There is a mock draft for the Minnesota Vikings

Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is just a few hours away in Detroit, it’s time to quickly review what our Really Smart Football PeopleTM believe our Minnesota Vikings will do in the first round of this year’s selection meeting.

I want to start by quickly apologizing to everyone for skipping the Mock Draft Database this season. I simply didn’t have the time to dedicate to it like I had in previous years because of work and other real-life events going on. I’m hoping that real life will slow down enough for me to finish it again if the Vikings have a first-round pick the next season.

And with that, let’s see what some of the biggest names on the internet believe our beloved team will do this evening. I’ll be specific about the conditions if the Vikings trade up in the draft. Presume the mock has the Vikings selecting at 11 and 23 if no deal is mentioned.

ESPN’s Field Yates: Michigan quarterback J. J. McCarthy and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu edge.

(Yates has Atlanta sending the Vikings to 8 in return for 11, 129, and a 2025 third-round pick. ).

With Minnesota’s supporting cast, McCarthy would be in a great situation, and the Vikings would also be able to keep their No. 23 pick by limiting oneself to the No. eight to obtain him. In addition to having the mobility to gain yards on the ground, McCarthy possesses excellent accuracy to get the ball to Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. And while I am aware that Minnesota has Sam Darnold, I think McCarthy would get started straight away.

Latu would team up with Jonathan Greenard for Minnesota’s revamped defensive pass rush. He could end up in the NFL as a double-digit sack artist because he had the best tape of any defensive player in the class. Ultimately, he had scored 23 points and 5 assists in the previous two UCLA seasons. He would only fall to this position due to medical concerns regarding a previous neck injury that occurred in 2020 while he was at Washington.

Matt Miller, ESPN: McCarthy.

(Miller projects that the Vikings will move up to the fifth round by sending the Los Angeles Chargers 11, 23, and a 2025 first-round selection. ( ).

With a strong supporting cast in place, McCarthy, who is pro-ready coming out of the Michigan offense, would land a dream job with the Vikings. He can make plays with his legs, and I see good arm strength and a fluid release on tape.

Michael Penix Jr., the quarterback for Washington, is reported by Pete Prisco of CBS Sports. and Johnny Newton, an Illinois defensive lineman.

The Vikings decide to pass on Penix and wait to acquire a quarterback. In the long run, I believe this is a wise decision for them.

There’s not a single player in their defense who can push the pocket inside. Newton has the potential to provide Brian Flores with a nice interior player.

McCarthy, CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso.

Trapasso reports that the Vikings will trade up with the Tennessee Titans to select at number seven overall, but he doesn’t give any details on the trade. ).

The Vikings are content with McCarthy here, especially since they don’t have to move mountains to get him, even though they would have preferred Drake Maye.

McCarthy and Penn State’s Edge Chop Robinson, Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com.

Although I wouldn’t rule out Minnesota moving up a few spots to acquire a quarterback, everything I’ve learned over the past few days indicates the Vikings aren’t particularly keen to take a risk by selecting McCarthy. With Michael Penix Jr., I think they’ve become more accustomed. as a backup plan in case a team decides to pass on McCarthy ahead of them.

Minnesota needs an edge rusher like Robinson, who is a dynamic player.

McCarthy, Wolf Sports’ Joel Klatt.

Though he doesn’t say what the terms of the deal are, Klatt has the Vikings moving up with the Chargers at 5. ( ).

The draft begins to take shape at this point. Jim Harbaugh has the power to determine where his college quarterback will play if these four selections proceed as planned. I think Harbaugh really hopes he could draft McCarthy, and I would be shocked if they aren’t talking about it. Although I believe they’ve explored the possibility, the Chargers won’t trade Justin Herbert. The money doesn’t work, which leaves Herbert with excessive debt and a sizable dead cap hit. They haven’t given up on that idea, in my opinion, because Harbaugh adores McCarthy.

Thus, Harbaugh ultimately chooses to send McCarthy to Minnesota. With Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson at wide receiver and Kevin O’Connell calling plays, it’s the ideal place for any of these quarterbacks to go, giving the winner of the competition a chance to earn a C. I. J. A rookie campaign similar to Stroud’s.

Pro Football Focus: Trevor Sikkema on Florida State DL Braden Fiske and McCarthy.

(Sikkema has the Vikings staying put at 11 and trading down with the Baltimore Ravens from 23 to 30. ).

Following much discussion about the Vikings sacrificing everything for a quarterback, they choose the perfect prospect to develop at No. 11.

This cycle, Fiske has visited a number of teams in the top 30, and the Vikings were one of them. They might be able to get a pass-rush presence in the middle of the game if they can trade back to the latter half of Round 1 or the first half of Round 2.

Drake Maye, the quarterback for North Carolina, is The Ringer.

(In order to move up to 5 overall in this mock, the Vikings send the Chargers 11, 23, and a 2026 second-round pick. ).

What a coup it is for the Vikings to acquire their long-loved quarterback at no. 5. The aggressive and downfield style of the Vikings offense is a perfect fit for Maye. Even though he might suffer setbacks as a rookie, Justin Jefferson’s friendliness as a quarterback, T. A. J. Hockenson and Kevin O’Connell will be extremely beneficial to his growth.

McCarthy, The Athletic Dane Brugler.

(Brugler lists the Chargers and Vikings as trading up to five, but he doesn’t elaborate on the specifics of the agreement. ).

The Vikings and Broncos appear to be in a race to select the fourth quarterback in the draft. If the Vikings prevail in this scenario, they trade up with the Chargers to select McCarthy.

SB Nation: McCarthy by Mark Schofield and James Dator.

The Chargers will receive five picks from the Vikings in exchange for their first-round pick in 2025, as well as 11 and 23. ).

According to projections, Minnesota will give up its first pick in 2025 and its two first round picks in 2024 in order to move up and select J. D. J. McCarthy was. Although a thorough assessment of this franchise-defining decision will take years, the initial assumption is that there is a significant amount of risk involved, but that risk had to be taken.

The Vikings’ oversight of poorly overseeing their rebuild forces them to pay a hefty price. This team persisted in advocating for a “competitive rebuild,” which sounds fantastic in theory—that is, if you’re genuinely competitive. Rather, they positioned themselves in a state of unfinished work that required revisions.

Both the 2025 class and Minnesota’s progress at the quarterback position are going to be negative. Therefore, they have no choice but to use force to appease Justin Jefferson and hope that McCarthy’s lack of playing time is a result of Michigan’s run-heavy offense rather than its root cause.

For your viewing pleasure, folks, here is a brief compilation of several parodies. We should start receiving some answers in roughly eight hours.