Last Year’s Most Accurate Mock Drafter Forecasts Vikings Pick
The anticipation builds as the Minnesota Vikings approach mere days before the 2025 NFL Draft, an event where general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has just four selections.
Last Year’s Most Accurate Mock Drafter Forecasts Vikings Pick
Most purple fans expect the club to have defense on the brain early in the event, probably selecting a cornerback, safety, or defensive tackle.
And according to one of last year’s most accurate mock drafters, Brendan Donahue of Sharp Football Analysis, the purple team pick will be Nick Emmanwori at No. 24.
It’s Safety Nick Emmanwori
Donahue connected Emmanwori to Minnesota in Round 1 of his final mock and explained, “The Vikings could be a candidate to trade back as they only hold four picks in this draft, but if they do stick and pick, Emmanwori would be a great addition to a Brian Flores defense that needs to add some athleticism to their secondary.
“Emmanwori is the favorite to be the first safety drafted at -145.”
Harrison Smith is 36, and 2025 may be his final hurrah before retirement. The team recently promoted Theo Jackson to a starter’s job, and while fans hope he’s the real deal, no one is absolutely sure that he has the juice to remain a starter in the pros.
Josh Metellus is also on the purple team’s roster, but his deal expires after next season.
So, Donahue, with his rather accurate mock-draft prowess, says Emmanwori to Minnesota.
Nick Emmanwori’s Scouting Report
NFL.com‘s Lance Zierlein describes Emmanwori’s talents: “The assessment of Emmanwori’s tape could depend on which games you watch. He’s a physical specimen with rare size and outstanding speed, but he doesn’t always play with a ‘first to the action’ mentality in run support. When he gets it cranked up, he becomes a much more effective tackler and overall run stopper from sideline to sideline.”
“He’s capable of playing over the top, inside the box or even matching up with pass-catching tight ends. He’s upright with average transition fluidity in coverage, but he has great recovery speed and uses his length to throw a blanket over the catch point. He has rare NFL traits and talent, so a boost in urgency could take him from a good starter to a Pro Bowl-caliber player.”
If Minnesota indeed wants a safety from this draft, it can’t go wrong with this man.
Who’s Brendan Donahue?
Donahue writes for Sharp Football Analysis, a pretty fantastic website that sizes up the NFL from head to toe. That site says about Donahue: “Brendan Donahue, the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the past five NFL seasons according to The Huddle Report, gives you his 2025 NFL Mock Draft — making predictions for every team and every pick in the first round.”
Before settling on Emmanwori of South Carolina, Donahue connected Minnesota to Alabama guard Tyler Booker in his first mock, a trade back to Round 2 in his second, and Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
Emmanwori a Rather Popular Consensus
Donahue’s selection of Emmanwori isn’t some big, unique prognostication. It’s all over the place.
Pro Football Network‘s mock-drafted Emmanwori to Minnesota on Friday and wrote, “The Minnesota Vikings saw lots of turnover in the secondary in free agency. Safety Camryn Bynum left for the Colts, while both Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus could be gone after contract years in 2025. As such, it’s time for the Vikings to rebuild the position with the best athlete of any defensive back in this class.”
“Nick Emmanwori crushed the NFL Combine testing, but also had real production with 88 tackles en route to First Team All-American honors. He shows coverage potential matching up with tight ends, which was one of the Vikings’ few defensive weaknesses last year (ranking 17th with 7.4 yards per attempt allowed to opposing TEs).”
The aforementioned Starks, too, is a popular pick for the purple team.
PFN added, “Emmanwori would have time to develop as a third safety in 2025 before potentially becoming the leader of the position group in his second season.”
The Other Draft Favorites
If the selection is not a safety, defensive tackles like Derrick Harmon (Oregon), Walter Nolen (Ole Miss), and Kenneth Grant (Michigan) are popular predictions, along with cornerbacks Shavon Revel Jr. (East Carolina) and Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky).
A reasonable camp exists for North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel to Minnesota, too.
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