Minnesota Vikings mock draft: Outlining best and worst-case scenarios for Kevin O’Connell in 2024 NFL Draft

Despite losing Kirk Cousins, the Minnesota Vikings’ main priority remains the same. While the team acquired Sam Darnold during the offseason, his presence alone may not be sufficient. The team will need a strong performance in the 2024 NFL draft in order to smoothly transition away from Cousins. However, needing something to go well does not guarantee that it will.

Take a glimpse at the potential outcomes of the upcoming draft, both positive and negative.

Analyzing Potential Draft Picks for the Minnesota Vikings

2024 Vikings mock draft: Ideal picks and potential impact

In 2024, Hartman was highly praised at the Senior Bowl while McCarthy had just achieved a national championship win.

The Minnesota Vikings selected McCarthy as a top-25 draft pick despite his miraculous slide out of the top group of teams in need of a quarterback. This slight drop in position ignited a motivational fire in McCarthy, while also demonstrating that most teams viewed him highly enough to not pass on him in the first round.

Let’s take a closer look at how the draft class is shaping up:

• Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
• J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
• Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M
• Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State
• Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame
• Keith Randolph, DT, Illinois
• Ethan Driskell, OT, Marshall
• Marcus Harris, DT, Auburn
• Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire

2024 Vikings mock draft: Potential draft busts

Despite initially appearing to be a great acquisition, the fact that J.J. McCarthy was drafted in the second round suggests that all 32 teams passed on him. History has shown that quarterbacks who fall out of the first round often struggle to succeed. While there have been a few exceptions in the NFL, it is generally considered a riskier decision to draft a non-first-round quarterback.

Despite the findings, the Minnesota team was not convinced to solely choose McCarthy in the second round. Towards the end of the draft, they opted to select a relatively unknown quarterback named Austin Reed, as an extra chance at success.

The team is projected to select the following players: