Mel Kiper has Vikings passing on QB in latest mock draft
With the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft the Vikings select ... Jared Verse, pass rusher, Florida State.
While certainly a position of need, Mel Kiper's latest mock draft will have many Vikings fans less than impressed.
Kiper predicts in his mock draft 2.0 that the Vikings will replace Danielle Hunter with the Florida State pass rusher. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher accumulated 18 sacks over the past two seasons for the Seminoles.
"I almost went corner here – Terrion Arnold (Alabama), Cooper DeJean (Iowa) and Nate Wiggins (Clemson) are my top three – but I wonder whether this instead could be the spot for an edge rusher," wrote Kiper.
"If Danielle Hunter leaves in free agency, Minnesota would have a massive void to fill. Verse could be an asset on all three downs. He had 18 sacks over two seasons at FSU, where he also developed into a solid run defender. He was inconsistent at times, but he has some savvy as a pass-rusher. I'm really curious to see how he tests in the on-field drills at the combine."
Dec 2, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Jared Verse (5) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium.
© Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Verse put up pass rushing grades of 88.6 in 2022 and 90.8 in 2023, according to PFF. His 62 total pressures in 2023 was tied for fourth-best in the nation last season.
As Kiper points out, edge rusher could be a massive hole to fill but so too could quarterback if Kirk Cousins departs via free agency. The top three picks went quarterback, with the Bears taking Caleb Williams followed up Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye being taken by the Commanders and Patriots respectively.
Getting one of the top tier QB prospects seemingly means a big trade up for Minnesota. The Vikings are presumably in a spot at No. 11 to land one of the second-tier of quarterbacks. In Kiper's mock draft only J.J. McCarthy was taken, by the Broncos at No. 12, from that second-tier.
Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. remained available after Kiper's first round mock for the Vikings to nab their QB of the future with their second-round pick.
