The Tidal Wave of Vikings News and The Ongoing Desire to Deceive
K. Joudry
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Yesterday, there was a ton of news emerging about players Minnesota was meeting with ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Make no mistake: the tidal wave of Vikings news does point toward the team’s desire to amp up the talent on defense. And yet at the risk of travelling too far down into draft conspiracies, one also wonders if the flurry of updates was part of an effort to throw team’s off of Minnesota’s trail with the draft less than three weeks away.
The Tidal Wave of Vikings News and Minnesota’s Real Intentions
Before getting too far ahead of ourselves, a quick breakdown of the players who were mentioned by league insiders. Take a look at the top trio whom the Vikings met:
- DT Byron Murphy Jr., per Ian Rapoport
- CB Quinyon Mitchell, per Dane Brugler
- EDGE Dallas Turner, per Tom Pelissero
Each of the above-listed trio is an absolute heavyweight going into the 2024 NFL Draft. Seeing these players get scooped up before No. 11 wouldn’t be surprising and nor would it be surprising to see Minnesota sink No. 11 into one of them.
Plus, the update about the cluster of elite talent wasn’t the only news to emerge. Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune revealed that DT Khristian Boyd was jumping into the list of visits. Darren Wolfson of KSTP revealed that OL Spencer Rolland was joining the fun. And then PurplePTSD‘s Josh Frey has relayed the news about other prospects who are projected to be picked later on.
Now, it’s worth noting that the motivation can be multiple.
Minnesota isn’t doing these meetings solely to function as an elaborate ploy to confuse and deceive their rivals. The main motivation is to gather as much information and insight as possible going into the event from April 25th-27th. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell covet abundant evidence when making huge decisions, so these meetings simply fit within that trend.
And yet one wonders about the timing of the news. In quick succession, the NFL world was learning about the Vikings doing their due diligence on several of the draft’s most promising defenders. The message should be coming through loud and clear: if the price is too outrageous to trade up, the Vikings will hang around at No. 11 to scoop up a terrific defender. Murphy, Mitchell, or Turner would be an excellent fit in Minnesota.
Not too long ago, Lindsey Young of Vikings.com relayed some thoughts from Kevin O’Connell. Per the head coach, Minnesota sees great potential to grab an elite talent if they stick around at No. 11: “When that first defensive player goes, when that second or third goes, I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s right around our pick at 11, and at pick 23, what does it mean if defensive players that might have been top-five picks, top-seven picks are now in the teens or 20s?”
Again, the idea shines through: the Vikings are letting the NFL world know that they’re willing to stay where they are in the draft, meaning they won’t pay a trade price that reaches the point of absurdity.
Could they really roll with defense, though, when there’s so much momentum to go snag a passer? How dire is the need for some Brian Flores reinforcements?
The Vikings are basically set at safety. Seeing Harrison Smith return means it’s a spot where the talent is deep and varied, providing a good mix of veteran stardom and young, emerging talent. Basically every other defensive position — but especially edge rusher and defensive tackle — could use a major talent boost. Does that reality lead to a future where Minnesota goes defense early?
Last week, PurplePTSD hosted a debate about leveraging the pair of opening-round selections to go get a franchise QB versus sticking around at No. 11 and No. 23 to load up on defense. Moreover, there has been a bit of a trend involving Minnesota mocks keeping two 1st-round picks with the aim of doing both, drafting a quarterback and a defender.
In other words, the Vikings have maintained their flexibility, a point they’ve been very deliberate about circulating in the news.
All of the guessing and speculation will end on April 25th.
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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.