As expected, the Carolina Panthers used the first overall selection of this year’s draft on Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young.
Carolina completed a blockbuster trade back in March with the Chicago Bears in order to move up from No. 9 to first overall. 12 years after using the top selection on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, the Panthers settled on another can’t-miss QB prospect in Young.
There was never a realistic chance of Young falling considerably in the draft. But interestingly, a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (h/t Will Ragatz of FanNation’s Inside The Vikings for Sports Illustrated) claims that the Minnesota Vikings were interested in trading up for Young.
Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show”, Pelissero stated that Young was the only quarterback Minnesota was interested in trading up for:
“There were all those draft rumors. Half of those are just completely wrong. A lot of the stuff with the Vikings trading up for the quarterbacks was proven wrong. Will Levis was sitting there when the Vikings’ pick came up at No. 23 and they didn’t take him…
They were making calls about moving up very high in the draft, but my understanding is that was for one player and that was Bryce Young, who ended up going No. 1, and so there went any possibility for Minnesota to go get him.”
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Second overall pick C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans) and No. 4 selection Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts) were the only other quarterbacks taken in round one. In a surprise for the ages, Kentucky Wildcats’ star Will Levis went unselected in round one and wasn’t taken until No. 33 overall by the Tennessee Titans.
Many wondered if the Vikings would use the No. 23 selection on a quarterback, and they were even linked to Tennessee Volunteers QB Hendon Hooker. But he went 68th overall to the Detroit Lions in round three, and the Vikings wound up using their first-round pick on USC wideout Jordan Addison.
Vikings starting quarterback Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his contract. It will likely take a career year and/or deep playoff run for Cousins to earn an extension before free agency next year.
