Vikings Rumors: Minnesota actively 'trying to trade up' to draft a QB

Minnesota Vikings rumors are picking up as the 2023 NFL Draft quickly approaches and a recent one has to do with their interest in selecting a quarterback.

For the next few days, there are likely going to be a lot more Minnesota Vikings rumors than there have been since free agency began to settle down a few weeks ago. The 2023 NFL Draft is just days away and teams will be doing whatever they can to wind up with some of the top players on their board.

On Sunday, The Draft Network's Jaime Eisner shared a 2023 mock draft in which he has the Vikings trading all the way up to the No. 2 pick with the Houston Texans in order to select former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. It's quite the bold prediction, but Eisner shared the reasoning behind his decision.

"I’ve heard loud rumblings that Minnesota is very active in trying to trade up for a quarterback and I think they will pull off a blockbuster here. Levis will succeed Kirk Cousins after the Vikings chose not to extend the latter beyond this season."

Vikings Rumors: Should Minnesota trade up for Will Levis?

Given that Levis is regarded by some draft analysts as the fourth or fifth-best quarterback prospect available in this year's draft, Minnesota trading all the way up to the No. 2 pick so select the young passer would come as a pretty big surprise.

Now, if the Vikings believe Levis is the guy they want to end up with, then a move like trading with the Texans would be an easy way to select him. However, Minnesota would likely have to give up multiple first-round picks along with other draft selections, and possibly a player (Houston native Danielle Hunter?), in order to move from the No. 23 pick all the way up to the No. 2 spot.

Is Levis really worth all of the assets that the Vikings would have to give up to acquire him with the No. 2 selection in the draft? Or could Minnesota use the No. 2 pick on a different quarterback like Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or Florida's Anthony Richardson?

Until recently, some believed that Stroud could potentially end up as the first quarterback to be selected in this year's NFL Draft. So most teams in the league would likely be ecstatic if they were able to land the former Ohio State signal-caller with their first-round pick, including the Vikings.

Could we be just a few days away from Minnesota making a franchise-altering move like trading for the No. 2 pick to select a quarterback?