Chase Holbrook
My hope is that between now and the draft I will go through the Vikings roster position-by-position and give some insight as to what the Vikings could/should/might be doing on draft day. I’ll start with the offensive side of the ball and work my way through it from there. So, let’s kick it off with the most talked about position, quarterback.

CURRENT STATUS: Currently the Vikings have Sage Rosenfels, Tarvaris Jackson, and John David Booty on the roster. Brad Childress has vowed to add at least one more quarterback to the roster to provide a sense of competition during training camp. Rosenfels was recently acquired via trade from the Houston Texans for a 4th rounder. Jackson is entering his contract year and has taken his fair share of criticism from the fans and media. Booty is thought to be a project quarterback with a couple years to go before he’ll be ready.

ROUND ONE: With the acquisition of Rosenfels, it seems highly unlikely that the Vikings take a quarterback with their first pick. However, if they decided to go that route, then Josh Freeman would be the most likely choice. The Kansas State quarterback has a lot going for him, which includes a height of 6’ 6”. He has great physical skills including a really strong arm. Accuracy and vision issues are some problems that would need to be worked out before he would be a viable starter.

WHO THEY SHOULD TARGET: Josh Freeman should be who the Vikings target. I have heard rumors that he is actually the top rated quarterback on a few teams’ boards. He reminds me of Big Ben and has all the tools to be successful at a fairly young age. If the Vikings really don’t want the mess of having a three-way competition in camp (Jackson, Rosenfels, and Freeman) then I think they need to at least look like they’re targeting Freeman in an effort to churn up some trade opportunities on draft day.

LEAST LIKELY TO BE TARGETED: Pat White is an interesting prospect as he can play both quarterback and wide receiver. Here’s why I think the Vikings will avoid him: would you want to be a left handed quarterback playing behind the Vikings offensive line? I didn’t think so. Barring some major upgrades to the right side of the line, White would be a sitting duck behind back there. But he can play wide out too, right? Well, yes, but given that White’s quarterback skills will probably get him drafted in late round 2 or early round 3, there are going to be much better receivers available to us at that point. White would require some creative coaching to get productivity out of him, and I just don’t know that Childress is up to the challenge.

MOST LIKELY TO BE TARGETED: Barring any major changes (like a trade for Jay Cutler) I think the Vikings will be most likely to bring in an undrafted free agent quarterback to compete with Booty. Someone like Chase Holbrook of New Mexico State could be talented enough to push Booty during camp, and also find a home on the Vikings practice squad. He has good size and decent college production. Probably never a starter in the NFL, however.