With just two weekends of actual football left and the NFL Combine a little over a month away, publications across the country are starting to pump out mock draft after mock draft.
Welcome to Mock Draft season!
So who do these mock drafters think the Vikings will take with the 23rd pick?
According to just about every mock draft we came across the Vikings are projected to take a defensive player in the first round. Shocker, eh?
Both Mel Kiper and The 33rd Team have Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes landing in Minnesota.
#SECFB 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊
ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴꜱɪᴠᴇEmmanuel Forbes • @HailStateFB
🔗 https://t.co/FKgzTKeidl pic.twitter.com/p4vj6ItGZG
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 3, 2022
Four other mock drafts have the Vikings taking a first round cornerback as well.
- Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network – Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson
- Bucky Brooks, NFL Network – South Carolina CB Cam Smith
- Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network – Penn St. CB Joey Porter Jr.
- Dane Brugler, The Athletic – Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Now that Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. has declared for the 2023 draft, it's time to get into that tape. The first thing that pops off the screen is that every catch is a contested catch. This guy lives to bother receivers, and he'll put your X-iso to sleep if you're not careful. pic.twitter.com/BDCIeDSeI3
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 1, 2022
The Vikings cornerback room is incredibly thin heading into the offseason. Patrick Peterson and Duke Shelley are both free agents. Cam Dantlzer will be on the final year of his rookie contract and looked like he lost his job to Shelley by the end of this season. Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. will be returning from injuries that ended their respective rookie year early.
Two other recent mock drafts had the Vikings targeting defensive linemen as CBS Sports Networks’ duo of draft analysts, Chris Trapasso and Ryan Wilson, have the Vikings taking Clemson defensive lineman Myles Murphy and LSU edge rusher BJ Ojulari, respectively.
Minnesota has pending questions along the defensive front as well. Danielle Hunter could fetch a big haul on the trade market if the Vikings decide they don’t want to pay the 28-year-old top-end money. Za’Darius Smith will carry a $16.9 million cap hit next season if the Vikings keep the 30-year-old edge rusher, which makes him a possible salary cap casualty.
The lack of quarterbacks is certainly an interesting early trend considering the Vikings’ future at the position. Kirk Cousins will be 35 the next time he snaps a ball in an official game and Nick Mullens is a career backup.
The Athletic’s Dan Brugler stated in his most recent mock draft that “Between now and the draft, I’m sure we will hear plenty of quarterback talk surrounding the Vikings. But they also need help on defense, obviously, including in the secondary.”
Related: Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock has Vikings drafting ‘interception magnet’ Emmanuel Forbes
Related: What if a top QB prospect falls to the Vikings in the draft?
