Minnesota Vikings visiting with Jayden Daniels in Baton Rouge on Thursday
The Minnesota Vikings are visiting with Jayden Daniels in Baton Rouge on Thursday with less than a week to go before the 2024 NFL Draft, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. The probable first-round pick at quarterback is coming off of a four-way visit with the Washington Commanders where he was joined by Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix. Though the Commanders currently lead the odds for drafting Daniels, Minnesota isn’t skimping on their pre-draft research.
The Vikings are another team trending toward taking a quarterback in the first round. They have done some pre-draft trading to acquire more picks. Minnesota acquired the No. 23 overall pick in the first round and the No. 232 pick, while sending No. 42 and No. 188 overall to the Houston Texans, on top of another second-round pick in 2025 earlier this month. Now, they have two first-round picks, which gives them some leverage to trade up from the 11th pick to get the quarterback they want.
With the Commanders still hosting visits this week, some analysts believe it’s a sign that they’re not yet settled on taking Daniels at No. 2 overall. Whichever quarterbacks are left on the board after they pick will be up for grabs at No. 3, a pick owned by the New England Patriots. The Patriots ended their Mac Jones experience after three seasons, sending him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2024.
The Vikings need a new starting quarterback after Kirk Cousins signed a mega-deal with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. In case their presumptive first-round QB isn’t ready to start this season, they opted to sign veteran Sam Darnold for one year, $10 million last month.
Mel Kiper Jr: Daniels ready for Year 1 action
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes Daniels is ready to play in Year 1, regardless of who drafts him. The first round begins on Thursday night in Detroit, Michigan.
“Everybody is trying to complicate this and throw names out like Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy into the mix it. I get that, okay,” Kiper said as he introduced his latest mock draft. (Everybody) thought Baker Mayfield was going number one (in 2018) overall. I said Josh Allen. So you write (the names) in pencil this time of year, but Jayden Daniels, you’re talking about a guy who is ready to play.”
“He can escape, he can create like Caleb Williams, and the job he did (last season), balancing being aggressive and not turning the ball over was phenomenal,” Kiper continued. “Fumbles, interceptions, he didn’t do that.”
This season at LSU, Daniels had a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign, posting 3,812 passing yards and 40 touchdowns along with 1,134 rushing yards and 10 more scores on the ground.