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- Mar 19, 2019
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In the lead-up to the 2020 NFL Draft, Vikings.com is taking a position-by-position look at prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects. We'll also include comments that experts shared during interviews.
Vikings Status at the QB Position
Minnesota is poised to return starter Kirk Cousins and backup Sean Mannion, via agreements last week. The QB room also includes Jake Browning, whom the Vikings added as an undrafted free agent last season. Cousins started 15 regular-season games and both playoff contests last season. Mannion opened the Week 17 regular-season finale, and Browning spent all of 2019 on the practice squad.
It is highly unlikely that the Vikings will be interested in a quarterback early in the draft, but the team could add competition behind Cousins in a later round.
About the expert
For quarterbacks, we reached out to Jordan Reid, a Senior NFL Draft analyst and writer for The Draft Network.
Prior to his time with The Draft Network, Reid spent five seasons as a quarterbacks and running backs coach at his alma mater, North Carolina Central University. A three-year starting quarterback during his time there (2010-2013), he holds the program's single-season record for completion percentage (62.3 percent) and is eighth on the school's all-time passing yards list (3,524). Follow him on Twitter @JReidNFL for his analysis.
Reid covered the Reese's Senior Bowl, where he was able to observe Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts, Steven Montez, Anthony Gordon and Shea Patterson in person. He also covered the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. We focused on what Reid observed at the Senior Bowl. We also asked if he thinks there is an under-the-radar player at the position with quite a bit of upside. Spoiler alert: Reid answered James Morgan. A review of Morgan, as well as five quarterbacks that Reid saw at the Senior Bowl, are included below.
Reid said he likes seeing quarterbacks in person because "you're able to evaluate exactly what type of character they have and what type of leader they are."
"Quarterbacks, you have two different types," he said. "You have guys that lead by example/through their play, or you have what I call 'rah-rah' guys that are able to galvanize everybody, not only on their offense but in the locker room, as well."
As for the on-field evaluations at QB, Reid said he most values decision-making and accuracy.
"If you're a bad decision maker, you're probably not going to have a job for long," Reid said. "If you're getting the ball out on time, if you're taking the proper steps that you're supposed to take, and if they marry-up with a certain concept that you're running, that's what I look for, and then accuracy of course. That's one thing that I believe you can't really coach or instill in someone, just because it's naturally born into you. Either you have accuracy or you don't."
Position Rankings
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has four quarterbacks in his overall Top 50: 2. Joe Burrow, 7. Tua Tagovailoa, 20. Justin Herbert and 23. Jordan Love. Jake Fromm, at one point was No. 50, but Jeremiah moved him down.
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has four quarterbacks in his overall Top 25: 2. Burrow, 5. Tagovailoa, 10. Herbert and 15. Love.
PFF included five QBs in its overall Top 100: 1. Burrow, 3. Tagovailoa, 27. Herbert, 50. Fromm and 65. Love.
Positional rankings by NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler impacted the players listed for this series. Rankings by each are noted under each prospect.
Quarterbacks