We’re now just days away from the 2023 NFL Draft, counting down the hours before the unpredictable player selection process gets underway. For a team like the Minnesota Vikings, who don’t have a pick until No. 23, that level of unpredictability is at an all-time high.
After reaching the playoffs, but quickly getting bounced in the Wild Card following a 13-win season, the Vikings have plenty of short-term and long-term needs. As NFL GMs will tell you, they don’t base all their decisions around who can help the team in Week 1 or Week 17 of the upcoming season. Instead, the draft is about focusing on two-to-three years from now, trying to determine which players can help form a contender.
For the Vikings, although it may not be an immediate need, planning for a future without Kirk Cousins, who is in the final year of his contract, might be at the forefront on draft day. Yet, being that they’re at a disadvantage, not only by picking so late in the first round but also by having a total of five draft selections, Minnesota’s chances of emerging with a future QB1 appear slim.
Unless we see a trade.
Related: 2023 NFL mock draft: C.J. Stroud slides, Bijan Robinson to NFC East, Raiders land QB
Which according to The Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner, “loud rumblings” have indicated the Vikings are trying to trade up for a QB. Other rumblings suggest that trade could be as high as with Houston at No. 2 or Arizona at No. 3.
Obviously, either move would require the Vikings to trade a massive amount of draft capital, likely the 23rd pick, plus their first-round selection next year, and more.
Interestingly, Kentucky’s Will Levis has suddenly become the betting favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick. Past rumors have suggested the Vikings are smitten with the rocket-armed QB, but that doesn’t mean they’re the reason for Levis’s apparent sudden climb.
Either way, if the Vikings did make a shocking blockbuster move up the draft board, expect one of the QBs to be a top target. If the No. 2 pick somehow makes its way to Minnesota, suddenly, the Vikings could be looking at a future with either Florida’s Anthony Richardson, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, or Levis under center starting in 2024.