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Can you guess this Vikings linebacker in today’s in-5 trivia game? 4:00 AM (12 hours ago)

Think you can figure out which Vikings player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Hey Vikings fans! We’re back for another day of the Daily Norseman in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

Today’s Daily Norseman in-5 game

If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article.

Previous games

Thursday, April 17, 2025
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games

NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

Behind the Daily Norseman in-5 instructions

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Vikings player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!

NFL Releases List of Former Players Announcing Day 2 Draft Picks 17 Apr 9:45 AM (yesterday, 9:45 am)

Who will be the guy for the Vikings?

As they’ve done in recent years, the National Football League will be having the Day 2 selections in this year’s NFL Draft. The league released the list of players who will have that honor today, and the selection from the Minnesota Vikings will be a player who played his college ball not far from where this year’s selection meeting is taken place.

The Vikings’ picks on Day 2 will be announced by tight end Stu Voigt. Voigt played his college ball at the University of Wisconsin, and was selected by the Vikings in the tenth round of the 1970 NFL Draft.

Voigt played 11 seasons for the Vikings, hanging up his cleats after the 1980 season. In his career with the Vikings, he caught 177 passes for 1,919 yards and 17 touchdowns. When his playing career was finished, Voigt moved to the broadcast booth, serving as the team’s color commentator for two different stretches, one from 1981 to 1990 and then again from 1997 to 2000.

Voigt will replace Ed Marinaro, who is still giving his speech from the 2022 NFL Draft.

As things stand right now, Voigt is going to have a fairly long and boring night ahead of him, as the Vikings aren’t currently slated to pick on Day 2 until the end of the third round, when their Compensatory selection will come up at #97 overall. Of course, if the Vikings trade down far enough to move out of Round 1 entirely, he might get an opportunity to take the podium pretty early on Friday night.

Vikings Links: 7 Days Until The Draft 17 Apr 9:22 AM (yesterday, 9:22 am)

Should the Vikings trade down in the first round?

We are getting close and trading down in the draft has been debated fairly well. I believe that most folks want to see a trade down while others prefer quality over quantity. I do not know how you can determine quality at pick 24 but if Mason Graham fell to that spot, then maybe they do not trade down. If Will Johnson falls to that spot they may not trade down. If Shadeur Sander falls to 24 then they should run to the podium!

Just kidding. Simply making sure you are paying attention.

Justin Jefferson was pick 22, Christian Darrisaw was pick 23, and Jordan Addison was pick 23. LaQuan Treadwell was also pick 23. What does pick 22 and 23 signify? That you can get a really good player most of the time? Maybe but it really signifies that you keep exiting the playoffs in the first round!

NFL Trade Charts and Future Discounts

However, given the significantly more overall value of first and second round picks, the Jimmy Johnson chart ends up the closest overall to dead even, at 99%, compared to 102% by the Rich Hill chart.

Both of these charts are very close in value to what we actually see represented in real NFL trades. For the remainder of this analysis, I will be using the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, but if you prefer the Rich Hill chart, it is almost identical in accuracy to the Johnson chart, and is a perfectly reasonable preference.

This article has a really cool tool to calculate trade value.

https://www.jefeshandiwork.com/shiny/trade-calculator/

The Rationale Behind the Vikings’ Draft-Day Trades With the Lions and Packers

“A lot of times people talk about the chart, and the chart is kind of a guideline,” he said. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t follow the chart, but really, you’re comparing different alternatives. If your alternative is to stay and pick, that is some value, inherent happiness, whatever it is. If you trade, there is some inherent happiness, so if you’re more happy trading back and getting anything than picking the player you would pick, you should do that. It doesn’t really matter what the trade chart says, so I try and view it as a scenario thing, ‘Here are the different scenarios we could be in if we pick this player or not,’ and just compare them and see how we are. There’s mathematical ways to do it, but there’s also common sense and intuition ways of doing it as well.”

Here is one of our articles about the trade which was well done by Warren (wludford)

https://www.dailynorseman.com/2022/5/2/23049272/kwesi-like-a-fox-assessing-adofo-mensahs-draft-pick-trades

I think that with only four draft picks, Kwesi is not going to be bothered with trade chart values moreso than getting the chance to add another player to the roster. I am fine with that this year too.

