Leading up to the final moments before the 2023 NFL Draft kicked off, rumors of the Minnesota Vikings eyeing a big trade up from No. 23 ran rampant. But most of these discussions seemed to point to Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, or C.J. Stroud. We’re now hearing Bryce Young may have been the original and only target by the Vikings’ front office.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero recently dropped a golden nugget on the Pat McAfee Show podcast, indicating the Vikings really only had interest in the top QB in the class.
“They were making calls about moving up very high in the draft, but my understanding is that was for one player and that was Bryce Young, who ended up going No. 1, and so there went any possibility of Minnesota to go get him.”
Tom Pelissero on Minnesota Vikings’ desire to trade up for Bryce Young
Again, like all pre and post-draft rumors, even this report has to be taken with a grain of salt. From the Vikings’ perspective, whether they were trying to move up or not, the optics look a lot better if they were ‘rumored’ to be in on the top pick in the NFL draft than, say, Levis, who fell to the second round.
Either way, heading into the draft holding a total of just five picks, the Vikings were always viewed as extreme longshots to trade up, especially into the top ten or top five, even if the future of Kirk Cousins remains up in the air. Instead, we saw Minnesota add to their depth chart by drafting developmental QB Jaren Hall in the fifth round.
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