Minnesota Vikings fan during NFL game Sunday Oct 16, 2022 in Miami Gardens. © BILL INGRAM / THE PALM BEACH PSOT / USA TODAY NETWORK.
Minnesota Vikings fans are four days away from a much-anticipated verdict on the team’s draft pick(s).
Most expect the club to select a quarterback after Kirk Cousins departed in free agency about six weeks ago to the Atlanta Falcons. Minnesota has two 1st-Round picks, thanks to a splashy trade by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah where the Vikings grabbed an additional 1st-Round pick from the Houston Texans while offloading two 2nd-Rounders in the deal, plus a late-round pick swap.
And with the draft around the bend, Minnesota’s appetite for Drake Maye seems to be sharpening, at least according to the Boston Globe. “I believe that the Vikings want Maye more than the Patriots do. If the Patriots were truly sold on Maye, they wouldn’t consider trading their No. 3 pick,” Boston Globe’s Ben Volin wrote this weekend.
Maye has been Vikings fans’ target pretty much sense the aforementioned trade finalized with the Texans. Many Vikings faithful also enjoy Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, the odds-on favorite to land in Minnesota, per sportsbooks.
Volin continued, “My hunch is that the Vikings want Maye more, based on the fact that Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown knows Maye well, having coached Maye in 2019 at Myers Park High in Charlotte, N.C., where McCown’s two sons also played.”
Aside from Caleb Williams, who is forecasted to head to the Chicago Bears with the first overall pick, Jayden Daniels (LSU), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), and Bo Nix (Oregon) are also draft possibilities for Minnesota. It’s just that fans and the media have made the choice binary between Maye and McCarthy for about six weeks.
Volin concluded about the Vikings’ and Patriots’ trade state of play: “If the Patriots want Maye at No. 3, there’s nothing the Vikings can do about it, and they’ll likely settle for McCarthy. But if the Patriots pass on Maye, the Vikings should be able to find a willing trade partner in the Chargers, who look like they would love to trade down from No. 5. The Vikings’ No. 11 and 23 picks might be enough to get it done.”
About a month ago, we asked fans for their purple draft preference, resulting in Maye as the resounding winner.
Fans also predict Maye in addition to preferring him.
Maye will turn 22 later this summer and has perfect quarterback size, over 6’4″ and weighing about 230 pounds. He’s strong-armed and mobile but might need a year or two to grow into himself.
Minnesota has never used a Top 10 draft pick on a quarterback, so a Maye or McCarthy selection, for example. after a trade into the Top 10 would make history.
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.