Vikings Brass Meets with Final Top QB Prospect Tonight
Josh Frey
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Last week, it was reported that the Vikings would be holding a private workout with LSU QB Jayden Daniels.
Well, it appears that Vikings brass is set to begin that visit with Daniels in Baton Rouge tonight, and the most recent reports suggest that they will be having dinner with the quarterback tonight. After also hosting workouts with names like Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix, this appears as if it will be the final step of Minnesota’s QB evaluation before next week’s draft.
Vikings Brass Meets with Top QB
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the news by tweeting, “Former LSU QB Jayden Daniels is scheduled to have dinner tonight with #Vikings brass in Baton Rouge, per @Agentbutler1. Minnesota owns the No. 11 and 23 picks and has been gathering all the info in case there’s an opportunity to move up for one of the top QBs.”
Minnesota’s need for a QB has been at the forefront of the minds of Vikings fans virtually ever since Kirk Cousins left the team to sign a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. As a result of Cousins’ departure, the Vikings will have a new Week 1 starting QB for the first time since 2018.
Jayden Daniels is one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class because of his diverse skillset. He has a true cannon for an arm that is arguably the strongest in the class. He delivered accurate passes downfield as well. Among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts of 20+ yards, Daniels led the FBS in completion percentage (63.6%), and his 55 attempts totaled 35 completions for 1347 yards, 22 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
In addition to his strong arm, Daniels is an elite runner with the football. He can sniff out pressure and utilize his legs to pick up huge amounts of yardage. He totaled 1250 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs. He forced 47 missed tackles as well, which equaled the amount that RB MarShawn Lloyd totaled at USC.
The major question mark with Daniels heading into the NFL will be in regard to his frame. The 6’4″ quarterback is built like a rail, weighing in at just 210 pounds. Given some of the wicked hits that he took throughout his collegiate career, Daniels will need to get much better at sliding or getting out of bounds at the NFL level in order to avoid some of these hits.
For now, it appears that Daniels remains the favorite to land at the No. 2 pick for the Washington Commanders (another team that has done extensive QB homework this spring). However, if he ends up being the quarterback to fall down the board, the Vikings likely would be very happy to scoop up the LSU product.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. 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.