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

To the Vikings: This Is Your Warning about Trading Down in the Draft.

So for Minnesota in next week’s draft, stay put at No. 24 if there is a premier offensive guard, corner, safety or defensive lineman but still take the best player available regardless of position and if he plays guard, corner or safety as the three biggest need positions, then so much the better.

And if there’s an offer to move down three or four spots thus staying in the first round and pick up an extra third and fourth round pick in a deep draft, then do it as long as there are at least three players with close to equal grades waiting in the later spot and there’s not a Pro Bowl caliber player sitting there at No. 24.

Ex-NFL head coach thinks Vikings are waiting to add ‘Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers’

“Right now the only other quarterback is Brett Rypien on the roster right now. I would imagine they’re going to go and get a backup that they feel could win a bunch of games, should something happen to J.J. McCarthy,” former Jets and Browns head coach Eric Mangini said on FS1’s First Things First.

“That backup probably is going to need to have some level of experience. I would imagine that’s either Kirk Cousins or it’s Aaron Rodgers and they’re going to go let it play out through the spring and then they’ll go find a veteran that they can bring in, and if things go really south they’ve got someone that they can plug and play and actually win a bunch of games.”

When pressed about how crazy it would be for Cousins, and especially Rodgers, to accept a job as McCarthy’s backup, Mangini focused on Cousins.

“[Cousins] might be of the mindset of, ‘This gives me the best chance to be successful.’ And he may come in saying, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to start,’” Mangini continued. “Internally he feels like he can beat out J.J. McCarthy if he goes back. And if he doesn’t, he’s in an environment that’s great and his money is guaranteed anyway.”

With draft approaching, Vikings’ plan at backup QB remains unclear

It’s now been five weeks since NFL free agency began. The draft is quickly approaching. And the Vikings have patiently waited as all kinds of backup quarterbacks have signed elsewhere. The two latest options to come off the board this past weekend were Joe Flacco (Browns) and Drew Lock (Seahawks).

According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, the Vikings weren’t in on either player.

“They were not in on Drew Lock, they were not in on Joe Flacco,” Wolfson said on SKOR North. “In fact, Joe Flacco’s representation was trying to get Joe here. He thought it was a very logical fit. He loved the idea, Joe’s representation, of Joe being here. But the Vikings never took the bait. The Vikings never made an offer in the end.”

So what is the Vikings’ plan? We know they’re waiting until after the draft to sign any other free agents of note, so that they don’t mess with the 2026 compensatory pick formula. Carson Wentz is still out there, and he could make sense after spending the last two seasons as a backup for the Chiefs and Rams. Ryan Tannehill, who shares an agent with McCarthy, is the other free agent QB of note (aside from Aaron Rodgers, who we know isn’t viewed as an option for Minnesota).

2025 NFL Draft Prospects for Vikings: Cornerbacks

2025 NFL Draft Prospects for Vikings: Safeties

Yore Mock

Trade Partner: Philadelphia Eagles

Sent: Round 1 Pick 24

Received: Round 1 Pick 32, Round 3 Pick 32, Round 5 Pick 26

...

Trade Partner: Jacksonville Jaguars

Sent: Round 3 Pick 33

Received: Round 4 Pick 5, Round 5 Pick 4

...

Trade Partner: Dallas Cowboys

Sent: Round 5 Pick 4

Received: Round 5 Pick 11, Round 6 Pick 35

...

32: R1 P32 DL Walter Nolen - Ole Miss 6’3.6” 296

96: R3 P32 TE Terrance Ferguson - Oregon 6’5.3” 247

107: R4 P5 G Dylan Fairchild - Georgia 6’5.2” 318

139: R5 P1 WR Dont’e Thornton - Tennessee 6’4.5” 205

149: R5 P11 CB Caleb Ransaw - Tulane 5’11.3” 197

164: R5 P26 S Malachi Moore - Alabama 5’11.2” 196

187: R6 P11 RB Jordan James - Oregon 5’9.4” 205

211: R6 P35 DL Nazir Stackhouse - Georgia 6’3.6” 327

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

• No discussion of politics or religion
• No feeding of the trolls
• Leave the gender hatred at the door
• Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
• Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
• No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
• If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
• While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm

Decoding the Vikings’ Draft Plans with Kwesi Trends 17 Apr 6:03 AM (yesterday, 6:03 am)

With the NFL Draft just seven days away, excitement surges for the Minnesota Vikings’ future. On this episode of The Real Forno Show, hosted by Tyler Forness and producer Dave Stefano dive into GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s use of top 30 visits to shape the team’s draft. From past draft correlations to 2025 prospects like Derrick Harmon, this episode unpacks it all. 

