Mock drafts come at a dime a dozen anymore, but sometimes special ones drop. On Tuesday, Peter Schrager of NFL Media dropped the first of two mock drafts that he does each cycle. One comes the week before the draft, and the other comes the week before.
In his mock draft, the plugged-in Schrager gave the Vikings a pairing we haven’t seen often with their two first-round picks. Yes, they kept both their first-round picks, which means they did not land one of the top quarterbacks.
What he did for them, though, was fix, or at least address, two areas of need.
Here it is.
After weeks on the phones with GMs and HC’s, my first 2024 Mock Draft. https://t.co/eLUxc3fJWD
– Giants trade up for JJ McCarthy
– QBs go 1-4
– Colts trade up for Malik Nabers
– Eagles take Cooper DeJean
– Broncos go… Defense. @nflnetwork @NFLMedia @gmfb— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 16, 2024
He has them selecting Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the 11th overall pick in the draft. The Crimson Tide alum plays a physical style and does very well in both man and zone coverage. Nick Saban is known for coaching up and having smart defensive backs, which best describes Arnold.
The second pick of the first round for the Vikings comes at 23rd overall and he has them taking a quarterback to compete alongside Sam Darnold. Schrager rolls with the Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix out of Oregon. Nix has some interesting traits and is a player that has evaluators torn. His coming to Minnesota with the weapons and staff they have helped, but the long-term potential of being the solution is questionable.
Vikings fans should be excited about the Arnold pick but they need to be prepared for a letdown selection at quarterback if they miss out on trading up for one of the top talents.