3 quarterbacks the Vikings can draft to replace Kirk Cousins on Day 2
The Minnesota Vikings may emerge from Day 2 of the draft with a quarterback, and these three options will be there to get.
The Minnesota Vikings addressed a significant need in the first round of the draft Thursday night, and they even traded down from No. 14 to No. 23 to still get offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. They added a third-round pick in the deal, which gives them a total of seven picks in the third and fourth rounds.
Day 2 of the draft is of course Rounds 2 and 3, and the Vikings (for now) don’t have a second-round pick thanks to last year’s trade for Yannick Ngakoue. But their first third-rounder (via the deal with the Jets) is an early one, No. 66, and general manager Rick Spielman has the pick capital to trade up into the second round.
The Vikings are locked into Kirk Cousins this year, and the 10,000-foot view says he’ll be the quarterback in 2022 as well. But there is a path to trading him relatively little cap consequence next offseason, should an opportunity present itself.
In any case, the Vikings can’t turn down the idea of drafting Cousins’ successor if there’s a chance to do it. Day 3 could present an ideal opportunity to do so, but that would push toward being a flier with no promise said quarterback would stick for a year or two before taking over.
Here are three quarterbacks the Vikings could take on Friday night to secure a possible successor for Cousins.
3 quarterbacks the Vikings could draft on Day 2 to replace Kirk Cousins
Scouting Report. Stanford. 60. 3. player. Pick Analysis. QB. Davis Mills
Mills rose up draft boards so much he was mentioned as a possible sneaky first-round pick. Will just 11 starts in his career at Stanford, he is mostly a projection based on physical tools and makeup. Teams that can sit him behind a veteran surely have the former top recruit on their radar heading into Day 2.
With some sure-fire bias built-in, Stanford head coach David Shaw praised Mills.
"I think Davis is an NFL starter. He’s got the makeup mentally, he’s got the makeup physically,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said. “You go back to the film and what the film tells me is this is an NFL-ready quarterback that rivals those next three (Jones, Fields and Lance). After the top two, he’s right in the mix in my opinion, when you watch the film.”"
Mills may be the sixth quarterback drafted, and the first on Day 2 Friday night. The Vikings could make a bold move up to get him.