The NFL draft is less than a month away, and there’s still no consensus over what the Minnesota Vikings will do with pick No. 12.
Since nobody has time to go through all of the mocks, and many fans only really care about what the Vikings do with their pick, I have compiled the predictions from the most-trusted experts to see who they think Minnesota will take in the first round.
You may expect Mel Kiper and Todd McShay to be on there, but they haven’t done a mock draft since early in free agency, so their picks aren’t on here since they fail to account for all the player movement.
Cynthia Frelund 2.0 (NFL.com)
Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
“I had Stingley here in Mock 1.0. With him off the board, the Vikings grab another CB. Stingley and McDuffie aren’t interchangeable — especially with their different body types/skill sets — but the discrepancy in win-share value between the two is very minimal.”
Despite bringing back Patrick Peterson and adding both Chandon Sullivan and Nate Hairston in free agency, cornerback is still a position of need for the Vikings. By adding McDuffie to the cornerback room, they can get a potential No. 1 corner who can play both inside and out.
Though McDuffie doesn’t have the hype that someone like Sauce Gardner or Stingley has, he is still a talented player with a lot of upside that the Vikings should consider if he is still on the board.
Bucky Brooks 3.0 (NFL.com)
Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
“The high-IQ technician is a scheme-friendly cover corner with the talent and tools to play at an all-star level from Day 1.”
Booth is yet another talented corner that has been seldom discussed in this class, with the emergence of both Stingley and Gardner. Booth is the ideal size for a corner at 6’0”, 194 lbs. and has the length that defensive coordinators love to see in their defensive backs.
In his two years at Clemson, Booth was able to show that he is ready for the NFL as he took on the opposing team’s best wide receiver. Though Booth only had one full season as a starter, his football IQ and awareness made him one of the best corners in the class.
Mike Tannenbaum (ESPN)
Travon Walker, DE, Georgia
“Walker’s combine workout was tremendous, but production inconsistency (only 9.5 sacks over 36 career games) concerns me. That’s why I have him falling a bit to No. 12 here. But he is a versatile player who can develop into a force off the edge. A trio of Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith, and Walker would cause problems for opposing quarterbacks.”
This is Tannenbaum’s first mock that doesn’t have the Vikings going with a corner in the first round. Walker is a talented defensive end who has seen his stock rise in recent weeks, highlighted by his insane physical metrics. Though taking a defensive end at this pick might seem odd when considering the Vikings added Za’Darius Smith in the offseason, it is important to keep in mind the injury history both Smith and Hunter have over the last two years.
By drafting a physical freak with some disappointing college production to sit behind Smith and Hunter, the Vikings would be replicating what the Packers did when they drafted Rashan Gary after getting both Preston and Za’Darius Smith in free agency.
Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL.com)
Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
“New general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah takes Stingley with his first draft pick in an effort to find the team’s new CB1. The LSU product comes with questions, but he has the natural talent to end the Vikings’ multi-year search for a top-tier cover man.”
The former Jacksonville Jaguars running back has the Vikings taking the talented corner from LSU to pair with Patrick Peterson, a former Tiger. Bringing in Stingley would allow for the Vikings to secure the secondary and add more depth to a unit that has been lacking it for a while.
On his podcast All Things Covered, Peterson said that Stingley reminded him of a younger version of himself. Having Peterson mentor him and actualize Stingley’s potential would be great for the Vikings as they shift to this new age of their corner room.
Kevin Hanson (Sports Illustrated)
Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
“Patrick Peterson is returning to play his age-32 season in Minnesota, which could give the former LSU Tiger an opportunity to mentor the 20-year-old Stingley, assuming Minnesota is comfortable with his medical evaluations. Stingley gave us a glimpse of his upside from his elite true-freshman season in 2019. He has the speed, athleticism and fluidity to thrive on an island in addition to outstanding ball skills (six INTs in ’19).”
Another analyst who has the Vikings taking the talented LSU corner. It is interesting to see a majority of the mock drafts that have come out see corner as the Vikings’ biggest need. While I agree that the Vikings do need reinforcements at that position, I think that the new front office and coaching staff might take a best-player-available approach to the first round instead of selecting for need.
These mock drafts have the Vikings taking defense first. Still, given that the Vikings have already spent $80 million this free agency on defense alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to add an offensive weapon for Kevin O’Connell to work with and improve on the offense.
