Have the Vikings Ever Been This Popular?
Ted Schwerzler
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While every NFL fan looks forward to the regular season, playoffs, and Super Bowl, points throughout the offseason also draw eyeballs. Free agency is a frenzy, but the NFL Draft causes a commotion. With where Minnesota is positioned this year, it’s worth wondering if the Vikings have ever been this popular?
Have the Vikings Ever Been This Popular?
It’s not as though the Minnesota Vikings hold the first overall pick, and it’s not like they are coming off a great season. Because of those two realities, though, and the departures of key veterans, the franchise finds itself in the crosshairs of intrigue and excitement.
Kirk Cousins leaving for Atlanta left a gaping hole at the quarterback position, and although Sam Darnold may be a short-term answer, the team is looking for a franchise quarterback. Each time your team is in position to select one of those through an upcoming draft, there will be an excitement level off the charts. Picking at 11th overall, though, Minnesota is in a non-traditional spot to get it done. That brings the intrigue.
Having acquired a second first-round pick, 23rd overall, from the Houston Texans, it appears a more significant move is coming. Being able to jump into the top three or four picks of the draft would signify Minnesota going for it massively, and it isn’t often that a franchise goes down that path. There are only two outcomes for that sort of move: significant success or clearing house.
There is also relative uncertainty as to how Minnesota views the quarterbacks that could be in play for them. Will they have enough to get the second pick from Washington, the third from New England, or the fourth from Arizona? Which spot do they need to get to to acquire Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or J.J. McCarthy? These unanswered questions are why the Vikings couldn’t find themselves in a better fan-friendly position regarding prognosticating.
Mock draft season was once a thing for just Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay. Those days are long gone, and simulations run on all sorts of websites from all sorts of users. Individuals can play with tools and put on their general manager hats when trying to come up with how they would handle things if control was theirs. Similar to something out of EA Sports’ Madden franchise mode, the Vikings have a dream scenario for those who love chaos.
We’re still two weeks from seeing it play out, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t jumping aboard at a breakneck speed.
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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