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.
South Carolina CB Cam Smith
Who:
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar
Saints Wire’s John Sigler
Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan
If you want to lay eyes on a cornerback-light team, look no further than the Vikings, whose corners were burned all over the field in 2022. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores historically loves to mix his gutsy man coverages with all kinds of blitz packages, and if you want to do that, you’d better have defensive backs who do well on true islands. Last season, Smith — the hyper-aggressive and technique-sound South Carolina star — allowed just seven catches on 23 targets for 53 yards in man coverage, so Flores could check off at least one of his glaring needs with confidence if this is how the draft went.-Doug Farrar
Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Who:
ESPN’s Todd McShay
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling
Bucs Wire’s Luke Easterling
Fox Sports’ Staff
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar
Bucs Wire’s Luke Easterling
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson
OK, Mel … I’m sold on Banks. I got your Ravens a receiver and then popped your Maryland guy into the top 25, so no complaints on the mock draft special on Tuesday night, please. Banks was really impressive in Indianapolis and is getting a lot of buzz after running 4.35 in the 40, leaping 42 inches in the vert and flying 11-foot-4 in the broad jump. Those are all top-three numbers among corners. And while he had just one pick last season, he did break up 10 passes and limit opponents to 4.6 yards per attempt. Banks is an explosive player.
Cornerback Patrick Peterson is now a 32-year-old free agent, and the Vikings allowed a 66.7% completion percentage (ninth-highest) and 5.9 yards per play (third-highest) last season. Banks could help.
Georgia CB Kelee Ringo
Who:
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson
The Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins
Fantasy Pros’ John Supowitz
The Georgia-to-first-round pipeline continues. A year after five Bulldogs went in Round 1, expect a handful this time around, too. Ringo is a long, physical corner who has matched up against some of the best players in the country.-Ryan Wilson
Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
Who:
Houston Chronicle’s Brooks Kubena
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso
Porter has offensive tackle arm length and plus man coverage ability. The Vikings again go to the secondary well early in the draft.-Chris Trapasso
Iowa EDGE Lukas Van Ness
Who:
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer
USA Today’s Nate Davis
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer
Van Ness impressed by running well for his size at the Combine as a good later first-round value that offers that massive frame of Wilson. His versatility in the front seven is a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Brian Flores.-Vinnie Iyer
Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes
Who:
Patrick Peterson ain’t getting any younger and Forbes is a dynamic player on the outside and torn up Indy with a 4.35 40-yard dash. The concern is his weight, which clocked in at 166 lbs. which is over 100 lbs. less than former Mississippi State personality Brandon Walker. Unlike BWalk who is a plug and play guy for Barstool, Forbes may be a bit of a project, but his upside is tremendous.-Steven Cheah
Georgia Tech DL Keion White
Who:
White needs more game polish, but he’s big, strong and athletic. If his NFL team can continue to develop his traits at defensive end, White has a high ceiling.-Lance Zierlein
Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
Who:
Barstool Sports’ Matt Fitzgerald
A little rich for my blood to take Bresee here. He has an injury history and doesn’t “wow” me as much as he should considering his elite physical tools. Easy to see a team desperate for defensive help like the Vikings fall in love with him, however. Bresee seems like a great dude and could be a big get for Minnesota here if he’s more consistent in the pros.-Matt Fitzgerald
Alabama S Brian Branch
Who:
The 33rd Team’s Scouting Department
Pro Football Focus’ Staff
The 33rd Team’s Scouting Department
The Vikings are in need of a safety and Brian Branch (scouting report) makes a lot of sense. Branch has ball production, solid size and speed.-The 33rd Team
Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
TCU WR Quentin Johnston
Who:
The Vikings need a running mate for Justin Jefferson, and Quentin Johnston, thanks to his elite physical attributes, can be that player.-Kyle Stackpole
Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy
Who:
PFF’s NFL Stock Exchange
Bears Wire’s Jarrett Bailey
The Vikings could have questions on the edge, and Murphy can really kick along any alignment on the defensive line. … He’s a freak in terms of his athleticism and size and movement, and the Vikings need help in that front seven.-Connor Rogers
USC WR Jordan Addison
Who:
Vikings Wire’s Matt Anderson
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards
The Vikings are running to the podium right now. Addison is the perfect complement to Justin Jefferson and can provide the Vikings with a great tandem at wide receiver for the next decade. Addison is a smooth route runner and has insane short-area quickness. He’s not a burner by any means, but he can come in and help keep the offense moving. This is a home run pick for the Vikings.-Matt Anderson
Michigan DT Mazi Smith
Who:
Yahoo! Sports’ Charles McDonald
Mazi Smith didn’t workout at the combine, but he’s still a high-upside defensive tackle that would be a nice dice roll for the Vikings at this point in the draft.-Charles McDonald
North Carolina WR Josh Downs
Who:
This is a selection that hasn’t been seen much for the Vikings. Yes, they have been sent wide receivers, but Downs hasn’t been a common choice. He is the perfect complement to Justin Jefferson. With a playstyle similar to Stefon Diggs, Downs runs routes with explosiveness and technique to create separation. When he doesn’t create separation, he catches contested passes at a 70% rate, which is tops in the class. Getting Jefferson a running made at wide receiver should be a priority and they get a really good one in Downs. –Tyler Forness
Northwestern DE Adetomiwa Adebawore
Who:
For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea
OK, the Vikings’ trade back backfired and some of the cornerback prospects who would have been extremely helpful are now off the board. Nevertheless!
Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter were a fearsome pass rushing combination in 2022, but both are aging veterans and Hunter (along with DJ Wonnum) will be a free agent next spring. Adebawore would infuse the Vikings’ edge rush with young blood as a 282-pound powerhouse capable of running a sub-4.5 second 40.
That’s a big deal for a prospect who, on paper, looked too small to play on the line and too slow to handle linebacker duties. The Vikings would be taking a risk here, but they’d pick up a player whose profile suggests positional versatility — someone who could add bulk and fill in up front while Smith and Hunter thrive or man the edge in a rotational role before taking over in 2024. With a new era seemingly on the horizon in Minnesota — this is Kirk Cousins’ final year under contract — there’s some logic to taking an uber-athletic defender and giving him time to figure things out.-Christian D’Andrea
Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
Who:
It’s so unfair to compare anybody to Aaron Donald, but Kancey is a disruptive, undersized interior defensive lineman who played at Pitt. The difference is I never doubted Aaron Donald’s ability to hold up against the run, and I have some concerns about Kancey’s ability to do so. That said, he’s lightning-quick off the ball and can blow plays up before they’ve begun. There aren’t many interior guys like him.-Tom Fornelli
Clemson LB Trenton Simpson
Who:
Barstool Sports’ Steven Cheah
Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor
The Vikings released longtime LB Eric Kendricks and could use a younger, faster replacement. Simpson blazed a 4.43 40-yard dash at 6’3″ 235 lbs. and can help shore up the Vikings LB corps.-Cheah
Boston College WR Zay Flowers
Who:
While I considered a defensive player here for the Vikings, we’ll have them select a pass-catcher. In wake of the Vikings releasing Adam Thielen, they’ll need to get a compliment to Justin Jefferson. By adding Flowers, they get an explosive receiver that can push vertically down the field but he’s also dynamic after the catch. Before the Combine, Flowers added 13 pounds of muscle to his frame and it didn’t slow him down as he was still able to a 40-yard dash time of 4.42 seconds. Look for Flowers to come in and play inside or outside.-Russell Brown
Overview
The Vikings were mocked 19 different players this week across 38 different mock drafts.
| CB Cam Smith | 22 |
| CB Deonte Banks | 22 |
| CB Kelee Ringo | 18 |
| CB Emmanuel Forbes | 16 |
| CB Clark Phillips III | 12 |
| CB Joey Porter Jr. | 12 |
| WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 11 |
| CB Devon Witherspoon | 10 |
| WR Jordan Addison | 10 |
| CB Christian Gonzalez | 9 |
| CB/S Brian Branch | 9 |
| EDGE Lukas Van Ness | 8 |
| EDGE B.J. Ojulari | 5 |
| LB Trenton Simpson | 5 |
| EDGE Myles Murphy | 5 |
| S Antonio Johnson | 4 |
| EDGE/LB Drew Sanders | 4 |
| EDGE Nolan Smith | 4 |
| DT Calijah Kancey | 4 |
| WR Josh Downs | 4 |
| WR Zay Flowers | 3 |
| DT Bryan Bresee | 3 |
| WR Rashee Rice | 2 |
| QB Anthony Richardson | 2 |
| NT Siaki Ika | 2 |
| C John Michael Schmitz | 2 |
| DL Mazi Smith | 2 |
| DL Keion White | 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 |
| RB Bijan Robinson | 1 |
| EDGE Isaiah Foskey | 1 |
| WR Jalin Hyatt | 1 |
| C Joe Tippmann | 1 |
| CB D.J. Turner | 1 |
| WR Quentin Johnston | 1 |
| DL Adetomiwa Adebawore | 1 |
| Total | 230 |
