Minnesota Vikings: Why Ponder May Be the Best Rookie QB

Christian Ponder was the perfect first-round draft choice for the Minnesota Vikings for a number of reasons.

First, he is used to playing in the shadows of other great quarterbacks.  

In high school, he played in the Dallas metro area in the same class as Matthew Stafford  (current Lions starter and top pick of the 2009 NFL draft) and Greg McElroy (current Jets backup who led Alabama to the 2009 national title).  

At Florida State, he had to play second fiddle to the hype machine that was (and still is) Tim Tebow.  

His career at FSU was filled with highs and lows for the program, but ended with Ponder leading the Seminoles to their first 10-win season since 2003.  

Yet he was still overlooked in comparison to the likes Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker and Andy Dalton when talk of his draft prospects arose.  

So naturally, it was not a surprise that when the Vikings selected Ponder with the 12th pick in April’s NFL draft, he was immediately downgraded as a reach, despite being widely praised in pre-draft workouts as being the most ready to play immediately among a group of talented passers. 

Scouts were worried about durability issues (he missed games due to injury in his last two seasons in college) and arm strength. 

Ponder shook off a shoulder injury suffered in his final game in a Seminoles uniform to win MVP honors at the Senior Bowl in late January. 

His critics ignored his performance at February’s NFL draft combine, when his competitive juices over-rided his previous desires to not throw, and he arguably performed better than eventual top pick Newton. 

Maybe it was fitting that Ponder would out-duel Newton in their first meeting on Sunday, with the Vikings getting their first road win of the season 24-21 over the Panthers. 

While Newton has wowed the league with his play since opening day and is the rookie of the year favorite, Ponder bided his time behind Donovan McNabb before taking over midseason and wasting little time in staking his claim as being one of the future stars of the league. 

In his first start against the current alpha male of NFL quarterbacks, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Ponder kept his poise despite throwing two second-half interceptions and led a valiant comeback effort that fell just short in a 33-27 loss. 

Going toe to toe with Rodgers is the most encouraging sign that Ponder is ready to lead the Vikings back into contention sooner than most envisioned.

Given Ponder’s history, we should hardly be surprised that he has risen to the challenge.