3 Biggest Storylines for Vikings after Draft
The Minnesota Vikings navigated Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s third draft over the last few days, leaving the event with seven new players and a slew of undrafted free agents.
3 Biggest Storylines for Vikings after Draft
Now, the offseason resumes as several free agents remain available on the open market, and training camp begins in a couple of months.
These are the five biggest questions facing Minnesota, following a draft that answered a few. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = top storyline).
3. Is It Blake Brandel at Left Guard after All?
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah re-upped with Brandel in March for three years and $9.5 million, a contract suggesting a starter’s trajectory. The man didn’t totally break the bank, but the dollars and years were noteworthy.
And without Dalton Risner on the roster — he remains an unsigned free agent — all signs point to Brandel as the 2024 starter at left guard. Minnesota also didn’t add any high-profile offensive guards in the draft, instead onboarding a couple of undrafted free agents at the spot.
Barring a free-agent signing, it feels like Brandel is a starting guard for the 2024 Vikings. We shall see if that holds. Re-signing Risner would immediately end this storyline. Stay tuned.
2. Who’s the WR3?
The Vikings can scour the free-agent wire for a WR3 if it’s in the mood for one.
Unless Minnesota signs a free agent like Tyler Boyd, Hunter Renfrow, or DJ Chark, the 2024 WR3 will be Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield, or Jalen Nailor. Adofo-Mensah added zero WR3 candidates in a draft deep with WR3 candidates.
Powell would likely grab the WR3 job if the season began tomorrow, but four-plus months remain in the offseason. On the whole, fans will wonder all spring and summer who will play WR3. It’s especially a valid question because tight end T.J. Hockenson, a target fiend, probably won’t be ready by Week 1.
1. Which Man Will Start Week 1 at QB?
Sam Darnold has the advantage because Minnesota won’t want to rush McCarthy into anything, but there’s a small chance that McCarthy will emerge quickly as QB1. One of the bright spots about his draft profile was game-readiness. Drake Maye, for example, should probably sit and learn for a year. That wasn’t necessarily the case for McCarthy.
In short order, Vikings fans will divide along fault lines, two camps preaching, “Play McCarthy!” and “Let him watch and learn for a year because that’s how the Packers and Chiefs do it!”
Get ready. That loud and massive storyline is coming.
Vikings Grab a Tall Duck
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 MIN 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.
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