Our Official Draft Endorsement for the 2025 Vikings
In five days, the Minnesota Vikings will notify Roger Goodell of their first draft selection after three months of deliberation.
Our Official Draft Endorsement for the 2025 Vikings
Per oddsmakers, the club is expected to draft a cornerback or safety, though the moneylines for a defensive tackle or offensive guard aren’t far off.
Through a three-step polling process, we asked all VikingsTerritory writers for a collective draft endorsement. The voting went like this:
- Do you prefer the Vikings to trade back?
- Do you prefer them to target an offensive or defensive player?
- Please rank applicable players.
Thereafter, VikingsTerritory arrived at the following draft endorsement.
Trade Down and Pick a Defensive Player
We began the selection process with a simple question: “Generally speaking, do you want the Vikings to stick-and-pick at No. 24, or would you prefer a trade back?”
Overwhelmingly, the group chose to trade down, urging the team to stockpile picks after selling most of the 2025 bucket for outside linebacker Dallas Turner in 2024. A few writers held out, recommending the team stay put at No. 24, but overall, the consensus was to trade down.
And Minnesota just so happens to employ a general manager who loves to trade. It works.
Draft Cornerback Shavon Revel Jr.
Following a tight voting process, where Revel Jr. narrowly edged Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, our panel settled on Revel Jr. as our preferred pick, either late in Round 1 or early in Round 2.
Revel Jr. is already 24 years old — which is a bit of a turn-off — but that also means he should be game-ready. In fact, Revel Jr. might be this year’s Quinyon Mitchell, an immediate standout from a small school.
Focusing on the cornerback room’s long-term future, we recommend Revel Jr. as Minnesota’s pick. It’s time — way overdue — for the Vikings to hit on a high-round cornerback. They’ve struck out too many times with Mike Hughes, Andrew Booth, Jeff Gladney, and others.
Revel Jr. should be ready to play immediately, possibly starting instead of Isaiah Rodgers or Mekhi Blackmon in September.
Shavon Revel Jr.’s Scouting Report
Aside from the uniquely old rookie age and ACL tear, Revel Jr. doesn’t have many warts.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein profiles his scouting report: “Big, long and fast are the physical descriptors that stand out for the East Carolina corner. Revel is leggy when matching press release but he’s disruptive once he gets his hands on the wideout. He plays upright in man coverage, tends to allow small pockets of separation due to his high center of gravity and still needs improvement when it comes to finding and defending the deep ball, despite his ability to stay in phase with vertical routes.”
“He has ideal length and good vision from zone, and he should continue to improve in that coverage with more experience. Revel suffered a torn ACL in September, but his measurables, explosiveness and upside give him a good chance to become an early starter.”
Vikings fans would especially enjoy his 6’2″ + 195-pound frame.
Our Preferred Order for the Vikings’ Defensive Pick after a Trade Back
The panel ranked would-be rookie prospects in this order after the trade down:
- Shavon Revel Jr. (CB, East Carolina)
- Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon)
- Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame)
- Trey Amos (CB, Mississippi)
- Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State)
- Azaraeye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State)
- Xavier Watts (S, Notre Dame)
This list assumes that Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen, and Jahdae Barron will be off the board when Minnesota picks after the trade back.
DT Derrick Harmon a Close Second
It’s worth noting that Harmon was a single vote away from tying Revel Jr. in our voting, so in a way, our draft endorsement could be considered an either-or between Revel Jr. and Harmon.
Those who supported an offensive draft pick via our voting mostly called for an offensive lineman, preferably a guard like North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, Alabama’s Tyler Booker, or Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson. Most of the group endorsed Zabel if offense turns out to be the pick.
Minnesota hasn’t drafted a guard with 1st-Round capital in 37 years.
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