Post-Combine Mock Drafts Show No Clear Path for Vikings
The NFL Combine is over, with this year’s draft class having done all they can to impress teams and boost their draft stock. And the end of the Combine leads to fresh mock drafts from the sports media outlets.
Post-Combine Mock Drafts Show No Clear Path for Vikings
Looking at a sample of mock drafts from various media outlets, the post-combine mock drafts show no clear path for the Vikings. From seven different mock drafts, the Vikings are given seven different players at six different positions — which didn’t include the player I selected in my own mock draft, DT Darius Alexander.
It shows where the Vikings are right now ahead of free agency, with lots of positions on the roster to fill. Last year, quarterback seemed the obvious need and became locked in once Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta.
Right now, the Vikings could go anywhere with their 24th overall pick. Here is the selection of picks from the mock drafts in question, which see defense favored over offense by five picks to two.
- NFL.com – Maxwell Hairston (CB)
- PFF – Grey Zabel (OL)
- Sports Illustrated – Nick Emmanwori (S)
- CBS Sports – Malaki Starks (S)
- SB Nation– Derrick Harmon (DL)
- Sporting News – Jahdae Barron (CB)
- USA Today – Armand Membou (OT)
The secondary pops up the most with four different defensive backs, while there are two offensive linemen, and surprisingly for me, only one defensive lineman. These are the positions I’d expect Minnesota to be looking at, with the possibility of running back as well. Let’s look at these seven players and why they were chosen.
Maxwell Hairston (CB) Kentucky
The only mock draft that included a trade, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, had the Vikings swapping picks with the Baltimore Ravens and selecting Maxwell Hairston with the 27th pick. There was nothing of what the rest of the trade might look like but with the Vikings only owning four draft picks this year a small trade back and adding a pick somewhere would be a good move. Of Hairston, Zierlein said,
Minnesota adds the buzziest cornerback coming out of the combine. Hairston lit up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium with a 4.28 40-yard dash.
His lightning-fast 40-yard time has boosted his draft stock, but he’s not just speed. He has the ideal frame to play CB at 6’1 and 186 lbs and is a capable blitzer — something that should make Brian Flores’ eyes light up.
Grey Zabel (OL) North Dakota State
The first of the linemen is North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel. A versatile lineman who would likely be lined up at guard for the Vikings if he was brought to Minnesota. Trevor Sikkema of PFF wrote of his decision to send Zabel to Minnesota;
Zabel could be one of those guys. He tested like a good athlete at the combine, especially for a player transitioning to guard or center, and has the movement skills, core strength, and footwork for the Vikings’ zone blocking scheme.
Nick Emmanwori (S) South Carolina
The Vikings will possibly have to replace Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum for this season, and they could do far worse than adding Nick Emmanwori to the team. Jared Feinberg of Sports Illustrated rationalized his decision of Emmanwori to Minnesota with;
One of the best pure athletes in the draft is finally off the board late in the first round. Emmanwori is not just a terrific athlete but arguably one of the top defensive backs in the NFL Draft and he lands into the Vikings lap. He is a physical downhill run defender who is only going to get better in every other facet of his game while giving Minnesota a potential big, rangy defender on the backend.
Malaki Starks (S) Georgia
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafting a Georgia safety in the first round? It would be sure to draw comparisons with Lewis Cine and the disastrous first-ever pick the Vikings GM made. However, that’s no reason to dismiss a player. Seen by many as the stand-out safety in this draft class, Starks could be a good fit in Minnesota. Here’s Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports’ assessment;
Put aside for the moment that Starks is an elite athlete who can line up anywhere in the secondary — he’s also one of the smartest players on the field who was a team leader from the moment he stepped on campus in Athens.
Derrick Harmon (DL) Oregon
No write-up from SB Nation, just draft picks. As a big proponent of the Vikings addressing the trenches in this year’s draft, this pick gets the thumbs-up from me. Harmon is the type of disruptive player that can get after the quarterback. Something Flores desperately needs on his defensive line.
Jahdae Barron (CB) Texas
Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News selected the final DB on this list in Jahdae Barron and had this to say;
The Vikings need a versatile safety/corner hybrid to handle all kinds of coverage in Brian Flores’ scheme. Barron continued his meteoric rise as a top secondary prospect at the NFL Combine to keep pushing up his stock.
Barron would give the Vikings a player similar to the Detroit Lions’ Brian Branch, who has been so successful with Minnesota’s rivals. He would seem the perfect player for Flores to utilize in his defense.
Armand Membou (OT)
Finally, we have the most eyebrow-raising choice of the group. As Tyler Dragon of USA Today picks a tackle.
Christian Darrisaw is coming off a season-ending knee injury. Membou started 12 games at right tackle in 2024. He has the athleticism to have some position versatility along the O-line.
Darrisaw’s injury history is a concern, but he signed a big contract extension last year, and Brian O’Neill still has a couple of years left on his contract. It seems unlikely the Vikings will look at tackles when they have major problems to solve on the interior. The question is whether Membou, considered short for a tackle at 6’4, is an option to convert to guard, which would then certainly put him in Minnesota’s sights.
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