik Eckardt
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Skol Nation is waiting for the Minnesota Vikings to be on the clock in less than a week. The NFL draft begins on April 25 with the Chicago Bears, who presumably will select Caleb Williams as their top choice. After that pick, the draft will be unpredictable. The Vikings currently hold the 11th overall pick but could package that and the 23rd pick to enter the top five of the draft order.
Bleacher Report Names Ideal Vikings Draft Pick
Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, and Jayden Daniels are perceived as the next three guys in the QB hierarchy. It will likely be expensive for Vikings’ general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to trade up for one of them. Still, it seems to be the preferred strategy of the organization in need of a new captain following Kirk Cousins’ departure in free agency.
According to Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler, Minnesota’s top option should be LSU’s Heisman winner Daniels.
In a perfect world, the Bears grab Caleb Williams, Washington takes Drake Maye and Minnesota is able to trade up (most likely to No. 3) to grab Jayden Daniels.
The LSU product’s dynamic playmaking ability and vertical accuracy would jigsaw nicely into Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
Working within an offensive unit headlined by Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson presents an immediate chance for Daniels to succeed as his game evolves.
Ryan Fowler, Bleacher Report
Daniels is favored to be the second player off the board and join the Washington Commanders, but as Fowler alluded to, it is not too far-fetched to see them draft Maye.
The 23-year-old LSU star had a phenomenal final collegiate season that ended with Heisman honors. He finished with 40 passing touchdowns and 3,812 passing yards. His second campaign at LSU was by far his best season in college after three seasons at Arizona State. Daniels added another 1,134 yards and ten more touchdowns on the ground, highlighting his elite athleticism.
Unlike most other quarterbacks with his rushing ability, Daniels possesses a good arm and can beat teams from the pocket. His throwing mechanics might be the best and most consistent in the draft, and he is a homerun threat on any single play with his ability to push the ball downfield. That would make the combination of Daniels with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison a nightmare to defend.
Pro Football Focus’ Nick Akridge wrote about the electric passer:
Jayden Daniels is a game-changing type of athlete on the run and in the pocket. It’s the combination one dreams about when building an ideal quarterback in this generation.
He can break any run for a touchdown and is also able to stay in the pocket and drop dimes all over the field. While his running ability elevates his floor, his smaller frame and reckless nature in the running game put him in unnecessary danger, leading to big hits that could force him off the field. Pair that with a lack of consistent anticipation causing him to take far too many sacks, and you have a reason for concern.
The high-end tools are there, and Daniels has shown the ability to play with anticipation; he just needs to be more consistent with it to elevate himself into a franchise NFL quarterback.
Nick Akridge, PFF
The Vikings rank fourth (+1100) in odds to draft the player, according to Draft Kings, behind the Commanders, Patriots, and Raiders.
It would take the help of Washington and New England, but Daniels wearing the purple uniform in 2024 can’t be ruled out at this point.
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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