Less than two weeks remain until the opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft. Teams are aligning their draft boards, and here at The Athletic, we’re also whittling down the possibilities.
Earlier this week, draft expert Dane Brugler unveiled his yearly scouting notebook, “The Beast.” After going through it, we thought it’d be the perfect time to pull out the most interesting information on 15 potential Minnesota Vikings targets.
Here they are, organized by Brugler’s overall rankings:
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Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Maye would require the Vikings to trade up in Round 1, but let’s begin with a note about Michael Jordan. During North Carolina’s recruitment of Maye, who had initially committed to Alabama and coach Nick Saban, Tar Heels coach Mack Brown and assistant coach Dre Bly orchestrated a meeting between Maye and Jordan.
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Maye had grown up attending North Carolina basketball games — his brother, Luke, buried a game-winning buzzer beater against Kentucky to send the Tar Heels to the Final Four in 2017 — and adored the program. He especially loved massive center Tyler Hansbrough. That fandom and his relationship with Brown caused him to flip his commitment.
Brugler’s evaluation of Maye revolves around his upside. He wrote that Maye “needs to cut down on the reckless decisions, but he is a well-put-together passer with the on-field command, athletic instincts and arm talent to create solutions for the problems that NFL defenses present.”
Brugler’s round projection: 1st
Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Here is an eye-popping statistic: Daniels, who like Maye would require a trade up, became the first player in college football history to amass 12,000-plus passing yards and 3,000-plus rushing yards. He is a one-man explosive offense waiting to happen. In 2023, he recorded 90 plays of 20 yards or more.
His rushing ability is a frequent talker, but don’t overlook his arm talent. Daniels completed 67 percent of his throws of 20 yards or more and tallied a 22-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio on those throws.
Brugler has questions about Daniels’ body type, willingness to take hits and overall processing. Overall, he wrote that Daniels is “a smooth point guard from the pocket when his eyes stay on schedule, and his dazzling run skills make him a problem for defenses.”
Brugler’s round projection: 1st
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
One NFL scout nicknamed Mitchell: “Right on Q.” The reason? Mitchell tracks and locates the ball like a missile defense system. He recorded 43 passes defended in his final 27 college games. He even had a four-interception game (returning two for touchdowns) against Northern Illinois in 2022. No cornerback had done that since at least 2000.
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Mitchell’s calling card is his awareness. At 6-foot, 195 pounds, he’s not going to muscle receivers at the line of scrimmage. Brugler admitted that Mitchell “needs to be more violent” and improve in his ability to disengage from blocks on the perimeter. Minor improvements aside, Brugler views Mitchell as a sure-fire starter at the outside corner spot from the moment he enters the NFL.
Brugler’s round projection: 1st
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Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
Hall of Famer Jason Taylor coached Turner at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Taylor told Brugler that Turner welcomes hard coaching and “wants to be pushed.”
Playing for Saban is an example of that. Turner earned the nickname “Stab Club Dal” for his aggressive jabs into the chest of offensive linemen in college. That power is paired with closing speed and sufficient athleticism to drop into coverage. These qualities make him a perfect fit for Brian Flores’ defense, which is why multiple Vikings staffers raved about him following the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
If Minnesota does not trade its first-round picks to move up for a quarterback and Turner is in play, he’s a player to watch. Brugler summed him up this way: “He has the freaky tools to be a potential impact player in the NFL who should continue to improve as his body and rush attack mature.”
Brugler’s round projection: 1st
Byron Murphy, DT, Texas
Murphy posted the best pass-rush win percentage (19.6 percent) among all interior defensive linemen in college football last season. He is exactly what the Vikings have long needed: an interior presence talented enough to affect the quarterback from the inside.
Brugler wrote that Murphy “comes off the ball low.” Murphy leverages those angles with explosiveness to win on the inside, which is a quality Calijah Kancey displayed last year — and the Vikings liked Kancey. If there’s a question about Murphy, it’s probably whether or not his 6-foot, 297-pound frame can hold up in the run game, and Brugler mentioned that Murphy benefited from lots of rest, averaging only 31.3 defensive snaps per game.
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“Murphy doesn’t have ideal length,” he wrote, “but his rare combination of lower-body twitch, natural leverage and power throughout his frame sets him apart.”
