Courtesy of Vikings The Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Vegas has a pulse on what happens in sports, and their latest odds has the Minnesota Vikings landing an electric quarterback prospect with the second-round pick acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions.
Oddsmakers gave Liberty quarterback Malik Willis the highest chance of being selected at No. 34 overall, with a 50% chance of being selected by Minnesota.
Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. has the next highest odds at a 22.7% chance of being selected, followed by Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon with a 13.3% chance of being selected at No. 34.
Despite the high odds of Willis being picked at No. 34 overall, Oddschecker speculated another possibility where the Vikings trade the pick elsewhere and allow their trade suitor to pick Willis.
“One of two things is happening here. Either the Vikings are getting ready to grab Willis and give him two years behind Kirk Cousins, or the Vikings have a trade in place with a team to take him,” Oddschecker spokesman Kyle Newman said in a statement. “Either way, oddsmakers clearly see Willis being the pick at 34. It’s worth noting at this point that the Seahawks, not the Vikings are the favorite to draft Willis. Seattle has two of the top nine pick in the second round.”
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
Vikings Could Land Value in Trade-Down With Seahawks
With only one quarterback selected in the first round in Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, the Vikings can leverage the No. 34 pick into more draft capital against quarterback-needy teams.
If the Seahawks looked to trade for Willis at No. 34 overall, the Vikings could land Seattle’s No. 40 and No. 41 picks inside the top-nine second-round selections.
This year’s draft is considered deep in the middle rounds and could be Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s path toward the rebuild portion of his coined “competitive rebuild” of the Vikings organization. Minnesota could select potential immediate starters at multiple positions on Day 2 of the draft with additional picks from a trade.
But after a surprising first-round move where the Vikings dropped 20 picks in the first round and selected a safety in Georgia’s Lewis to move up in the second round and acquire an additional third-rounder at No. 66 overall, there’s no telling which way Minnesota could go with the second pick in Day 2.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
Adofo-Mensah Draft Strategy Will Be Defined With the No. 34 Pick
Adofo-Mensah, on a four-year contract, is on the clock in righting the Vikings’ ship. He’s wed himself to Kirk Cousins for two years and, if the next two seasons wind up like the past two seasons that got Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman fired, Adofo-Mensah will need to pivot quickly and have a quarterback ready after the 2023 season.
He’s maintained a comfort in having one foot in the team’s competitive past, re-signing and restructuring veteran talent, and rebuilding for the future with several free-agent acquisitions on defense this offseason.
But what Adofo-Mensah does with the No. 34 overall pick will ultimately determine whether their first-round trade with the Lions was a worthwhile venture in the draft — his first signature on the next four years of the franchise.