Vikings Appear Out on 1 Rookie QB
Life after Kirk Cousins arrived quickly this week.
Vikings Rookie QB: One Man May Be off the Team’s Radar
Cousins joined the Atlanta Falcons on the first day of free agency, seizing a gargantuan four-year contract and $180 million. Cousins told reporters in January, “At this stage in my career, the dollars are really not what it’s about.” But in the end, he, in fact, chased the money and Atlanta’s flowery contractual structure despite the humble comments two months ago.
So, the Minnesota Vikings will likely need a rookie quarterback from this year’s draft — six weeks from now — but the franchise may be out on Oregon’s Bo Nix. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis tweeted Tuesday, “Doesn’t sound like Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell or Josh McCown are in Eugene today for Bo Nix’s pro day at Oregon.”
It would be rather odd if Nix were the Vikings’ future and the club’s foremost leadership remained absent from his Pro Day. In theory, Minnesota could still draft Nix but don’t count on it.
Nix is tentatively expected to be drafted somewhere in Round 1, although some draft nuts believe he could fall into Day 2 (or Rounds 2 and 3). We shall see. Vikings fans collectively labeled Nix as the man they would not want from the draft, at least per widespread social media consensus. Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) are the other options if the Vikings swerve from Nix. Michael Pratt (Tulane) and Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) are expected to make up the second wave of quarterbacks in this year’s draft.
PurplePTSD’s Josh Frey told VikingsTerritory in February about Nix’s scouting report, “He doesn’t have a ton of zip on his arm, and when he does throw deep, it’s often a floating duck. This begs for big interception numbers in the NFL. Definitely my least favorite watch of the Top 6.”
The knock on Nix is pretty straightforward: arm strength. He does not boast the quality to a degree of other elite prospects, like Drake Maye, for example. The anti-Nix sentiment also invokes the “reach” mentality from years past. For example, the Vikings needed a quarterback in 2011 and drafted Christian Ponder, and some believe Nix could become a repeat of that situation.
Last month, Pro Football Network’s Owain Jones mock-drafted Nix to Minnesota and explained the pick, “With Cousins leaving in free agency, the Vikings must find their future at the position. They could be a candidate to trade up if anyone at the top is willing to negotiate. However, in this mock, they end up with Bo Nix.”
“Fans should prepare for Nix to be drafted much higher than many realize. At Oregon, he has been one of the top QBs in college football over the last two years and has the traits and experience that should allow him to slot straight in at the next level,” Jones added.
If the Vikings select a quarterback in Rounds 1 or 2 in late April — they probably will — it will be their first such selection in a decade. Teddy Bridgewater was the last guy.
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.
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