Kirk, Or A Potential First Round QB in 2024?

That's where I ultimately land at this point.

Another comparison I thought of when it comes to the "early" EDGE/CB Round 1 prospects in this year's Draft: remember how last year there really wasn't an NFL WR1 crop of prospects in Round 1? I know there was "some" love for Smith-Njigba among draft "experts" during the pre-Draft process, but in my opinion, there really wasn't any "blue chip" WR prospects that could be NFL WR1's amongst Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers or Jordan Addison. Zay Flowers has had a really nice rookie season as an offensive weapon in Baltimore, but that's what he was billed as and even though Jordan Addison has also had a solid rookie season in Minnesota, I think we both know he's more of a WR2 behind Jefferson. And while getting a solid WR2 in the 2nd half of Round 1 isn't a "bad" thing by any stretch (especially w/ the bust rate these days), I do feel like I want a NFL "1" type of player out of a Round 1 pick: WR1, EDGE1, CB1, OT1, etc...

...and when it comes to Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse, Kool-Aid McKinstry & Nate Wiggins, I feel like they are really more NFL EDGE2 / CB2 level prospects and I question whether they can become "1's", and especially since we could have a Top 10 overall pick, I really want a "1" level of prospect. Drafting Turner & Latu at #10 overall has the feeling of taking Addison at #23 last year - not a bad or horrible pick, but a feeling of not getting the full value from a Top 10 pick. 

The one EDGE prospect that does have some "1" potential is Chop Robinson because of his athleticism: it's possible that he could be a really good backfield disruptor at the NFL level, but he does have some "boom/bust" factor because of some limitations in arm length and he doesn't have an all-around pass-rush skillset and at this point relies mainly on his explosive athleticism and relentless pursuit. Any team that takes him around where the Viking's are looking to Draft from (9th-12th) needs to have a really solid plan to develop him (ie, solid D Coordinator, solid DL coach and other veterans on the roster to mentor him) to reduce the "bust" factor - if Flores is still the D Coordinator and we resign Hunter and if Flores can hire a really good DL coach, I might be able to get behind a Chop Robinson pick in the 9th-12th range.

This probably isn't going to be a popular take, but if Kwesi/O'Connell don't land a QB prospect they really covet in the Top 10, I might be very open to a "slight" trade down from 9th/10th/11th to around 15th or 16th (to someone wanting a WR or OT prospect) to try and glean a bit more value out of that Round 1 pick by getting another Top 100 prospect in Round 3. I know there will be some fans who have a facepalm moment when they see suggestions of trading out of the Top 10 (flashes of Rick Spielman trades and Lewis Cine will pop-up in their heads), but at this point in the pre-Draft process as of early January, I'm not seeing a ton of "Top 10" value (for the Vikings) once you get past the top QB prospects.

Sounds like the Vikings could trade Darrisaw and draft a good young tackle, saving a ton of cap in 2025 and beyond.

Technically he was just being a prototypical Viking in that respect. 🤷‍♂️