The pick the Vikings dumped for a relationship with quarterback Sam Bradford might turn into something so much more than they thought it would.
Actually, it has to be true that general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer thought adding Bradford would have resulted in a much lower first-round pick. But they were wrong, and now they can only view the 14th pick through a jealous lens.
Check out who the mock drafters think the 14th pick will turn into. It includes one guy who’s been compared to Calvin Johnson.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller: WR, Mike Williams, Clemson
“Williams is a specialist in traffic and excels at making the tough grade with defenders all around him. He’s not the fastest player in the class by any means, but he is the best overall wide receiver on my board. His route-running, size and length all add up to making him a true No. 1 wideout prospect.”
Sidenote on Williams: He’s been compared to Calvin Johnson. Can you imagine how nice that would be in purple and gold?
The MMQB’s Emily Kaplan: DB, Sidney Jones, Washington
“Jones can be the elite lockdown corner who elevates Philadelphia’s secondary. He was extremely impressive for the Huskies, whose secondary was essentially the Seattle Seahawks of college football last season. Jones doesn’t shy from physicality in his matchups.”
Sidenote on Jones: NFL Network’s Mike Mayock compared him to Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters.
SB Nation’s Dan Kadar: WR, Corey Davis, Western Michigan
“Davis didn’t work out at the combine, but his draft stock should be fine. He has good hands and runs great routes, so he should quickly develop into Carson Wentz’s go-to target.”
CBS Sports’ Rob Rang: WR, Corey Davis, Western Michigan
“Starring in the MAC rather than a Power 5 conference, Davis does not earn the attention he deserves but he’s a polished route-runner with an ideal combination of size (6-3, 213) with 4.4 speed.”
USA Today’s Nate Davis: WR, Corey Davis, Western Michigan
“At 6-3, 213 pounds with all the skills necessary to blossom into a bona fide No. 1 target, Davis is exactly the kind of prospect Philly would be wise to pair with second-year QB Carson Wentz, who only connected for eight touchdowns with his pedestrian group of wide receivers in 2016.”
Of course, mock drafts are wildly inaccurate and based on team needs, so even if the Vikings were still in control of the 14th pick the names in the mocks would be different. And it would be difficult to argue that Minnesota wouldn’t be using the 14th pick on a quarterback.
Even though round one of the draft has lost its appeal for Vikings fans – unless Spielman trades back into the first round – this year’s draft is believed to be very deep (except offensive line), meaning the Vikings can still get a high quality player in round two and beyond.
