NFL DRAFT: DESPERATELY SEEKING A QB ARE THE VIKINGS, But SHOULD THEY TRADE UP?

NFL DRAFT COVERAGE: As we inch closer to the NFL Draft, one of the most intriguing teams to watch is the Minnesota Vikings who are desperately seeking a rookie quarterback. The question is will the Vikes stick with the 11th pick or move up?

The Vikings currently hold the 11th and 23rd overall picks and have maintained a consistent presence on the pre-draft pro day circuit as QB Coach Josh McCown attended recent pro days for Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, and Drake Maye. It should be noted the Vikings steered clear of the Bo Nix or Michael Penix pro days. They also had a planned meeting with Jayden Daniels that didn’t materialize, no word as to why the meeting didn’t happen, but feel free to read between the lines. 

Now if Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan has his way, the Vikings will come away with LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

“Here is my personal quarterback ranking for this draft: 1. Jayden Daniels, LSU; 2. Caleb Williams, USC; 3. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan; 4. Michael Penix Jr., Washington; 5. Drake Maye, North Carolina; 6. Bo Nix, Oregon,” Souhan wrote on March 30.

“If the Vikings can land McCarthy, that’s a win. If the top teams are foolish enough not to take Daniels, or allow him to slide, the Vikings should do everything in their power to trade up and take him. He’s more talented than Williams and has fewer question marks attached to him. He could be this year’s C.J. Stroud.”

MOVING ON UP
If the Vikings do move up, the second and third picks appear to be in play. Both the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots have indicated that they would be willing to trade those picks. Personally, I think it’s unlikely that the Commanders trade the 2nd pick away, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Patriots take a deal. 

So who is the best fit for the Minnesota Vikings going forward? From a value perspective, it's J.J. McCarthy, that is if they can pick him at 11.

WHAT'S ESPN SAY?
According to sources at ESPN, the Vikings are currently targeting Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy with Maye appearing to be the preferred choice.

“The Vikings would be a perfect scenario for them,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on “SportsCenter” on March 29. “There’s a belief among some teams that Minnesota could try to trade up to get him. It would take a lot, but they are armed with two first-round picks to try to make it happen.”

MAYE VS. MCCARTHY
Derek Maye, in my opinion, looks like a younger version of Sam Darnold, who the Vikings actually signed to 1 year $10 million contract, as the Minnesota Vikings' short-term solution. Now that’s not to say that Maye wouldn’t be successful with the Vikings, the reality is that QBs are often only as good as the situations they end up in.

Over the last 5 years, 11 QBs have been selected in the top ten. Those QBs are Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, and Daniel Jones. 

Basically, only Herbert and Burrow have the potential to have legendary QB careers and the rest are either flat-out busts or are considered good enough QBs, which is exactly why the Vikings decided to part ways with Kirk Cousins.

Cousins, who certainly falls into the good enough QB category, was simply asking for too much money when you consider his age and the fact that he is coming off an Achilles injury.

With regards to Daniels, my guess is the Vikings are worried about durability.

Then there’s J.J McCarthy who led his team to a National Championship and performed well at the NFL combine on and off the field. Apparently, he blew some teams away with his whiteboard performance during the combine. McCarthy appears to be flying up teams' draft boards and certainly looks like he has a lot of upside. The one major knock against him is that while at Michigan, he was not asked to carry the team with his arm. Despite his detractors, it should be noted that he did throw for nearly 3,000 yards and completed over 72% of his passes in 2023.

As for Derek Maye, he has a big arm, is good at reading defenses, does well in post-game interviews, brings some swagger to the position, and looks like a good enough fit for the Vikings, but is there any overwhelming difference between Maye and McCarthy that would justify doing whatever it takes to land Maye? 

Whether or not the Vikes end up with Maye or McCarthy, one thing is for certain, they will be joining an organization with a promising situation.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is widely regarded as a players coach and one of the best young offensive minds in football. The team also has arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson. On the other side of the ball, the Brian Flores, led defense can best be described as an innovative, blitz-happy defense. Flores, who is entering his 2nd season with the team has stabilized and improved what was one of the worst defenses in the NFL 2 years ago. 

As for Maye, or McCarthy, it's clear that they are the Vikings' primary targets on April 25th when Rodger Goodell says the Minnesota Vikings are on the clock.