Why the Vikings could pick a QB on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft

Heading into the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday, the Minnesota Vikings could potentially use a selection on a quarterback.

On Thursday night, the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft came to a close with the Minnesota Vikings selecting former Georgia safety Lewis Cine. It marked the end of an interesting evening for the Vikings.

Minnesota originally had the No. 12 pick in the first round, but then they decided to trade the selection and the No. 46 pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for picks No. 32, No. 34, and No. 66.

After the trade, Minnesota now has the second selection in the second round and two picks in the third round. All of these selections will be made on Friday night.

Why a quarterback could be in play for the Minnesota Vikings on Day 2 of this year’s NFL Draft

Entering the second night of this year’s NFL Draft, there are still a number of very talented prospects waiting to be selected, including several quarterbacks.

With the Vikings giving Kirk Cousins an extension earlier this offseason, some might believe they are out of the running to pick a young signal-caller during the first few rounds. But Cousins still only has two years left on his contract and he’ll be 34-years-old by the time the 2022 regular season begins.

If Minnesota wanted to draft a quarterback though, why didn’t they do it with the final pick in the first round so that they could take advantage of the fifth-year option? Well, fifth-year options aren’t exactly the advantage they used to be.

In 2020, fifth-year options became fully guaranteed. Before, a team could pick up a former first-round pick’s fifth-year option and still have the opportunity to move on from that player a year later without any financial commitments.

Now, once that fifth-year option is picked up, the team is required to pay that regardless of how the player performs during the fourth year of his rookie deal.

So what once seemed like an advantage for teams drafting players in the first round, especially for those that selected quarterbacks, fifth-year options are no longer as helpful.

This is why waiting until after the draft’s opening round to pick a quarterback is what the Vikings could be doing this year.

Minnesota can still take a chance on a young passer like Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, or Sam Howell and not feel like they are making a big investment into a player that could be on the bench for the next two seasons.