The Minnesota Vikings look to be deciding whether to make a blockbuster trade for a quarterback during the first round of the NFL Draft on April 25.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’ agent, Ron Butler, told NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero that he will have dinner with the Vikings on Thursday night in Baton Rouge.
According to Tankathon forecasts, the Washington Commanders will select Daniels with the second overall choice, but if they pass on the 2023 Heisman winner, keep an eye on Minnesota.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah recently intimated that the team is considering moving up in the draft, saying, “Just because something is risky doesn’t mean you have to stay away from it.”
ESPN’s Mike Reiss speculated that the New England Patriots would be willing to trade the third overall pick for an intriguing deal. The Vikings have the 11th and 23rd overall picks, thus they have the draft capital to make a potential trade. The Patriots may want more, however.
“And if I need a quarterback as much as New England does, the deal better be pretty good for me to pass up one of these quarterbacks and move down,” former Minnesota GM and CBS Sports commentator Rick Speilman told Reiss. “[The Vikings] would have to pay above a premium.”
Speilman feels the Vikings would need to include a 2025 first-round pick and a future second-round pick “as a starting point.”
While a potential trade would be costly, the Vikings must replace four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Minnesota signed former first-round pick Sam Darnold for one year and $10 million, but he is unlikely to be the answer.
Daniels, 23, could justify the hefty asking price. In 12 games in 2023, he had the FBS’ highest QBR (95.6) and threw 40 touchdowns. ESPN’s Field Yates recently rated him as the class’s second-best prospect, trailing only Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams.
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