Just a week away from the draft, the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, hosted by Tyler Forness with producer Dave Stefano, offers an in-depth look at the Minnesota Vikings’ preparations for the 2025 NFL Draft, set for April 24, 2025. Aired as part of the Vikings 1st & SKOL production and the Fans First Sports Network, the show explores how General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah uses data-driven strategies, including top-30 visits, to identify prospects. From debating J.J. McCarthy’s backup to predicting draft picks, the episode is packed with insights for Vikings fans.

Key points include:

• Draft Importance: Forness emphasizes the NFL Draft’s role in building a Super Bowl contender, with the Vikings aiming to fortify their roster.
• Kwesi’s Strategy: The hosts analyze Adofo-Mensah’s use of top-30 visits, noting numerous players acquired directly or tangentially from these visits over three years, including Jordan Addison and Dallas Turner.
• Positional Priorities: Wide receiver (e.g., Emeka Egbuka), cornerback (e.g., Justin Walley), and defensive line (e.g., Alfred Collins) are highlighted as potential targets, with a surprising first-round receiver possibility.
• Kirk Cousins Debate: Forness and Stefano reject Cousins as a backup due to potential drama, favoring Sam Howell for his upside and fit with Kevin O’Connell’s system.
• Fan Engagement: Viewer questions addressed prospects like Jalen Royals and Oluwafemi Oladejo, with Forness predicting that at least three players from the top-30 visit pool will join the Vikings.

Listen:

Watch:

Vikings fans, don’t miss your chance to stay ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft buzz! The Real Forno Show delivers expert analysis, bold predictions, and insider insights that make it a must-listen for every SKOL supporter. With Tyler Forness and Dave Stefano breaking down Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft strategy and spotlighting prospects who could transform the Vikings, this episode is just the start. Subscribe to the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel, hit the bell for live updates, and join the draft party to see which players become the next Minnesota stars. SKOL Vikings!

FAN WITH US!!!

Tyler Forness @TheRealForno of Vikings 1st & SKOL @Vikings1stSKOL and A to Z Sports @AtoZSportsNFL, with Dave Stefano @Luft_Krigare producing this Vikings 1st & SKOL production, the @RealFornoShow. Podcasts partnered with Fans First Sports Network @FansFirstSN and its NFL feed @FFSN_NFL.

Can you guess this Vikings defensive tackle in today’s in-5 trivia game? 17 Apr 4:00 AM (yesterday, 4:00 am)

Think you can figure out which Vikings player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Hey Vikings fans! We’re back for another day of the Daily Norseman in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

Today’s Daily Norseman in-5 game

If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article.

Previous games

Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Monday, April 14, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games

NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

Behind the Daily Norseman in-5 instructions

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Vikings player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!

What Should We Expect from J.J. McCarthy This Season? 16 Apr 3:38 PM (2 days ago)

The Vikings have set him up for success, but can he deliver in his first season as the starter?

The Minnesota Vikings have set the stage for J.J. McCarthy to be their starting quarterback this season and have built a supporting cast that any quarterback would love to have. But even with those advantages, the first season starting for a young quarterback can be a bumpy road filled with both promise and disappointment. Even future Hall of Famers paid their dues in climbing a steep learning curve and getting acclimated to a league much different from the college game. And even some of the better performers in their first season as a starter failed to be much more than average when compared to the rest of the NFL starting quarterbacks.

So with all that in mind, what should we expect as J.J. McCarthy prepares to be the starting quarterback for the Vikings this season?

McCarthy is QB1

While the Vikings entertained some options during free agency that may have resulted in competition for the QB1 role, nothing ever materialized or was even very close to materializing, from various reports on discussions the Vikings had with Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold, and perhaps a couple others. The Vikings are still looking for a QB2, but at this point there is nobody out there that is likely to challenge McCarthy for the QB1 spot.

