Vikings Draft | Part 2 — The Players
My previous article featured thoughts on the Vikings’ draft strategy — where should they go, and how could they get there. Sure, putting it on paper is always easy and looks good.
But after the best offseason of drafts, free agency, and retaining good players, everything looks good on paper for every team, and nothing comes to fruition until those games are played.
Vikings Draft | Part 2 — The Players
I put my thoughts in separate articles so the players’ names didn’t blur the strategy. So, based on my research of doing 11+ automated mock drafts on Pro Football Network, these are the players I can see (or hope are there) when the Vikings pick.
Free agency was handled well by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, with most pundits rating it as an “A” level operation. Holes were either filled or patched to prevent the draft from being the end all be all.
However, in my opinion, this draft has to be good to great if only for Adofo-Mensah to keep his job. Kevin O’Connell got an offseason extension, Adofo-Mensah didn’t, and that might be somewhat telling about what the Wilfs think of his general manager skills. Now, the right players need to be drafted to be impact players and fill some remaining holes or be ready to jump in when the patches are gone.
Using my top two strategies, the Vikings will need to acquire a 2nd or 3rd-round pick this year to make it happen. I will list this in ascending order based on the position they need to fill the least and work up to the most important and who could be available to fill those holes.
5. Running Back
The position has been a bit devalued the last few years, but teams in the playoffs with good to great backs were the more successful. Aaron Jones looked good last year, and if the offensive line had played better, he might have looked great.
Jones is going on the wrong side of 30, where NFL running backs tend to break down. The Vikings made the genius trade for 25-year-old Jordan Mason, who was running all over teams with the 49ers when Christian McCaffery was injured. This is considered a deep running back draft. Unless Ashton Jeanty falls to 24, the Vikings can wait to get RB depth until their later picks. Players most likely to be available are TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, and DJ Giddons.
Any of the first three would be great, with Giddons being a consolation prize. This should be a 3rd-round target at the earliest, and they should be happy if the position keeps getting pushed down the boards.
4. Safety
God bless Harrison Smith and his longevity, but he can’t play forever. The team’s original plan was to draft his replacement in Lewis Cine. Too bad that he wasn’t very good.
Losing Cam Bynum to free agency hurts for both his play and infectious enthusiasm. Safety is also undervalued, and you never know how important it is until you lose a future Hall of Fame player like Smith. So, the position needs someone to step in for Bynum, and that guy is Theo Jackson.
The team re-signed him, and he did well filling in for Smith last year. Swiss Army knife Josh Metellus is also there, but he plays better at the line of scrimmage and not as well in deep coverage. There are some good safety options near the top of the draft, and one may be sitting there at the Vikings’ first pick, but they can wait until later in the draft. The position dries up quickly, though, and getting players like Jaylan Reed or Craig Woodson might be a gift after the 3rd round or later.
3. Defensive tackle
More specifically, the three-technique needs to be addressed. Kevin Williams, John Randle, and Keith Millard are deep in Vikings lore for getting middle pressure, but Williams was the last guy to really be a great player in that position.
Harrison Phillips doesn’t get the credit he should, but pass-rushing isn’t his strength. The team brought in players who excelled at that, such as Javon Hargrave and Johnathan Allen, who can handle the run. These guys are more patches than long-term solutions; both were injured last year. They’re both over 30 as well.
The Eagles showed the league that being strong in the trenches with a great rotation can get you to the Super Bowl and earn the win. Being low in the 1st-round or early in the 2nd, they could snag a great player in Walter Nolan, Kenneth Grant, or Tyleik Williams unless other teams want to build similarly, and these guys are mostly gone by then.
2. Cornerback
You could easily swap this with defensive tackle as the Vikings’ first pick. While re-signing Byron Murphy Jr. was necessary, the team also picked up Isaiah Rodgers to pair up with him.
After that, the depth at cornerback is questionable. Mekhi Blackmon is coming off an injury and is relatively untested. Cornerback is one of the deeper positions in this draft, and the Vikings could snag an immediate starter late in the 1st or early in the 2nd in Benjamin Morrison, Shavon Revel, or Jahdae Brown.
This would immediately upgrade the position, and the new additions on the line could pressure the quarterback enough to make the defensive backs look better.
1. Offensive Line
Yeah, the Vikings got two outstanding players in free agency, Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, who immediately improved that unit. The offensive line has been an issue over the last few years as the NFL has swung to a more pass-heavy game.
While Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are premiere players at the tackle positions, the interior has struggled. Again, Kelly is on the wrong side of 30, and the left guard spot is still debatable with Blake Brandel not lighting it up last year. So why not add a starting guard to be with Fries — 26 years old for several years in the middle?
In most of my projections, Grey Zabel has been available even after trading down and should be able to start right away. Tyler Booker might also slide down that far, but it is doubtful.
Donovan Jackson is an option if both are gone. Strengthening the offensive line further supports the young quarterback, JJ McCarthy, in both passing and the run game. Allowing him to grow where he doesn’t have to be a playmaker outside of his comfort zone constantly can make him the player we are all projecting him to be.
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