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.
After moving on from Adam Thielen this offseason, the Vikings grab a route-running specialist as a playmate for 2022 Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson. Flowers’ speed, quickness and precision make him an ideal candidate as a WR2 opposite the All-Pro wideout.-Bucky Brooks
The Vikings need a receiver opposite Justin Jefferson but they also need an upgrade on the interior of the offensive line. With this pick, they decide to upgrade the offensive line and draft John Michael Schmitz from Minnesota. Schmitz has the skill and motor to easily be a 10-year starter for the Vikings.-Keith Sanchez
The Vikings managed to navigate the cap in such a way that they could sign Byron Murphy to replace Patrick Peterson but still need more defensive backs. Deonte Banks has shown excellent ball skills and athletic explosiveness — he will immediately be a top-three corner on the Vikings.-Kent Weyrauch
The Vikings are badly in need of interior pressure, and Kancey can provide that. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Will Levis lands here should he still be available.-Eric Edholm
Minnesota parted ways with longtime wide receiver Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn is entering the final year of his contract in 2023. Here, they add a No. 2 option alongside Justin Jefferson who can win on jump balls downfield and also rack up yards after the catch. … Johnston can become more consistent and use his size more effectively, but there’s a lot to like about his ability going forward.-Brad Spielberger
In 355 pass-blocking attempts he didn’t allow a sack or a quarterback hit. He did give up eight QB hurries according to Pro Football Focus.-Calvin Watkins
Defense has to be a priority in this draft for the Vikings and adding some youth up front would make a ton of sense. A CB would be fine here too.-Will Brinson
The Vikings could not stop opposing quarterbacks last season, allowing the third-most passing yards per attempt in the NFL (7.7). Now they’ve lost their best cornerback in Patrick Peterson. They did sign Byron Murphy Jr., who can play inside and out, but the Vikings could use another corner in Brian Flores’ man-to-man scheme. Porter is tough and physical, and he has rare 34-inch length for the position at 6-3 and 193 pounds. And despite zero interceptions, Porter did break up 11 passes last season for the Nittany Lions.
The Vikings are running to the podium to select one of the surest wide receiver prospects in the draft. Smith-Njigba is an exceptional route runner who can identify coverages and find soft spots in the defense while having some of the best hands in this wide receiver group. Pairing him with Justin Jefferson would give the Vikings one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL.-Matt Anderson
With only five total picks, I would be surprised if the Vikings actually remained here and made a selection. They are a prime trade-back candidate. Still, after the release of Adam Thielen, there’s a gaping hole at the WR2 spot opposite Justin Jefferson. Addison would give the offense another versatile player who can line up inside and outside. A detailed route runner, Addison has physical traits that are similar to those of Calvin Ridley, who was a first-round pick in 2018. Addison’s success in multiple offensive schemes (Pitt and USC) will help his NFL value. Addison could thrive off the attention given to Jefferson by defensive coordinators.-Jordan Reid
Minnesota needs help in the secondary, but this is such a deep draft at corner, and the Vikings could have a hard time passing up the player who eventually takes over for Kirk Cousins. The 6 feet 3, 217-pound Hooker is coming off of an ACL injury that shortened his fantastic senior season for the Vols. He threw for almost 3,000 yards and had a 27-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio; he also ran for 430 yards and five TDs. In his last two seasons with the Vols that TD-to-INT number was 58-to-5. The Vikings don’t need to play him now, so he can keep healing and have time to develop in Kevin O’Connell’s system. I’m told that Hooker shined in NFL QB interviews with coaches at the combine, displaying a lot of maturity and an excellent grasp of not only the Vols offense but also his former offense at Virginia Tech, where he started his career. I wouldn’t be shocked if Hooker gets picked higher than Levis, as some NFL coaches I talked to liked his game more than the Kentucky QB’s.-Bruce Feldman
I think this is too low for Adetomiwa Adebawore, considering the Combine performance he put together, but it’s also hard to find a landing spot for everyone. Adebawore runs a 4.49, jumps 37.5″ in the vertical and 10’5″ in the broad, and stands at 6’2 “, 282 pounds with 34” arms. The Minnesota Vikings have to start revamping their defensive line sooner than later.-Ian Valentino
At one point, Kelee Ringo was considered a lock in the top five of this draft class. Questions about his flexibility and versatility defensively have seen his value slide a bit, landing him right in the Vikings’ laps.
Questions about Ringo’s agility on the field are largely overblown, though he didn’t test well in that area, so it’s still at least a little concerning, but you can’t teach 4.36 speed. It’s quite a shift going from Cameron Dantzler to Ringo in that regard.-Kent Lee Platte
With Dalvin Tomlinson gone in free agency, the Minnesota Vikings could use someone to make an impact up the middle. Bryan Bresee, when healthy, can be an absolute unit on the field.
At 6’5″, 300 pounds, he’s a big player that produces a ton of power in his frame. He also brings underrated athleticism to the next level and would make Minnesota’s defensive line a major problem this year.-Joe Broback
Overview
Through 13 weeks, the Vikings have been mocked an astounding 49 players.
CB Deonte Banks
35
CB Cam Smith
23
CB Kelee Ringo
22
CB Emmanuel Forbes
17
WR Jordan Addison
17
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
16
CB Joey Porter Jr.
16
CB Clark Phillips III
12
WR Zay Flowers
12
CB/S Brian Branch
11
CB Devon Witherspoon
10
CB Christian Gonzalez
9
EDGE Lukas Van Ness
8
EDGE Nolan Smith
7
DT Bryan Bresee
6
WR Quentin Johnston
6
EDGE B.J. Ojulari
5
LB Trenton Simpson
5
EDGE Myles Murphy
5
WR Josh Downs
5
QB Will Levis
5
DT Calijah Kancey
5
S Antonio Johnson
4
EDGE/LB Drew Sanders
4
QB Hendon Hooker
4
DL Mazi Smith
3
WR Jalin Hyatt
3
C John Michael Schmitz
3
DL Keion White
3
DL Adetomiwa Adebawore
3
WR Rashee Rice
2
QB Anthony Richardson
2
NT Siaki Ika
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
C Joe Tippmann
1
CB D.J. Turner
1
OG O’Cyrus Torrence
1
CB Garrett Williams
1
Total
307
The Real Forno Show
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