A new polarizing quarterback for Minnesota Vikings fans to fight about hit the market on Monday after ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the NFL's Supplemental Draft following a controversial legal battle over his eligibility to play for the school.
After Sorsby was originally ruled ineligible to play following an NCAA investigation that revealed that he placed more than 9,000 bets on college and professional sports during a four-year span while he was an active quarterback on Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and Indiana's rosters, a judge in Texas granted him a temporary injunction, which would have allowed him to play for Texas Tech during the upcoming season.
Before Sorsby's gambling addiction was brought to light, some believed he had the potential to be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. That potential was all Vikings fans needed to hear in order to want their team to consider giving up a 2027 draft selection to add him in the Supplemental Draft.
However, the track record of Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell when it comes to working with young quarterbacks is one of the biggest reasons why the Vikings should avoid giving up any future draft compensation to acquire Sorsby.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wouldn't know what to do with Brendan Sorsby
Following the struggles of J.J. McCarthy last season, and O'Connell's reluctance to adjust his offense to fit his young quarterback's skill set, there's no reason to believe Minnesota's current head coach could succeed with Sorsby as the team's starting signal-caller.
Dating all the way back to when O'Connell was the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns, no quarterback aged 25 or younger has produced a passer rating higher than 79.4 when working with the current Vikings head coach.
We saw this last season, but O'Connell just doesn't have the patience to let a young signal-caller develop if more than a year or two is necessary, and he's never shown the willingness to adjust his offense to make life easier for a young quarterback.
So what makes anyone think that would change with Sorsby?
Does this mean Minnesota should never attempt to invest a high draft pick on a quarterback as long as O'Connell is the team's head coach?
No, but it certainly seems like the traits a passing prospect must possess in order for O'Connell to want to work with them are a lot more precise than they were even just a year ago.
Add us as a preferred source on Google