The Minnesota Vikings showed they’re prepared to move on from Kirk Cousins after declining a long-term extension with the veteran quarterback and putting in plenty of legwork in scouting the upcoming draft class.
A true successor did not materialize as none of the top three quarterbacks the Vikings had eyes on in the draft fell within range of a trade-up.
However, the process will start all over again next offseason, and a historic college prospect has been linked to Minnesota by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Vikings Select Texas QB Quinn Ewers in PFF’s Way-Too-Early 2024 NFL Mock Draft
PFF’s Max Chadwick assembled a way-too-early 2024 mock draft and projected the Vikings at No. 21 to take Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is one of just five prospects since 2000 to receive a perfect 1.000 rating by 247Sports coming out of high school.
Ewers, who just turned 20, is still raw with only one season of college football under his belt, but if he can correct some of his blunders and accuracy issues, he’ll undoubtedly vault himself into top-five territory.
“Ewers disappointed in his first season as a starter after being one of the highest-rated quarterback recruits ever. He still flashed his ridiculous arm talent, as his 6.6% big-time throw rate ranked sixth among Power Five quarterbacks,” Chadwick wrote. “The issue is his decision-making and accuracy. Ewers’ 65.2% adjusted completion rate was the eighth-worst in the Power Five. If he can rein it in, Ewers can join Caleb Williams and Drake Maye at the top of the draft.”
Against top-ranked Alabama, Ewers completed 9-of-12 passes for 134 yards in the first quarter alone before he suffered a sprained SC joint that knocked him out of the rest of the game. It was just his second start since 2020 after he forewent his senior year of high school and redshirted at Ohio State as an 18-year-old in 2021.
He missed three games before throwing for 296 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Big 12 rival Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. Ewers cooled off later in the season, finishing the year with 2,174 passing yards for 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. He showed growth in his decision-making in the final three games of the season, attempting 116 passes without an interception to close the year.
Ewers has a similar profile to Brett Favre, a gunslinger quarterback whose trust in his arm strength at times can lead to some careless throws.
However, he has the most upside of any quarterback eligible for next year’s draft and fits the profile of what Kevin O’Connell is looking for in a quarterback.
Vikings Not Looking to Rush Next 1st-Round QB
So long as Cousins plays, the Vikings won’t be in the territory of selecting in the top 10 of the draft. His floor has kept the Vikings selecting in the low 20s throughout his five-year tenure in Minnesota.
The likely route the Vikings would have to go is developing a raw prospect for a season unless they find it worthwhile to trade multiple first-round picks to trade up for a bonafide franchise player inside the top five of the draft.
Ewers fits that bill currently but could very well play himself into a much higher position in next year’s draft.
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Vikings Predicted to Land Historic Gunslinger QB Next Season