Will a successor to Kirk Cousins at quarterback emerge from this year's draft?

Much of the Vikings' 60-plus year history, at least in the post-Fran Tarkenton era, has involved an ongoing search for quarterback stability.

First-round draft picks have been invested, only for devastating injuries (Daunte Culpepper and Teddy Bridgewater) or ineffectiveness (Christian Ponder) to send the Vikings back to the search.

Even now, after spending heavily on free agent Kirk Cousins in 2018 and enjoying three years of durable play — albeit with uneven results, even if the net is above-average — there are reasons to wonder if the relationship is headed for a breakup a year from now when Cousins will be due for another extension.

The Vikings appear very much set to enter 2021 with Cousins as their starter, which means thinking about using the No. 14 overall pick on a QB — even if one falls to them in Thursday's first round, as unlikely as that is — probably doesn't make much sense. This is a roster that needs a lot of help.

But picking a quarterback in the middle rounds? That always makes sense, even though the Vikings have a history of not doing it. It makes particular sense this season, and there are reasons to believe this will be the year it really happens.

Ben Goessling and I talked about that on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast as we set up all seven rounds of the draft for the Vikings.

If you don't see the podcast player, click here to listen.

As our Andrew Krammer noted recently, Sean Mannion — the backup in 2019 and 2020 — remains unsigned. There are no other experienced QBs on the roster behind Cousins.

The Vikings also have two third-round picks and four fourth-round picks. Even if they package a couple of those in a trade up into the second round — as Goessling suggests in his seven-round Vikings mock draft — they would still have four picks in that third/fourth round sweet spot that has produced quality backups and even star quarterbacks in the last decade.

Now: The Vikings haven't used a pick in the third or fourth round on a QB since 1995 (Chad May), long before current GM Rick Spielman arrived. They either take quarterbacks very late or in the first round, including those picks of Ponder (2011) and Bridgewater (2014).

But with the draft capital and need for a backup, it makes sense this season.

"There's no position that's off limits going into this draft," Spielman said recently. "I'll just leave it at that."

A solid choice would give the Vikings a low-cost backup for the durable Cousins in 2021. A spectacular choice could prove to be his heir apparent as the starter.

For an example of how this thinking can alter a franchise's trajectory, look back to the 2012 draft.

The Vikings had picked Ponder No. 12 overall in 2011. But as Goessling has said many times, they had some coaches and evaluators on their staff that REALLY liked Russell Wilson in 2012. But instead of going after him early in the third round, the Vikings took corner Josh Robinson. Nine picks later, Seattle picked Wilson.

Is that just hindsight? Yeah, maybe. But Washington picked Robert Griffin III No. 2 overall in 2012. And it liked another quarterback well enough to pick him in the fourth round of the same draft.

That quarterback? Cousins, who wound up as Washington's solid starter before signing with the Vikings.

Now, for every Wilson, Cousins or Dak Prescott (2016 fourth round), there are a lot of other quarterbacks picked in the third or fourth round who range from replacement level to truly forgettable.

But you can say that about every position in the draft. This should be the year the Vikings break with their own history and grab a quarterback in the middle rounds.