The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the May 1st edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to (email protected).
Questions Answered: Sleeper Rookie, the Trade Too Expensive, a WR3
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Out of all the Vikings rookies, who could be a sleeper to watch?
Answer: Levi Drake Rodriguez, a defensive tackle.
It’s kind of cheating to say “Gabriel Murphy” or “Khyree Jackson.” Murphy has already been declared the top prize from the undrafted free agent class. And Jackson is a soon-to-be 25-year-old drafted from the 4th Round, a spot that should reasonably produce a good football player.
On Drake Rodriguez, though, he has a clear path to make an impact at defensive tackle because, after Harrison Phillips, Minnesota doesn’t have much DT oomph.
The Athletic revealed Drake Rodrguez as its “Project X” this week, and ESPN’s Field Yates sung his praisestoo.
Give us Drake Rodriguez as a sleeper could make a dent in 2024.
Q: Do you believe the trade for the pick that landed Dallas Turner was too expensive?
Answer: Yes, a little bit.
Of course, Vikings fans assumed for weeks and months that a gargantuan trade would be necessary to trade up the board for a quarterbackand then that wasn’t required. Therefore, any trades after the selection in J.J. McCarthy sort of felt like house money.
No matter how one dices it, however, Turner ultimately cost Minnesota two 2nd-Round picks, a 3rd-Rounder, a 4th-Rounder, and a 5th-Rounder. Imagine trading that for a current veteran. The price tag would be coined rather expensive.
It’s up to Turner now to make the trade price irrelevant. If he’s good, nobody will care about the trade sum.
Q: Will the Vikings sign a WR3 to upgrade that section of the roster?
A: Yes, probably.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah curiously drafted no wide receivers last week — in a draft widely renowned for WR3 depth. That was weird.
So, Minnesota evidently adores Brandon Powell, for example, as the presumptive WR3, or it plans to eventually grab a big-name WR3 from the free-agent wire.
The good news? There are a ton of wideouts waiting for new teams:
- Tyler Boyd
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- DJ Chark
- Chase Claypool
- Russell Gage
- Mecole Hardman
- Hunter Renfrow
- Allen Robinson
- Michael Thomas
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.