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.
This week, we tracked 25 mock drafts that had 15 different players.
Baylor NT Siaki Ika
Who:
Depending on who takes over for the Vikings at defensive coordinator, Ika would be an interesting option. While Harrison Phillips is a good nose tackle, he doesn’t quite have the skillset to thrive in a two-gap system, where Ika would be perfect for that role. Do you have to get him in round one? I don’t think so, but the fit is really nice.
South Carolina CB Cam Smith
Who:
The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling
Yahoo! Sports’ Charles McDonald
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling
Falcons Wire’s Matt Urben
Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza
The most popular pick of the week, Smith was taken an astounding six times, something I haven’t seen this early in the process. His versatility would be huge for a Vikings team that has three cornerbacks who could easily be starters for this team next year and that could mean he starts in the slot.
LSU EDGE B.J. Ojulari
Who:
In a similar vein to why the Vikings were mocked Van Ness, Ojulari would be a great add to the depth of the edge group. He especially makes sense if they stay in a 3-4. Ojulari thrives bending around the edge and would be doing a lot of that in a wide-9 allignment.
Utah CB Clark Phillips III
Who:
SB Nation’s Mark Schofield
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar
Phillips is a very physical cornerback in coverage, but his size might limit him to the slot. His best performance came against Jordan Addison in the PAC 12 championship game where he was very physical and sticky throughout.
Iowa EDGE Lukas Van Ness
Who:
The Vikings’ future at edge rusher is far from certain right now. Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter are far from certain to be in the team both in 2023 and 2024. With the cornerback class as deep as it is, taking a talented, diverse edge rusher could be the smartest route for the Vikings. Van Ness has a lot of tools but needs time to develop.
Ilinois CB Devon Witherspoon
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan
The 33rd Team’s Scouting Department
Witherspoon would give the Vikings an incredibly physical cornerback that attacks the ball with a ruthless aggression. He can thrive in a zone system, but fits best in a man coverage scheme where he can stay in phase with his athleticism and attack the receiver.
Texas A&M S Antonio Johnson
Who:
Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Freedman
I don’t foresee the Vikings taking a safety again in round one, but Johnson would be an intriguing option for them. A big, versatile safety, Johnson can play over the top, in the box, overhang and in the slot. He would be a true chess piece for the Vikings defense.
Georgia OT Broderick Jones
Who:
We haven’t seen a tackle get mocked to the Vikings in some time, but this is a little ridiculous. They have two star tackles under the age of 28 years old and drafting one before day three would be a waste of time. The player is very good and has an outside shot to go tin the top ten, but it doesn’t make sense for the Vikings.
Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
Who:
The smoothest corner I have ever scouted, Gonzalez would be a dream fit for the Viking regardless of the scheme they end up running. He has the athleticism and technique to thrive in man coverage along with being long enough to make things difficult in zone coverage. Don’t be surprised if he goes top 10 come April, but he would be a home run for the Vikings.
Georgia CB Kelee Ringo
Who:
College Wire’s Patrick Conn
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole
Ringo will be an interesting prospect as far as where he ends up getting drafted. A very large, but fast corner, Ringo isn’t the most fluid athlete which could send him down the board on draft day.
Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings
Porter Jr. plays like his dad did, except at cornerback instead of linebacker. He is incredibly physical and reads the defense well. Pair that with his ball skills and you have a great prospect.
North Carolina WR Josh Downs
Who:
The Vikings’ biggest need is at wide receiver and getting Downs would be a great add. He runs routes with the same type of explosiveness that Stefon Diggs did coming out of college. The Vikings need someone who can naturally separate and Downs would bring that and then some.
Georgia Tech DL Keion White
Who:
After a dominant performance at the Senior Bowl, this was bound to happen. White ranked at number eight on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board the morning of the first practice and he was the best player on the field that day. His ability to win inside and out will set him apart.
USC WR Jordan Addison
Who:
The need for a wide receiver has been evident for some time and Addison would be a great fit. His ability to win on all three levels of the field would be the missing element for the Vikings as they look for a complement for superstar Justin Jefferson.
Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
Who:
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso
Pro Football Network’s Joe Broback
The Vikings could end up having a major need on the defensive line with both Dalvin Tomlinson and Jonathan Bullard set to be free agents. Kancey is an explosive pass rusher with a very quick first step, something that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has prioritized.
Overview
After five weeks, the Vikings were mocked 25 players this past week with 15 of those being unique. Over the course of those five weeks, they have been mocked 98 total players with 36 of them being unique.
| CB Cam Smith | 12 |
| CB Devon Witherspoon | 8 |
| CB Christian Gonzalez | 6 |
| CB Clark Phillips III | 6 |
| WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 5 |
| CB Joey Porter Jr. | 5 |
| CB Kelee Ringo | 5 |
| EDGE B.J. Ojulari | 4 |
| WR Jordan Addison | 4 |
| LB Trenton Simpson | 3 |
| CB/S Brian Branch | 3 |
| CB Deonte Banks | 3 |
| CB Emmanuel Forbes | 3 |
| S Antonio Johnson | 3 |
| WR Rashee Rice | 2 |
| QB Anthony Richardson | 2 |
| EDGE Myles Murphy | 2 |
| NT Siaki Ika | 2 |
| EDGE Lukas Van Ness | 2 |
| DT Calijah Kancey | 2 |
| OT Peter Skoronski | 1 |
| OT Blake Freeland | 1 |
| EDGE/LB Drew Sanders | 1 |
| OT Anton Harrison | 1 |
| WR Zay Flowers | 1 |
| QB Tanner McKee | 1 |
| DL Mazi Smith | 1 |
| CB Jaylon Jones | 1 |
| WR Kayshon Boutte | 1 |
| OL Cody Mauch | 1 |
| CB Tyrique Stevenson | 1 |
| DT Bryan Bresee | 1 |
| EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah | 1 |
| WR Josh Downs | 1 |
| EDGE Keion White | 1 |
| OT Broderick Jones | 1 |
| Total | 98 |
