During his 30-minute session with the media on Tuesday, Rick Spielman appeared to be in a great mood. But if there was one thing that Spielman was serious about it was that no position is off-limits for the Vikings in this week’s NFL Draft.
In Patriot-like fashion, Spielman mentioned four separate times that the Vikings would look at all positions during the draft. That included when he was asked about the possibility of adding a quarterback.
“I will just say this,” Spielman said, “there is no position that is off-limits during the draft. I’ll just leave it at that.”
The quarterback position will be the highlight of this year’s draft with five signal-callers possibly going in the first 10 picks. Although the Vikings have Kirk Cousins signed through 2022, his $45 million cap hit next season could have Spielman looking toward the future.
But the Vikings are a team that is built to win now after spending $40 million on defense in free agency. With needs along the offensive and defensive lines the Vikings could explore all options including a trade.
Minnesota enters this year’s draft with 10 picks including four selections in the fourth round. While the Vikings don’t have a second-round pick due to the Yannick Ngakoue trade, Spielman believes the Vikings have the flexibility to make a move in either direction.
That opens up several options for the Vikings whether they decide to make a move or stay at pick No. 14.
One of the more popular projections is the Vikings addressing the offensive line. Spielman said that this year’s offensive line class has talent throughout the first four rounds but the Vikings have been linked to a potential trade up to select Rashawn Slater.
The Vikings could wait and select Alijah Vera-Tucker or Christian Darrisaw but there is a chance they go in a different direction and select from a list of talented prospects in the later rounds.
This year’s edge rusher class also has plenty of talent but Kwity Paye and Jaelan Phillips come with questions that could make the Vikings focus on the offensive side of the ball.
This would open the door for the Vikings to add another weapon at No. 14 such as Alabama receivers Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith.
Whatever the Vikings decide to do, they will be prepared. Spielman mentioned that he went to more pro days than usual this spring because he didn’t get a chance to see players in the fall due to the pandemic.
With the Vikings conducting nearly 200 interviews with draft prospects via Zoom, they feel comfortable about their upcoming selection and will have a smoother process dissecting undrafted players this weekend.
That could lead to the Vikings being more aggressive than usual and trying to add picks for the 2022 draft, where the Vikings currently have five selections.
Either way, the Vikings appear ready to deal this weekend and the result could be a player fans aren’t expecting.
