The 4 Most Likely Players to Be Drafted by Vikings
The NFL Draft is less than six weeks away, and after the Minnesota Vikings completed free agency’s first wave, their strategy might be a bit more apparent.
The 4 Most Likely Players to Be Drafted by Vikings
In fact, Minnesota will have the luxury of drafting the best player available at pick No. 24 if it remains in that spot.
Overall, these are the four likeliest players to be drafted by Minnesota if one assumes it doesn’t trade back on draft night. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely).
4. Jahdae Barron (CB)
College: Texas
Age: 23
Height | Weight: 5’11 | 195
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 17
If the Vikings don’t sign any more cornerbacks after extending Byron Murphy Jr. and adding Isaiah Rodgers, they’ll need one from the draft. Barron would have to slide a bit for Minnesota’s pounce, but stranger things have happened.
Fans would adore Barron. He’s not recovering from any injuries like fellow rookie corners Benjamin Morrison and Shavon Revel Jr.
3. Omarion Hampton (RB)
College: North Carolina
Age: 22
Height | Weight: 6’0 | 200
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 31
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may have to reach a handful of spots for Hampton, but if he turns out to be the real deal, a running back who holds down the fort for five years, who really cares?
Minnesota is due to draft a running back; it’s been eight years since Dalvin Cook joined from Florida State.
Ashton Jeanty will be long gone, but Hampton should be available at pick No. 24.
2. Tyler Booker (iOL)
College: Alabama
Age: 20
Height | Weight: 6’5″ | 325
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 23
If the Vikings don’t believe in Blake Brandel for the long haul — that is unknown this offseason — perhaps they’ll select the best interior offensive lineman in the draft. How’s that sound?
Booker offers extreme youth and a wickedly powerful technique. He’ll need to improve his run-blocking regimen, but that’s about it for weaknesses.
1. Kenneth Grant (DT)
College: Michigan
Age: 21
Height | Weight: 6’3″ | 340
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 20
Minnesota signed Allen and Hargrave, right? Great — why not more, invoking the best player available at pick No. 24?
That’s how the Philadelphia Eagles do it, and that’s how the Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl — unrivaled depth in the offensive and defensive trenches.
Graham is a huge human and obviously excels at crushing the run. He has the upside to develop into a quarterback terrorist, too, so if he’s there, Minnesota should draft Grant and just have “too many” good defensive linemen.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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