Why don't you like Rick?

I liked QB Mac Jones in this draft, and he was available for the Vikings at 14. Forget trading up for Justin Fields; this was the guy they should have drafted, and it would not have cost the Vikings a single pick in a trade. We will see how that works out in the long run.

Drafting for current need is often a losers bargain. A GM should be looking two or three seasons down the road for needs. In any case, BPA is king in the draft, and if the QB you want falls to you, you take him.

Here are some quarterbacks I said I liked prior to drafts:

Drew Brees
Aaron Rodgers
Derek Carr
Jameis Winston
Bryce Petty
Baker Mayfield
Josh Allen
Justin Herbert
Mac Jones

It is not a bad list. It has a good hit rate, and it is notable as much for who is not on the list as much as who is.

I won't get into the Brees and Rodgers topics, as they were relatively long ago and I've talked about them often before.

Derek Carr was my top QB of that draft. As most of you know, I liked Bridgewater after Carr, and I stated Bortles looked like Ponder. I wouldn't touch Manziel, and I was happy that the Browns traded up for him because I had my suspicions that Spielman may try to make a move for him.

Winston was a bust as the top player selected, but he has the skills and could do well with the Saints. I think Petty could have been good in a system that fit him and on a team that wasn't as dysfunctional as the Jets. 

I liked other quarterbacks as well, but other than Winston, the Vikings had no chance of drafting them or they were a second choice. I have Winston on the list because I talked a lot about him the year before he came out as being a potential target for the Vikings. Obviously, the Vikings had no chance to draft him.

I liked Marcus Mariota coming out, but he looked to be going higher than the Vikings could reach and ended up getting picked right behind Winston. Mariota hasn't done as well in the NFL. I am not sure why. Sometimes not having time to adapt to the NFL can kill a quarterback.

Although I was high on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson from their college stats alone, the Vikings didn't have a first round pick that season and the aim was on running backs. I didn't talk much about players other than that, so I can't claim them for my list. I did have a particular interest in Mahomes because of his dad's ties to the Minnesota Twins. I did state I didn't like Trubisky as much as either of them, and I didn't understand the Bears trading any draft capital to move up one spot from three to two for him with both Mahomes and Watson available. That isn't in hindsight; it looked wacked at the time, and it looks even worse now.

I liked Baker Mayfield in 2018, but I didn't see him getting out of the top three. I didn't really like Josh Allen until I watch the combine and went back to watch his tape. He didn't have the stats I usually look for, but he looked like he had the skill set. At one point, it looked like Mayfield and Josh Allen would be busts. Could I have been that off on both of them? Mayfield and Allen started slowly and had mediocre play until their teams could build an offense around them or bring in better coaching last season. Allen was more of a risk, but the Vikings had a better chance at him, as I thought he may fall later into the first round than he did.

Lamar Jackson slipping into the late first was an opportunity for the Vikings, but they had signed Kirk Cousins and have a history of shorting their quarterback depth. I thought Jackson was worth the pick and would be better if he had sat a couple seasons anyway. Baltimore proved he was worth the pick, but they started him mid-season in his rookie year and evolved the offensive scheme to fit his skills. Kudos to the purple - the other purple.

Joe Burrow was going to be the top pick in the draft, but I liked Justin Herbert next. Herbert had that quick release and zippy arm I look for in a quarterback. Although he sometimes pressed too much, he looked like he had the talent for the NFL. Obviously, the Chargers thought so too, and he was picked early. Offensive rookie of the year? So far, so good, but he has to step up his game in his second season. I don't know if the Chargers have built a good enough team around him to do that.

This draft, I liked what I saw in Mac Jones, and I openly asked why his draft status wasn't higher. He had good vision, made all the throws, had good pocket awareness, and he is a smart player. He doesn't have the uber movement skills or a top gun arm, but many great quarterbacks didn't either. He gets the ball out, and he hits his targets. Maybe he is the next Trubisky, but the Vikings would not have had to move up at all to grab him, and I don't see many quarterbacks with his potential slip to 14 often. We will see what he can do with the Patriots. Starting him as a rookie may not be as good for his career as sitting him, but that's what I thought with Lamar Jackson, so what do I know? It did work out for Aaron Rodgers, and Mac Jones reminds me a lot of Rodgers coming out of college.