New Mock Draft Gives Vikings Immense Value
Ted Schwerzler
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The Minnesota Vikings have a pair of first-round picks to utilize during the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. They are currently expected to package them in an effort to move up the board. If they don’t find a suitor, though, they immediately have the opportunity to infuse their roster with fresh young talent.
New Mock Draft Gives Vikings Immense Value
NFL.com’s Peter Schrager put together his first mock draft of the year, and while it does include trades, it’s not Minnesota that he has moved up. With the New York Giants moving into the 4th spot with eyes set on J.J. McCarthy, that means the Vikings keep both the 11th and 23rd overall picks. Rather than sacrificing a 2025 first-round selection, this would keep the situation status quo for Minnesota and might represent the greatest amount of value.
It stands to reason that the 11th overall pick is something of a weird middle ground for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. That’s too low for the top quarterbacks to be still available, but it’s also too much of a reach to grab any of the next group. Needing help in the secondary, he goes with cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Arnold might be the best cornerback in the class, and he would immediately have a chance to start for the Vikings. Minnesota’s cornerback room was thin last season, and the depth was consistently exposed. Arnold would allow Brian Flores, a shiny new playmaker, out of the gate and a defense that took strides in year one to flourish in year two.
Schrager doesn’t ignore the quarterback position as a whole, though, and that’s where the 23rd pick comes in. With Oregon’s Bo Nix still on the board, he lands here. The Vikings get one of the more scrutinized prospects from the class, but there is no denying that the former Ducks signal-caller leaves college as one of the most decorated athletes in history.
What Nix was at Auburn is wildly different than what he is now. There should still be an expected learning curve at the next level, but sitting behind Darnold briefly would give Nix plenty of time to acclimate at the next level. He won’t have the pressure of being forced under center, and he lands with a team that immediately provides him with a plethora of weapons.
Rather than trading both picks to get a single quarterback, Schrager’s suggestion gives Minnesota help at two key positions, and both players could cement themselves as mainstays for years to come. It’s hard not to like a scenario in which the Vikings hang onto their picks and still get a first-round passer.
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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