Former GM projects stunning Minnesota Vikings trade, QB selection in 2024 NFL Draft

Ever since GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pried an additional first-round pick away from the Houston Texans in a trade earlier this offseason, the Vikings have postured as an organization looking to move up to select a quarterback they believe can be their franchise quarterback of the future.

The question becomes, what might a deal look like, and which teams would be willing to give up the opportunity to select a quarterback, themselves?

Former NFL GM Projects Minnesota Vikings Blockbuster NFL Draft Trade

Former NFL general manager Rick Spielman took part in a mock draft projection for The 33rd Team, and suggests the Vikings could move up to No. 3 overall, in a trade with the New England Patriots, to select University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

“The Minnesota Vikings get aggressive and trade up for Drake Maye,” Spielman writes. “Josh McCown (Minnesota’s QB coach) worked with Maye in high school. I know he didn’t play as well last year as he did the year before, but I think he’s a unique talent with a size, underrated athlete.

“He can make all the NFL throws, and I think getting into that offense with Kevin O’Connell and McCown would be a great fit for Maye.”

Maye is widely viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s class, alongside Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. In Spielman’s mock, Washington takes the LSU signal caller one pick before the Vikings swoop in.

Spielman’s proposal has the Vikings sending three first-round picks; No. 11, No. 23, and a 2025 1st to select Maye, which is a bit more palatable than the former NFL Executive of The Year’s hypothetical Justin Jefferson blockbuster.

Drake Maye NFL Draft Scouting Report

Spielman’s Maye projection to the Vikings has Minnesota choosing the Tarheels signal caller over Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who has seen his pre-draft stock surge perhaps more exponentially than any prospect in this year’s class.

Maye, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 8,018 yards with 63 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions, across three seasons in Chapel Hill.

“He’s big and mobile and can sling it around,” an AFC Scouting Director told NFL.com, of Maye. “But he didn’t play consistent football (in 2023). I thought his processing was a problem but it was hard to tell sometimes because of how his line played in front of him.”

As Pro Football Focus points out, Maye posted an elite 97.1 deep-passing grade, one of the highest in the nation during the 2023 season, while his 1,452 deep yards ranked second, which could make him an ideal fit for an offensive scheme that features Jefferson and emerging deep-threat Jordan Addison.

“Maye is also a good athlete,” The Bleacher Report Scouting Department writes of Maye.  “He isn’t a special runner, but he’s at least in the same tier of rushing ability as New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Designed runs are on the table with him, and he has a little bit of juice as a scrambler.

“When it comes to processing, Maye is more good than bad, but he’s not perfect. Maye does well to execute UNC’s relatively simple offense. He excels at playing on time, adhering to the structure of the play, and progressing all the way to his checkdowns if need be.”