The Vikings best chance for serious contention next season is with Kirk Cousins on the roster. With or without Cousins, this is the draft in which the Vikings should select a quarterback with serious, truly serious, potential to be the team’s quarterback of the future, perhaps present as well. With Cousins would be the ideal as that would give the young quarterback some time to adjust to the professional football world. Without Cousins would obviously push up the process of getting the young quarterback ready.
The 2024 Quarterback Class is intriguing and talented. It’s very good timing to have an intriguing and talented quarterback class as the Vikings desperately need one of them. The Vikings have been looking for a young, franchise quarterback since Fran Tarkenton retired in 1978. Injuries and horrible luck kept Tommy Kramer, Daunte Culpepper, and Teddy Bridgewater from becoming the franchise quarterback all three had the potential to be. The Vikings need a difference-making quarterback. They need to find him now. The 2024 Quarterback Class is currently separated in tiers. They usually are. The top tier includes USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. Those three are projected to be the first three picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings have the 11th pick. I’m not sure if they have the draft capital needed to move into the Top 3. Even if they could scrape together the necessary draft capital, I’m not sure that they can truly afford to spend it. Besides, the teams with those picks need a quarterback. It’d be so expensive to pry away their pick. While I wouldn’t hate it if the Vikings moved up to select the quarterback of their dreams, I believe that they have too many needs this year to give up the necessary draft picks. Plus, I really like the potential of the quarterbacks in the next tier. They are also the quarterbacks that decided to throw yesterday at the Scouting Combine. They weren’t afraid of the throwing competition like the entitled top three quarterbacks. My current favorite quarterback prospects look something like this.
1. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
3. Bo Nix, Oregon
4. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
As a Cal fan, I’ve seen more than enough of Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. Coming out of the 2022 college football season and after both decided to return to school, they were easily my two favorite quarterbacks for the Vikings. Perhaps because I’d seen much more of them, I liked Penix and Nix even more than I liked Drake Maye. Perhaps the biggest negative with Penix and Nix is their age. Penix turns 24 in May. Nix just turned 24. In comparison, J.J. McCarthy turned 21 in January. Currently, it feels like the draft status for McCarthy is late top-10 to middle of the first round, Penix and Nix are middle to late first round. The Vikings might have move up a bit to secure McCarthy or take Penix/Nix at 11. If they are willing to gamble, they could trade back a bit and still select Penix/Nix. That possibility is especially appealing as the Vikings have no third-round pick. Sitting out an entire round sucks, especially if that round is one of the first few rounds. Personally, if the Vikings decision-makers are completely taken with one of McCarthy, Penix, or Nix, do whatever it takes to insure selecting that quarterback. If that means moving up for McCarthy, do it. If that means selecting Penix or Nix at 11, do it. Don’t risk missing out on your favorite quarterback.
The wildcard of my four favorite quarterbacks is Spencer Rattler. I feel like he’s, at best, a second round target. Other than the season in which he was benched in favor of Caleb Williams at Oklahoma, I’ve always been intrigued by his talent. If not for questions about his maturity, he’d probably be right there with McCarthy, Penix, and Nix. He’s on my list of favorites mostly because of the possibility of selecting him in the second round. The Vikings could trade back a bit in the first, select their top defensive player, add at least a Day 2 pick, and select Rattler in the second. This draft day scenario possibly gives the Vikings two defensive starters and a quarterback with franchise potential.
Priority #1 is coming out of the 2024 NFL Draft with their quarterback of the future. Right now, J.J. McCarthy is my favorite. With Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix not far behind.
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