The 2024 Vikings Draft Might Be Bad News for Three Players
Josh Frey
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Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is behind us, it’s time to reflect on what occurred over the three days.
The Minnesota Vikings had seven players join their team through the draft while 17 others signed as undrafted free agents later on Saturday evening. These 24 acquisitions will provide some extra competition for the Vikings at positions of need heading into the offseason program, and this year’s Vikings draft could be bad news for a few players currently on the roster.
OLB Patrick Jones
After a promising first couple seasons in Minnesota, Patrick Jones took a significant step backwards during 2023 in terms of his production and efficiency. He put together eight tackles for loss and four sacks in 2022 before only putting up five tackles for loss and a single sack in 2023 despite playing nearly twice as many snaps.
A step back from a player who is entering a contract year is never a good thing, but particularly in Jones’ case, Minnesota doesn’t seem to have much trust in him moving forward. The Vikings had a chance to give the fourth-year player a prominent role after Marcus Davenport, Danielle Hunter, and D.J. Wonnum left in free agency.
Instead, the Vikings rebuilt their starting outside linebacker room during free agency, and then the draft saw Minnesota add even more pieces to that room. They brought in Dallas Turner with the 17th overall pick as well as Gabriel Murphy who was one of the top undrafted free agents left over following the draft’s conclusion. It’s not great news for Jones moving into the final year of his rookie contract.
CB Akayleb Evans
Following the 2022 season, Akayleb Evans seemed like he might be one of the more promising players from Minnesota’s rookie class. Of course, Evans entered the 2023 season as one of Minnesota’s main starters at the position, and he performed well through much of the first half of the year before falling off down the stretch.
Evans missed back-to-back games in Weeks 11 and 12 and saw some major struggles over the final few games of the season. From Weeks 16-18, a pivotal stretch for Minnesota as they attempted to make a push for the playoffs, Evans was targeted 19 times and allowed 15 receptions for 221 yards.
Evans particularly struggled in man coverage (though admittedly, the Vikings utilized very little man coverage last season). In 107 coverage snaps in man, Evans was targeted 21 times and allowed 17 receptions for 209 yards and a touchdown. PFF graded him at 29.2 in that department, which tied for the third-worst among all 151 cornerbacks with at least 100 man coverage snaps.
Now, in the draft, the Vikings added another press-man presence by selecting Khyree Jackson with the 108th overall pick in the draft. This selection along with the addition of Shaq Griffin in free agency seem to suggest that Flores is hoping to utilize a bit more man in 2024. If that is the case, Evans may not find much of a role for himself.
QB Nick Mullens
Finally, we get to the quarterback position for Minnesota. The Vikings brought in Nick Mullens back in 2022 to finally provide Kirk Cousins with a quality backup player. Mullens sat through much of his first season in Minnesota, but during the second half of the 2023 campaign, his services were needed after the flameouts of Josh Dobbs and Jaren Hall.
Mullens threw for 1306 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions across five games in 2023 following the Kirk Cousins injury, including three starts. Overall, the veteran journeyman showed exactly what he was as a gunslinger backup QB.
However, now that the Vikings have brought in J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick after also signing Sam Darnold in free agency, Minnesota now has four quarterbacks in their room. Darnold isn’t going to be cut because of how much of his $10 million contract is guaranteed, and it seems tough to believe that the Vikings would end their Jaren Hall experiment after just one season. As a result, Mullens could be the player on the move.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
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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.