Figure 1 Local Vikings fans will be excited after the draft
At this time of year, local sports fans may be more interested in the Timberwolves playoffs chances, getting over the disappointment of the Wild missing out completely, or getting behind the Twins’ push for the postseason. But football is never far from the mind of your average Minnesotan and the recent NFL Draft has gotten everyone excited about the upcoming Vikings season.
It is fair to say that last year was a disappointment and Detroit, Green Bay and even Chicago improving may well have worried the Vikings faithful. It is unlikely that the best California betting apps would have had Minnesota high up the list of favorites for Super Bowl LIX. But those expectations may have changed somewhat in the last month or so.
The Vikings had what most experts have agreed was a very positive draft – one of the best in the league it could be argued – and now football fans will want the summer to go quickly so that they can see just how good the team will be this year.
Last Season
After finishing with a 13-4 record and winning the NFC North in 2022, Vikings fans were very excited for the postseason. But a home loss to the Giants in the Wild Card game was a hammer blow. The 2023 season then began in the worst way possible, with the Vikings going into week six with just one win to their name.
A turnaround in mid-season gave faint hope that the campaign might be salvaged. But losing a bunch of games to divisional rivals – and recording just one win after Thanksgiving (a 3-0 victory that sounds more like a soccer score) ended the year on a low note and no postseason activity for the third time in four years.
New QB
It was understood by everyone connected with the Vikings that a successful draft was going to be a priority for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. That was made even more obvious when it was announced that Kirk Cousins would be leaving the Vikings for the Falcons, alongside a number of other players.
Cousins might not have been thought of as one of the best quarterbacks in the league but he had come through for the Vikings when needed. With some very good QBs in the draft, Minnesota also had to come through and traded up one place to capture JJ McCarthy from the championship-winning University of Michigan.
More Than Just JJ
Sam Darnold had been acquired on the day Cousins left, around a month before the draft. But fans had not been exactly ecstatic about the former Jet and 49er leading the team. Those same fans should probably not get too excited about JJ definitely starting the season either – but there is more hope in the team now.
JJ might well be named as the starting QB by the time the season comes around but he will not be the only addition to the roster. Dallas Turner and Khyree Jackson are also very good picks but Will Reichard might turn out to be the best of the lot. Only the third kicker the Vikings have drafted in 45 years, Reichard holds the record for points in the NCAA and could become one of the most important pieces of the jigsaw when it comes to winning close games in the years ahead.
Schedule
So, that’s the rundown of a successful NFL Draft for the Vikings. But what does the upcoming season look like? An ever-improving NFC North is obviously going to be tough. All three other teams have gotten much better and will make this division one of the most competitive in the league.
Conference and interconference opponents look a little easier though. The NFC West is not as strong as it was a few years ago, although the 49ers will be hard to beat. But the AFC South should be one of the weakest divisions in the NFL, giving the Vikings a chance to boost that win record in 2024.
Realistic Prospects
As much as football fans put a lot of faith in the players drafted each year, it is unusual for even the top college athletes to have an immediate and spectacular impact. The NFL is a lot different to the NCAA and even a champion like McCarthy will take time to get used to the league.
That’s not to say that McCarthy might not shine when he is undoubtedly given his chance. But the Vikings defense was rated 24th in the NFL last year and there is a lot of work to be done just to turn the team into a playoff contender, let alone for the fans to start dreaming of playing in the Super Bowl in New Orleans in February of next year.
Figure 2 But will there be postseason activity here in 2024?
The Future
We don’t want to dampen the enthusiasm that has grown since the draft in April though. The potential for McCarthy is immense and he has an excellent opportunity to become a legend at the team he apparently wanted to join above any other. If he can continue his performance level from the college game into the big league, there is every chance he might.
Having a potential elite QB to base the team around is something that the Vikings have not had for a long time. Bringing in other top-tier players in other positions also bodes well for the future. There is a feeling that this franchise should be making more consistently long runs into the postseason – and now those hopes could well become a reality.
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