What 2021 NFL Draft Quarterback Makes Sense for the Vikings?
John Pearson
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The Minnesota Vikings have come out to a dreadful start of the season. 0-3 is not where many fans expected Minnesota to be at when the season kicked off. The offense has been awful outside of the game against Tennessee. The offensive line has been atrocious and has resulted in the Vikings having the fewest plays on offense in the NFL. No surprise that the worst four in this category have yet to win a game this season.
The offensive line doesn’t have a player in the top 15 in their position, and their interior line is ranked 67th (Dozier), 25th (Bradbury), and 79th (Samia), respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. Also, quarterback Kirk Cousins has not been exactly impressive. Cousins has the highest interception percentage in the league (7.7%), third-lowest completion percentage (59%), and the fourth-lowest in QBR (41.8) according to Pro Football Reference. This could be attributed to Cousins being pressured the fourth-most in the NFL, but I think it’s important to say that I don’t think Cousins is the biggest problem, but he also isn’t the solution. The solution is building that interior line while still improving the defense and getting a quarterback that leads the team. However, where the Vikings will likely be picking, an interior lineman may be too high, and an opportunity for a possible franchise quarterback will be too difficult to pass up.
So, who will they be looking at?
Trevor Lawrence
Yes. Let’s just get this one out of the way now. If he’s available, draft him.
However, he’s only going to be available if the Vikings sit at the draft with the first overall pick. The Vikings have much more talent than the likes of the Bengals, Jets, Giants, etc. Tanking in the NFL is virtually impossible, but if there was ever a year to do so, it’s this one.
Justin Fields
The Ohio State Buckeye will get a chance to show his talent this season now that the Big Ten is playing. Fields has been phenomenal so far in his collegiate career. The ending of the 2019 game against Michigan, while playing injured is a thing of beauty. He’s a winner. I know that isn’t a measurement at the combine, but he has heart, determination, and is a tough quarterback.
Fields has the numbers too. He had the third-highest passer efficiency rating (181.4), third-most passing touchdowns, (41) and he did it while throwing the 55th highest amount. For context, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask threw the same amount of times as Fields did last season and threw 16 fewer touchdowns.
Fields can be a franchise quarterback at the next level and will likely be a top-five pick. It’s easy to see why.
Trey Lance
This weekend will be the only chance to watch North Dakota State University quarterback Trey Lance play in a competitive college football season, if he decides to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Lance suits up for the Bisons against Central Arkansas and will likely have every NFL scout watching him.
I think Lance deals with the same issue that Fields does, not being all that challenged yet. Lance and his receivers have tremendous separation a large part of the time. He also only threw the ball an average of 18 times per game. However, the stats are what they are, and they are mesmerizing. Lance’s 2019 campaign stat line looks like 2,786 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, and zero interception. Yes, zero interceptions.
Lance also has the story. He is from Marshall, Minnesota and wanted to play for the University of Minnesota. However, Minnesota head coach, P.J. Fleck, preferred Lance play safety. Lance instead took his talents to North Dakota to apply his trade at the same school as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. After one season behind now Chargers backup quarterback Easton Stick, Lance had a tremendous year with the Bisons, going unbeaten in route to the FCS National Championship.
Lance is perfect for the modern NFL. He has excellent arm strength and can run out of the pocket and make plays on the ground. He will have to adjust quickly to rapid decision-making, but his potential is off the charts.
Tanner Morgan
Is the next Vikings quarterback in their backyard? Tanner Morgan, the Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback, I think would fit the Vikings very well. The fans would likely love him from the start. He might be the second most intriguing quarterback to watch for in the Big Ten once the season resumes. Morgan does very well under pressure, as he was second-best in throws under pressure last season, according to PFF. With the offensive line, at least the interior line being terrible, somebody that can be more of a game manager and be calm in the pocket could be extremely valuable for the Vikings.
There are questions about whether Morgan is an actual franchise quarterback, and I think they are fair. However, he isn’t afraid to go deep, something the Vikings love to do now under Cousins. Morgan is very accurate with a 66% completion percentage and had the fourth-highest efficiency rating in the FBS.
There’s always a quarterback that seemingly comes “out of nowhere” and leaps their way into the first round, or even a top 10 pick. Morgan could be that guy.
Kyle Trask
There are also quarterbacks such as Florida’s Kyle Trask, who has the NFL scouts talking after his six-touchdown performance against Ole Miss. Trask could be the new Randy Orton as he is coming out of nowhere to leap himself into the top 15 pick conversations. I don’t know if one game is enough to begin talking about Trask as a first-round pick. Todd McShay of ESPN didn’t even have him as a top ten quarterback prospect in the preseason, but these stories happen all the time. If Trask continues to do what he did to Ole Miss, he could be in purple and gold in the spring.
There’s also Iowa State’s Brock Purdy to watch this season, who I really like. Georgia’s Jamie Newman will be intriguing at the combine, considering he won’t play this season due to COVID. However, as bad of a season as the Vikings are having, I think it is more likely that Minnesota will be taking a quarterback in the first round, possibly in the top 10.
If the Vikings continue to sink, fans should get more and more familiar with the name Justin Fields and Trey Lance. Minnesota has an out on Cousins’ contract after the 2021 season of only $10m in dead cap, if they decide to move on from him. They could use the Chiefs approach with Mahomes and play Cousins next season and then begin a new era with a new young quarterback. Or maybe they just draft a lineman, and this was all for nothing.