Yet Another Vikings Mock Scenario Tries to Strike the Balance
K. Joudry
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Trading away a ton of draft capital to get into the draft’s top 5 isn’t a foregone conclusion. Or, at least, not according to some of the recent Vikings mock scenarios.
Lately, there has been some reluctance for Minnesota to forfeit the benefits of owning a pair of opening-round picks. The end result has been an exploration from draft writers like Bucky Brooks, Ian Valentino, and Josh Frey about how the Vikings could land a RD1 passer while also bringing in a high-upside defender. Recently, a notable name from PFF ventured into a similar scenario.
A Vikings Mock Scenario & Striking the Balance
Sam Monson has been putting in work for PFF for a little while.
A recent piece from Monson promises to detail the “perfect first round for every team with multiple first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.” The author is thus tasked with looking at a best-case scenario for the Chicago Bears (No. 1 & No. 9), Arizona Cardinals (No. 4 & No. 27), and Minnesota Vikings (No. 11 & No. 23).
For the Vikings, Monson proposes this outcome: QB J.J. McCarthy at No. 11 and then CB Terrion Arnold at No. 23. Take a look at some of his rationale for why this result would be such a home run for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell, and the Vikings:
At this stage, I would be surprised to see Minnesota use both of its first-round selections. I expect them to package those picks to move up in the draft to get their preferred quarterback. If they are willing to trade up for McCarthy, then an absolute dream scenario is that they don’t have to and he falls to them at No. 11 instead.
He goes on, arguing that Arnold
has some of the slickest man coverage skills of any draft prospect in years, and while most teams in the league play zone far more often, the Vikings under Brian Flores still covet man cover skills more than anything else on the back end.
Now, to be clear, the recent mocks and scenarios aren’t suggesting the Vikings should overlook quarterback. Rather, there’s a trend of writers who are looking to explore the possibility of threading the needle. Yes, go get a QB, but do so without totally draining the cupboard.
J.J. McCarthy at No. 11 has more appeal than at, say, No. 3. After all, the original draft slot provides better value while also putting less pressure on the passer. Being a top-3 selection is both a great honor and a great burden (just ask Sam Darnold). Can the Vikings wait to just outside of the top 10 to get the athletic Michigan passer?
And then adding an excellent corner has a lot of merit. Minnesota has depth at the position and plenty of youth. What is lacking is a true high-end CB1. Can Arnold become that player, someone who can matchup with the league’s WR1s on a weekly basis?
Last year, Arnold had 69 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 5 INTs, 12 PDs, and a FF. PurplePTSD‘s Josh Frey had praise for the Alabama corner: “Arnold brings solid length to the cornerback spot, and his physicality on the boundary gives him an ability to shutdown opposing receivers in man coverage. He is very twitchy in coverage, allowing him to keep up with explosive wide receivers off the line and change directions with ease.”
The 2024 NFL Draft takes place from April 25th to April 27th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.