On Thursday, news broke that the Minnesota Vikings would be signing Kyler Murray, and this was something that was widely expected. Murray now heads to his second NFL team after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals, and if there were ever a quarterback to breakout and perhaps follow that Sam Darnold/Baker Mayfield career path, it's Murray.
To be fair to the former no. 1 overall pick, the Cardinals never really established a consistent culture of winning, and while a top quarterback is in theory supposed to do that, the Cards are largely a dysfunctional franchise, so Murray is going to blossom in Minnesota, in my opinion.
Now that this move will soon be official, let's dive into a Vikings mock draft and see how the front office could approach things.
Minnesota Vikings mock draft now that Kyler Murray enters the equation
18. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
The Vikings defensive line is all of a sudden pretty barren, as both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave are on new teams already. Allen signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Hargrave is now with the Green Bay Packers.
Enter, Peter Woods. Woods is a schematically versatile defensive tackle, is the best player on the board at this point, and is also someone who fills a massive position of need.
49. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
Eli Stowers might come into the NFL as one of the most athletic players, period. His testing at the NFL Combine was off the charts, and while he's not going to offer much in the way of blocking, his receiving ability could make him an instant threat on offense.
82. Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
The Vikings probably need to add another running back, so they take Emmett Johnson from Nebraska at pick 82 and have given Murray two shiny, new rookies in what is clearly an effort to build around their new quarterback.