Prominent media outlet believes Vikings will make massive first-round mistake in draft

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman hints at a controversial selection made by the Minnesota Vikings in its latest first-round mock draft.

The quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings has been a hot-button topic this offseason.

Kirk Cousins is entering the final year on his contract after a season full ups and downs in 2022. Considering the Vikings aren’t committed to a quarterback beyond the 2023 season, it would make sense for the team to select a signal caller in the draft.

© Provided by AtoZ Sports Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) after connecting on a touchdown pass against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that The Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts the Vikings will take a quarterback with the No. 23 overall pick. However, it’s not the quarterback one might think.

Hendon Hooker – University of Tennessee

From Feldman: Minnesota needs help in the secondary, but this is such a deep draft at corner, and the Vikings could have a hard time passing up the player who eventually takes over for Kirk Cousins. The 6 feet 3, 217-pound Hooker is coming off of an ACL injury that shortened his fantastic senior season for the Vols. He threw for almost 3,000 yards and had a 27-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio; he also ran for 430 yards and five TDs. In his last two seasons with the Vols that TD-to-INT number was 58-to-5. The Vikings don’t need to play him now, so he can keep healing and have time to develop in Kevin O’Connell’s system. I’m told that Hooker shined in NFL QB interviews with coaches at the combine, displaying a lot of maturity and an excellent grasp of not only the Vols offense but also his former offense at Virginia Tech, where he started his career. I wouldn’t be shocked if Hooker gets picked higher than Levis, as some NFL coaches I talked to liked his game more than the Kentucky QB’s.

Drafting Hooker with the No. 23 overall pick is certainly a reach. The Vikings roster is capable of winning the NFC North in 2023. Though Hooker is expected to be ready by the start of the NFL season, he realistically won’t be ready to make a true impact on the field until 2024.

Not to mention, Hooker could slide all the way to the third round.

Minnesota is much better off using the pick to bolster its secondary. The Vikings lost starting cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Duke Shelley in free agency, leaving holes in what was an already porous pass defense.

The Vikings did make a major splash with the signing of CB Byron Murphy. He figures to fit perfectly in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system.

That being said, the Vikings still have plenty of work to do at the cornerback position. Using its first-round pick on one of the top cornerback prospects would likely have the biggest impact next season.