What History Tells Us About a Young Quarterback’s First Season as a Starter

Most quarterbacks that start early in their careers are first round draft picks- often top of the first round- and are expected to start as a rookie. There have been several exceptions like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, but for the most part quarterbacks drafted in the first round started as rookies. But whether as a rookie or later on, young quarterbacks in their first season faced a steep learning curve and often poor circumstances in terms of coaching and supporting cast.

Luckily for J.J. McCarthy, he will avoid some of the pitfalls young quarterbacks face in their first season as a starter as his team made the playoffs last season and is coming off a 14-3 record. He will begin with one of the best supporting casts any quarterback has had since Patrick Mahomes in 2018 and Lamar Jackson in 2019. Both of those second-year quarterbacks won the league MVP award in those years, despite having limited starts prior to those seasons (Mahomes has just one start his rookie year and Jackson had seven).

Be that as it may, I thought it would be more appropriate for comparison purposes to look only at quarterbacks in their first full season as a starter (whether rookie year or later) who began in a “good situation” when it comes to supporting cast and coaching.

The chart above includes 27 quarterbacks who were drafted into “good” situations, although that is always a bit subjective. You can quibble about who is included or left out, but a few additions or subtractions are unlikely to change the average numbers much for these quarterbacks in their first full season as the starter.

Also provided are Sam Darnold’s numbers last year for comparison.

If you add in a bit of an era adjustment for quarterbacks in the earlier half of this list, and assume J.J. McCarthy is able to play a 17-game season when it comes to total passing yards, Kevin O’Connell’s offense, and that McCarthy has a better set of receivers than most on this list (or maybe all), that more or less gets you to Darnold’s numbers last season.

And so Darnold’s numbers last season should be the baseline expectation for McCarthy this season, even though he’s effectively a second-year rookie. McCarthy may also enjoy a better offensive line this season compared to Darnold last season, which also helps.

Overall, that baseline is a high expectation for a quarterback who has yet to take a snap in an NFL regular season game, but if McCarthy is as talented as advertised, he should be able to get there. Undoubtedly there will be growing pains during the season as he adjusts to the NFL game and speed, but with good coaching and a good supporting cast from offensive line and receivers to running backs and defense, McCarthy couldn’t ask for a better situation to prove himself.

If McCarthy falls significantly short of Darnold’s numbers, that could signal a longer learning curve for McCarthy and/or a lower ceiling. But so far there hasn’t been anything to indicate that. Instead, it wouldn’t be surprising if McCarthy achieved something in the neighborhood of Brock Purdy and C.J. Stroud in his first year as a starter, and maybe even more in terms of total passing yards.

Reviewing McCarthy’s Preseason Game

In his only preseason game last season, which isn’t much to go on, McCarthy looked well prepared and at ease- it wasn’t too big for him and he didn’t seem flustered by the NFL game, albeit a preseason one with more basic defensive concepts and facing a mix of starters and backups.

Below is a good review and analysis of that game from last year:

In that small preseason sample size, McCarthy demonstrated that he can make all the throws, was able to navigate the pocket and get the ball out on time, even in the face of an impending hit. He also made a play or two with his legs. He made a bad decision/throw that resulted in an interception, but it wasn’t because he failed to identify the coverage or didn’t have the arm to make the throw, it was a combination of not a great route, not a great decision, and not a great throw. Young quarterbacks have some of those as they figure out the limits of what they’re capable of and what they’re not.

But even though it was a small preseason sample size, there were not signs of holding the ball too long/processing issues, accuracy problems, lack of poise/pocket awareness, or misreading coverage. And those are problems that can plague young quarterbacks and often result in disappointing results for a top pick.

And while McCarthy was unable to get the reps as a backup you would expect during the season last year due to his injury, he was able to experience what goes into the work week for a starting NFL quarterback, from preparation and practice to game day and recovery, so that should help him acclimate to the NFL and his role as a starter this season. He’ll also have a full off-season program, training camp, and preseason as QB1, which should give him plenty of reps and opportunity to adjust and grow into the NFL game and get familiar with his supporting cast on the field.

The Big ‘It’

Beyond the baseline expectations for McCarthy this year, the bigger question is whether he has the all-important ‘it’ factor when it comes to winning and contending for a championship. Of course we won’t know the answer to that until the season gets underway and we have a chance to see McCarthy play in the heat of the moment with the game on the line, but he does have a history in college of meeting those moments in key game situations that make all the difference but are difficult to distill from stats alone.

