A bold Vikings trade to draft the one QB prospect they’re ‘in love with’

The Minnesota Vikings are equipped with the Nos. 11 and 23 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Few teams more desperately need a quarterback. Kirk Cousins' departure figures to have pronounced ramifications on the Vikings' offense no matter what, but Minnesota cannot enter the season with Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall as the only options under center.

Unfortunately, the top four QB prospects in the draft — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy — aren't expected to last more than five or six picks. If Minnesota wants to draft better than QB5 on the consensus big board, it will require a bold move up.

One complicating factor, however, is the specific prospect Minnesota covets. According to Chase Daniels on the Ross Tucker Podcast, the Vikings "are absolutely in love with" Drake Maye. The North Carolina gunslinger is a projected top-three pick, however, and Minnesota might lack the ammo to reach a deal with the New England Patriots, who own the No. 3 pick.

In that event, the Vikings could be forced to settle for Plan B (trading up for J.J. McCarthy) or Plan C (waiting for Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix later on).

The Pats are not keen on trading No. 3 — New England needs a quarterback just as badly — but the Vikings could change that dynamic by putting together a trade proposal New England's front office simply cannot refuse. There is inherent risk to trading significant long-term assets for an unproven prospect, but at the same time, Minnesota is the best possible landing spot for a rookie QB.

Vikings-Patriots trade to help Minnesota draft Drake Maye at No. 3

We've seen the perils of selling the farm for a top pick. The Carolina Panthers emptied their treasure chest to acquire Bryce Young last spring and are now stuck with the third or fourth-best QB prospect from the 2023 draft. If Minnesota is truly confident in Maye, however, there is merit to this trade. Young stepped into a terrible competitive ecosystem in Carolina, flanked by the league's worst WR room and insulated by a porous offensive line. That would not be the case in Minnesota.

The Vikings are built to win now at every position except QB. Maye would be blessed with an excellent, experienced offensive line. He would be throwing passes to the best wide receiver in football, Justin Jefferson, not to mention an elite tight end (T.J. Hockenson) and an ascendant WR2 (Jordan Addison).

Kevin O'Connell and his Sean McVay-adjacent scheme are extremely friendly to the QB position. Maye bears a striking resemblance to Kirk Cousins on paper — a tall, rocket-armed pocket presence who is comfortable making every pass in the book. Maye requires a bit of NFL polish, but his athleticism and arm talent are beyond reproach. He was ranked ahead of Jayden Daniels on draft boards almost all season, but offseason hype and narrative spinning have kept Maye under the radar.

If the Vikings offer enough high-volume draft capital, the Patriots won't have much of a choice. There's a real case for taking three first-round picks, using one to land a good-not-great QB prospect (Bo Nix is the most Patriots QB imaginable, but Michael Penix is the better talent bet), and using the others to furnish future trades or to round out the supporting cast. You know, to support the new QB.

The Patriots' next quarterback is in for a rude awakening with the current roster. New England's O-line is a mess and the Pats' WR room ranks near the bottom of the NFL. This trade could land the Pats a high-wattage WR prospect at No. 11, future help at a position of need, and their talented rookie QB at No. 23 — even if it's not the rookie QB fans want. That is an undeniably intriguing concept.

Maybe this is a win-win. Maybe Minnesota ends up regretting such a gutsy move. It ultimately comes down to how well Drake Maye pans out in Skol Country.