The QB Draft Drama Is Magical for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are not directly involved in any rookie quarterback drama during the build-up to the 2025 NFL Draft.
The QB Draft Drama Is Magical for the Vikings
That was last year.
Minnesota seized its man one year ago, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, and he’s on deck to start for the purple team in five months.
But other quarterback drama regarding the draft is growing more fervent by the minute. And that only helps the Vikings — because it drives up the trade price of the Vikings’ No. 24 pick.
QB Need Increases Likelihood of Sweet Vikings Trade at Pick 24
Until two weeks ago, two quarterbacks would be chosen in Round 1: Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. In fact, both were supposed to fly off the board at picks No. 1 and 2 to the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, respectively.
But that has changed.
Sanders is no longer a Top 5 draft darling, and other passers like Jaxson Dart (Mississippi), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), and Tyler Shough (Louisville) are gaining steam. Most have labeled the Vikings as a probable trade-back candidate with their 24th pick, and if the recent rookie quarterback steam is accurate, well, the Vikings’ pick becomes exponentially more valuable.
In March, No. 24 was a wasteland to draft a quarterback of the future. It’s suddenly a paradise, at least in theory.
Shedeur Sanders Falling
SI.com‘s Albert Breer wrote this week, “I’m having a really hard time finding coaches or scouts who believe Sanders is a first-round talent. This, by the way, is separate from any issue anyone has with his personality. Those questions exist, but lots of teams have made exceptions in that department in the past to take on guys with special talents. The problem seems to be that too many folks don’t think Sanders has those types of gifts.”
“What I keep hearing — and this has nothing to do with anyone having some personal issue with Sanders, or looking for him to fall in the draft so they can draft him — is that he isn’t a great athlete on tape, doesn’t have exceptional arm talent, and too often does things that simply won’t translate to the NFL game.”
If one read this snippet in March, it might be borderline unbelievable. Sanders in the Top 3 or Top 5 was that much of an inevitability.
Breer added, “Now, it’s not like Sanders is devoid of ability. Even his critics will tell you that he’s accurate, smart and tough, and credit him for winning consistently at programs where it’s hard to do that. There’s production there that doesn’t happen if a kid can’t play.”
Sanders near the bottom of the draft — not the top — helps the Vikings.
Jaxson Dart Climbing
Breer also opined on Dart: “One interesting point that was raised to me in comparing Sanders to Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart a couple months ago was interesting. The coach I was talking to said, simply, that when you watch those two under duress on tape, you see Dart moving forward, and Sanders moving backward. That essentially means that where Dart would climb the pocket, Sanders would bail out the back of it, and run away from defenders to create time to throw.”
“It’s a little thing, but to this coach, it was an example of how Dart’s game may translate to the NFL better — and how in a league with freakish pass rushers all over the place, the quarterback who manipulates the space around him has a much better chance than the one trying to create space on his own.”
Pull up any credible mock draft from the last week, and there’s a decent chance that Dart will appear in Round 1.
And — you guessed it — this is advantageous for Minnesota. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could sell his 1st-Round pick at a premium if a team wants Dart.
Jalen Milroe Wiggling into Round 1
Bleacher Report recently theorized Milroe, another Round 1 climber, as a possible draft target for the Los Angeles Rams.
BR’s Alex Kay explained, “While Milroe has utilized those unique talents to put up 1,257 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground over the last two seasons, he’s still coming into his own as a thrower. He amassed 5,678 yards and 39 scores through the air while completing 65 percent of his passes in that same span, but he did struggle with decision-making at times and was responsible for 17 interceptions.”
“Despite the clear differences from the pocket-bound and strong-armed Stafford, head coach Sean McVay should have little issue installing an offense tailored to Milroe’s strengths when he finally gets handed the keys. Parsons compared Milroe to ‘Jalen Hurts with a jet pack and stronger arm.’ That type of talent could shine in a McVay scheme.”
The Rams pick two spots beneath the Vikings, so if they want their man — Sanders, Dart, or Milroe — they may have to call a team like Minnesota for the trade leapfrog.
For the conspiracy theorist’s take, Milroe has been invited to the Round 1 green room in Green Bay.
Tyler Shough — Yes, Him — Flirting with RB1
The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini said this week about Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, “His stock is rising. He is a name that I am hearing in league circles way more now than three weeks ago in terms of a QB on the board that could be taken in the first round.”
Mind-bogglingly, if Russini is onto something, Ward and Sanders, as the only Round 1 passers, could transform into five.
Come Get Your Man at No. 24
If the smoke is even remotely true — for instance, if just one man from the Dart/Milroe/Shough group weaves into Round 1 — Adofo-Mensah can dangle his Round 1 pick for value not foreseen one month ago.
The return is always more fruitful when a franchise trades up for a quarterback.
Suddenly, the Vikings’ 24th pick could be a hot commodity if the quarterback gossip is valid.
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