5 worst moves of the Minnesota Vikings 2021 offseason

Not trading up for Justin Fields

The Vikings may have found their quarterback of the future when they selected Kellen Mond in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But Minnesota could have gotten a better prospect and sent a stronger message to Kirk Cousins had they traded up for Justin Fields.

Fields has many of the same traits as Mond, but he was a more efficient passer in college. During his final season at Ohio State, Fields completed 70.2 percent of his passes and led the Buckeyes through the College Football Playoff with a nasty rib injury.

Although there were some red flags that popped up through the pre-draft process, Fields is a blue-chip prospect that will be a starting quarterback. We can’t say the same for Mond, who completed 63.3 percent of his passes at Texas A&M last season.

There were reports that the Vikings were interested in moving up to acquire Fields but were ultimately outbid by the Chicago Bears. This makes sense considering the Vikings have just five picks in the 2022 draft but now have to face Fields twice as a divisional foe.

There are no guarantees that Fields will be an elite NFL quarterback but if he is, this will be a move that will haunt the Vikings over the past decade.