The Minnesota Vikings have only picked offensive players 27 times in the 135 mock drafts I have collected from the industry this calendar year.
It’s easy to see why the defense has been so popular in terms of mock draft selections. They just ended the 2022 season with the 31st-ranked total defense and the 28th-ranked total defense. The Vikings have already started to fix the defense by bringing in Brian Flores to be their defensive coordinator.
Another way to help the defense is by improving the offense. Giving Justin Jefferson a running mate should be a priority. That’s exactly what Devin Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer did by sending the Vikings Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“With Justin Jefferson emerging into a star and Adam Thielen aging, the Vikings need another true playmaker at receiver, and Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba checks those boxes, especially as a creative and nuanced route runner who operates mostly from the slot.”
Jackson is right about Smith-Njigba being a nuanced route runner, but my concerns have him being mainly a slot-only player and never having faced press coverage. Coming to Minnesota would be a great landing spot because of the condensed formations and motion that he would be used in.
