The Minnesota Vikings signed Matt Cassel back at QB and that makes a trade for Christian Ponder to the Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans or Jacksonville Jaguars a possibility heading into the draft, especially if the Vikes look to draft targets like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Derek Carr at the May event.
The Vikings come into the draft with a top 10 pick and many have speculated that they could look to a quarterback, but after Mike Zimmer made some comments about Johnny Manziel, chances are the team will not be looking his way. Depending on how things play out though, if Manziel falls to the Vikings at eight, it could be too good to pass up, while Derek Carr and Blake Bortles are also in the mix if they get out of the top five. Manziel, Bridgewater and Bortles are considered to be the three best quarterback prospects in the draft and there is a chance they could be gone by the top five depending on how the Texans, Rams, Browns, Jaguars and Raiders decide to pick.
According to ESPN.com, the Vikings are fine with having Ponder as the backup quarterback, but they would love to trade Ponder for a pick in the draft if they can swing it. Last season Ponder dealt with injuries and ended up passing for 1,648 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions and he completed 63 percent of his passes, but it was Cassel who won the games. The team went just 5-10-1 last season and now they have a new regime in place and with Norv Turner at offensive coordinator, they could turn things around.
The Vikings have met with David Fales, who was very productive last season and they also were there for the Carr workouts, as he could end up being a high pick after showing off a strong arm for Fresno State. Last season he passed for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns and he was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the nation and has already met with the Vikings and the Raiders ahead of the draft. Carr is the fourth name being mentioned among quarterbacks in the draft and while many see him as a mid to late round pick, he could sneak into the top 10 heading into the draft, which is now a month away.
Fales had a fine season with 4,189 yards and 33 touchdowns and he could be a later round pick for the Vikings if the top quarterbacks go in the top 10 and some other names include Tajh Boyd and AJ McCarron in the later rounds as well. Zimmer spoke about getting a franchise quarterback to reporters and he said that he is content with Cassel coming into next season. Cassel was very solid for the team and now Ponder could be an option, as the Raiders and Browns may want to use their first round pick on names like Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson or Jadeveon Clowney and they could trade for Ponder instead of picking a QB.