Quarterbacks are set to dominate the first round of next month’s NFL Draft with some pundits speculating as many as six could be selected on the opening evening.
The Minnesota Vikings saw Kirk Cousins leave the franchise through free agency earlier this month and although they brought in former New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers QB Sam Darnold, they are one of several teams that could be tempted to pull the trigger on a new signal caller.
The team moved to secure a second first-round selection earlier this month in a pick trade with the Texans, leaving them with the number 11 and 23 selections. That should give them the ammunition to move up further in the first round, but head coach Kevin O’Connell was coy about his team's plans.
"I think you view it as extra flexibility in a draft where between our pick at 11 and the way we're looking at this draft at pick 23, we think there's going to be some really good players available, if we were just to stay at those positions and take players, maybe a quarterback, maybe a couple defensive players," O'Connell told the NFL Network at the annual league meeting.
"I think it's going to be a big-time offensive draft at the top, so when those marquee defensive players start to go, could be in a range around that 11th pick for us, but I think it was about flexibility."
O’Connell admitted that trading up is a scenario they are considering.
"Yes, we want to, if we identify a player that we would like to go up and try to add to our football team -- first and foremost, there's got to be a willing partner to do that and I think there's going to be processes that play out, conversations here and onto the future," O'Connell added.
"We'll figure out if we're able to do that, but yeah, I think it was ultimately of having the flexibility of having two ones in what we think is a really strong draft, and I don't think we're the only ones that view this draft like that."
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