Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!
What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 173 mock drafts and only 10 of them were on offense. This season could end up being much of the same.
We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Minnesota Vikings.
Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes
Who:
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs
Cornerback is a clear need area for Minnesota, which replaced Patrick Peterson with Byron Murphy but has plenty of available corner reps. Forbes needs to grow into his 6-1 frame — he weighed in at 166 pounds at the combine — but he is a great cover corner. He had six career pick-sixes in college, and he never missed a game because of injury. He needs to be more consistent, but he has outstanding instincts and his ceiling is high. The Vikings also could target a wideout to complement Justin Jefferson with this pick.-Mel Kiper Jr.
Alabama CB/S Brian Branch
Who:
Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity
Pro Football Network’s Kyle Yates
An all-around stud, Branch will immediately impact the Vikings defense, as he can play in the box, deep, and in the slot. The Vikings’ secondary needs to get better, and will eventually need to replace Harrison Smith. Branch, who is the best safety in the draft, could do this for the team.-Cam Garrity
USC WR Jordan Addison
Who:
Fantasy Pros’ Thor Nystrom
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole
College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn
I have consistently given the Vikings a cornerback with this selection, but we begin the run on wide receivers with Addison. He replaces the outgoing Adam Theilen and gives Justin Jefferson some help opposite of him at receiver.-Patrick Conn
Kansas State CB Julius Brents
Who:
The Draft Network’s Jack McKessy
Wide receiver is an option here for the Vikings after letting Adam Thielen go, but the need in the defensive secondary feels more pressing with Patrick Peterson gone and Andrew Booth Jr. and Lewis Cine entering their second years after missing significant time with injuries in 2022. Julius Brents is a super toolsy cornerback with outstanding length and an ability to play and win both outside and in the slot. He could use some development to get over his occasional grabbiness in man coverage but proved he can hang with the best of the best at this year’s Senior Bowl.-Jack McKessy
Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
Who:
PFF’s Sam Monson
Bleacher Report’s Scouting Staff
Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Jones
The Vikings would be tempted by a receiver at this spot, and were I higher on Zay Flowers I might have made that move. They still badly need some interior impact on the defensive line, and the potential in Bryan Bresee is too much to overlook here. Last season, Bresee put up 24 pressures on 203 pass-rushing snaps, but his best football could easily be ahead of him, given the way his college career played out.-Sam Monson
Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
Who:
NBC Sports Edge’s Connor Rogers
NFL.com’s Charles Davis
Kancey is an outlier due to his size for an interior defensive lineman (6’0 ⅝, 281 pounds), but he’s an incredibly gifted pass rusher. This Minnesota interior needs a boost and I think he’s a top 15 talent in this class.-Connor Rogers
Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
Who:
There are a ton of receivers who could go here, but Hyatt appears to be the best fit alongside Justin Jefferson. He’s not particularly big, but he has the speed to take the top off a defense or affect the game on underneath routes. Let Kirk Cousins cook.-Kyle Madson
Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Who:
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt
SB Nation’s Staff
Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Freedman
Fantasy Pros’ Russell Brown
It’s possible that the Vikings consider a pass-catcher in this spot, but it feels like a spot where they upgrade their defense. Last season, Minnesota had one of the worst-ranked pass defenses by giving up the second most passing yards (4,515). With Brian Flores taking over their defense, he’ll want a physical cornerback that can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Deonte Banks provides that with his 6-foot and 197-pound frame. He’s strong and is able to redirect receivers off their routes once the ball is snapped. He’ll need some refinement with his overall technique, but he’d be a perfect fit for the Vikings’ new-look defense.-Russell Brown
TCU WR Quentin Johnston
Who:
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani
NFL.com’s Rhett Lewis
PFF’s Editorial Team
Vikings Wire’s The Real Forno Show
A big playmaker in more ways than one. Upgrading the defense is something that’s important for Minnesota this offseason, but so is adding another weapon for Kirk Cousins.-Jordan Dajani
Iowa State EDGE Will McDonald IV
Who:
Football Outsiders’ Benjamin Robinson
Reaching for talent isn’t the Minnesota way, but players with Expected Draft Positions in the low 30s sometimes find themselves in the top 25. Will McDonald profiles as one of the most accomplished edge rushers in a class with plenty of talent and can add some juice to a Vikings defense looking to make a statement under new coordinator Brian Flores.-Benjamin Robinson
Georgia Tech EDGE Keion White
Who:
Danielle Hunter had a nice bounceback season, but Za’Darius Smith is 30 years old and while D.J. Wonnum was good in limited duty, they’ve got to continue to cultivate a pass rush.-Steven Cheah
Boston College WR Zay Flowers
Who:
CBS Sports’ Will Brinson
NBC Sports Edge’s Eric Froton
PFF’s Ben Brown
Maybe Vikings fans would like another receiver? Feels like weapons on offense isn’t their biggest concern right now after last year’s defensive performance though.-Will Brinson
Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Tyler’s Scouting Report
Who:
Vikings Wire’s Tyler Forness
The 33rd Team’s Scouting Department
The Vikings make a massive jump up to get the quarterback of the future. Is this too much to give up for that player? That’s a really good debate to have, but hitting on a quarterback is something that could change the fortunes of the franchise for a decade plus.
