Popular Account Posts Misleading Theory about Vikings
Nobody really knows who he is, but the man tweets ad nauseam.
Popular Account Posts Misleading Theory about Vikings
This time, popular X (formerly known as Twitter) aggregator Dov Kleiman opined a statement about the Minnesota Vikings that implied the club is looking past the 2024 NFL Draft as a spot for a rookie quarterback.
According to Kleiman, Minnesota will likely look at next year’s draft — not the one in three weeks — for a new QB1. Kleiman tweeted Tuesday, “The Vikings will potentially start Sam Darnold next season and look to draft in the 2025 QB Class for a new starter, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.”
The problem? The quote cherry-picked one sentence fragment from Seifert’s article about the Vikings’ quarterback plans, ignoring Minnesota’s broader intentions of pursuing a quarterback at the end of the month.
Here’s the full context of Seifert’s writing regarding Darnold: “They’ve made deep plans to evaluate the top prospects via private workouts and/or visits, and they formed the outlines of a structure focused on developing a rookie quarterback. On the other, they’re preparing for the possibility of riding with offseason free agent addition Sam Darnold in 2024 and then regrouping with either a quarterback drafted with a lower pick or perhaps a look ahead to the 2025 class.”
He added, “O’Connell has already initiated a few structural changes on his coaching staff to give himself more time to develop the quarterback he hopes to draft. And if they can’t find a complicit team to trade with, they will still have the flexibility of the No. 23 overall pick to work with. That’s the world they’re living in, for at least the rest of this month.”
The Kleiman tweet made zero mention of the Vikings’ plan in this draft, instead focusing on the 2025 edition. Taken at surface value by a casual fan or reader, the post implies that Minnesota has already basically bypassed the 2024 NFL Draft because it has Darnold in the saddle.
Vikings owner Mark Wilf said about the team’s quarterback plan last month, “When it comes to the quarterback position, it’s certainly critical, and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell are working hard. We’ve got a plan, and Sam Darnold is part of it. We’re excited he’s in the building, and we’re excited we have two first-round picks, so we’ll see where it all goes. We have a lot of flexibility, and we’ll see what happens.”
Nuanced thinking suggested Minnesota will partner Sam Darnold as a patchover quarterback in 2024 with a rookie passer. Two days after Kirk Cousins to Atlanta became official, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pulled off a pre-draft trade, grabbing an additional 1st-Round pick from the Houston Texans while offloading two 2nd-Rounders in the deal, plus a late-round pick swap.
And that plan made more sense than Darnold as the end-all savior. Between now and April 25th, Adofo-Mensah is expected to trade up again, probably to draft a quarterback like Drake Maye of North Carolina or J.J. McCarthy from Michigan.
The Kleiman statement leaned heavily on Darnold, the 2025 NFL Draft, and batted away Minnesota’s interest in a quarterback during this year’s draft.
Per oddsmakers, Minnesota is the favorite to select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy in 23 days.
There’s a Vikings Suspension
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.