Are the Vikings Changing Thoughts at Pick No. 11?
When the Minnesota Vikings make a selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, they will be doing so with plenty of holes to fill.
Are the Vikings Changing Thoughts at Pick No. 11?
There are departures all over the roster, but needing a long-term answer at quarterback and having a loaded draft there, would they choose someone else?
Thus far, mock drafts have been all over the board, and we’re plenty early in the process, but the reality is that there seems to be a growing divide that could leave the Vikings twisting in the wind at the 11th pick. There is no chance either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye remain available that late in the draft, and Jayden Daniels certainly won’t either.
At different points of the early offseason, names like Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, and J.J. McCarthy seemed plausible for the Vikings pick, but they have slid down in mocks and to the point of not being in the first round altogether. With no pro days or combine action yet, it’s a dart throw at best to start gauging where teams may see these talents fitting in, but it is clear that those with prominent mock drafts have begun to suggest a fall.
Plenty of what the Vikings do with their first-round pick hinges on how they handle veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Should he be re-signed to a one or two-year deal, then the importance of a first-round quarterback is a bit more mitigated. If he goes elsewhere, then it’s immediately obvious that there is no bigger gaping hole on the entire roster.
What is interesting is how Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will react to what may be available at the 11th pick. In his first draft, he traded back substantially and did so with the division rival Detroit Lions. If Minnesota sees another position but not a player they have to have, sliding back and angling for one of the quarterbacks later could make sense. They could also look to leap into those top three quarterbacks and ensure they aren’t forced with something uncertain at number 11 altogether.
This is a pivotal point in the competitive rebuild that the franchise has been preaching, and while it may have gone okay thus far, it could be the 2024 season, in which year three determines the fate of multiple people going forward. A first-round miss can’t happen, and overall, higher quality from the class as a whole has to present itself as well.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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