Aug 19, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits on the turf before the game against the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The 2024 NFL Draft gets started on Thursday evening.
It promises to be a momentous occasion for the Minnesota Vikings as the expectation is that they will select a quarterback to be deemed as the “QB of the future” in Minnesota. Ahead of the event, here is one last look at the top Vikings draft needs.
Re-signing Brandon Powell ensured the Vikings would retain some veteran depth at wide receiver, but Powell’s skillset should utilized more as a return man. Minnesota lost K.J. Osborn in free agency to the New England Patriots, and they need to bring in another WR3, particularly if T.J. Hockenson is going to miss a portion of the year.
Luckily, this wide receiver class is chock-full of talent, and it’s feasible that Minnesota could land an immediate contributor in the third day of the draft. Jamari Thrash is a player that I’ve had my eye on for awhile because of his route-running skills while Brenden Rice (Jordan Addison’s former USC teammate) is an explosive presence at the position.
As things stand just one day before the draft, the Vikings employ only nine offensive linemen. Only three of those players are designated as offensive tackles after Blake Brandel switched over to guard last year. Minnesota employs one of the more talented tackle tandems in the league with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, but both players have shown a propensity for missing time with injuries over the past couple years.
The Vikings also don’t have a true left guard in place yet, unless the aforementioned Brandel takes on that role. Even still, Brandel has never played a snap at the position in either college or the NFL. The Vikings should try to find some extra help at both guard and tackle in this draft.
Javion Cohen out of Miami (FL) could be an option to keep an eye on during the third day of the draft after he had solid years as the starting left guard for the Hurricanes.
The Vikings’ defensive line has been patched together for multiple seasons with adequate starters, but they haven’t been able to land a true star at the position in awhile. Once again, Minnesota failed to land said star in free agency, so their need gets pushed to the draft.
Players like Byron Murphy or Johnny Newton would be intriguing additions in the first round, but even further down the board, there is talent that should be available for the Vikings in the middle rounds. DeWayne Carter would be a solid get in the fourth round. If Minnesota found a way to trade back up into Day 2, names like Michael Hall or T’Vondre Sweat may become available options as well.
Of course, the quarterback need jumped to the very tippy-top of the Vikings’ mountain of draft needs as soon as Kirk Cousins decided to say sayonara and sign with the Atlanta Falcons. Luckily, Minnesota has multiple paths towards landing that quarterback.
They could trade a boatload of draft capital in order to move up for a player like Drake Maye or perhaps Jayden Daniels (I’ll still hold out hope for the LSU quarterback playing in purple). Or, maybe one of the top four quarterbacks slides a bit down the board, and Minnesota can trade somewhere between 5-8 and snatch the remaining player.
Finally, if all else fails, they could stick and pick, landing a top defensive prospect while also landing either Bo Nix or Michael Penix.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.