Peter King predicts Vikings will draft QB Anthony Richardson
When digging for football gold on NFL Draft week, one mustn't ignore Peter King's mock draft. The iconic football writer releases one mock every year and he has as much inside information as anyone in the business. King is the guy who walks inside the lines at NFL training camps while the rest of the reporter world is cast outside the chalk and paint to watch from afar.
That's why King mocking Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson to the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd pick in the draft is so tantalizing. His explanation for the pick:
"Easily could go earlier—as high as four to Indianapolis. But the Vikings would be an intriguing spot for the raw Richardson. Kirk Cousins has one playoff win in five Vikings seasons. The math is not in Cousins’ favor. This is year six. He’ll have made $185 million as a Viking, and will be seeking $45 million-plus to re-sign after this season to be sure, guaranteed. Who would be surprised if the Vikings wanted to start fresh in 2024 if this is another one of those years?"
What about the Vikings passing on a quarterback in the draft and instead trading Kirk Cousins to the 49ers for Trey Lance and more? King doesn't address the Vikings specifically in a Lance scenario, but he did write that, in his opinion, "the chances of a Lance trade are about 7.86 percent."
You'll be hard pressed to find many mock drafts with Richardson tumbling all the way to the Vikings, but King's logic and other noteworthy selections in his mock appear to line up nicely with what other league insiders are saying.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote Monday that "I do believe a quarterback is in play" for the Vikings in the first round, "mostly because I don’t think they’ll do another deal with Kirk Cousins that’s heavy on guarantees."
King also has Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker going to the Houston Texas with the No. 12 pick. Well, ESPN's Todd McShay said Monday that "I keep hearing Hooker will get picked in the top 20."
King is just one guy, but he only had one QB being drafted in the first round last year and he got it right by predicting Kenny Pickett to the Steelers at No. 20.
