We’re hours away from the Minnesota Vikings’ first draft under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. With no track record on how Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell will handle the draft, it’s hard to project who they will take. Perhaps this is where they set themselves apart from the Rick Spielman-Mike Zimmer regime.
We turn to the experts to better understand how the Vikings will handle the draft.
Mel Kiper & Todd McShay (ESPN+)
Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
Stingley made the list of my favorite prospects, and I mentioned that Minnesota is probably his floor in Round 1. NFL teams will bet on his talent, even with back-to-back injury-plagued seasons.
Kiper and McShay don’t seem to be buying the latest buzz on Stingley potentially going top five and have the LSU corner coming to Minnesota at pick No. 12. Drafting Stingley would make newly re-signed corner Patrick Peterson happy. Peterson naturally would take over as a mentor for the talented corner from his alma mater.
With this selection, the Vikings would also be solidifying their corner situation going into the future, creating a formidable duo with Cameron Dantzler and Stingley.
Stingley has been regarded as the best corner in this class not named Sauce Gardner. If the Vikings can land Stingley at pick No. 12, they would leave the first round thinking they got a steal.
Bucky Brooks (NFL.com)
Jameson Williams, Wr, Alabama
Adding the Alabama standout would give the Vikings a dynamic three-receiver package; Williams could eventually replace Adam Thielen in a year or two, when his salary-cap number becomes unmanageable.
Some fans might be surprised to see the Vikings go for a wideout this early in the draft. But it is important to keep in mind how aggressive O’Connell’s former team, the Los Angeles Rams, was when they addressed the wide receiver position.
O’Connell could adopt a similar mentality and look to add this talented playmaker to the already incredible corps of Jefferson, Thielen, and K.J. Osborn. This wide receiver class is very talented, and we could see the Vikings add one of the top-tier players from this group.
If the Vikings draft Willamson, they would have to manage the torn ACL he suffered in the National Championship game last season. Though Willamson should make a full recovery, don’t be surprised if the Vikings are cautious with him at first.
Matt Miller (ESPN+)
Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, FSU
The hometown kid (from Eden Prairie, Minnesota) could return to the state with the task of working his way into a defensive end rotation that has been tumultuous the past several seasons. Johnson broke onto the scene with a fantastic 2021 season and showed at both the Senior Bowl and combine that he’s an all-around prospect.
For the Vikings, this is a future need more than an immediate one, but Johnson is too good to let slip in a pass-rusher group that lacks depth outside the top four.
Despite adding Za’Darius Smith in the offseason, Miller has the Vikings taking Eden Prairie’s Jermaine Johnson II. Though Miller labeled this as a pick for the future, it also serves an immediate purpose. Johnson would bolster the pass rush and serve as insurance in case Smith or Danielle Hunter get injured.
In Johnson, the Vikings get a legitimate third pass-rushing option that teams have to respect. They would also be able to give Hunter and Smith some snaps off.
This pick is also very much a BPA situation where the Vikings front office would look at the team’s needs compared to the prospects available and decide that Johnson is their guy.
Peter King (NBC Sports)
Derek Stingley Jr. CB, LSU
There are good fits, and there is Stingley in Minnesota, where he’d be coached by his old defensive coordinator at LSU, secondary coach Daronte Jones, and he’d be mentored by former Tigers corner Patrick Peterson [and reconnect with former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson]. This is a dream scenario for the Vikings. Stingley’s career fell off a cliff after a strong 2019 season, the same way the LSU program fell off a cliff in the last two years of Ed Orgeron. In ’19, Stingley battled in practice with J’Marr Chase and played high-level in games; some scouts thought he was the best corner in the country as a true freshman. Fate smiles on rookie Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on his first NFL draft choice — if indeed he can pick Stingley. “I think he was the best NFL prospect in the country as a freshman,” one GM told me, “and his workout this spring showed a lot of [Darrelle] Revis to me.”
King also has the Vikings selecting Stingley at No. 12. While the need for a corner is there, it feels almost impossible to envision a future where Stingley falls to 12.
However, King raises an interesting point about how Stingley had to guard both Chase and Jefferson in practice every day and how that has shaped him into the player he is today. King also brought up a lesser-known connection with Daronte Jones being Stingley’s former defensive coordinator and how the familiarity might allow for a softer NFL landing spot.
It feels improbable that Stingley falls to the Vikings. However, of all of the players rumored to the Vikings, he seems to be the one who gets the fanbase most amped.
Chad Reuter (NFL.com)
Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
PROJECTED TRADE: The Vikings trade back to No. 20 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Minnesota gets the 20th-overall pick, as well as 2023 first- and fourth-round selections.
Re-signing Patrick Peterson was a wise move, but the Vikings must still add youth to the secondary. Booth’s a physical player who has been unable to fully show off his athleticism during the pre-draft process due to nagging injuries. NFL offenses will see it soon enough, however.
A trade down feels fitting. There have been rumors about the Vikings moving back, and Pittsburgh makes sense as a trade partner if they do. The Vikings still acquire a top cornerback in Booth who can learn from Patrick Peterson and fill the role of the Vikings’ next star cornerback.
While he hasn’t got the same press as Stingley or Sauce, make no mistake, Booth is still a very talented, athletic player.
If the Vikings make this move, they would fill a need at corner and set themselves up nicely for the next draft. They’d have two first-round picks that they can use to maneuver or maybe make a big deal near the trade deadline.
