The NFL draft is a pretty weird concept when you think about it.
Imagine graduating from Harvard Law School and finding out you’ve been drafted by a sleazy personal injury firm in a Jacksonville strip mall. Oh, and no other firm can hire you for the next four years, plus a fifth-year option with the possibility of multiple franchise tags, to hold you hostage in that Jacksonville strip mall for your entire professional prime.
The only thing worse would be going undrafted, which in this metaphor is reserved for all of us with liberal arts degrees … but I digress.
NFL prospects don’t normally get to choose where they start their careers. That’s unfortunate for them, as I’m a firm believer that where they land is almost as important to their success as their athletic ability. But what if they did?
What if Anthony Richardson or Bryce Young got to pick the best situation for themselves coming out of college? How convincing could Minnesota’s recruiting pitch be?
Because the more I pondered this question, the more convinced I became. Minnesota has everything a rookie passer could ever want.
For the purpose of this exercise, I’ll be comparing Minnesota to nine other teams that are in the market for a quarterback of the future. Some may be more desperate than others, but they’re all searching to some degree. These teams are:
- Carolina Panthers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Detroit Lions
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Tennessee Titans
- Washington Commanders
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I’ll also be evaluating them based on the following criteria:
- Offensive line
- Offensive weapons
- Play caller
- Franchise stability
I’ll structure this exercise by determining how high the Vikings rank in each category. You may be surprised just how well they fare in these categories.
Vikings Offensive Line: No. 2 out of 10
Minnesota wins the silver medal in this category. The Vikings offensive line touts two stud franchise tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, and that’s a tandem I’d be willing to put up against anyone else in the league. The interior of the offensive line is much less exciting, but Garrett Bradbury and Ezra Cleveland performed admirably for most of last season.
The Lions are the only team with a clear edge on Minnesota in this category. Detroit has a nice young core of talent up front in Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow, with experienced veterans in Taylor Decker and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. They’re just a bit stronger on the interior, but nothing crazy.
I’ll also give an honorable mention to Atlanta for their investment up front in Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom, and wouldn’t fault anyone for having more faith in their unit over Minnesota’s. But I think Christian Darrisaw’s high ceiling puts them a step above.
Vikings Offensive Weapons: No. 1 out of 10
This one was another tight race with Detroit for me, but Minnesota wins with star power.
Justin Jefferson is in a tier all to himself compared to the offensive talent on this list. Davante Adams comes closest out of the field, and he’s still playing at an elite level. But Jefferson is the best young receiver in football. And while Minnesota’s wide receiver corps could use another weapon or two, Jefferson stands out alongside an elite tight end in T.J. Hockenson, veteran rusher Dalvin Cook, and a stable of young running backs as a perfect recipe for a young passer.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams may emerge as an elite tandem by season’s end. But at this point, I’ll still take Jefferson any day of the week.
Vikings Play Caller: No. 3 out of 10
Kevin O’Connell showed a lot of promise with the Vikings offense in Year 1. He found creative ways to get Jefferson in space despite opposing defenses’ desperate attempts to stop him. Even with a few cold streaks and bad games along the way, KOC fielded an incredibly productive offense in 2022. And considering how many times Kirk Cousins led improbable comebacks in 2022, it appears O’Connell found a way to “quiet his mind.”
All that said, I’ll give the top spot to the Lions. Detroit’s offense under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson really excelled in 2022, utilizing an exciting recipe of downfield passing and smashmouth running. The offense consistently put up impressive numbers in 2022, finishing fifth in the league in points per play and fourth in total offense. And that’s with Jared Goff, who I’d rank a small step below Kirk Cousins. That warrants a lot of praise for Detroit’s young play caller, who could do wonders with a young player. This could all change if Ben Johnson leaves for a head coaching spot next season, but for now he’s earned it.
I’ll also slide Arthur Smith of the Falcons ahead of O’Connell by a small margin. This one is close, but Smith has a high pedigree from his time in Tennessee and deserves a lot of credit for his work in Atlanta last season. He turned an offensive roster led by players like Marcus Mariota and Tyler Allgeier into an above-average NFL offense, and that’s witchcraft.
Vikings Franchise Stability: No. 1 out of 10
This is as difficult to judge as it is ambiguously defined.
I define franchise stability as the overall consistency and quality of head coach, general manager, and ownership. By that criteria, Minnesota rightfully ranks quite high.
Unlike the head coaches in Atlanta, Washington, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, or Tennessee, O’Connell is feeling absolutely no hot-seat pressure in Minnesota. Coming off an impressive 13 wins in Year 1, the organization is thrilled by the early returns on KOC. The jury is still out on general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in his second offseason with the Vikings. However, there’s plenty of reason for optimism about his tenure as GM. The Wilfs also provide a lot of stability and security as owners.
The Vikings franchise is a unified front with a lot of confidence in the current regime. That can’t be said for many of the first-year coaching staffs and struggling front offices on this list.
An argument could also be made for the Lions here. However, we are talking about a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016 and has spent most of the years since below .500. Not exactly a pillar of consistency.
I also gave strong consideration to Tampa Bay, which is almost exclusively due to the recent success of Jason Licht in the Tom Brady era. But they’ve got their own head coach questions with Todd Bowles and plenty of issues to sort out in the post-Brady era, even if they’re only a few years removed from the coveted Lombardi Trophy.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot to like about the Vikings for any young quarterback.
It’s still yet to be seen if any of the top four prospects in Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, or Will Levis will slide into striking range for the Vikings front office, but they should be excited to get a call with 952 area code on draft night. A superstar receiver, All-Pro level bookends at offensive tackle, and a talented play caller set the Vikings apart as a dream destination for a young passer.
My other takeaway from this exercise is just how promising the setup is for the Detroit Lions. Minnesota’s NFC North rivals find themselves in a similar position, with talented offensive rosters, promising young coaching staffs, and good-but-not-great veteran quarterbacks. If either team takes the leap of faith to draft a QB of the future within the next two seasons, it could completely change the complexion of a wide-open division with the impending departure of Aaron Rodgers.
It can be really hard to find the right guy at quarterback, but this is a rare opportunity in Vikings history. We can feel confident that whoever they seek out, in this year’s draft or the future, will be given every chance to succeed. If they fail, it’ll be on their own merit, not the lack of infrastructure around them.
What more could a rookie QB ask for?
