Vikings' draft of a backup quarterback is one of many possibilities

The Vikings enter the NFL draft on Thursday night with quarterbacks with zero career NFL passes behind starter Kirk Cousins, who is currently under contract for two more seasons.

Whether General Manager Rick Spielman will break tradition and invest a draft pick in a developmental or backup quarterback — something the Vikings haven't done outside the seventh round since 2008 — remains to be seen. He left the door open Tuesday during a predraft videoconference.

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

Former backup Sean Mannion's contract expired in March, and he remains a free agent. Third-year QB Jake Browning and second-year Nate Stanley have not appeared in an NFL game. They are the only reserves on the roster behind Cousins.

Spielman, who was given the GM title in 2012, hasn't been part of a mid-round quarterback selection since the Vikings took John David Booty in 2008's fifth round.

Asked about drafting a kicker, after the Vikings released Dan Bailey in a cost-cutting move and signed Greg Joseph, Spielman said: "We know we have to create some competition at that position. I would not rule out a kicker potentially being drafted or us going pretty strong after a college free agent."

You won't see masks when TV cameras go inside the Vikings draft room at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, as the evaluators, coaches and staffers in attendance will be vaccinated, Spielman said. It will be a more normal operation after all NFL teams drafted virtually in 2020, and Vikings employees were working from home.

"We will be in the building," Spielman said. "We're one of the teams that will be all vaccinated, so we will not have masks on there. I will have my scouting staff in a bullpen that will be masked, but this year we don't have to work in chat rooms."

Cornerback Jeff Gladney has yet to be formally charged after he turned himself into Dallas County Jail earlier this month when an arrest warrant was issued for an alleged assault on a woman in Texas. Gladney has a bond hearing scheduled for May 12. Spielman would only say Tuesday that the team is waiting on the legal system.

"We've been in contact with NFL security," Spielman said. "We're letting the due process take its course right now, and that's the latest I can give you."