Getty Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during a game against the Chicago Bears in January 2023.
The Minnesota Vikings are keen on finding their quarterback of the future through the draft, especially considering head coach Kevin O’Connell’s ability to develop talent at the position.
O’Connell is reported to be a “big fan” of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. But how far up is Minnesota willing to go to land Levis?
According to The Draft Networks’ Jaime Eisner, there are “loud rumblings” that the Vikings are active in trading up for a quarterback. In an April 24 mock draft, Eisner posed Minnesota would be willing to trade for the No. 2 overall pick.
“You may have seen the betting odds change for the No. 2 overall pick on Saturday, with Will Levis becoming the odds-on favorite. But I don’t think that’s because the Texans are taking him. I’ve heard loud rumblings that Minnesota is very active in trying to trade up for a quarterback and I think they will pull off a blockbuster here,” Eisner wrote. “Levis will succeed Kirk Cousins after the Vikings chose not to extend the latter beyond this season. … Don’t get me wrong, there are several people in the NFL who are uninterested in drafting Levis this high, but there are plenty who believe he is absolutely worth the cost with the upside to be the best passer in the class when it’s all said and done.”
Eisner didn’t offer a potential trade package but it would likely involve multiple first-round picks and a few key players. While it may be the loftiest trade-up proposal seen, the Vikings have shown immense interest in this year’s quarterback class.
How high they’re willing to climb in a trade remains to be seen, however, they likely have plotted numerous courses to trade-up courses ahead of the first day of the draft on Thursday, April 27.
Former NFL QB Jealous of Any Rookie QB Who Lands With Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell
In an April 24 article, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis spoke with several former NFL quarterbacks who worked with O’Connell, who admittedly would have switched places to have O’Connell as their coach during their playing days.
“(Playing for O’Connell) would be an ideal fit for any rookie QB,” former Los Angeles Rams practice-squad quarterback John Wolford told The Athletic. “If I was one, I’d be champing at the bit to get to Minnesota.”
Super Bowl champion quarterback Trent Dilfer offered another anecdote of O’Connell that explains his rise to becoming an NFL head coach.
Dilfer asked O’Connell to manage a quarterback regional for the Elite 11, one of the premier high school QB showcases. O’Connell was so effective that Dilfer then invited him to coach the best of the best at “The Opening,” the Elite 11’s ultimate competition.
“We have hundreds of coaches on the waiting list,” Dilfer said. “Literally, hundreds. Kevin bypassed about 50 guys. He just impressed me so much.”
“How?” Dilfer was asked.
His disposition: “There’s an intensity without a change in demeanor,” Dilfer said.
His ability to simplify complex information: “I learned this from Mike Holmgren,” Dilfer said. “Don’t sacrifice the complexity because complexity is good. But how do you simplify the complex? Kevin does that in such a classy way, in such a clean way.”
And what about the players who worked with O’Connell?
“They can’t get enough of Kevin,” Dilfer said.
Those characteristics define O’Connell’s NFL ascent, Dilfer believes, but they’re also why he would thrive with a young quarterback.
The biggest takeaway from The Athletic article is that O’Connell has shown to not only be an astute quarterback evaluator but also understand where to meet a quarterback’s comprehension in the complexity of an offense.
Vikings Bearing the Weight of Finding a New QB
At the NFL owners’ meeting in mid-April, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressed the media about the team’s upcoming draft plans.
Neither Adofo-Mensah nor O’Connell rejected the idea of drafting a quarterback this year, and have talked deeply about the possibility.
“These aren’t things you just kind of decide in the moment. You have to have plans, you have to have strategies, you have to have different ways of getting to that answer,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’ve had these conversations, they’re ongoing. There’s lots of different avenues in terms of addressing that position. I wouldn’t necessarily box us into just one.”