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.
Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
Who:
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay
Fantasy Pros’ Andrew Erickson
Corner is a clear weakness for Minnesota, which brought in Byron Murphy Jr. in free agency to replace veteran Patrick Peterson. Long-armed Porter could see early action outside. He didn’t have much production in college — one interception — but that should change at the next level.-Mel Kiper Jr.
Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy
Who:
Establish The Run’s Evan Silva
Fox Sports’ Carmen Vitali & David Helman
High-effort EDGE injects life into Minnesota’s underperforming pass rush.-Evan Silva
Boston College WR Zay Flowers
Who:
Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Freedman
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer
The Vikings had to release Adam Thielen and need to upgrade the slot with a dynamic playmaker to play off Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. Flowers, who compares favorable as an inside-outside threat to the Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett, is a good get.-Vinnie Iyer
Kentucky QB Will Levis
Who:
USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo
Fantasy Pros’ P.J. Moran
The Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner
Vikings Wire’s Kevin Fielder
This would represent a precipitous fall for Levis, who could be the third quarterback off the board in the first five picks. But if teams in the early-to-mid first round take a pass, Minnesota makes for a fascinating fit after GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has repeatedly left the door open for the team to pounce on a passer. With his rifle arm strength and confidence to take advantage of it, Levis would certainly make for a change of pace from the cautious Cousins, whom the 6-4, 229-pound signal-caller could sit behind before pushing for the starting role in 2024.-Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith
Who:
Yahoo! Sports’ Charles McDonald
Smith looks the part of a stand-up edge rusher. He has excellent quickness and it shows up when rushing the passer and in the running game. Smith uses it best attacking the inside shoulder, oftentimes using a false step.-Tyler Forness
Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
Who:
Falcons Wire’s Matt Urben
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso
Bresee has top 10-pick talent if he can stay healthy, and he’s equally comfortable in any of the five positions along the defensive line.-Chris Trapasso
Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Who:
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy
Fantasy Pros’ Adam Murfet
CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin
The Vikings released five CBs this offseason and only acquired Byron Murphy Jr. at the position. Plugging in Banks into that secondary immediately upgrades their depth. Banks checks in at 6’2″ and 205 pounds and is poised to be a physical addition to the backfield.-Adam Murfet
USC WR Jordan Addison
Who:
Vikings Wire’s Matt Anderson
NFL Network’s Peter Schrager
Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson
PFF’s Mike Renner
Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Freedman
CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo
Vikings Wire’s Matt Anderson
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole
Addison is an excellent complement to Justin Jefferson that could benefit the Vikings for years to come. His exceptional skills as a smooth route runner and incredible short-area quickness make him a valuable asset to the team’s offense. While he isn’t the fastest, his presence can still help elevate the Vikings’ offense.-Matt Anderson
TCU WR Quentin Johnston
Who:
Pro Football Focus’ Arjun Menon & Brad Spielberger
LA Times’ Reporter Mock Draft
Fantasy Pros’ Andrew Erickson
Fantasy Pros’ Kent Weyrauch
Sports Illustrated’s Michael Fabiano
Draft Wire’s Natalie Miller
Fantasy Pros’ Ken Zalis
Pro Football Network’s Ian Valentino
After releasing Adam Thielen in the offseason, the Vikings need to find a wide receiver opposite Justin Jefferson. Johnston makes the most sense of the remaining receivers and offers more downfield and after-the-catch ability than Jordan Addison. Johnston’s 8.9 yards after the catch per reception in 2022 ranked 10th among FBS receivers.-Pro Football Focus
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker
Who:
The Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones
Pro Football Focus’ NFL Podcast
NFL.com’s Maurice Jones-Drew
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards
Pro Football Network’s Tommy Garrett
ESPN’s Matt Miller
Minnesota has been doing its due diligence on this year’s quarterback class and has already reportedly refused to give current QB Kirk Cousins a contract extension. The Vikings could be a trade-up team, but if not, I can’t see them passing on Hendon Hooker here. They don’t even need him to play in 2023.-Jaime Eisner
Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
Who:
The Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins
Yes TJ Hockenson is on the roster, but Kincaid is a player hard to bypass. Kincaid had 70 catches for 890 yards with 8 TDs last season.-Calvin Watkins
Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan
College Wire’s Patrick Conn
The Vikings are in dire need of help at cornerback, and Emmanuel Forbes, who personnel sources say is clearly one of the better players at his position for this draft, is the pick.
