Mel Kiper — Again — Says Defense for Vikings in Mock Draft 2.0
Dustin Baker
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You’ve read it on here before – and everywhere – most draft heads believe the Minnesota Vikings will select a cornerback in the 1st Round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
If there is consensus on anything roster-wise for the Vikings this offseason, it’s that Minnesota will likely select a defender with the 12th overall pick. Currently, the roster is deficient of cornerbacks, EDGE rushers, and perhaps linebackers. In an odd irony, a team led by a defensive coach for eight seasons is in good shape on offense while sputtering for future forecast on defense.
Such is life – and that’s why the Vikings hired an offense-first coach in Kevin O’Connell after his Super Bowl triumph a few weeks ago. The Vikings are branding with offense, led by superstars like Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook.
On the draft, the most popular name associated with the Vikings about eight weeks away from the event is Ahmad Gardner. The Cincinnati Bearcat is who fans want, generally speaking, and men like Mel Kiper Jr. have mock-drafted Gardner to the Vikings ad nauseam.
However, in Kiper’s second mock draft of this cycle, the player was flipped. This time, it was not Gardner to the purple and gold – it was Derek Stingley Jr., who already wears purple and gold down at LSU. Kiper authored his next mock draft on Tuesday, and Stingley Jr. was “the guy” for the Vikings:
“New general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell inherit an aging defense from a front office that has had some notable first-round misses at cornerback in recent years, but that shouldn’t keep them from taking another swing. This is the position Minnesota needs most, and Stingley could be worth it. Stingley needs to show NFL teams that he can get back to the way he played in 2019, when had six picks as a true freshman on LSU’s national title team. He won’t be working out at the combine, which means his off-field work there — interviews with teams — will be crucial.”
Mel Kiper Jr. | ESPN
Stingley Jr. would fit nicely in Minnesota for a couple of reasons. Foremost, he played with Justin Jefferson at LSU in 2019 – the Joe Burrow championship season. That isn’t an end-all for draft placement with a team, but it is noteworthy. The Vikings enjoy LSU alumni – from Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Patrick Peterson, to perhaps Stingley Jr.
Then, Stingley Jr.’s defensive coordinator from LSU in 2021 recently re-joined the Vikings staff. His name is Daronte Jones, and he was Minnesota’s defensive backs coach in 2020 before heading south for a season to lead LSU’s defense. Now, he’s back, as the Vikings rebrand with new leadership.
And often, those “ties,” laced with LSU blood in particular, really, really matter.
While excitement exists eternally on any NFL team drafting a quarterback or sexy wide receiver early in a draft, the Vikings will probably be defensive merchants on April 28th. And cornerback is a safe bet.
The question now, barring roster upheaval in the next two weeks or groundbreaking trade, is which cornerback will the Vikings take? Or will they finally draft an EDGE rusher in the 1st Round for the first time since 2005?
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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