Jimmy Garoppolo to Meet with Vikings

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Just two days after having a private meeting with Zach Mettenberger, the Vikings have turned their attention to another member of the 2014 draft class.

Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will conduct a private workout with the Vikings in Chicago, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Vikings have been in contact with Garoppolo throughout the draft process, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune. Tesfatsion reports that the Vikings spoke to Garoppolo at the Senior Bowl and Combine, and director of college scouting Scott Studwell was at Garoppolo’s Pro Day.

The Vikings have seemingly left no stone unturned with the quarterback draft class of 2014, as the team has met privately or with almost all of the top passers in the draft. This means either Norv Turner wants to give all of these prospects a chance to be his quarterback, or Rick Spielman is trying to muddy the draft waters a little bit by making it hard for teams to hone in on what quarterback the Vikings truly covet.

The true answer is likely a little bit of both.

Garoppolo had a spectacular senior season, throwing for over 5,000 yards, 53 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. The fact that Garoppolo compiled those statistics against lesser competition doesn’t help his draft stock, but Eastern Illinois has produced another NFL quarterback in Tony Romo.

Garoppolo’s quick release is perhaps his strongest attribute, but he will have to prove to teams he has the intelligence to move to a pro-style offense after playing in more of a spread system in college. Garoppolo is currently being projected as a Day Two selection, so it’s possible the Vikings could target him if they do not grab their quarterback in round one.

Whether the Vikings truly have interest in Garoppolo is anyone’s guess. There’s likely more quarterback visits still to come at Winter Park, and we won’t see Spielman show his hand until the draft of May 8th.

What do you thinks Vikings fans? Do you like Garoppolo in the second or third round? Or do you think he’s going to struggle adjusting to the pros? Sound off in the comments below or on Twitter @Goatman102!