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 545 mock drafts and that included a whopping 54 different players. With the Minnesota Vikings set to pick 11th overall, there will be a lot of discussions surrounding the quarterbacks in this draft along with trading up.
We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Vikings.
UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu
Who:
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Devin Jackson
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards
Pro Football Network’s A.J. Schulte
Edge rusher is a very popular pick for Minnesota and will remain as such until it is learned whether Marcus Davenport and/or Danielle Hunter will return next season. Plus, D.J. Wonnum will be coming back from injury.-Edwards
Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Tony Catalina
Pro Football Network’s Tony Catalina (different mock draft)
Terrion Arnold has a chance to be another quality defensive back to come out of Alabama and will see college teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry be called not long after him as well. Adding Arnold to the secondary of the Vikings will surely help a group that was carved up at times.
Terrion has shown the ability to be comfortable in man or zone and has seemingly grown at the position every year in college. The best is yet to come for him, and the Vikings may be the beneficiaries of that development sooner rather than later.
Florida State EDGE Jared Verse
Who:
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards
Jaguars Wire’s Adam Stites
Bears Wire’s Alyssa Barbieri
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks
Sports Illustrated’s Luke Easterling
Marcus Davenport and Danielle Hunter are projected to hit free agency. D.J. Wonnum is coming off an injury. If one or both Davenport and Hunter do not return, then Jared Verse is stepping into a starter’s role.-Edwards
Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
Who:
The 33rd Team’s Connor Livesay
Pro Football Network’s Anthony Miller
The Minnesota Vikings got decent results from their defense in 2023 despite underwhelming talent at all three levels. Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of the more talented cornerbacks in this class, coming out of a school that has historically had a lot of good luck with defensive backs making the transition to the NFL.-Livesay
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Who:
College Football Network’s Will Helms
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer
This is a riskier pick than some believe, as Penix is older (24 when the season starts), has a history of injuries, and has a delivery some coaches will dislike.
That said, he’s a match made in Heaven for the Vikings, who have the league’s best group of contested-catch and deep-ball receivers. Those traits fit well with Penix’s willingness to put the ball in tight windows and take the short ball when the check-down opportunity is open.-Helms
Illinois DT Jer'Zhan Newton
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson
Vikings Wire’s Saivion Mixson
The Kirk Cousins conundrum is set to dominate the offseason conversation for the Minnesota Vikings, justifiably. However, they could use substantial changes on the defensive front.
Jer’Zhan Newton may be listed as a defensive tackle, but his true title should be “defensive weapon,” with his athleticism allowing him the versatility to attack from any alignment.
Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner
Who:
The Vikings replenish the edge-rusher group given the uncertainty of Danielle Hunter’s future.-Trapasso
North Carolina QB Drake Maye
Who:
Pro Football Network’s Joe Broback
There’s a growing belief that Minnesota wants to move up in this draft, but at what cost? To get Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, the Vikings give up significant draft capital. How much remains to be seen, but it’s likely they’ll need more if they trade with Chicago.
Maye is a great fit in Minnesota’s offense. He has the arm talent to move the ball down the field on all three levels, and that’s a major crux as to why he’s considered a top-two pick. He’ll do well under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage, but Maye also gives the Vikings an aspect that they didn’t have with Kirk Cousins.
One of the biggest gripes with Cousins was his inability to escape pressure frequently. Maye’s mobility allows this team to breathe more easily, and now the fan base can wait to see how he develops.-Broback
LSU QB Jayden Daniels
Who:
The Vikings have a big decision coming on Kirk Cousins, who will be a free agent and is recovering from a torn Achilles, putting his availability for the start of next year in question. The Vikings don’t have to take a quarterback, but if the Heisman Trophy-winning Daniels is still on the board, it would be hard to pass up the opportunity to pair him with fellow Tiger Justin Jefferson.-Rang
Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
Who:
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
Seahawks Wire’s Tim Weaver
In my final mock ahead of the 2023 draft, I projected the Vikings taking a cornerback. Instead, they went with wide receiver Jordan Addison, who had a fantastic rookie season, catching 10 touchdown passes. That need in the secondary still exists. Minnesota ranked 28th in passing yards allowed to receivers last season (3,019), and 2022 second-rounder Andrew Booth Jr. hasn’t quite figured things out. Let’s go back to Clemson — Booth’s former school — with the selection of Wiggins here. Wiggins was a lockdown defender in 2023, allowing just 4.2 yards per attempt as the nearest defender in coverage.
Could the Vikings take a quarterback? For sure. Kirk Cousins is a free agent, and I don’t think rookie fifth-rounder Jaren Hall will be the guy long-term. At this point, though, the most likely option might be running it back with Cousins, so adding a starter on defense makes more sense. This obviously could change as we learn more about general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s plans.-Kiper Jr.
Overview
Through four weeks of tracking, we have collected 83 different mock drafts with 21 of them coming this week. There have been 16 different players mocked to the Vikings during that time.
| Player | Total |
| EDGE Laiatu Latu | 15 |
| EDGE Jared Verse | 13 |
| QB Michael Penix Jr. | 11 |
| DT Jer’Zhan Newton | 10 |
| EDGE Dallas Turner | 7 |
| CB Kool-Aid McKinstry | 6 |
| QB Jayden Daniels | 5 |
| CB Cooper DeJean | 3 |
| CB Nate Wiggins | 3 |
| CB Terrion Arnold | 3 |
| EDGE Chop Robinson | 2 |
| QB Bo Nix | 1 |
| QB J.J. McCarthy | 1 |
| OT Olu Fashanu | 1 |
| DT Byron Murphy II | 1 |
| QB Drake Maye | 1 |
| Total | 83 |
