Analysis
8/22/22
2 min read
Minnesota Vikings Add Quarterback Depth in Nick Mullens Trade
The Las Vegas Raiders traded backup quarterback Nick Mullens on Monday to the Minnesota Vikings, who sent a conditional seventh-round pick to Las Vegas to ensure they increased competition for Kirk Cousins' backup.
Meanwhile, it appears with the trade that the Raiders have settled on their backup to Derek Carr.
Looks like Jarrett Stidham is the Raiders backup https://t.co/HqBJqzIBLg
— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) August 22, 2022
Mullens, who still needs to pass a physical before the trade is finalized, must be active for at least one game for the Raiders to receive the pick. It is expected that he will be brought in to fight for the backup job with both Sean Manion and Kellen Mond. Manion has been with the Vikings on and off for three years, and Mond was the team's third-round draft pick in 2021.
New Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was with the Cleveland Browns in 2021 when Mullens served as the emergency No. 3 quarterback. He started one game for the Browns when starter Baker Mayfield and backup Case Keenum failed to test out of Covid-19 protocols.
One thing that Adofo-Mensah might have seen in that game from Mullens was his arm strength. T.J. McCreight, The 33rd Team’s head of scouting, evaluated him out of Southern Mississippi.
“I had concerns about his arm strength and his size," McCreight said. "When I watched him live at practice, his arm was a bit better than I anticipated — he can make the throws. I do like his accuracy and his decision-making. Just what you want in a young backup. Mullens is a football junkie who can quickly grasp a new offense.”
Sports Information Solutions presents an interesting picture when looking at Minnesota's impending QB competition. Last season, Mannion and Mullens both started one game. Mullens accumulated 7 Total Points while Mannion accumulated minus-2. Mullens had a higher Boom Percentage, lower Bust Percentage, higher IQR and a significantly higher On-Target Percentage (86% vs 69%).
As for Mond, he's thrown just three NFL regular-season passes since leaving Texas A&M. Based on that limited sample size, it appears as if Mullens might have the inside track for Minnesota's QB2 spot.
Andrew Harbaugh contributed to this report.
