Vikings ideal QB of the future won't be on the board when they pick, period

The Minnesota Vikings are entering a new era following the departure of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who opted to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. For the first time in seven years, Minnesota has uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acquired the No. 23 overall pick from the Houston Texans in March. The pre-draft trade puts the Vikings in position to maneuver around a draft board that could define the direction of their franchise for years to come. While it's obvious Minnesota needs to draft a quarterback, there are some prospects that will remain out of reach — regardless of how many draft picks the Vikings acquire.

Drafting Jayden Daniels is a pipe dream for Vikings

The 2024 NFL Draft is highlighted by the quarterback trio of USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and UNC's Drake Maye. Williams is expected to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bears, but opinions vary on Daniels and Maye.

Maye was seen as the second-best quarterback prospect in this year's draft class, but Daniels surged ahead of him following a breakout season in 2023. Daniels, who transferred from Arizona State to LSU, won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 40 touchdowns and just three interceptions with LSU.

After finding success in the purple-and-gold uniforms, the dual-threat quarterback may be interested in sticking with the color scheme. On SKOR North's "Mackey & Judd," Minnesota sports insider Darren Wolfson claimed that Daniels would love to play for the Vikings.

"Jayden Daniels has all sorts of interest in being a Viking," Wolfson said.

The Vikings coaching staff has flown around the country to hold private workouts with quarterback prospects. Along with Maye, the Vikings have met with Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, Washington's Michael Penix Jr., and Oregon's Bo Nix. They have not held a workout for Williams or Daniels, however.

"The two sides, there's still some dialogue there," Wolfson added. "It's still possible. I don't know how likely it is, but it's still possible that Kevin O'Connell will connect with Jayden somewhere along the way here in the next 14-ish days."

Will Jayden Daniels be available for the Vikings?

Perhaps the Vikings haven't connected with Daniels because he won't be available. While there have been rumors about the Patriots being willing to trade down from the No. 3 overall pick, Minnesota would need Daniels to fall past the Washington Commanders, who currently hold the No. 2 overall pick.

That won't happen, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"The signs continue to point to Jayden Daniels going No. 2 to Washington," Schefter said. "We'll see if anything changes in these last two weeks."

The Vikings can dream about the dynamic LSU quarterback throwing deep balls to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, but they shouldn't expect it.

Perhaps the Vikings could be interested in acquiring Maye at No. 3 overall. The North Carolina quarterback is close with new Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, who coached Maye at Myers Park High School in Charlotte in 2019.

Still, trading up for Maye would be quite costly as well.