He’s still on the board because of his wiry frame (weighed just 166 at the Combine), which will be an issue for some teams, but the hope here is that he can bulk up over time.
By the way, this is where the discussion should start for QB Hendon Hooker.
He won’t have to play this year while he rehabs an ACL injury, and starting QB Kirk Cousins is in the last year of his contract.-Adam Caplan
Iowa EDGE Lukas Van Ness
Who:
The Vikings are going to draft defense heavy throughout the draft. Van Ness gives them a threat off the edge.-Jarrett Bailey
Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
Who:
Pro Football Focus’ NFL Stock Exchange
New York Post’s Steve Serby
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson
Let’s not compare him to Vikings Hall of Famer John Randle, but this 6-0, 281-pounder can wreak interior havoc and replace Dalvin Tomlinson.-Steve Serby
Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
Who:
A semi-surprising WR team here as the Vikings add a player to complement Justin Jefferson.-Will Brinson
Texas RB Bijan Robinson
Who:
Barstool Sports’ Matt Fitzgerald
Rumors are flying around that Minnesota may cut Dalvin Cook. That could mean Alexander Mattison becomes the new feature back. You can argue the Vikings should draft all defense and that the first round shouldn’t be an exception. Using a Day 1 draft asset on a running back is frowned upon these days, too. Bijan Robinson flies in the face of all that logic. If he’s here, and you’re really getting rid of Cook, you take Bijan.-Matt Fitzgerald
South Carolina CB Cam Smith
Who:
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame
The Vikings need cornerbacks even after acquiring Byron Murphy, and with Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator, they’ll need guys who can press and move with receivers all over the field. Smith projects well as an NFL prospect because he does just about everything well, but there are enough positive examples of aggressive coverage on his tape to make him an instant and natural fit in Flores’s schemes, which often force cornerbacks to play on zero-blitz islands.-Doug Farrar
Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Who:
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has not been shy about trading draft picks since taking on the job last year. Richardson’s potential as a dual-threat playmaker validates the hefty price Minnesota pays to jump up the board: the 23rd overall pick, a 2023 third-rounder (No. 87) and a 2024 first-rounder. (The Vikings also probably trade down in the fourth round to regain a selection.)-Chad Reuter
Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Who:
The Vikings bid farewell to Adam Thielen and replace him with a player who will step right into the role he filled but probably be more productive doing so than Thielen has been the last couple of years.-Tom Fornelli
Overview
Over the last 16 weeks, I have compiled 436 industry mock drafts. The Vikings have been sent a remarkable 54 unique players.
| CB Deonte Banks | 50 |
| WR Jordan Addison | 33 |
| CB Cam Smith | 27 |
| CB Kelee Ringo | 23 |
| CB Emmanuel Forbes | 21 |
| WR Quentin Johnston | 20 |
| CB Joey Porter Jr. | 19 |
| QB Hendon Hooker | 19 |
| WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 18 |
| WR Zay Flowers | 18 |
| CB/S Brian Branch | 15 |
| DT Bryan Bresee | 13 |
| CB Clark Phillips III | 12 |
| QB Will Levis | 12 |
| CB Devon Witherspoon | 11 |
| EDGE Lukas Van Ness | 11 |
| EDGE Nolan Smith | 10 |
| DT Calijah Kancey | 10 |
| CB Christian Gonzalez | 9 |
| LB Trenton Simpson | 8 |
| EDGE Myles Murphy | 8 |
| EDGE B.J. Ojulari | 5 |
| WR Josh Downs | 5 |
| EDGE/LB Drew Sanders | 5 |
| DL Keion White | 5 |
| WR Jalin Hyatt | 5 |
| QB Anthony Richardson | 5 |
| S Antonio Johnson | 4 |
| DL Mazi Smith | 3 |
| C John Michael Schmitz | 3 |
| DL Adetomiwa Adebawore | 3 |
| WR Rashee Rice | 2 |
| NT Siaki Ika | 2 |
| RB Bijan Robinson | 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 |
| 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 |
| TE Dalton Kincaid | 1 |
| Total | 436 |
