Few days on the NFL calendar are more anticipated than the draft. What started as a meeting in a random hotel conference room in New York City has turned into a three-day event where thousands of fans fly across the country to see if their team will select a player who can change the course of their franchise’s history.
To this degree, Minnesota Vikings fans have been obsessed with the draft ever since they took Randy Moss in 1998. Each year, Minnesota turns a shade of purple on a typical April day. Fans are glued to their screens, hoping that the game-changing player they’ve become smitten with over the offseason is available when the Vikings are on the clock — or when that player falls into their lap after photos of a gas-mask bong surface online.
But with less than two weeks until the draft, this year’s spectacle feels different. Maybe it’s because of the NFL’s decision to hold the draft in the exotic locale of Green Bay, Wis. — and the inevitable influx of hundreds of drunks from Wausau. It also has to do with where the Vikings are at as a franchise and how a draft pick may not be as important as it has been in the past.
Think of the NFL offseason like a series of family Christmases. You have your local Christmas, but then a series of other events are being held in your extended family’s. Maybe your siblings are having their own gathering, but your parents are doing something miles away. Then your in-laws are doing their own thing, with three or four more events branched off in different directions.
By the time you’ve reached the final Christmas, you’ve been filled with enough holiday cheer to transform into the Grinch. That’s kind of what this offseason has become for Vikings fans.
The first Christmas revolved around what the Vikings would do at quarterback. The reveal came when Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones left in free agency.
The Vikings turned around and spent like their grandmother gave them $500 to blow at Toys R Us, signing Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave. They even looked at the big toy — a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers — but decided that investing in a PlayStation 3 to play College Football Revamped (Aaron Rodgers) wasn’t as great as their current PlayStation 5 with College Football 25 loaded on it (aka J.J. McCarthy).
With most of their needs addressed, the Vikings could be turning from that kid in the toy store to an adult asking for socks and underwear. They could use another guard, defensive tackle, or cornerback, but they don’t need one, which usually results in the request for a gift card.
Unfortunately, the NFL doesn’t have gift cards, and the Vikings must look to add the final piece to their roster in this year’s draft. While the backdrop of Lambeau Field is disappointing, so is the talent pool.
In the past, Vikings fans would be hoping for a quarterback. But they already have that need crossed off with last year’s selection of McCarthy. Even then, this year’s class doesn’t fit the criteria of “a TV draft.” Miami’s Cam Ward is widely projected as the first-overall pick, and few are sold on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart.
That leaves everyone looking for other prospects, but few are truly exciting. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is a two-way threat, but he’s unlikely to fall to the Vikings, who own the 24th-overall pick. Penn State’s Abdul Carter is in the same situation, and even a premiere running back class featuring Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton lost its luster when the Vikings brought back Aaron Jones and traded for Jordan Mason. An offensive lineman like North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel would be nice, but it’s unnecessary after the off-season spending spree.
A defensive tackle falls into the same category, but Mississippi’s Walter Nolen and Oregon’s Derrick Harmon would get the same Oh, cool, you get when thanking your brother-in-law for a nice collared shirt. Each player could exceed expectations, but it’s hard to get jazzed up in the moment.
Maybe the Vikings will find their game-changer, and it’s the piece that puts them above the top as Super Bowl contenders. Still, it’s hard to gauge in a draft that seems short on impact talent. If anything, it could be a chance for Minnesota to add depth, but that doesn’t feel exciting as the NFL’s annual spectacular approaches.
It leaves Vikings fans in an unfamiliar situation that could make the draft not feel like the draft.
