Latest ESPN Mock Draft Continues Familiar Trend for Vikings
Most fingers are pointing at a cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, and ESPN’s Field Yates’s second stab at a draft prediction is no exception. Yates connected the purple team to South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse this week at No. 18.
ESPN’s latest mock draft ties the Vikings to another Round 1 cornerback, with Cisse again landing in Minnesota’s range.
The Vikings haven’t drafted a productive cornerback in a decade, so giving it a whirl with Cisse would be the next chance at redemption.
ESPN Keeps the Vikings in the Cornerback Lane
Mock draft season is here beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Field Yates: Cisse to MIN
In Yates’s first mock draft from December, he rolled with LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. This time, Cisse got the nod.
Yates wrote, “Cisse is one of the most unique prospects in this class, as he’s a cornerback with uncommon strength and athletic ability; if he tests at the combine, get ready for a show. While a perimeter corner at his core, Cisse took occasional slot snaps at South Carolina.”
“He was a force against the run from either alignment and can plaster perimeter wideouts in man coverage, staying physical and matching them stride-for-stride. Cornerback is a need for Minnesota, as Isaiah Rodgers is entering the final year of his deal. Plus, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has the ingenuity to deploy Cisse in many ways.”
In Yates’s second mock, the Miami Dolphins wiped Delane off the board at pick No. 11, which is probably more realistic than him falling to Minnesota at No. 18.
Who’s Cisse?
Cisse is 6’0″ and 190 pounds with 4.35 speed. He can move. Cisse is known as an outside cornerback with elite athleticism and speed. The drawbacks? He doesn’t do much zone coverage, and his tackling is not yet elite.
NFL Draft Buzz on Cisse: “His ability to mirror releases and close on throws at the catch point gives him a legitimate foundation to build on, and the physical tools are absolutely there for him to develop into a lockdown boundary corner who can erase half the field.”
“The explosiveness he shows triggering downhill on screens and perimeter runs adds value as a force player in the run game, even if his tackling technique needs serious refinement. Defensive coordinators will love his willingness to press and jam at the line, knowing he’s got the recovery wheels to make up for occasional lapses in technique.”
Cisse is also unusually young — he won’t turn 21 until July.
NBD added, “Bottom line: Cisse projects as a Day One starter who can line up outside and play press-man in Cover 1 and Cover 3 schemes right away. His ceiling is a legitimate CB1 who can travel with opposing team’s top receivers, but he needs another year or two of technical refinement to reach that level consistently.”
“The physical traits are already there – the mental processing and discipline will determine whether he becomes a good NFL corner or a great one. For teams picking in the late first round who need immediate help at corner and have strong defensive backs coaching, Cisse represents excellent value with massive upside.”
The Potential CB Room
The Vikings may sign a corner or two from free agency, but initially, a 2026 cornerback with Cisse in Minnesota would resemble this:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Brandon Cisse
- Dwight McGlothern
- Zemaiah Vaughn
Murphy Jr. and Rodgers held up quite well last season, missing no games and helping propel Minnesota to the NFL’s third-best EPA per play ranking. Eventually, though, the Vikings will need to draft a productive young cornerback. Cisse could be the guy.
He ranks No. 31 on the Consensus Big Board as of February 12th.
Other Draft Options at No. 18
The Vikings’ 1st-Round draft direction is a bit more mysterious now that the franchise fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but if Minnesota does not end up with Cisse as its first pick of the event, one of these men will probably get a tap on the shoulder:
- Aveion Terrell (Clemson)
- Caleb Banks (DT, Florida)
- CJ Allen (Georgia)
- Colton Hood (Tennessee)
- Dillon Thieneman (Oregon)
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo)
- Jermod McCoy (Tennessee)
- Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)
- Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
- KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
- Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
- Makai Lemon (WR, USC)
- Mansoor Delane (LSU)
- Peter Woods (DT, Clemson)
- Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
Most agree that Minnesota has long-term needs at cornerback, safety, inside linebacker, running back — and maybe quarterback, depending on J.J. McCarthy’s development. Another young defensive tackle couldn’t hurt, either.
The NFL Draft is exactly 10 weeks away.
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