In the days leading up to the 2016 NFL draft, which is April 28-30, we will break down where the Vikings stand at each position group on their roster. We start off the series today with the quarterback position.
Vikings draft preview: Will Vikings draft a quarterback at any point?
This is the first in an eight-part Access Vikings series looking at what the Vikings may do in next week's NFL draft. Today's question is whether they'll pick a quarterback in the draft's later rounds.
April 18, 2016 at 1:04PM
For the second straight season, starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was mostly steady, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 3,231 yards and 14 touchdowns as the Vikings went 11-5 and won the NFC North.
Occasionally, Bridgewater was spectacular, like when he threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another in a late-season win over the Bears. At other times, he was shaky, like when he threw for just 99 yards in the division-clinching victory over the Packers in the season finale.
Bridgewater cut his interception total down to nine from a dozen as a rookie, but the Vikings want him to "let it loose" more often in 2016.
If Bridgewater didn't take a blatant step forward in his second season, it was because his offensive line too often got pushed back into his lap. No NFL quarterback was pressured more frequently than Bridgewater, who was under fire on 46.9 percent of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
So the Vikings, who remain committed to the 23-year-old, have set out to improve his supporting cast. They signed guard Alex Boone and offensive tackle Andre Smith in the hopes that by giving Bridgewater more clean pockets, he will be able to a significant leap forward this season.
In other words, they won't be taking a quarterback in the early rounds. But they could look to bring in another young QB in the later rounds.
Projected starters: Bridgewater, with Shaun Hill backing him up.
Don't forget about: Taylor Heinicke basically received a redshirt year after making the squad as an undrafted free agent following a strong showing against the Titans in the preseason finale. Heinicke was inactive for all 17 games, including playoffs, but it says something that the Vikings did not risk moving him to the practice squad. He probably isn't ready to overtake Hill and become the primary backup, but his presence could prevent the Vikings from drafting a developmental quarterback in the later rounds.
Level of need: Low. Bridgewater is under team control for three more seasons and there are certainly worse backups than Hill, who is in the final year of his two-year deal. This may be a need next spring, depending on what happens with Hill and whether Heinicke has more room to grow.
Five prospects to remember: Vernon Adams, Oregon; Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky; Kevin Hogan, Stanford; Jake Rudock, Michigan; Nate Sudfield, Indiana.
Our best guess: Unless there is a Day-Three prospect that Norv and Scott Turner are enamored with, the Vikings will pass on the position for a second straight year and perhaps sign another undrafted QB after the draft.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
