The Minnesota Vikings sent a clear signal that they are thinking about life after Kirk Cousins when they took Kellen Mond in the third round of the NFL Draft. Had things gone a bit differently on Thursday, the team would have made an even bigger splash at the quarterback position.
The Vikings were prepared to draft Justin Fields at No. 14 if the former Ohio State star fell to them, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Once the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos passed on Fields at No. 8 and No. 8 overall, the Vikings believed they had a real shot at landing Fields.
The prospect excited Minnesota executives, and they began making phone calls to see how far they would have to move up to draft Fields. They were just three picks away when the Chicago Bears moved up from No. 20 to No. 11, and Cronin says the Vikings were left “stunned.” They did not, however, want to give up significant draft capital for a player who would be spending at least one season behind Cousins.
Cousins would not have been blindsided either way. The Vikings reached out to him prior to the draft to let him know they were planning to take a quarterback at some point and assured him his job is not in immediate jeopardy.
Many expected all five of the top quarterbacks in the draft to go in the first 10 picks, but both Fields and Mac Jones tumbled down the board. It would have been unwise of the Vikings to pass on Fields if he fell all the way to No. 14, which is likely one of the reasons the division rival Bears jumped ahead of them.
After they missed out on Fields, the Vikings decided to spend a third-round pick on Kellen Mond. The former Texas A&M star will probably need at least a year on the bench. He also may have to make amends with the people of Minnesota for this old tweet.
