When it comes to the NFL offseason, it can often be more fun than the regular season as there is so much speculation and rumors floating around. The other great part of the offseason is the mock drafts and seeing which players your favorite team might end up with.
In my last mock draft, I had the Vikings taking the best player available with all of their picks. Today, I am going to take a page out of former general manager Rick Speilman’s book and trade back using Rich Hill’s trade chart to see if we can’t get more players or draft capital. Let’s take a look to see how it played out.
47. Minnesota C John Michael Schmitz
Vikings Receive: 47th Overall (430), 97th Overall (112), Future 2nd Rounder (400)=Total 942
Commanders Receive: 23rd Overall (760), 119th Overall (56)=Total 816
The Commanders lose this trade, but it’s normal to overpay a little bit to move up and get your guy. The Vikings trade way down here but come out with a future second-round draft pick. The draft is littered with talent on day two, so they move back and try to fill some holes.
Following the trade, they selected Minnesota Golden Gophers center Schmitz. Garrett Bradbury is an impending free agent and this team desperately needs help finding its center of the future. Schmitz has dominated opponents throughout his time with the Gophers and displayed great power and technique. He’s about as can’t miss as you can get, and the Vikings snag him on day two.
87. Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson
The Vikings desperately need cornerback help and they get that in the third round. Stevenson is a long cornerback and has the ability to be physical with wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, which will be important with new Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme.
Stevenson still has some coaching that he needs to remain more consistent. When he was at the Senior Bowl, he showed flashes of brilliance and dominance versus opposing receivers, but there were times when his physicality would hurt him. Stevenson has all the skills you want from a cornerback, and if it pans out, the Vikings could find themselves with a day-two gem here.
106. Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims
Vikings Receive: 106th Overall (82), 140th Overall (36.5)=Total 118.5
Colts Receive: 97th Overall (112)=Total 112
If the Vikings had stayed in the first round, they likely could’ve drafted a wide receiver. Instead, they trade back and still find talent in Mims.
Mims is a smaller receiver, but he plays a lot bigger than his size. He brings with him explosiveness and the ability to stretch the field. That is the one thing that will help Justin Jefferson a lot. Mims is a bit raw in his own right as he doesn’t really have a refined route tree, but under the tutelage of Kevin O’Connell, Mims could turn into a weapon for the Vikings.
140. Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace Jr
The Vikings struck gold in the last draft when they selected Brian Asamoah. They try again this season by taking Pace Jr. When Brian Flores was hired as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, we knew there would be a shift in mentality from the previous defense. Flores’ defenses are known for blitzing, and for Pace Jr., that’s his specialty.
Pace Jr. has some fire to him, and he has a knack for always finding himself around the ball. He likely would be on a similar developmental path to Asamoah, but the potential is there for Pace Jr. If the Vikings can tap into that potential with good coaching, they could be set at linebacker for the next handful of years.
160. Georgia RB Kenny McIntosh
From everything we are hearing, Dalvin Cook is likely not going to be back for the Vikings next season. Additionally, Alexander Mattison is an impending free agent. That leaves Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler as the only running backs on the roster.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell comes from Sean McVay’s tree, where they like to use a more running back-by-committee mentality. Adding McIntosh here would help them achieve that goal.
McIntosh can do it all and could really help out on third downs as a pass catcher. As a rusher, McIntosh is a patient runner with exceptional vision. The Vikings could utilize him in a backfield with Nwangwu and Chandler to help fill the void left by Cook and Mattison leaving.
229. BYU QB Jaren Hall
Vikings Receive: 229th Overall (1), Future 5th Rounder (34)=Total 35
Saints Receive: 177th Overall (19). Future 7th Rounder (8)=Total 27
First off, I need to apologize to my managing editor Tyler Forness as he is a Jaren Hall stan, and seeing him in the 7th round is probably jarring.
I am always a big proponent of taking a quarterback in the draft at some point. Here, the Vikings select Jaren Hall. Hall has huge potential if an NFL team can tap into it. His arm strength and athleticism are off the charts. Unfortunately, it hasn’t really translated.
By taking him in the 7th round, the Vikings can work to develop him with Kevin O’Connell and see if they can turn him into a quality starting quarterback.
