The Vikings are in the midst of a quarterback quandary and Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd thinks he has the solution: trading next year’s first-round pick plus Justin Jefferson for the No. 3 pick from the New England Patriots.
Pass.
“I’ve got an idea,” Cowherd said Monday. “New England’s got the No. 3 pick. What does New England desperately need? A playmaker. Justin Jefferson — switch picks, I’ll give you next year’s (first-round pick) and Justin Jefferson to go from 11 to 3. Because they’ve already got Jordan Addison, they’ve got the tight end they like (T.J. Hockenson). They’ve got skill players. Next year’s one and Justin Jefferson to move up to the No. 3 spot to get your quarterback.”
While the quarterback question may be a pressing issue, answering it by trading away a QBs best weapon makes no sense.
Justin Jefferson conversation starts at the 9:30 mark below…
If the Vikings trade away Jefferson, they’re asking Addison to step into the No. 1 receiver role with no clear-cut No. 2 option on the roster. Hockenson may or may not be ready in time for the start of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL at the end of the 2023 season. K.J. Osborn proved he’s not up for WR2 duty with a lackluster 2023 campaign.
Recent mock drafts have the top-three receiver prospects taken in the top 10. The drop off from the top three is steep, with the next WR prospect generally taken in the late teens, early 20s. So just taking another first-round receiver with the No. 11 pick will probably be out of the question.
The Vikings also have too many holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball to use two top-11 picks on the offense. While there are a number of intriguing potential wide receivers on the free agent market, they won’t come cheap.
A big part of the draw of drafting a young QB is that they’ll have one of the best receiving corps in the league to throw to.
The Vikings should hang up on any trade call as soon Jefferson’s name gets mentioned.
