At 11th Overall, The Vikings Must Maneuver the QB Minefield Lying Ahead
The end of the season brings certainty. Or, at least, it does so for every team that didn’t make the postseason.
The Minnesota Vikings finished as a 7-10 squad, a record that at once points toward some out-of-their-control bad luck alongside no shortage of self sabotage. The good news simply rests in Minnesota being well-positioned to add a fantastic player at 11th overall. Dwight Freeney, DeMarcus Ware, Patrick Willis, J.J. Watt, Dontari Poe, Marshon Lattimore, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Chris Olave are just some of the recent examples of players chosen from that position. What about quarterback, though?
Sitting at 11th Overall and Needing to be Maneuver the Minefield
Recent history has some reasonably strong QBs in that draft slot. Chicago snagged Justin Fields in that position during the 2021 NFL Draft. Jay Cutler had a bit of an up-and-down career but he was similarly chosen 11th. So was Ben Roethlisberger. And then one thinks of Daunte Culpepper, whom the Vikings snagged at 11th in the 1999 NFL Draft.
What about this year, though? Do the Vikings have a shot at landing a true top-tier passer in their organic draft position? The short answer is yes, but that’s a statement that isn’t without some peril. Most certainly, the possibility exists, and yet there are plenty of notable teams sitting in the top 10 that are going to be interested in adding a QB.
Begin by considering the very top of the draft. Currently, these are the top 5 teams:
- Bears (via Panthers)
- Commanders
- Patriots
- Cardinals
- Chargers
The initial cluster of teams contains a pair of near locks for QB purposes (Commanders, Patriots), an uncertain team for QB purposes (Bears), and then teams with young, highly-selected QBs already in town (Cardinals, Chargers).
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are going to be gone by the time these initial five teams make their pick. The only real mystery is if someone like Jayden Daniels hops into the prestigious territory of being a top-5 selection. If so, then the QB talent pool will obviously shrink in a hurry.
Already, people have been keying on the Chargers in the 5th spot as a crucial team for trade purposes. If Daniels slides to 5, then there are going to be several NFL teams interested in moving into the position to draft him.
Even if Daniels survives five, so to speak, things still look dicey for the draft’s presumed QB3 lasting until 11th overall. If Minnesota doesn’t make a move to jump up, then they’ll need to watch (in order) the Giants, Titans, Falcons, Bears, and Jets make their picks. Oh, and then there’s the ever-present possibility of a team lower than Minnesota — the Broncos at 12, the Raiders at 13, and so on — catapulting themselves into the top 10.
Merely sitting back as several underwhelming teams with underwhelming QB options make their choice sounds like a perilous approach if the goal is to land a QB whom management believes is capable of becoming a long-term franchise cornerstone.
Now, the major mistake that must be avoided is drafting a QB simply to draft a QB. The Vikings cannot let the pressure of adding a young, potentially-franchise-altering QB push them toward snagging someone who isn’t worthy of their selection. Go ahead and re-read the names of the defenders up above. Wouldn’t it be better to add a Ware, Watt, Willis, or Lattimore than a bust of a quarterback?
The top 10 of the draft contains plenty of teams who appear eager to improve their QB situations. If the Vikings genuinely believe that Jayden Daniels (or any of the other options, for that matter) could be a franchise cornerstone, then the best move may be to become friends with the Chargers or maybe even the Cardinals. Standing pat at 11 would be as risky as meandering through a minefield.
The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, 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.