4 potential Vikings draft prospects who shined in Week 1

Potential Vikings prospect No. 4

QB Riley Leonard (Duke)

This list could not go on without mentioning Riley Leonard and his incredible outing against Clemson on Monday. Leonard, a rising quarterback prospect with all of the tools, is a player to watch if the Vikings do not land a new quarterback at the top of the draft but still want to address the future.

Leonard is probably going to draw some Daniel Jones comps given his style of play coming out of Duke and that...is a good thing. Leonard stands at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds with a strong arm and dangerous legs when he decides to tuck it and run.

His season debut against Clemson went about as well as he could have imagined even if the numbers aren't gaudy. Clemson has NFL talent all over the defense and Duke does not have the same talent to challenge that offensively. Still, Leonard went 17-for-33 with 175 yards and rushed eight times for 98 yards and a score has Duke pulled off a blowout upset.

On a third-and-short early in the second half, Leonard shed multiple tackles in the backfield and turned on the jets to beat two Clemson defenders to the end zone for the go-ahead 44-yard touchdown that propelled Duke to the victory.

In a class that features Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, and Bo Nix, Riley Leonard may be the best value pick outside of the top half of the first round. If the Vikings decide not to mortgage the future for their next signal caller, Leonard is a name to keep an eye on.