Another Vikings Draft Nugget Points Towards a Trade Up the Board
Josh Frey
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The 2024 NFL Draft takes place later this week.
For weeks and months, we’ve seen nothing but rumors and theories regarding the event, but on Thursday evening, we finally will begin seeing some actual results. One of the main theories of this year’s Vikings draft has surrounded a trade up the board for a quarterback.
This weekend, another nugget from Ben Volin of The Boston Globe suggested that this event could take place.
Another Vikings Draft Nugget Suggests a Trade Is Coming
“I believe that the Vikings want Maye more than the Patriots do. If the Patriots were truly sold on Maye, they wouldn’t consider trading their No. 3 pick,” Volin wrote this weekend.
Drake Maye has been a favorite prospect among Vikings fans for awhile because of his very strong arm, prototypical QB size, and terrific mobility in and out of the pocket. Maye has the size and athletic ability to be compared to Justin Herbert at some point in his NFL career.
Volin continued, “My hunch is that the Vikings want Maye more, based on the fact that Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown knows Maye well, having coached Maye in 2019 at Myers Park High in Charlotte, N.C., where McCown’s two sons also played.”
Minnesota’s need for a quarterback came to the forefront as soon as Kirk Cousins decided to sign a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. After spending six years in Minnesota, Cousins inked a $180 million contract with the Falcons.
They did sign Sam Darnold in free agency, but he has spent the past two seasons largely as a backup (making six starts in 2022 and only one in 2023). In his 56 career starts, Darnold’s teams have gone a combined 21-35.
As a result, all signs point to a trade up the draft board as long as they are able to get the guy that they want. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has suggested that the Vikings are “in love” with multiple players at the QB position, and that may give them a couple different options in terms of a draft trade and selection.
Adam Schefter of ESPN has also alluded to the idea that Minnesota has a preference in the draft, and he is another to believe that Maye is the preference. “It all depends on the team you talk to. It all depends on the team’s interest. If Minnesota were to find a way to get up to three, my sense is, and we don’t know fully, but my sense is that Drake Maye would be the preference,” Schefter said.
Ultimately, if the Vikings want to land Maye on Thursday evening, the best route may be to move up to No. 3 swapping picks with the Patriots. It ultimately could cost the Vikings a pretty penny in terms of draft capital, but if they nail the pick it would certainly be worth it.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
Vikings Draft Resources as the Fateful Week Arrives
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.