It’s a QB For Vikings in The Draft Network’s Recent Mock Draft

Dec 30, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell (7) on the field in the third quarter during the 2021 Duke's Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Consider it the calm before the storm. After the Super Bowl and especially after free agency, the mock drafts will be coming out fast and furious. The Draft Network recently published a mock draft, arguing that the Vikings will go QB in the opening round. More specifically, they envision Sam Howell as the 12th overall pick.

Take a look at their description of the North Carolina QB:

Speaking of not the biggest, fastest, or strongest, Minnesota is taking the chance to transition quarterbacks—with a new head coach, too! The Vikings will free themselves up a lot of flexibility if they can trade QB Kirk Cousins’ $35M guaranteed 2022 salary off their books this offseason—a venture I think they should explore. But that cost combined with Cousins’ age and ceiling may be prohibitive to the team successfully hauling in an ideal return. I don’t think they get a first for him.

Sam Howell would benefit greatly from going into an environment where his supporting skill players are top-notch—as he had in 2020 when playing with Javonte Williams and Michael Carter in the backfield plus Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome at wide receiver. Without *squints* all of them in 2021, Howell’s passing efficiency dipped and he had to put the team on his back with twice the rushing workload.

Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen? That’s a friendly environment for a young quarterback, for sure.



Toss in K.J. Osborn and Irv Smith Jr. to that list of skill players. The end result is one of the most impressive collections of talent in the NFL.

I’ll admit that, especially at this stage in the offseason, my knowledge of college QBs isn’t where it ought to be. It won’t be surprising, though, if the Vikings do choose a QB, as this mock draft suggests.

Josh Frey has been doing a draft prospect series for us at Purple PTSD. He has covered a variety of players, such as Nakobe Dean, Kaiir Elam, Drake Jackson, and Matt Corral. It’s the final name that may intrigue folks insofar as it’s a name that happens to throw passes. Both Corral and Howell seem likely to get picked somewhere around that #12 spot.

Of course, the Vikings could go in any number of directions. There has been no shortage of speculation about making a move for a corner. A DE or 3T would also make sense. The curious Vikings fans could certainly find a mock draft to fill any number of different positions. Once the team decides on a new GM, we’ll get a sense of where Minnesota may be leaning.

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