The Senior Bowl has concluded for 2024, which means that Mock Draft season has officially begun. We’ll be doing our annual Mock Draft Database beginning after the Scouting Combine, like we always do, but we’ll also be looking at some of the many mocks floating around the internet to see what people expect the Minnesota Vikings to do at this year’s selection meeting.
Behind the amazing E$PN fence, longtime NFL scout Matt Miller has a two-round, post-Senior Bowl mock for everyone to look at. In this mock with no trade ups, the consensus top three quarterbacks are gone in the first three picks, so the Vikings go defensive with Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.
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The Vikings are at a crossroads, with quarterback Kirk Cousins entering free agency at 36 and coming off an Achilles tear sustained in Week 8. Could they shoot Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix, or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.? Yes, but there are needs throughout the board. Danielle Hunter is a free agent, and Turner fits D-coordinator Brian Flores’ defensive wish list as an edge rusher.
Turner had 10 sacks in his breakout 2023 season, and one NFC area scout believes his ceiling is better than former college teammate Will Anderson Jr., who went third overall in last year’s draft. Turner has pro-level space speed, similar to Josh Allen of the Jaguars. He is my top-ranked.
Turner is a good fit for the Vikings, especially if Hunter leaves, as Miller indicates. Even if Hunter stays, combining him with someone like Turner would significantly improve the Vikings’ pass rush.
Miller sees the Vikings address the quarterback position in Round 2 by selecting Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
Penix’s draft stock varies depending on who you question, but the most constant answer I’ve heard is the second round, given his four season-ending injuries at Indiana (two knee injuries and two shoulder injuries). Penix possesses excellent arm strength and velocity, and as a pure passer, he is a first-round pick. In 2023, he tossed for nearly 5,000 yards and led Washington to the national championship game. However, injury and durability concerns drive him to the Vikings.
It’s wonderful news for Minnesota, where Kirk Cousins, 35, is scheduled to become a free agency following an Achilles injury. Penix could be the quarterback-in-waiting if Cousins is re-signed, or the starting right away if he isn’t.
It’s worth noting that the two other quarterbacks Penix is vying with to be the fourth quarterback off the board, Bo Nix of Oregon and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, went at #12 and #13 in Miller’s mock, respectively, and there are no other quarterbacks selected until Penix goes to Minnesota.
People looked to be quite high on Penix after he led Washington past Texas in the national semifinals, but then sank drastically after losing to Michigan in the national championship game. It’s hard to argue with Penix’s amount of productivity, but the injury bug is a major problem. I’m not sure how serious the problem is, but it’s something the team will surely explore.
