The Minnesota Vikings will draft a quarterback come May. The only issue is that general manager Rick Spielman is not thrilled with his options. Sure Johnny Manziel is getting a lot of hype and Blake Bortles is being seen as someone filled with potential, but the general consensus is that no quarterback has franchise player written on him just yet. This issue is making Minnesota's draft decisions very "torturous."
Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports that many NFL coaches are calling the quarterback decision in this year's draft "torturous." Questions have risen over Manziel's character paired with his lack of NFL build. Teddy Bridgewater has seen a fall from fame in recent weeks. Now, quarterbacks coming off ACL tears are being valued more than Bortles. Spielman agrees. As the general manager of a team in need of a starter, he is saying the decision is difficult since there is no clear-cut top option.
"That's a big reason why we made it a high priority to sign Matt Cassel back. Every one of these quarterbacks ... nothing is a sure thing. There's no Andrew Luck, no Peyton Manning," Spielman said. "It is such a mixed bag with each player-every one of them has positives, every one of them has negatives. And if that's the way you end up feelings, why don't you just wait till later in the draft, and take someone with the first pick you're sure will help you right now? I agree with that coach, whoever it is. It is torturous this year."
The Vikings are set up well for 2014, but not beyond. Cassel agreed to a new short extension that buys Minnesota time. Christian Ponder is still on the roster, but likely not for long. Spielman is not invested in the one-time first-round pick and Ponder could go from Cassel backup to third-string in no time. All signs point to Ponder not being on the roster come the start of training camp, but that remains to be seen. The Vikings will not make a decision on Ponder until they finish their draft.
The Vikings have already been critical of Manziel, questioning the involvement of Nike and the media at his Pro Day. They have spent some time with the projected first-round picks, but appear to be eyeing a late-round option instead. Minnesota left the Pro Days of Zach Mettenberger and AJ McCarron very impressed and could favor them over the more marquee players.
Spielman notes that the Vikings are not targeting a quarterback to start Week One. They prefer to draft someone to learn under Cassel for at least a season before moving them to a starting role. That game plan frees them up to draft a player whenever this year.
