PFN Posts Explosive Mock Draft for Vikings

Dustin Baker   |  

Jan 25, 2024

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Reddit
• Share on WhatsApp
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

One might think that in Year No. 3 of a self-professed “competitive rebuild” phase for the Minnesota Vikings, a new quarterback would be needed, or at least identified as waiting in the wings.

Well, Pro Football Network has a plan for that — and then some.

PFN Posts Explosive Mock Draft for Vikings

PFN’s Joe Broback published a new mock draft on Thursday, the splashiest of them all for the Vikings to date, with Minnesota drafting North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye after a seismic trade with rival Chicago Bears.

Yes, you read that right.

Broback envisioned this Vikings trade with the Bears:

A king’s ransom indeed, Minnesota would then spend the 1st overall pick on Maye, and voila, the quarterback of the future is secured, albeit at a hefty price.

Broback explained, “There’s a growing belief that Minnesota wants to move up in this draft, but at what cost? To get Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, the Vikings give up significant draft capital. How much remains to be seen, but it’s likely they’ll need more if they trade with Chicago.”

On the “growing belief,” Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling joined Paul Allen’s show on KFAN this week and explained Minnesota’s draft mindset regarding quarterback, “If they’re going to take one, it’s going to be someone we love, or we’re not doing it. If you have to give up a couple first-round picks for future years, I don’t think they’d bat an eye at that.”

So, indeed, the sentiment for Minnesota to move and shake on draft night is out there. Broback continued the Maye theory, “Maye is a great fit in Minnesota’s offense. He has the arm talent to move the ball down the field on all three levels, and that’s a major crux as to why he’s considered a top-two pick. He’ll do well under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage, but Maye also gives the Vikings an aspect that they didn’t have with Kirk Cousins.”

Some Vikings fans would bemoan the trade pricetag — it really is “the farm” — but such reservations would instantly fall by the wayside if Maye is the real deal on a regular season field.

“One of the biggest gripes with Cousins was his inability to escape pressure frequently. Maye’s mobility allows this team to breathe more easily, and now the fan base can wait to see how he develops,” Broback concluded.

VikingsTerritory’s offseason endorsement echoed a similar strategy. That was published last weekend and can be read here.

Generally speaking, it’s unlikely that the Bears would conduct direct business with the Vikings involving the 1st overall pick. But Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah proved his fearlessness in trading with intradivision foes in the 2022 NFL Draft. In theory, it could happen again with the Bears.

Minnesota hasn’t used 1st- or 2nd-Round draft capital on a quarterback since Teddy Bridgewater in 2014 and instead has spent mid- or late-rounders on Kellen Mond (2021) and Jaren Hall (2023).

The 2024 NFL Draft is 91 days away.

Also Read:
Kirk Cousins with NFC Foe Would Really, Really Work

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.