Vikings have other options in the first round of the NFL draft
Two ideas have fed upon each other during the NFL’s Rumor Season, that period before the draft that produces a mock draft a minute and a million rumors in search of reality.
Idea 1: J.J. McCarthy, once considered a second-round or late first-round draft prospect, has theoretically skyrocketed to the top of the draft. The latest credible analysis has him going in the top three or four picks, meaning this could be the first NFL draft in which quarterbacks fill the first four spots.
Idea 2: The Vikings, in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, will do whatever it takes to land one of the top four quarterbacks, whether that means trading up to get McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels.
The ideas make sense and align. If McCarthy is this good, and the Vikings need a quarterback, why wouldn’t they go for one of the top four?
That’s the way fans and writers think. That doesn’t mean Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in agreement.
What we know about Adofo-Mensah is that he prides himself on thinking outside the box even when the inside of the box looks like a suite at the Four Seasons.
In two drafts, he has made one obvious, conventional pick — using his 2023 first-rounder on receiver Jordan Addison, who immediately became the second receiver in a three-receiver offense.
Remember, though, that scene from the Vikings’ draft room before he made that pick. Video showed coach Kevin O’Connell pleading with Adofo-Mensah, as if to say, “Let’s not play games or get cute with this pick, just take Addison.”
If Adofo-Mensah is thinking unconventionally about this draft and prioritizing draft value over quarterback desperation, how would that change his approach?
Well, he’d probably look at a draft in which a half-dozen teams are desperate to take a quarterback as a prime opportunity to take an impact player at another position.
There will likely be an outstanding cornerback, defensive lineman, offensive lineman or safety available at the 11th pick. And there will likely be a good quarterback prospect available if and when the Vikings use the 23rd pick.
Is McCarthy really so much better than Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. that McCarthy would be worth using the Vikings’ two first-round draft picks this season, and probably a high pick in next year’s draft, to move up to take him?
