The quarterback class of the 2014 NFL draft doesn't have teams overly impressed. The Minnesota Vikings reportedly won't use their No. 8 pick on a signal caller because they want "a sure thing," Peter King of MMQB reports.
Minnesota reportedly is the latest team unwilling to use a top pick in the draft on a quarterback. King says the Vikings want "a sure thing" with their No. 8 pick and won't select a passer with it.
If King's report is correct, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman seemingly confirmed the team wouldn't select a quarterback in the first round.
"Every one of these quarterbacks ... nothing is a sure thing. There's no Andrew Luck, no Peyton Manning," Spielman told MMQB on Monday. "It is such a mixed bag with each player -- every one of them has positives, every one of them has negatives. And if that's the way you end up (feeling), why don't you just wait till later in the draft, and take someone with the first pick you're sure will help you right now?"
King reported earlier in April that quarterbacks are falling further down the board. Minnesota could look to trade down or select a player likely to be available in the second round, such as Derek Carr, AJ McCarron or Aaron Murray.
Choosing a signal caller in the later rounds who needs time to develop would make sense, based on how Spielman wants to handle the team's quarterback situation.
"Ideally, if we did pick a quarterback this year we would want to redshirt him anyway, and when he'd be ready to go, he'd play," said Spielman. "But he'd probably use this year as a learning year."
Matt Cassell and Christian Ponder are the only two quarterbacks on the Vikings roster, and neither is expected to be the long-term answer under center.
