The Minnesota Vikings acquired another first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft to set themselves up for a quarterback. Minnesota has the No. 11 and No. 23 overall pick as assets to trade up, but a former general manager of the team thinks that may not be enough.
CBS Sports NFL analyst Rick Spielman thinks the Vikings would have to part ways with their 2025 first-round pick in order to move all the way up from No. 11 to No. 4 to get the quarterback they want. In this case, that quarterback is J.J. McCarthy.
"I heard a lot of things that Minnesota thought he had an excellent pro day up there and fits exactly what Kevin O'Connell wants to do from an offensive standpoint," Spielman said on the 'With the First Pick" podcast. "But they're just not gonna get it with the two first-round picks.
"They're gonna have to throw in their first-round pick in 2025, plus some more draft capital, to do what they have to do to go up and get it."
The first three picks are projected to be quarterbacks, starting with the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall. Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are expected to go to the Washington Commanders or the New England Patriots, who have the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively.
McCarthy is expected to be the next quarterback taken off the board. The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 4 overall pick and have Kyler Murray as their franchise quarterback, leaving a bidding war for teams to jump up to No. 4. Minnesota has the biggest trade ammunition to move up from No. 11 to No. 4, which would presumably be for McCarthy.
The Los Angeles Chargers don't need a quarterback at No. 5, but the New York Giants could want one at No. 6. To get McCarthy, the Vikings would have to jump the Giants.
"I don't think he's the fourth overall best player in the draft," said Spielman, general manager of the Vikings from 2012 to 2021. "If you have to have one, then you have to overpay to get one."
Sam Darnold is currently the Vikings starting quarterback. Minnesota has boxed itself into a corner where it'll now likely have to overpay.
The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft order, mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with Spielman and NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!
