The Minnesota Vikings could be entering a new era at quarterback, but which signal callers could they choose in this year’s NFL Draft?
The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of questions heading into the 2023 NFL Draft but the biggest one is the future of the quarterback position.
The Vikings have been adamant that Kirk Cousins will return as the starter in 2023 but haven’t worked out an extension heading into the final year of his contract. With reports that the Vikings weren’t keen on the idea of a fully guaranteed extension even as Cousins offered to take a “discount,” it leaves a giant question about who will be starting in 2024.
This situation provided a backdrop at the NFL Scouting Combine where the Vikings reportedly did their due diligence on this year’s quarterback class. Minnesota has been linked to a number of signal callers since and there’s a good chance they could take one in the draft.
In this article, we’ll take a look at six quarterbacks that could be wearing purple by the end of the draft and why they could become the quarterback of the future for the Minnesota Vikings.
Anthony Richardson (Florida)
Measurables:
- Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 244 pounds
2022 Stats:
- 2,549 passing yards
- 17 TD,
- 9 INT
- 53.8% completion rate
- 103 rushing attempts
- 603 rushing yards
- 9 rushing TD
If the Minnesota Vikings are looking for a physical upgrade at quarterback, Anthony Richardson should be their top target in the draft.
Richardson destroyed the combine in Indianapolis, becoming the first quarterback dating back to 1987 to post a perfect relative athletic score of 10.0. He also draws comparisons to Cam Newton (9.99 RAS) and former Vikings folk hero Daunte Culpepper (9.98).
With a 4.43 second time in the 40-yard dash and a cannon for an arm, Richardson has the tools to be an elite quarterback. On ability alone, Richardson would be a lock for the top pick in this year’s draft, but consistency was a big problem during his time at Florida.
The good news is that Richardson only made 12 starts during his career as he backed up Emory Jones. If he’s given time to develop, there’s a chance he could turn into the franchise-caliber quarterback he can become.
The Vikings will need to trade up to draft him – and he won’t come cheap – but Richardson could be the perfect quarterback for Kevin O’Connell. At 21 years old, Richardson can sit behind Cousins before taking over the starting job in 2024 and leading the Vikings into a new era.
Will Levis (Kentucky)
Measurables:
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 229 pounds
2022 Stats:
- 2,406 passing yards
- 19 passing TD
- 10 INT
- 65.4% completion rate
If you like Cousins but wish he had Josh Allen’s arm, Will Levis is the quarterback prospect for you.
Levis’s college career was a trip as he started at Penn State, couldn’t beat out Sean Clifford, and transferred to Kentucky. Upon his arrival in Lexington, Levis was matched up with Liam Cohen, who previously served with O’Connell on Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams.
Levis exploded onto the NFL radar during his junior season with the Wildcats, throwing for 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Although he showed off his big arm, decision-making was a problem often missing receivers which led to turnovers for the opposing defense.
Levis will turn 24 in June, but there’s enough upside for him to become an NFL starter. His supporting cast in Kentucky wasn’t the greatest but his experience in a pro-style offense is one of the reasons why the Vikings have been connected to him frequently throughout the draft process.
If you can get past his dietary habits, Levis could be a solid pick – albeit one the Vikings would also have to trade up for.
Hendon Hooker (Tennessee)
Measurables:
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 217 pounds
2022 Stats:
- 3,135 passing yards
- 27 passing TD
- 2 INT
- 69.6% completion rate
- 104 rushing attempts
- 430 rushing yards
- 5 rushing TD
When the NCAA decided to grant a fifth year of eligibility to college athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, it created a new problem for NFL front offices. Teams that were focused on finding young talent that could possess potential were suddenly scouting older players and with players getting an extra year to refine themselves at the collegiate level, older prospects were rising their draft stock.
This is the biggest issue surrounding Hendon Hooker. Hooker turned 25 and if a team were to select him in the first round, he would be the oldest quarterback taken in the opening round since the Cleveland Browns took 28-year-old Brandon Weeden with the 22nd overall pick in 2012.
Even crazier is that Hooker would be the fourth oldest quarterback in NFL history to be selected in the first round of the draft, trailing Ernie Case, who was selected sixth overall by the Green Bay Packers in 1947 and Travis Tidwell, who was selected by the New York Giants with the seventh overall pick in 1950.
Despite his preference to listen to music on cassette tapes (OK, I made that up), Hooker’s stock is gaining steam as the draft approaches. A report from NFL Network’s James Palmer said Hooker could be the third quarterback taken in the draft behind Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud and Hooker has been mocked to the Minnesota Vikings by prominent draft analysts including NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Todd McShay.