Richardson is a really talented player who has a sky-high ceiling with his cannon arm and elite athleticism. He has some accuracy concerns, but those can be remedied with some coaching.-Tyler Forness
Iowa EDGE Lukas Van Ness
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline
Bears Wire’s Jarrett Bailey
The Vikings desperately need a cornerback, yet any player at the position is a reach at this point. Lukas Van Ness fills a need for an edge rusher and has the upside to develop into a three-down defender.-Tony Pauline
Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker
Who:
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards
Fantasy Pros’ Ken Zalis
Fantasy Pros’ Mike Fanelli
It is important for a franchise to get five years of control with Hendon Hooker considering he is coming off a torn ACL. Minnesota restarts the financial clock at quarterback with the selection of Hooker.-Josh Edwards
Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith
Who:
The Vikings get a classic 3-4 outside linebacker for Brian Flores’ defensive scheme. Upside galore with his explosiveness.-Chris Trapasso
Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
Who:
For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea
The Vikings get a badly needed talent infusion to a secondary whose best corner, currently, is buy-low(ish) free agent addition Byron Murphy. Witherspoon is a beast in coverage and a player whose 2022 invoked comparisons to reigning defensive rookie of the year Sauce Gardner. The NFC North is winnable, but Minnesota’s 13-4 record last season was an illusion. Adding a talented cover corner helps keep the Vikings in the playoff hunt in a weak conference.-Christian D’Andrea
Clemson LB Trenton Simpson
Who:
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer
Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor
The Vikings have a big void in the middle of their defense. They should covet Simpson’s toughness and speed with which to cover a ton of ground and make plenty of plays in coverage and against the run.-Vinnie Iyer
Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Who:
Minnesota is trying to thread a difficult needle as it phases out some high-priced veteran contracts and ushers in its next era. Smith-Njigba is the immediate replacement for Adam Thielen, who signed with the Panthers. The Ohio State product has top-end change-of-direction skills, consistent hands and a feel for the soft spots in zone coverage. He doesn’t have enough tape as a blocker to lock him in as a versatile slot receiver, but the Vikings likely will be more spread out anyway.-Diante Lee
South Carolina CB Cam Smith
Who:
CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin
A disappointing 2022 season shouldn’t have Smith fall out of the first round. He can play on the outside or in the slot and has outstanding closing speed. This pick could be considered a risk at No. 23, but hard to bet against Smith’s talent in a defense that is revamping at cornerback.-Jeff Kerr
Overview
I have tracked 381 industry mock drafts through 15 weeks and the results have the Vikings selecting 53 different players.
| CB Deonte Banks | 46 |
| CB Cam Smith | 25 |
| WR Jordan Addison | 24 |
| CB Kelee Ringo | 23 |
| CB Emmanuel Forbes | 19 |
| CB Joey Porter Jr. | 17 |
| WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 17 |
| WR Zay Flowers | 16 |
| CB/S Brian Branch | 15 |
| CB Clark Phillips III | 12 |
| QB Hendon Hooker | 12 |
| WR Quentin Johnston | 12 |
| CB Devon Witherspoon | 11 |
| DT Bryan Bresee | 11 |
| EDGE Lukas Van Ness | 10 |
| CB Christian Gonzalez | 9 |
| EDGE Nolan Smith | 9 |
| LB Trenton Simpson | 8 |
| QB Will Levis | 7 |
| DT Calijah Kancey | 7 |
| EDGE Myles Murphy | 6 |
| EDGE B.J. Ojulari | 5 |
| WR Josh Downs | 5 |
| EDGE/LB Drew Sanders | 5 |
| DL Keion White | 5 |
| S Antonio Johnson | 4 |
| WR Jalin Hyatt | 4 |
| QB Anthony Richardson | 4 |
| DL Mazi Smith | 3 |
| C John Michael Schmitz | 3 |
| DL Adetomiwa Adebawore | 3 |
| WR Rashee Rice | 2 |
| NT Siaki Ika | 2 |
| OT Peter Skoronski | 1 |
| OT Blake Freeland | 1 |
| OT Anton Harrison | 1 |
| QB Tanner McKee | 1 |
| CB Jaylon Jones | 1 |
| WR Kayshon Boutte | 1 |
| OL Cody Mauch | 1 |
| CB Tyrique Stevenson | 1 |
| EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah | 1 |
| OT Broderick Jones | 1 |
| CB Kyu Blu Kelly | 1 |
| RB Bijan Robinson | 1 |
| EDGE Isaiah Foskey | 1 |
| C Joe Tippmann | 1 |
| CB D.J. Turner | 1 |
| OG O’Cyrus Torrence | 1 |
| CB Garrett Williams | 1 |
| DT Jalen Carter | 1 |
| CB Julius Brents | 1 |
| EDGE Will McDonald IV | 1 |
| Total | 381 |