For McCarthy, the key to bringing out that ‘it’ factor and swagger is to prepare him well and give him the supporting cast that allows him the comfort and opportunity to make those plays in critical situations that often make the difference between winning and losing and generate a positive effect across the team and organization.

Only time will tell if McCarthy is able to be that type of quarterback every first-round pick is hoped to be, but what factors the Vikings can control, they have put in place to give McCarthy the best opportunity for success of any quarterback in his draft class, if not any draft class.

Stay tuned.

Vikes Views: Defensive Line Draft Prospects 16 Apr 10:11 AM (2 days ago)

The NFL Draft is 8 days away. Today I’m looking at defensive line prospects for the Minnesota Vikings. The draft is very deep on the defensive line and there are a few prospects the Vikings might be able to snag with their 1st round pick, 3rd round pick or a trade back scenario. I’m going to ignore the top couple of prospects, as I don’t see a big trade up scenario happening. If Mason Graham or Walter Nolan drop, I expect the Vikings to pounce, but you can’t expect that.

Kenneth Grant - Michigan - 6’3” 339 lbs

The NT from Michigan might be taken prior to the Vikings being on the clock. He can take on multiple blockers on the interior and would be a solid addition to the DL.

Omarr Norman-Lott - Tennessee - 6’3” 315 lbs

Athletic 3 technique that can come in an immediately be a rotational player for Flores.

Tyleik Williams - Ohio State - 6’3” 327 lbs

Williams is a Day 2 prospect. He’s a two down run stuffing NT now. He has potential to develop pass rush technique in the right situation.

Darius Alexander - Toledo - 6’4” 310 lbs

Alexander has a lot of potential. He probably can put on another 10 lbs of muscle working with NFL trainers. He’ll be one that rotates in early and hopes to gain more playing time as he proves himself.

Derrick Harmon - Oregon - 6’5” 310 lbs

He had one great year in college. He might be better served as a 3 tech DT in a 4-3. I like him as a prospect, but might not be the best fit.

Join the conversation below. Don’t have an account? Sign-up to join in.

Vikes Views: CB Prospects

Vikings Execute a Pair of Trade Downs in 2025 SB Nation Community Mock Draft 16 Apr 8:46 AM (2 days ago)

Not great trades, but trades in any event

For those of you who have been following the 2025 SB Nation Community Mock Draft, done by the folks who run all 32 SB Nation NFL sites, you may have noticed that the Minnesota Vikings did not make a selection at #24, instead putting the Houston Texans in that spot.

Well, if you’re waiting for our selection, you’re going to have to wait just a little bit longer.

After making it known to everyone that the 24th pick in the first round was available, I only got a couple of trade offers, but I was able to get a couple of extra selections out of the deal.

The first trade came with the Texans, who offered up a fifth-round pick to move from #25 to #24. I thought it was a bit unusual that they wanted to move up one spot, particularly since they weren’t in the market for a quarterback or anything, but I thought I would take their offer and drop down one.

The other offer, and the one that actually came in first, came from a team that was looking for a quarterback in the New York Giants. They had made an offer about midway through the first round, but we were both holding steady until we saw how the board was falling. When the Vikings got on the clock at #24, I made sure to let our friend Ed Valentine from Big Blue View know that I was going to make the initial deal with Houston to move down one spot and then trade #25 to New York in exchange for a fourth-round selection.

That trade moved the virtual Vikings down to #34 overall, at the top of the second round, and left us with the following selections:

• Round 2, #34 overall (from New York Giants)
• Round 3, #97 overall (compensatory pick)
• Round 4, #105 overall (from New York Giants)
• Round 5, #139 overall (from Cleveland Browns)
• Round 5, #166 overall (from Houston Texans)
• Round 6, #187 overall (from San Francisco 49ers)

Again, the trade downs might not have netted a ton in return, but from most of the point charts out there the deals were relatively even and it gives the Vikings a few more swings at this draft after coming in with fewer picks than any team in the league.

So, we’ll officially be on the board at #34 overall in the second round of this year’s SB Nation Community Mock Draft. The pick is already in the books behind the scenes, but it’s still a few days away from being published, so I can’t spoil it quite yet.