What the Vikings do on draft day could hinge on who the Washington Commanders select with the No. 2 overall pick on April 25.
FOX Sports’ Carmen Vitali reported that sources have told her Minnesota, “and coach Kevin O’Connell in particular,” like North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who’s projected to be either the second or third quarterback off the board in the draft behind Southern California’s Caleb Williams, who’s all but assured to be taken No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears.
If the Vikings’ intention is to trade up for Maye, their two most likely partners would be the New England Patriots at No. 3 and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5. That leaves them waiting to see what the Commanders do with the No. 2 overall selection.
Most mock drafts have the Commanders either taking Maye or LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick, although Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy could also be in the mix as he’s quickly risen up the draft boards.
Washington traded last year’s starting quarterback Sam Howell to the Seattle Seahawks, essentially telegraphing that they intend to take a quarterback in the draft.
So let’s say the Commanders select Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick. If the Vikings do have eyes for Maye, they’d almost assuredly look to talk the Patriots out of the No. 3 selection. The Patriots are also in need of a quarterback after shipping Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, however, they have several other holes to fill on the roster and it seems they could be moved off the No. 3 pick for the right deal.
But if the Commanders take Maye, that lead the Vikings to pursue their backup plan. Reports have also linked the Vikings to McCarthy, and several mock drafts have Minnesota trading up with the Chargers at No. 5 to select the Michigan product.
Unless someone else beats them to it.
The Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders are also teams in need of a quarterback, and each of those teams could look to move up in the draft. That could lead to a bidding war to move into the top 5, which Vitali speculates could force the Vikings to overpay. Vitali expects the cost will be significant.
In her report, Vitali speculated that the cost of getting to No. 3 would cost the Vikings their two first-round picks this year (Nos. 11 and 23) as well as next year’s first and probably an additional third-rounder. The suspected price to get to No. 5 is three firsts — this year’s two as well as next year’s first-rounder.
But any scenario for the Vikings likely hinges on what the Commanders do at No. 2 and how much they like the other quarterbacks if they have their sights set on Maye.
