In 2024, the Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round. He had won the National Championship three months earlier with Michigan. Could the Vikings add another National Championship-winning quarterback to their roster in this year's draft?
This week, ESPN's Ben Solak tried finding potential fits for this year's projected drafted quarterbacks. He had the Vikings drafting Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round at 187th overall. Like McCarthy a year earlier, Howard won a National Championship in January.
Solak writes that although recent speculation surrounding Aaron Rodgers joining the Vikings may not have materialized, the team still needs depth at the position.
A few weeks ago, the NFL world was abuzz with the potential of Aaron Rodgers joining the Vikings and fighting J.J. McCarthy for the QB1 job. That probably won't happen, and probably was never going to happen, but the Vikings do need another QB in the building. Minnesota lost last year's QB1 (Sam Darnold) and QB3 (Nick Mullens) in free agency. Only Brett Rypien is rostered behind McCarthy, who is far from a sure thing himself. (McCarthy still hasn't played an NFL snap following last year's meniscus injury.)
Solak sees the value of Howard being available in round six as too good for the Vikings to pass up.
Ideally, the Vikings go QB earlier in this draft -- but Howard in Round 6 is a pretty square deal. He had 43 starts over four seasons at Kansas State and a national championship campaign with Ohio State. With the Buckeyes, he looked the part of a poised and trustworthy veteran. I like Howard's mobility, but he isn't a one-read-and-scramble escape artist in the pocket. He'll sit in there, bounce through progressions and look for the correct throw. He can break a tackle or two as well; he's big and doesn't shy away from contact.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell haven't been shy about upgrading the depth of the quarterback room, just like they would at any ...
