The Minnesota Vikings could be taking a more unconventional route to handle their quarterback situation for the 2014 season. While some predict the team will draft a rookie in the first round to hopefully pan out better than Christian Ponder did, the team has yet to say one positive thing about the marquee quarterbacks in this year's draft. After leaving Johnny Manziel's Pro Day unimpressed, could Minnesota be better with a late-round option.
The Vikings have already spoken praise about Tajh Boyd who is not expected to get drafted until potentially round five after his draft stock plummeted thanks to Clemson falling off in the ACC. Pair that with a poor performance at this year's Senior Bowl and Boyd was almost all-but forgotten. However, offensive coordinator Norv Turner thinks Boyd has a positive upside, along with a few other late-round quarterbacks.
NFL Draft Insider Tony Pauline reports the Vikings are favoring former LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger who is more of a traditional style player that Minnesota is focusing on. The Vikings have Matt Cassel and Ponder which means drafting a quarterback in the first round is not necessary. Mettenberger is not a first-round pick so if the Vikings like what they see out of the quarterback, they can address other needs first.
Mettenberger is more of a classic quarterback. His 6-5, 235-pound frame is perfect for a pocket passer which is the type of talent he displayed at LSU. However, the one downside is that Mettenberger is coming off an ACL tear suffered in his game against Arkansas last season. The quarterback was unable to finish out the remainder of the season. He has not worked out at the combine, but promises his rehab is on schedule and predicts he will be healthy come training camp for any team.
The interest in Mettenberger comes in the wake of head coach Mike Zimmer's bashing of Manziel's Pro Day. The coach was less than impressed, calling the entire ordeal a "sideshow." He went on to question Manziel's character after several off-the-field instances including a McDonalds commercial and Nike ads have headlined his name over his talents.
"All of the things that happened out in Los Angeles, the commercials and all that stuff ... the position of quarterback in the NFL is such an important position and the reason these guys need to be a totally football-minded guy is the pressure of the position and being the face of an NFL team and doing everything right," Zimmer said, via ESPN.com. "That's the thing you want to know about him -- will he be into work early every single day? Will he be the last to leave? Will he be the guy that is working the hardest to get better? There is a change [from college to the NFL], otherwise all of these other quarterbacks that have come up through the years would have made it, from the college game to the NFL game as far as the speed of the defense and some of the complexities of the different defenses."