5 NFL Draft habits Rick Spielman needs to change in 2021
By Nik Edlund
Not taking a mid-round quarterback
Rick Spielman does many great things for the Minnesota Vikings when it comes to the draft, but one thing he hasn’t done well is picking a quarterback. He’s missed on Christian Ponder and Teddy Bridgewater, and other than those two, he hasn’t used a pick higher than the fifth round on the position.
This is a trend that Spielman needs to break this year. The Vikings need an upgrade at backup quarterback and one who holds some growth potential. It would be refreshing to have that backup be someone who can be an upgrade from Sean Mannion from a talent standpoint and be developed with the hope that one day he can start games for the ball club.
There are plenty of mid-round quarterbacks the Vikings could look at in this year’s draft who would fit that mold. Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond, and Jamie Newman are just a few. These players will definitely come in raw as an uncooked hot dog, but they have plenty of upside. With Kirk Cousins proving to be extremely durable, they could learn behind him for a season or two before eventually competing to become the starter.