Vikings to Meet with Zach Mettenberger

Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings got back to work today at Winter Park, but that doesn’t mean they’re done looking at prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Vikings will be at LSU’s pro day on Wednesday, April 9th, and will meet with quarterback Zach Mettenberger afterwards, according to NFL Network’s Albert Breer.

The private meeting will also include dinner, said Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. According to Tomasson, the Vikings “like [Mettenberger] a lot.”

Other teams meeting with Mettenberger after his workout include the Raiders, Lions and Titans. Mettenberger will also fly out to Jacksonville to meet with the Jaguars, according to Breer.

Mettenberger had an impressive senior season under new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, throwing for 3,082 yards, 22 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions on his way to a 171.4 passer rating. In Cameron’s pro-style system, Mettenberger also led the LSU offense to the nation’s best third-down conversion rate.

Mettenberger plans to do all quarterback drills at his pro day, according to reports. That would represent an impressive accomplishment, as Mettenberger will be barely over four months removed from ACL surgery on Wednesday. Mettenberger tore his ACL in his final regular season game as a student-athlete against Arkansas, and underwent surgery on Jan. 2nd.

In the past few days, reports linking Mettenberger to the Vikings have surfaced, with Tony Pauline of draftinsider.net calling Mettenberger the team’s “signal caller of choice.” The team views Mettenberger as a “perfect fit for Norv Turner’s system,” according to Pauline.

While Mettenberger may not feel up to another workout in his private meeting for the Vikings, they will still have plenty to discuss. Mettenberger has some off-field concerns after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual battery (not rape) his freshmen year at Georgia. Mettenberger was removed from the team afterwards, and spent a year at Butler Community College before transferring to LSU.

If Mettenberger is able to perform well at his pro day, his stock his likely to rise, and former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt wrote on NFL.com that Mettenberger could push himself into the second round of the draft with a good workout.

Whether this is a genuine sign of interest from the Vikings is hard to determine. They have been nothing but consistent so far in their evaluation of quarterback prospects, as they seem to have met with just about every highly-rated signal caller that will be selected in May. We’ll find out then whether Pauline is right about the team’s interest in Mettenberger.

Share your thoughts below Vikings fans! Do some of you still want to stay away from the LSU quarterback? Note: if/when discussing Mettenberger’s off-field incidents below, PLEASE be factually accurate. Do not call him a rapist, because that’s not what he is. He isn’t innocent either though, but just keep your concerns focused on the facts. And also, remember to think of the victim as well in these situations. Watching her attacker receive all this attention cannot be easy.