NFL Draft Trade Proposal: Vikings Send Danielle Hunter, Picks to Get Will Levis at No. 3

It makes a lot of sense for the Vikings to seriously consider taking a quarterback in the first round of next week's NFL draft.

Kirk Cousins turns 35 this summer, is entering the final year of his contract, and has led the Vikings to one playoff win in five seasons. Entering their second season at the helm, this feels like the perfect time for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell to get their quarterback of the future, let them develop under Cousins for a year, and hand them the reins in 2024.

The issue is that Minnesota holds the 23rd overall pick. Since Aaron Rodgers in 2005, the only franchise quarterback that has been taken between picks 20 and 32 in the first round is Lamar Jackson in 2018. The list of QBs selected in that range includes players like Paxton Lynch, Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden, Tim Tebow, and Brady Quinn (and former Vikings draft pick Teddy Bridgewater).

It's simply not a range where star quarterbacks are often found. This year, the only quarterback projected to be taken in that range is Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, who would be a more interesting prospect if he wasn't 25 years old, recovering from an ACL injury, and coming from a gimmicky college offense with few similarities to an NFL system.

So if the Vikings want a quarterback, why not go all-in and trade up to get one of the top four?

That's what happens in a bold new mock draft from The Draft Network's Justin Melo; the Vikings send an absolutely massive haul to the Arizona Cardinals to move up from 23 to 3 and hand-pick their quarterback of the future.

Here are the details:

Vikings trade: No. 23 overall, 2023 third-round pick (No. 87 overall), 2024 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, Danielle Hunter
Cardinals trade: No. 3 overall
Vikings select: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

Wow!

First, a bit more context. In this mock, the Panthers took Alabama QB Bryce Young with the first overall pick, which is rumored to be the way they're going in real life. The Texans at No. 2 then passed on a quarterback and took Will Anderson Jr., the star edge rusher from Alabama.

So the Vikings moved up and had their pick between Levis, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson — and chose Levis out of that trio.

My thoughts on Melo's mock boil down to this: I love the basic concept for the Vikings, but I don't love the specifics.

I would have no issue with the Vikings taking a huge swing and moving up as high as the third overall pick to go get a quarterback. It's the most important position in sports. Nothing is more important than having a star QB, especially one on a rookie contract. If O'Connell and company identify a QB they believe is a future superstar, by all means, go get that player.

What I don't necessarily agree with here are the price and the player. It would obviously be extremely expensive to move up 20 spots, but giving up your next two firsts, plus one of your best players in Danielle Hunter, plus your only other top-100 pick this year is just too steep of a price for my liking. Hunter could be a trade piece because of his contract frustration (a deal would basically have to be designated as post-June 1 for cap reasons), but his presence should remove one of the future firsts or at least this year's third from the deal, right?. Hunter is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL when healthy and he's still in his prime at 28 years old.

Then there's the issue of choosing Levis over Stroud and Richardson. I'm actually fairly high on Levis, who feels like a great fit for the Vikings for a variety of reasons. He's got all the raw tools and played in a pro-style offense in 2021 under Liam Coen, who coached with O'Connell on Sean McVay's Rams staff in 2020. But I don't think I can get behind the idea of taking him over both Stroud and Richardson.

Richardson, in particular, feels like the player with the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class. If you're going to pay an exorbitant price to go up to pick No. 3, why not take a chance on the Florida product's incredible tools?

Again, I like the general idea here, and I think it's a fascinating — albeit highly unlikely — possibility to discuss. I just don't love the specifics of this deal.

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