Peter Schrager’s 1st Mock Draft Says WR for Vikings
Dustin Baker
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With five picks on the menu in the 2023 NFL Draft, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could veer in about 10 different directions in Round 1.
He could trade up for a quarterback to plan for life after Kirk Cousins, stay put and grab a cornerback to bolster the secondary, draft a ferocious EDGE rusher like Myles Murphy from Clemson, or trade back and stockpile assets like last year.
Peter Schrager’s 1st Mock Draft Says WR for Vikings
Or he can become insanely rich on offense in an offense-first NFL and choose a playmaker to act as Justin Jefferson’s veep for the next 4-5 years. And that’s the recommendation from NFL.com’s Peter Schrager, who always seems to keep a fascinated eye on the Vikings. Schrager fired up his first mock draft of the cycle and smushed USC’s Jordan Addison onto Minnesota’s roster.
Schrager explained the pick, “I know of at least one team that has Addison as its top-rated wide receiver. With Adam Thielen now in Carolina, this pairing makes sense. That said, Minnesota can go a variety of ways here.”
Addison is a 6’0″ and 170-pounder who tabulated 3,134 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in three seasons at Pittsburgh and USC.
“With Kirk Cousins in the last year of his contract, quarterback could be an option, but the Vikings might have to aggressively jump up the board in order to get their man at that position,” Schrager concluded.
If the Vikings disagree with Schrager — and many other mock drafters — about the WR position as a primary need, incumbent WR3 K.J. Osborn would be on deck for WR2 duty in September. It’s just unclear, with the draft nine days away, if the Vikings view Osborn as a true-blue WR2. Perhaps.
Addison is a part of a WR “Big Four” in this year’s draft, including Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State), Quentin Johnston (TCU), and Zay Flowers (Boston College). Most draft heads believe Smith-Njigba will fly off the board first, perhaps to the Houston Texans with the 12th overall pick. But after Smith-Njigba, it’s anybody’s ballgame for the next wideout.
Addison is known for his technical prowess in separating from defenders and can be a high-volume workhorse. At 170 pounds, he’s certainly not known for size, but general managers care less and less about “big wide receivers” in the NFL. Addison ran a 4.49 forty at the 2023 NFL Combine.
Per sportsbooks, Minnesota is a favored landing spot for Quentin Johnston and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, making this draft one of the Vikings most mysterious in recent memory.
The Vikings drafted six WRs in Round 1 during the last 25 years, and those men have 14 Pro Bowls among them.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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