Should the Vikings tank in 2023 to land a top QB prospect?

In order to potentially draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024, the Minnesota Vikings were recently listed as a team that should consider tanking in 2023.

Since their very first season as a professional football franchise, the Minnesota Vikings have made the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft twice. The first instance came before the Vikings' inaugural season in 1961, and then they picked first again in 1968.

So it's been quite a while since Minnesota opened up an NFL Draft as the first team on the clock. In fact, the Vikings have only had a top-five draft selection once since 1990 (Matt Kalil with the No. 4 pick in 2012). Minnesota just isn't a franchise that finds itself at the very bottom of the league at the end of a season very often.

Recently, however, it was suggested that the Vikings should consider tanking during the 2023 campaign in order to have the opportunity to land one of the top quarterback prospects from the 2024 draft pool.

Minnesota Vikings listed as a team that should consider tanking in 2023 to draft USC QB Caleb Williams in 2024

Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski recently shared a list of NFL teams that he believes should consider tanking during the upcoming 2023 season in order to land USC quarterback Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Some of the expected teams, like the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons, are included on the list. But then, as a bit of a surprise, Minnesota was also included on the list.

Sobleski offered the following explanation for why he selected the Vikings as a team that should consider tanking for Williams in 2023.

"In a world where the quarterback position evolved into what an individual can add beyond what's scripted, [Kirk] Cousins is a throwback. He can do enough for a team to compete and even win a division crown. Yet his teams have never gotten further than a divisional playoff contest.

Cousins and the Vikings are approaching a crossroads, since the quarterback is a free agent after the upcoming season. [Kwesi] Adofo-Mensah should expedite the process and enter a full-blown rebuild by moving on from Cousins sooner rather than later."

To understand how highly some currently view Williams, Sobleski shared that an anonymous NFL general manager recently told ESPN's Matt Miller that the current USC quarterback "is Patrick Mahomes." That's the kind of potential some front-office executives around the league believe Williams possesses.

In 14 games with USC last season, Williams completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and just five interceptions, in addition to also rushing for 382 yards and another 10 scores.

Whoever ends up with him in the 2024 NFL Draft could see their franchise quickly emerge as a championship contender. Should the Vikings take Sobleski's advice and tank during the upcoming season to ensure that they become the lucky team to draft Williams in 2024?

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