Vikings Insider: MIN Trades for Will Levis amid Cousins Buzz in 2023 NFL Mock Draft

As Kirk Cousins prepares to enter the final season of his contract, the Minnesota Vikings might have to use the 2023 NFL draft to find a potential successor at quarterback.

In a mock draft from team beat writers on The Athletic, Vikings insider Alec Lewis has the team trading with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire the No. 7 overall pick and select Kentucky's Will Levis:

"The Vikings' future at quarterback is in question. Kirk Cousins remains under contract through 2023. The team has yet to extend him. Until they do, thinking about the team's next thrower of the football is worthwhile. Though it might be tempting to save key 2024 draft capital, especially with the potential QBs in next year's NFL Draft, the Vikings could benefit from adding a QB now. A season to learn head coach Kevin O'Connell's system would be a boon. So would the opportunity to sit behind Cousins.

"Levis, a strong-armed passer, played for Liam Coen in 2021 at Kentucky. Coen spent three years on the Rams staff with O'Connell from 2018 to 2020, then replaced him as L.A.'s offensive coordinator in 2022. Leaping to No. 7 would take some heavy lifting, but the time comes for every team to shoot its shot."

There were questions about whether the Vikings could look to move on from Cousins after the team's 31-24 playoff loss to the New York Giants. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn't give the quarterback a glowing endorsement but said at his end-of-season press conference on Jan. 18 that the team expected him back in 2023:

The Vikings didn't do anything to quiet the long-term outlook for Cousins at quarterback with their actions this offseason. They did restructure his contract to save $16 million in cap space, but they could have extended him to lower his cap figure for 2023.

As things stand, Cousins can become a free agent after this season. His contract also has four void years from 2024 to '27, and he would count $28.5 million against Minnesota's cap in 2024. But it's a manageable figure if the team brings in a rookie quarterback.

Lewis' trade proposal to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick is a steep price to pay. The Vikings would send their 2023 first-round pick (No. 23), third-round pick (No. 70) and a 2024 first-rounder to get Levis.

If Levis turns into a star in the NFL, no one will care what it cost to get him. He might be the most polarizing quarterback prospect in this year's class.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Levis ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and fourth-best player in the 2023 draft, with a pro comparison to Matthew Stafford.

B/R's NFL scouting department ranked Levis as the fourth-best quarterback and No. 21 player overall.

If Levis happened to fall to the 20s, it would save the Vikings a lot in draft capital if they wanted him. But given how many quarterback-needy teams pick ahead of them, that seems unlikely to happen.