While the Vikings waited to make the 30th overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, the teams in front of them provided plenty of intrigue as they jockeyed for position in what became the most quarterback-heavy draft in modern history.
The Vikings drafted Central Florida cornerback Mike Hughes with the 30th pick. He could play nickel and bolster a secondary that still hasn't seen the full development of Mackensie Alexander and has yet to re-sign veteran Terence Newman.
The draft kicked off with fireworks Thursday, as both the Bills and Cardinals moved up to acquire their quarterbacks of the future. Four quarterbacks _ Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen _ were selected in the top 10, marking the first time that many QBs have been top-10 picks since the common draft era began in 1967.
Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma, went first overall to the Browns, becoming the latest in a long line of quarterbacks asked to help the franchise emerge from the depths of the NFL. The Browns also took Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward with the fourth overall pick.
The Giants seemed like a candidate to take a quarterback at No. 2, but in former Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's first draft as the team's head coach, New York opted for Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, likely choosing to spend at least another year with 37-year-old Eli Manning as their quarterback.
That left USC's Darnold _ who was widely expected to be the first QB drafted _ for the Jets at No. 3. The Bills moved up from No. 12 to No. 7 to select Wyoming's Allen, while UCLA product Rosen went to the Cardinals at No. 10 after the team moved up five spots in a trade with the Raiders. Rosen figures to sit behind former Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford for now in Arizona, while Darnold's presence in New York raises the possibility the Jets could eventually cut Teddy Bridgewater, whom they signed to a one-year deal that included only $500,000 in guaranteed money.
While the Vikings waited to make their pick, their NFC North rivals all added to their rosters within the first 20 selections.
The Bears took Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith with the eighth pick, while the Packers moved from No. 14 back to No. 27, acquiring a fifth-rounder and the Saints' 2019 first-round pick in the process.
Green Bay then moved back up to the 16th pick, shipping the Saints' first-rounder, as well as a third- and sixth-round pick, to Seattle. The Packers used the pick to select Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander.
The Lions took Arkansas center Frank Ragnow with the 20th overall pick, kicking off a run on interior offensive linemen who might have interested the Vikings. Ragnow, a Chanhassen native, had met with the Vikings before the draft, and the team had also looked at Ohio State center Billy Price, who went 21st overall to Cincinnati.
Two picks after Price went to the Bengals, the Patriots took Georgia guard Isaiah Wynn with the 23rd overall pick, making him the fourth interior offensive linemen selected.