Hooker has a big arm and ample athleticism to make plays but his age and his role in an offense that mostly relied on one read make him a project. Coming off a torn ACL suffered last November, it’s likely that Hooker wouldn’t make his first career start until age 26.
Does that matter to the Vikings? We have no idea. But if the Vikings take Hooker, it will definitely be a leap of faith.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA)
Measurables:
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 203 pounds
2022 Stats:
- 3,169 passing yards
- 27 passing TD
- 10 INT
- 69.6% completion rate
- 118 rushing attempts
- 645 rushing yards
- 12 rushing TD
If the Minnesota Vikings are unable to select a quarterback in the first round – or just want to use that capital on other positions – they could look to draft a developmental quarterback in the middle rounds of the draft.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a candidate for this visit after KSTP-TV’s Darren Wolfson reported that the Vikings were “doing good work” on the UCLA quarterback. Thompson-Robinson was a five-year starter that took advantage of the COVID year and posted career-high numbers with the Bruins last season, showing off his dual skill set.
While Thompson-Robinson has the traits of a dual-threat quarterback with a 4.56-second time in the 40-yard dash, he is still a project. Thompson-Robinson operated in Chip Kelly’s spread offense, which predicates itself on plenty of single reads, but he also showed the ability to run through his progressions. That being said, Thompson-Robinson’s mechanics need work, which is alarming for a player that was a five-year starter in college.
The Vikings burned a third-round pick on Kellen Mond in 2021, but selecting Thompson-Robinson in the same position would carry less risk. If Thompson-Robinson pans out, the Vikings could have a backup or an adequate solution for life after Cousins. If not, they can move on and look for the next quarterback.
Tanner McKee
Measurables:
Height: 6-foot-5 | Weight: 231 pounds
2022 Stats:
- 2,947 passing yards
- 13 passing TD
- 8 INT
- 62.0% completion rate
If the Minnesota Vikings like what they have in Cousins but don’t want the long-term commitment, a younger option is to go with Stanford’s Tanner McKee.
McKee isn’t flashy but is similar to Cousins in that his best trait is his accuracy. McKee has the ability to make all the throws including deep balls, fades, and out routes but doesn’t have a game-changing factor that could make him a top quarterback.
This showed up during his time at Stanford, where he didn’t throw more than 15 touchdown passes and played in David Shaw’s run-first offense. While he didn’t have a supporting cast around him, McKee made do with what he had and was still able to operate on a functional level.
McKee profiles as a Day 3 pick but his ceiling may be more of a backup or a low-level starter. It seems like the Vikings would want to find something different if they’re not going to keep Cousins around but if they don’t want to change things up, McKee would be a decent pick.
C.J. Stroud
Measurables:
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 214 pounds
2022 stats:
- 3,688 passing yards
- 41 passing TD
- 6 INT
- 66.3% completion rate
The last spot of this list considered plenty of internal debate. Is it more likely the Minnesota Vikings would take a late-round flier on Fresno State’s Jake Haener or Houston’s Clayton Tune? Probably. Is it also possible the Vikings could be working on a bombshell to select one of the top quarterbacks in this draft? Absolutely.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this week that “at least six teams” have been in contact with the Arizona Cardinals for the third overall pick in this year’s draft. One would have to assume those teams are trying to land a top quarterback prospect and if the Vikings are truly doing their diligence on this class, we can’t rule out a blockbuster trade.
If the Vikings were to make a deal it would likely be to target either Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud. While it also hinges on the Houston Texans not selecting a quarterback with the second overall pick, Stroud is more likely to be there, making him a candidate on this list.
Stroud started all 25 games after making his debut as a redshirt freshman in 2021 and posted back-to-back 40-touchdown seasons for the Buckeyes. Although Ohio State hasn’t produced many franchise quarterbacks – and the jury is still out on Justin Fields – Stroud has a complete arm, able to make throws with touch as well as drive the ball downfield.
Even if Stroud is a franchise quarterback, the Vikings have to ask themselves if they have the infrastructure for a quarterback to succeed without the aid of two or three first-round picks.
With Christian Darrisaw, Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson, the Minnesota Vikings are off to a good start. The rookie quarterback window and the Vikings’ recent cap purge for 2024 could also allow them to supplement that core through free agency, allowing them to build the contender they want to build.
This seems terrifying to a fan base who have watched the Vikings become the Wile E. Coyote of finding a franchise quarterback but after years of being just good enough, trading for Stroud could be the move that puts them over the top.