Caleb Williams going first overall, what will Washington do with the No. 2 pick? There are plenty of storylines to watch early in the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday night.

One headline that is not getting lost is, will the Minnesota Vikings trade up for a quarterback in the first round?

Kirk Cousins has come and gone in Minnesota. The Vikings saw Cousins put up incredible numbers during his career but could not put a full team around him, especially defensively, during his tenure. Cousins is now with the Atlanta Falcons and the Vikings are in need of a new signal caller.

Let’s break it down quickly.

The Vikings continue to have one of the best groups of pass catchers in the NFL. This includes the league’s best receiver in Justin Jefferson and a promising young talent in Jordan Addison. Of course, the Vikings extended T.J. Hockenson as well. A young quarterback coming to Minnesota will now lack weapons and should be able to get comfortable quickly.

In March, Minnesota added a second first-round pick when it acquired No. 23 from the Houston Texans. Once that deal was made, it began spinning the wheels in the minds of NFL fans. The Vikings added Sam Darnold in free agency. With Cousins gone, this means Darnold is currently projected to be the starter this season.

The Vikings can either roll with Darnold and give away a year or find a way to move up. With Cousins gone and a second pick now acquired, there are many possibilities for the front office.

Both the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals have made their picks available. This means the Vikings would be able to grab one of the top four quarterbacks in the class. As of now, we do not know who will be available. All we know is that Williams will be going first overall to the Chicago Bears before the Commanders are on the clock. Washington has been linked to all three remaining prospects — Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy. Once the Commanders pick, there will be two remaining and the Vikings will have multiple chances to move up.

It will be interesting to see come Thursday night if a plan takes action. This has to be a thought in the minds of Minnesota’s brass and it could all come together in the war room on night one of the draft. The Vikings will enter next season with an elite group of skill-position players. As we have seen in the NFL, this doesn’t matter unless the quarterback is in place.