Vikings the Top Landing Spot for TWO Players in Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is 22 days away, and the Minnesota Vikings are expected to select a quarterback somewhere in Round 1.
Vikings the Top Landing Spot for TWO Players in Draft
To obtain a blue-chip quarterback prospect, Minnesota must trade up the board — probably into the draft’s Top 5 — and nearly every mock draft published in the last few weeks has predicted such.
But as the event draws near, the purple team is actually the odds-on favorite to land two rookie passers, believe it or not. Of course, the Vikings won’t ultimately draft both men, but they are considered the frontrunner for each.
J.J. McCarthy
Michigan
McCarthy’s Odds by Team:
- Vikings = +105
- Giants = +275
- Commanders = +300
- Patriots = +350
- Broncos = +550
- Raiders = +3500
- Seahawks = +4000
- Chargers = +4500
McCarthy has become a Vikings draft darling since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pulled off a trade with the Houston Texans 19 days ago — an exciting prospect who won’t quite cost three 1st-Rounders via trade that Drake Maye, for example, might command.
He met with the Vikings at the 2024 NFL Combine and said about the meeting, “Coach O’Connell led the whole thing. Everything they talked about wanting out of a QB aligns with what I want. Just being able to get on the board with them, go through their plays, it was special.”
The Wolverine has climbed the draftboard at a breakneck pace since December, culminating in the top spot for Minnesota as of April 3rd.
Michael Penix Jr.
Washington
Penix Jr’s Odds by Team:
- Vikings = +250
- Raiders = +320
- Seahawks = +400
- Broncos = +500
- Patriots = +700
- Giants = +950
- Saints = +2000
- Buccaneers = +2500
- Dolphins = +2500
- Rams = +2500
- Titans = +2500
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweeted Monday, 3.5 weeks before the draft, “Things are heating up for Washington QB Michael Penix Jr: Sources say he had dinner with the Giants in Seattle after his Pro Day, followed by a private workout with the Vikings in Seattle. Penix will have top 30s with the Broncos, Falcons, Raiders and Commanders, per multiple sources.”
So the man is apparently still in the mix for Minnesota, even if his draft stock has never really broached the Top 10. Penix Jr. is the guy folks expect to join the Vikings if Minnesota doesn’t pull off a splashy trade into the Top 5 or Top 10.
Penix Jr. delivered a sweet Pro Day last week, notching a 4.45-second forty-yard dash and a superb throwing session. Some draft pundits even took his Round 1 stock off life support. He may indeed go off the board in the first 32 picks.
McCarthy is still the overall favorite, but Penix Jr. isn’t too far behind.
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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