Brugler’s round projection: 1st
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
McCarthy’s mother was a competitive figure skater, and McCarthy liked the ice, too, picking up hockey at age 5. McCarthy thrived as a right wing for the Chicago Young Americans, and Brugler wrote that he could’ve “had a future in pro hockey if he’d wanted one.”
His football skills ultimately paved a different path. Even Brugler admitted that McCarthy’s evaluation is difficult. He cited the fact that 48.1 percent of McCarthy’s pass attempts on third or fourth down resulted in a first. But he also mentioned McCarthy’s still-developing ability to add touch to layer passes over the linebacker and in front of the safety.
“His passing skills, pocket athleticism and mental makeup are all ascending and create optimism for his NFL future,” Brugler wrote.
Brugler’s round projection: 1st-2nd
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Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA
In the spring of 2021, Latu medically retired from football. He had suffered a serious neck injury in practice the year before. His career seemed over. Then, after 2021, he met with the same doctor who performed Peyton Manning’s neck surgery and was medically cleared.
He returned and showcased a pass-rushing arsenal that might be the best in this class. “His play style and journey are reminiscent of Miami Dolphins 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips,” Brugler wrote.
Brugler’s round projection: 1st-2nd
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Nix was ranked the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in 2019 coming out of high school ahead of Daniels and Sam Howell. He navigated a long career at Auburn and Oregon, starting 61 total games, the most ever by a quarterback ahead of Colt McCoy and Kellen Moore.
He is well built and has a quick release and a strong arm, but Oregon’s offense allowed him to dispose of the ball more quickly than most. He averaged 2.44 seconds per dropback in 2023 (fourth fastest in the FBS), and his average depth of target was only 6.8 yards (third lowest in FBS), “leading to questions about him reading out a defense from a constrained pocket in the NFL,” according to Brugler.
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Brugler’s round projection: 2nd-3rd
Michael Penix, QB, Washington
Two quarterbacks have thrown for 4,500 yards in back-to-back seasons since 2015: Patrick Mahomes and Penix. The arm confidence is abundantly clear on tape, but Penix also “misses too many layups,” according to Brugler, and “doesn’t throw with consistent anticipation.”
“Overall, Penix is inconsistent in several key areas (mechanics, anticipation, pressure reaction),” Brugler wrote, “but his arm confidence and willingness to attack every square inch of the field can be a productive formula in the right situation.”
Brugler’s round projection: 2nd-3rd
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Gabriel Murphy, Edge, UCLA
If the Vikings want to add edge depth later in the draft, Murphy makes sense. He proved to be explosive, leaping 39.5 inches at the combine, which was the second-best vertical, behind only Turner among edge rushers. “He has the juice to make an impact as a subpackage rusher who can also play on special teams,” Brugler said.
Brugler’s round projection: 4th
Nehemiah Pritchett, CB, Auburn
Pritchett does not have first-round ball skills, but Brugler sees him as a rotational cornerback due to his balanced footwork and stride speed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
Brugler’s round projection: 4th
Josh Proctor, S, Ohio State
Proctor is a free-roaming safety that fits the mold of the Vikings’ Josh Metellus. A gruesome compound fracture of his right leg may complicate the medical evaluation, but he’s an older, high-character option in the later rounds whom Brugler thinks “should shine on special teams.”
Brugler’s round projection: 5th
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Qwan’tez Stiggers, CB, Toronto Argonauts
Stiggers’ father passed away tragically after a car accident in 2020. Wanting to support his family, Stiggers left Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., and worked at DoorDash, InstaCart and a truck wash. Eventually, the Canadian Football League found his film. Toronto signed him, and he not only made the team but became a starter and earned the CFL’s most outstanding rookie award. He’s raw, but “an alert ball denier with the size, athleticism and mentality that can be developed,” Brugler wrote.
Brugler’s round projection: 6th
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Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa
His upside might not be massive, but Boyd was a highly regarded teammate at Northern Iowa who is a “stout run stuffer who eats up space and flashes pass-rush potential,” according to Brugler.
Brugler’s round projection: 6th
Blake Watson, RB, Memphis
Why not take a stab at a dynamic offensive option with one of their final picks? Brugler categorized Watson as a “slippery threat with the ball in his hands.” Watson also fits in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s pass-first scheme given that he only had four drops in 105 targets over the last two seasons.
Brugler’s round projection: 6th-7th
(Top photo of Dallas Turner: John David Mercer / USA Today)
