Purple Headlines of the Week: A New Vikings Draft Trend, Fan-Favorite CB Leaves, More FA Acquisitions
Josh Frey
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Another week of the NFL offseason has come and gone, and while the free agency period is beginning to slow down as we head into April, NFL Draft topics are only heating up. Here are some of the biggest purple headlines of the week as the Minnesota Vikings continue to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft.
QB in Round 1 for the Vikes?
There appears to be a new trend for the Minnesota Vikings as we head into the month of the NFL Draft. It seemed for much of the early offseason that Minnesota’s top targets would be either cornerback or wide receiver.
Instead, over the past week, we’ve seen multiple credible draft analysts create mock drafts with the Vikings taking a quarterback in the first round.
Of course, there is still about a month until the actual draft begins, so much can change between now and then. However, it does seem like QB should be a position to keep an eye on for the Vikings in April.
Duke Shelley Signs with the Raiders
If fans had to make a list of their favorite Vikings from the 2022 season, CB Duke Shelley wouldn’t land too far down that list. With so much uncertainty in the Vikings cornerback room heading into this offseason, many folks clamored for the Duke to return to Minnesota in 2023.
Instead, Shelley is off to Las Vegas and joining the Raiders on a one-year contract worth up to $1.3 million. It leaves the Vikings secondary with only five cornerbacks right now after the signing of Byron Murphy a couple weeks ago.
Vikings Sign Multiple Rams
The Vikings continued filling their roster out for 2023 with the additions of multiple former Los Angeles Rams players over the past week. These former Rams are WR Brandon Powell and LB Troy Reeder.
Powell has made his career largely as a special teamer, and Vikings fans may remember him for his 61-yards punt return TD against Minnesota back in 2021. Meanwhile, Reeder’s role took a step back in 2022 with the Chargers after starting 10 games in 2021 with the Rams. Both players reunite with head coach Kevin O’Connell, who was the Rams offensive coordinator when these two were in LA.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.