Vikings get their QB without trading up in Schrager's informed mock draft

“As always, this isn’t what I would do — it’s what I’m hearing from my sources around the league,” writes Peter Schrager in the mock draft he unveiled for NFL Network Tuesday morning.

Schrager has quarterbacks going with the first, second, third and fourth picks but the Vikings are not trading up. He has Caleb Williams going to the Bears followed by the Commanders taking Jayden Daniels and the Patriots staying put at No. 3 to take Drake Maye. Then, at No. 4, the Giants trade up two spots with Arizona to get J.J. McCarthy.

What about the Vikings? He has them sticking at No. 11 and drafting Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, and then using the No. 23 pick that they acquired from Houston to take Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.

We can connect some dots here that lead to some sort of sense because on Monday ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Minnesota doesn’t really want to give up their second first-round pick.

“This is a team that could be active. I’ve talked to several teams though who believe that Minnesota, at least right now, doesn’t want to part with that second first rounder,” Fowler said.

Schrager wrote this about Arnold:

The Vikings stay put to take a top corner and all-around great prospect. Arnold arrived in Tuscaloosa as a five-star safety, then played inside and outside corner under Nick Saban. He flourished and was the Alabama defense’s field general last season. Great juice and a leader. Sam Darnold will be the Vikings’ Day 1 starter in this scenario, but that doesn’t mean Minnesota’s done with the quarterback room …

And he wrote this about Nix:

Nix could go as high as 11, 12 or 13 … or completely fall out of the first round. I think 23 to the Vikings — or another team around here in a trade-up — makes sense. One thing on Nix: He’s as accurate as they come, having just set the FBS record this past season with a completion percentage of 77.45. Smart processor, too. These are things that will be very highly valued by offensive coaches and QB gurus. That’s Kevin O’Connell. That’s Sean Payton. I could see Nix playing for either of those men.

Nix going in the first round would fly in the face of what draft insider Todd McShay said last week about him being projected by almost every evaluator he’s talk to as an NFL backup.

The first round of the draft is just nine days away and the speculation continues to generate interest – and Schrager’s predictions are far and the way the most interesting after months of rumors that Minnesota wants Daniels, Maye or McCarthy.

Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws against the Liberty Flames during the second quarter of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports