With a walk-off overtime touchdown in Las Vegas, the Chiefs defeated the 49ers 25–22 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl and third in five years. With his third ring and third MVP of the Super Bowl at age 28, Patrick Mahomes has undoubtedly already entered the discussion for the greatest player of all time.
Though the Vikings won’t be able to use a time machine to choose Mahomes in 2017 (a year without a first-round pick), they should learn a few things from witnessing Kansas City dominate the NFL once
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A decade earlier, the Vikings selected a quarterback by trading up into the first round after selecting an exceptional defensive player with their first overall selection. Could they replicate that model this year?
The Vikings chose Teddy Bridgewater with the ninth overall choice in 2014 after moving up from position 40 to position 32 to draft Anthony Barr. While Bridgewater, who just announced his retirement, had a fantastic two-year start until a devastating knee injury changed his NFL trajectory, Barr went on to make four Pro Bowls.
The Vikings own the 11th overall pick in 2024. Depending on what happens with Kirk Cousins in free agency, they could need both impact defensive players and a quarterback of the future. In his most recent mock draft, PFF’s Trevor Sikkema has Minnesota taking care of both of those issues.
The best quarterbacks go 1-2-3 in Sikkema’s mock, and the Commanders go from 12 to 10 to pass the Vikings and grab J.J. McCarthy. Verse becomes the second defensive player off the board for the Vikings as they remain at 11 after Dallas Turner was selected seventh by Atlanta. Verse was a standout player at Albany before transferring to Florida State, where he finished the previous two seasons with 18 sacks and 29.5 total tackles for loss. At 6’4″ and 260 pounds, the two-time All-American appears to have the strength and athleticism of a future NFL standout. Verse can perform with Danielle Hunter or in place of her.
