Extend Cousins or ... ?
Mar 27, 2023 8:19:57 GMT -6
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Funkytown, HunterMorrow, and 3 more like this
Post by MidwinterViking on Mar 27, 2023 8:19:57 GMT -6
Next we have the late round option. Unless say we gain more capital from guys like Cook, Z, or even Hunter, or we trade back from 23 I dont think they are going to take someone in say the 3rd round unless its Hooker. If your doing this you better be damn sure that guy is ready to go in 2024 because he may have to by default. I would be fine with this option but may rub some heads on the offense the wrong way if he turns out to be a Mond. I dont think they go this route unless Kevin really really likes a guy, and I would trust his judgment and be okay with it honestly.
Then we have the wait game option. Levis went early, Hooker got scooped up in the 2nd and we came away with no one in the draft.
I've been thinking something along these lines and have a theory on why the Vikings are doing what they're doing this offseason.
The basis for this theory is that 3 QBs will go in the top 4 picks. Carolina (obviously), then Houston seems likely to take the one of Stroud/Young that the Panthers don't. Then, unless Jim Irsay is a drug addled crackpot, the Colts seem like they would take the upside player in Anthony Richardson (what's that? I'm hearing Irsay actually is a drug addled crackpot who is crazy like a fox to give Gardner Minshew a shot? Excellent!)
Will Levis - the Falcons at 8 are the key for Levis. 6-7-8 is Lions, Raiders, Falcons, all teams who need a QB; that looks like the 2021 draft with Justin Fields. In 2021, the Panthers and Broncos desperately needed QBs at 8 and 9, when both passed, it made me wonder if Fields was further away from being a quality starter than the hype coverage suggested. Sure enough, after the Bears bumbled their way up to #11, they were rewarded with 2 years of mostly abysmal QB play (and yes, I'm aware Fields can run for his life). This season, I don't see a team that is as desperate as the 2021 Bears in the mid part of the Draft; the Commanders have Howell, the Steelers have Pickett. The only other QB desperate team is the Bucs at 19. That's down into the range where a Vikings trade up makes sense (and Kwesi's trade BFF, the Lions, pick at 18). Even the Bucs might be hesitant to pull the trigger if Levis needs development; if Levis is a year+ away, is he really any closer than Kyle Trask? The point is, if the Raiders decide they like Jimmy G and the Falcons decide they prefer Desmond Ridder, there is very real chance Levis is sitting there for the Vikings.
Hendon Hooker - this guy is getting more and more interesting to me. I'll make a generalized statement: a starting QB is a 1st round pick. Backup QBs and development lottery tickets are 2nd or later round picks depending on the odds. If the Kwesi is going to plant his flag on Hooker as the heir to Cousins, I think it makes sense to take him in the 1st round. If Hooker is a starter, there is no way he makes it to the 3rd.
I am also starting to come around on Hooker for a few reasons:
1) He played in a gimmicky offense at Tennessee, but I weight executing that offense well more than it's quirks. And Hooker rated very well in executing what was asked of him. Hookers PFF ratings at gimmicky Tennessee are as good (if not slightly better than) Patrick Mahomes ratings in a gimmicky Texas Tech offense.
2) His age / injury don't bother me. He's not going to play this year anyway and I'm not really worried about the 2036 season right now.
I can see the Vikings preparing to pounce on either one of these guys and holding off on an extension for Cousins until after they know if they have one in the fold.
... and neither is this Chris guy.