Vikings should look to San Francisco for a quarterback change
By Luke Parrish
Vikings follow suit and draft a redshirt QB behind Cousins
Just as San Francisco did last year, the Vikings could very well draft a quarterback to redshirt behind Kirk Cousins for a year before letting him walk in free agency. Kellen Mond is not the guy that fits the mold of high-end traits with a high ceiling but rather a guy that can mold into a low-level starter but likely serves as a career backup.
Drafting Mond in the third round last year should not deter the Vikings from considering quarterbacks in the early stages of 2022. Malik Willis, the guy with the highest ceiling in the draft, is the perfect redshirt candidate.
He may not be ready to compete in 2022, which is fine since the Vikings are not a real threat as things stand anyway. Letting him develop for a year and see how a guy like Cousins operates could pay off in the end for Willis.
Whether in the first or second round, Willis has the potential to pay off in a similar way to Mahomes and Josh Allen. Both were drafted a bit higher than expected with a gamble on their traits. Mahomes sat for a year while Allen struggled mightily as a rookie, but both have blossomed into the league’s top passers.
If the Vikings want to keep some hopes alive for 2022 while also shooting for the stars in 2023 and beyond, this is the way to go. This is just like the 49ers have done with Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.