NFL.com Mock Draft Suggests a Fantastic Vikings Trade
Josh Frey
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For nine years, Maurice Jones-Drew enjoyed a very successful NFL career, including an All-Pro selection in 2011.
Now, the former NFL running back has turned his football knowledge into a gig as an analyst for NFL.com, and this week, he drew up a mock draft which included a fantastic trade for the Minnesota Vikings.
Mock Draft Suggests Fantastic Vikings Trade
As has become somewhat ordinary in recent weeks, Jones-Drew has the Vikings trading up for a quarterback. For Jones-Drew, he has Minnesota landing in the No. 5 pick, swapping with the Chargers, and selecting Drake Maye out of North Carolina.
In exchange for that fifth overall pick, the Vikings sent Nos. 11 and 23 to Los Angeles, which would be a very reasonable deal to make in order to land Maye, who is projected to be one of the best quarterbacks in this class. Jones-Drew explained Maye to Minnesota in the following manner:
“The Vikings acquired an additional first-round pick last month for this reason. With Maye available here, Minnesota jumps at the opportunity to select a quarterback with ties to new QBs coach Josh McCown. Maye’s big arm and ability to evade pressure in the pocket should excite Vikings fans.”
Such a trade would make a lot of sense for both Los Angeles and Minnesota. Obviously, the Vikings are going to head into April 25th with the desire to land their next quarterback if at all possible. That very well could mean trading up the board.
As for the Chargers, their top two needs come at these positions: offensive tackle and wide receiver. Luckily enough for Los Angeles, these are two of the deepest positions in this draft class, and they would be very likely to land immediate contributors at Nos. 11 and 23 at either one of them.
That is showcased in Jones-Drew’s mock draft as he suggests Los Angeles will take Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga at No. 11 while landing LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23. Fuaga can immediately hop into the right tackle spot opposite of Rashawn Slater while Thomas would be a fabulous fit in LA’s offense as a deep threat to pair with Justin Herbert’s ridiculous arm strength.
Overall, this trade would allow both teams to fill roster needs fairly seamlessly as long as Minnesota is able to land a QB like Maye or J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings get their quarterback of the future, and LA acquires more high quality draft picks to fill multiple needs.
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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.