7 best moves of the Minnesota Vikings 2021 offseason
By Adam Patrick
Drafting Cousins’ possible replacement
When former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was still on the board after the first 10 selections of the 2021 NFL Draft, the eyebrows started to raise a bit for some Vikings fans.
Sitting at pick No. 14 originally, some Minnesota fans wanted the team to trade up and draft Fields. But even though they were reportedly interested in selecting the former Ohio State signal-caller, they weren’t willing to give up the large amount of assets that ended up being required to trade up and get him.
Later on in the third round, however, the Vikings did end up potentially landing a rookie quarterback who could replace Kirk Cousins as the team’s starter as early as 2022.
With their first of four selections in the third round, Minnesota went and grabbed former Texas A&M signal-caller Kellen Mond. Viewed as a bit of a project, Mond has tremendous potential, and he landed in a perfect situation with the Vikings where he can sit and learn on the sidelines as a rookie without having the pressure to perform immediately.
The drafting of Mond could even end up motivating Cousins to step his game up to a level he’s never performed at during his career. It was a low-risk move by Minnesota, but it’s one that could result in a fantastic outcome.