With the 23rd pick, your Minnesota Vikings select...

At pick No. 23, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t necessarily in prime position to get one of the top tier quarterback prospects since CJ Stroud and Bryce Young will likely go with the first two overall selections. Most current projections expect Anthony Richardson to be close behind. The Vikings might, however, be in the territory of taking a “project” quarterback who can sit and learn behind Cousins for a year with plans to take over in 2024.

Two prospects who have recently been mocked to the Vikings are Kentucky’s Will Levis and Tennesse’s Hendon Hooker. Both of them come with reasons to buy into them and plenty of questions. And those reasons and questions are very different.

Will Levis has gotten hype for a while now but if you looked at only his statistics that would be majorly confusing. He can throw the ball far (“I’ve got a cannon,” to quote Levis), but the league will need to believe in more than just his arm strength to take him in the first round. Arguing he should be a top pick in the draft solely because of one talent would like saying Zach Edey should be a top pick in the NBA draft cause he’s super tall.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Levis to Jay Cutler, writing:

“Levis is one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the draft, but there are warts in his game that might not be easily corrected.”

Hooker is a really intriguing prospect. His stats are off the charts, but he’s coming off an ACL injury late in his final season, he’s already 25 and will still require development.

On Hooker, Zierlein wrote: “The most important question to be answered is whether he can thrive outside of the Tennessee offense. Hooker was frequently a half-field reader, which means he could lean on spacing, speed and/or route combinations to make life easier.”

How can we figure out which player would be the best option for the Vikings if they wanted a QB with the 23rd overall pick? Let’s break down Hooker and Levis statistically…

23. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON, TCU
Minnesota parted ways with longtime wide receiver Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn is entering the final year of his contract in 2023. Here, they add a No. 2 option alongside Justin Jefferson who can win on jump balls downfield and also rack up yards after the catch.

Johnston ranked in the top 25 in yards per route run across the FBS in 2022, with his 17 missed tackles forced tied for 13th. While he got shut down against Georgia in the national championship game along with the entire TCU offense, he stepped up in the first round of the College Football Playoff against a stout Michigan defense with a 6-163-1 stat line and did all he could to avoid defeat against Baylor in the Big 12 title game with four receptions for 139 yards. Johnston can become more consistent and use his size more effectively, but there’s a lot to like about his ability going forward.

We are less than four weeks from the first day of the NFL draft and the direction of the Minnesota Vikings is currently in flux. Todd McShay came out on Tuesday and mocked Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker to the Vikings at 23rd overall. If you read my piece on Hooker from a couple of weeks ago, you’ll know that I’m fully out on that idea. There is too much he needs to learn, and it’s not a profile I’m willing to bet on at 25 years old.

With all of the upper-tier quarterbacks likely gone by the time the Vikings are able to pick, there is a high likelihood that they trade down. If they don’t there should be one target: TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

At 6’2″, 208 lbs., Johnston profiles as a big-bodied X receiver. In a class that doesn’t have a lot of size, Johnston provides it in droves. He currently ranks as my top wide receiver and also my third-ranked player on my big board. He also tested really well athletically, especially showing incredible explosiveness in his jumps.




Being that he projects to be a potential No. 1 receiver in the NFL, Johnston is the perfect option to put opposite Justin Jefferson. He will both be able to capitalize on the lack of attention in coverage along with drawing coverage to his side down the line. Let’s take a look at what he’s good at.