Who will the Vikings take with the No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft? Will they trade down?
Get your Vikings draft fix with our Minnesota Vikings 2022 draft guide
We’ll find out when the draft starts at 7 p.m. Thursday. Here are the final mock draft predictions from the big wigs who cover the NFL.
Todd McShay, ESPN: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
“Xavier Woods left in free agency, and Harrison Smith is 33 years old. Hamilton comes at pretty good value, and he has a unique combination of range, size, length and ball skills. Before his knee injury in October, Hamilton picked off three passes.”
Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
“This is a bit of a slide for Thibodeaux — my preseason No. 1 prospect — but he’d land in a great situation in Minnesota. And he wouldn’t have a ton of early pressure on him. He could play on the other side of Danielle Hunter.”
Peter Schrager, NFL Network: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
“Minnesota has needs throughout the defensive backfield, and Hamilton can make an immediate impact from Day 1 learning from Harrison Smith.”
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
“Stingley could go as high as No. 3 overall. I can’t see him falling beyond this selection.”
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
“The Vikings can draft and stash the talented Williams — who’s recovering from an ACL tear — as the future replacement for Adam Thielen.”
Dane Brugler, The Athletic: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
“The Vikings are hoping Stingley falls this far, but they won’t be too upset if they end up with Hamilton. Not a bad way to kick off the new regime in Minnesota.”
Danny Kelly, The Ringer: Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Florida State
“The Vikings further bolster their edge rush group by grabbing Johnson here. The Seminole is a tough, physical defender with ideal length and the skill set to play on all three downs. Together with Danielle Hunter and the newly signed Za’Darius Smith, he gives the Vikings a deep pass-rush rotation.”
Peter King, NBC Sports: Derek Stingley, CB, LSU
“There are good fits, and there is Stingley in Minnesota, where he’d be coached by his old defensive coordinator at LSU, secondary coach Daronte Jones, and he’d be mentored by former Tiger corner Patrick Peterson. This is a dream scenario for the Vikings. Stingley’s career fell off a cliff after a strong 2019 season, the same way the LSU program fell off a cliff in the last two years of Ed Orgeron. In ’19, Stingley battled in practice with J’Marr Chase and played high-level in games; some scouts thought he was the best corner in the country as a true freshman. Fate smiles on rookie Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on his first NFL draft choice—if indeed he can pick Stingley. “I think he was the best NFL prospect in the country as a freshman,” one GM told me, “and his workout this spring showed a lot of [Darrelle] Revis to me.”
