Nine years after they selected him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, veteran pass rusher Danielle Hunter and the Minnesota Vikings parted ways earlier this offseason.
The Vikings have made it pretty clear during the last few months that they are interested in building a younger roster, and with Hunter turning 30 in October, the team didn't make a significant effort to bring him back when he became a free agent this past March.
Luckily for Hunter, he still performed very well last season (41 pressures, 16.5 sacks, league-leading 23 tackles for a loss), and he wound up landing a two-year contract worth $49 million from the Houston Texans.
Minnesota Vikings have reportedly met with multiple pass-rushing prospects heading into the 2024 NFL Draft
On Tuesday, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport revealed that former UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu was brought in by Minnesota for a visit. This came a day after NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reported that the Vikings brought in former Alabama pass rusher Dallas Turner for a visit.
According to WalterFootball.com, Minnesota has also met with other potential Hunter replacements for their defense this offseason, including Adisa Isaac of Penn State and Marshawn Kneeland of Western Michigan.
Isaac and Kneeland are both expected to still be on the board after the first night of this year's draft, but when it comes to Latu and Turner, both will likely be selected in the first round.
So, with all of the reported interest the Vikings have in drafting one of the top 2024 quarterbacks, how legitimate is their interest in Turner and Latu? Is Minnesota just going through the motions, or are they making sure they have a backup plan in case they can't trade up in the first round to pick a quarterback?
Judging by the number of pass rushers the Vikings signed during free agency this offseason, it would probably be pretty surprising if they used a first-round selection in this year's draft to add another member to the position group.
Back in March, Minnesota signed pass rushers Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jihad Ward. Greenard is expected to start next season, and Van Ginkel could too, so do the Vikings really need to use one of their most valuable 2024 draft picks on another pass rusher?
The NFL Draft is very unpredictable, so Minnesota is likely just making sure they're prepared for whatever scenario is thrown at them when the opening round begins on Thursday, April 25th.