Vikings Have Met with 7 Prospects at the Combine, Including 3 Top QBs
The NFL Scouting Combine is a great opportunity for potential draft prospects to show off their skills on the field.
However, in addition to the on-field performances, the event allows these prospects and NFL teams to meet for interviews and get to know each other a little better before the draft takes place. So far, the Minnesota Vikings have been very active in this department, meeting with a confirmed seven prospects over the course of the week, including three of the top quarterback prospects. Here is a look at each of the prospects that the Vikings have met with so far.
QB Caleb Williams, USC
Of course, the QB position has been one of the main topics of discussion in regard to this Vikings offseason. If Minnesota doesn’t opt to bring back Kirk Cousins for the 2024 campaign, they will need to find a replacement and do so quickly.
It seems that the Vikings are chasing the top prospects in the entire class, considering that they met with Caleb Williams this week. After transferring from Oklahoma in 2022, Williams has solidified himself at the top of the college football world at the quarterback position.
Williams won the Heisman in 2022, and throughout the past two seasons, he has thrown for over 8000 yards, 72 TDs, and just 10 interceptions. The USC product is a wizard in the pocket and has proven to be an expert at making off-script throws on the run. He has just about every depth and angle in his arsenal for his passes and should be the first overall pick in this spring’s draft.
QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Jayden Daniels may be the most interesting QB prospect in this draft class, and the Vikings made it a point to get a formal meeting with him this week.
After transferring from Arizona State to LSU in 2022, Daniels proceeded to soar up the draft board by putting together a pair of fantastic seasons with the Tigers. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 behind 3812 passing yards and 40 passing TDs along with 1250 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs.
Obviously, Daniels is a very mobile quarterback and very well fits the modern, dual-threat QB mold. He accelerates with ease in the open field and creates problems for opposing defenses with his legs. On top of that, he has one of the strongest arms in this class and was very accurate with his deep passes at LSU.
However, the main concern with Daniels lies with his frame. He is a very slim player and considering some of the hits he took over his collegiate career, he will need to create a habit of sliding to avoid these types of dangerous hits and potential injury at the NFL level. It should also be noted that he will turn 24 years old in December, putting him on the older side of the rookie QB spectrum.
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
Make it a trio of QB meetings for the Vikings as the team opted to meet with another top prospect in Drake Maye out of North Carolina.
Maye possesses some terrific arm strength at the QB position, allowing him to uncork beautiful passes downfield. At 6’5″ and around 230 pounds, he is a mobile player with an ability to bowl over defenders to pick up extra yards with his legs. North Carolina utilized designed runs on a semi-regular basis, allowing him to show off these skills.
While there are plenty of positives to his game, Maye can be inconsistent with his timing on throws, making his accuracy a little erratic at times. He also had some struggles when facing a few of the better defenses in college football.
G Christian Mahogany, Boston College
It’s no surprise that the Vikings would take a meeting with an interior offensive lineman this week, considering that they do not have a starting left guard in place and currently their only true guards on the roster are starting right guard Ed Ingram and Tyrese Robinson, an undrafted free agent who has never appeared in a regular season snap.
Christian Mahogany is the latest Boston College guard headed towards the NFL, joining the likes of Chris Lindstrom and Zion Johnson in recent years. Mahogany is built like a brick house at 6’3″ and 322 pounds, and he has been a superb player in pass protection over the years, allowing just four sacks over his three years as a starter.
Injury concerns do exist with Mahogany as he tore his ACL prior to the 2022 season, forcing him to miss the entire year, but he bounced back very nicely in 2023. As long as his medicals come back clear, he should be among the first interior offensive linemen off the board in April.
DT Byron Murphy, Texas
Outside of a pass rushing threat off the edge, defensive tackle may be the biggest need for the Vikings defense heading into the offseason. They currently employ three defensive linemen on the roster in Dean Lowry, Harrison Phillips, and 2023 fifth-round pick Jaquelin Roy.
Byron Murphy is one of a few incredible pass rushing presences at the defensive tackle position in this draft class, piling up 45 pressures in 14 games for the Texas Longhorns this past season. He isn’t the most technically sound player at the defensive tackle spot, but he brings great athleticism and explosion at the position, thus validating a meeting with the Vikings.
Murphy put on a show at the combine on Thursday, looking like one of the smoothest defensive linemen throughout the on-field drills and clocking the third-fastest 40-yard dash among all defensive tackles at 4.87 despite measuring in at 6’1″ and 297 pounds. He can be an immediate contributor to an NFL defense.
EDGE Bralen Trice, Washington
The Vikings have a number of questions in terms of their pass rushing group this offseason. Not only is Danielle Hunter set to hit free agency in a couple weeks, but both Marcus Davenport and D.J. Wonnum will join him on the open market.
As a result, Bralen Trice could very well be a target for the Vikings either in the second round or if they trade down in the first. Minnesota has met with the Washington product this week, and he could prove to be a very interesting addition to the defense. Trice is a very powerful player off the edge who utilizes some strong technique to win in multiple ways as a pass rusher. An endless motor allows him to eat up snaps on the defensive side as well.
The big question with Trice comes in run defense as he was a very inconsistent tackler at Washington. If he can improve that area of his game, he certainly has the potential to be a major boost to an NFL defense.
EDGE Adisa Isaac, Penn State
Along with their focus at the quarterback position, the Vikings are clearly doing their best to familiarize themselves with a number of pass rushers in this draft class.
Adisa Isaac is another EDGE that the Vikings have met with at the combine and for good reason. Isaac has proven capable as both a pass rusher and run defender at Penn State over the past few years. He doesn’t quite have the same size and length as Trice, but he is a twitched-up athlete with plenty of length to create leverage in the trenches.
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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.