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Tyler Forness

2023 NFL Mock Draft: Vikings Mock Draft Roundup 6.0

Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!

What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 173 mock drafts and only 10 of them were on offense. This season could end up being much of the same.

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We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Minnesota Vikings.

Mock Draft Roundup 5.0

Arkansas LB Drew Sanders

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Who:

ESPN’s Matt Miller

This is the least likely route for the Vikings to take, especially with what Sanders is as a player. He’s basically Anthony Barr and, while that type of player would be better used in the 3-4, are you drafting him as an edge where he is still very raw and slender or is he part of your future as a middle linebacker? He’s too much of a hybrid for my preference.

Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.

Joey Porter Jr. Hes Dr 102222 Whiteout

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

Browns Wire’s Cory Kinnan

If Porter Jr. is available at 23, it’s a slam dunk. He is his father if former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter was a cornerback. His length, aggressiveness and athleticism make him a tremendous player, especially for what the Vikings are planning on doing on offense.

Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

2022-08-23-jaxon-smith-njigba

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso

If you want to take a wide receiver in the draft, Smith-Njigba is going to be a popular choice for most analysts. Personally, I don’t view him as highly as others, as he ranks as my WR7. He is incredibly savvy in his route running but isn’t a very big guy and I’m not convinced that he will be able to beat press consistently, especially since he never faced it at Ohio State.

South Carolina CB Cam Smith

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

The 33rd Team’s Scouting Report
24/7 Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling
Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza

Smith is a hyper athlete that is aggressive with the ball in the air and loves to thump runners. His physicality is something that is very appealing and one that Brian Flores would be able to maximize in his system.

Stanford CB Kyu Blu Kelly

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

Vikings Wire’s Tyler Forness

Stanford didn’t have a great season this year, but they have a few prospects that are going to be drafted high and the best of them is Kelly. An aggressive corner that thrives in press-man, Kelly shined at the Senior Bowl and attacks the ball. His technique sets him up to be explosive toward the ball carrier.

Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

Pro Football Network’s Ben Rolfe
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer

Gonzalez is the smoothest cover cornerback in this class. He understands how to move with the receiver and plays in-phase incredibly well. In his matchup against Drake London in 2021, he played him incredibly well and made London earn every inch.

Utah CB Clark Phillips III

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

The Athletic’s Diante Lee
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar

The selection of Phillips III would be an interesting one. He isn’t a true outside cornerback, but he can do a little bit of everything. Having multiple cornerbacks that can play across the board is something that the Vikings would love to have.

Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller

A player that is technically sound that plays with the brain of Steve Atwater, Witherspoon plays with this controlled aggression that sets him apart from the rest of the class. If he ends up falling within the Vikings’ range, it would be a no-brainer for Minnesota.

USC's Jordan Addison

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards

I have been driving the train that the Vikings should prioritize taking a wide receiver with their first pick because cornerback can be addressed in free agency and later in the draft. Addison is a tremendous football player that will be able to create separation on all three levels of the field and take the pressure off of Justin Jefferson.

Georgia CB Kelee Ringo

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole

Ringo is going to be a fascinating case study in terms of where he gets drafted. While he has a great set of size and athletic tools, Ringo has a lot of struggles with technique and can’t turn well at all. He will need to be rebooted from the ground up in order to reach his full potential, but his ceiling is the highest in the class.

Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler’s Scouting Report

Who:

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli
The Draft Network’s Brentley Weissman

When you look at Forbes, Vikings fans will think that they already have that in Cameron Dantzler. Forbes is incredibly slender and looks like he weighs less than his listed 180 lbs. What he does have is excellent ball skills and is aggressive in attacking it.

Texas RB Bijan Robinson

Syndication Austin American Statesman

Who:

Vikings Wire’s Matt Anderson

The Vikings could need a running back this offseason, especially with Alexander Mattison a free agent and Dalvin Cook unlikely to play on his over $14 million cap hit. The selection of Robinson is less of a running back pick and more of a versatile weapon, as he can play in the slot and be a true dynamo.

Overview

Through six weeks, we have tracked 118 total mock drafts and there have been 38 total players. 68 total selections have been for cornerbacks.

CB Cam Smith 16
CB Devon Witherspoon 9
CB Christian Gonzalez 8
CB Clark Phillips III 8
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 7
CB Kelee Ringo 7
CB Joey Porter Jr. 6
WR Jordan Addison 5
CB Emmanuel Forbes 5
EDGE B.J. Ojulari 4
LB Trenton Simpson 3
CB/S Brian Branch 3
CB Deonte Banks 3
S Antonio Johnson 3
WR Rashee Rice 2
QB Anthony Richardson 2
EDGE Myles Murphy 2
NT Siaki Ika 2
EDGE Lukas Van Ness 2
DT Calijah Kancey 2
EDGE/LB Drew Sanders 2
OT Peter Skoronski 1
OT Blake Freeland 1
OT Anton Harrison 1
WR Zay Flowers 1
QB Tanner McKee 1
DL Mazi Smith 1
CB Jaylon Jones 1
WR Kayshon Boutte 1
OL Cody Mauch 1
CB Tyrique Stevenson 1
DT Bryan Bresee 1
EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah 1
WR Josh Downs 1
EDGE Keion White 1
OT Broderick Jones 1
CB Kyu Blu Kelly 1
RB Bijan Robinson 1

 

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