There’s only one more Vikings Wire draft simulation after this one.
These draft simulations have been fun, and they probably give you an idea of who’s available for the Vikings at certain points in the draft. In this draft, I picked for needs and didn’t get too crazy.
There are some choices I made as to how long the Vikings should wait to draft a positional need, but that’s a given in any draft simulation. It would have been nice to get an edge rusher earlier than the third round, for instance, but with the picks who fell before that pick, I just couldn’t do it. You can find the entire draft simulation here.
Here are the Vikings’ picks:
Round 1: TCU CB Jeff Gladney
For the second draft simulation in a row, Gladney fell to the Vikings at No. 22 and I took him.
Gladney is a solid pressing defensive back, and he can definitely compete for a starting spot at corner. If both Holton Hill and Mike Hughes end up beating him out for the two spots out wide, and they play the entire season, that says a lot about how good the Vikings are going to be at corner. And Gladney could come in and be a good nickel corner.
Round 1: Baylor WR Denzel Mims
Mims is an electrifying wide receiver who could fit nicely with wide receiver Adam Thielen.
He might not be a full-on replacement for Stefon Diggs, who left the team via trade in the offseason, but Mims, Tajae Sharpe, Bisi Johnson and possibly others can combine for a good amount of production Diggs left behind.
Round 2: TCU OT Lucas Niang
Niang could come and start, moving Riley Reiff to guard for the Vikings. That creates a better offensive line than the previous unit, especially if the team could re-sign guard Josh Kline for the cheaper contract.
Minnesota can put Pat Elflein in a platoon role. The team could also make him the center.
Round 3: LSU TE Thaddeus Moss
I know what you’re thinking: tight end isn’t a need, the Vikings have Kyle Rudolph. I get that it’s weird to draft another tight end, but he adds a different dimension to the offense.
Moss showed that he could be a threat in the passing game, but he also has a strength in blocking. He’d be a good complement to Rudolph on the offense, and he could help replace some of the production in the passing game from Diggs leaving.
Round 3: Utah DE Bradlee Anae
Minnesota might need a defensive end after Everson Griffen announced he was leaving.
Anae might not be the answer, but he can add depth to the right side of the defensive line. Maybe he pans out as the starter as well. Anae is quick and was pretty good in pass rushing.
The Vikings have more than $12 million in cap space, so the team could sign a defensive end, and Anae could compete with him and others currently on the team for the starting spot.
Round 4: Oregon G Shane Lemieux
It’s no secret the Vikings need offensive line depth and Lemieux provides just that. He can compete for the two guard spots, maybe even starting now that Josh Kline was cut.
I think either Dru Samia or Lemieux could win one of the guard spots and be serviceable on the offensive line.
Round 5: North Carolina DT Jason Strowbridge
Strowbridge could come in and start, but if that isn’t the case, he can be a situational defensive tackle.
He’s 6-4, but pretty light for a defensive tackle that size. He can run through gaps when Michael Pierce commands double-teams. Overall, good value for the fifth round.
Round 6: Auburn CB Javaris Davis
I’m really only comfortable with Hill and Hughes at corner on the roster for the Vikings right now.
That means even if the team drafts Gladney, it’d help to have extra depth. That depth could be Davis, who is a quick, ball-hawking player.
Round 6: Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
Though Minnesota already drafted a wide receiver in the first round, if Gandy-Golden falls to the Vikings in the sixth, I think they should take him.
He dominated opposing defenses when he was at Liberty and he could have a high ceiling if his skill translates to the NFL level. Maybe the level of talent in the NFL will be too big of a step up, but I think it’s worth the risk.
He’s an athletic, big-bodied wide receiver who could complement a speedier wide receiver like Thielen well.
Round: 7: LSU LB Michael Divinity Jr.
Divinity Jr. is solid linebacker depth at a position that has seen its share of rotating players.
Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks have solidified two of the linebacker positions, but the other one has seen Eric Wilson, Cameron Smith, Ben Gedeon and others fill the third position in the past. I think Divinity Jr. could at least compete for the inconsistent linebacker spot in 2020.
Round 7: Nebraska DT Darrion Daniels
Daniels adds defensive line depth at a position group that saw Linval Joseph leave for the Chargers in free agency. Unlike Strowbridge, who was drafted at defensive tackle earlier in the simulation and is more of a passing threat, Daniels is a run-stopper who can command more offensive linemen and can clog up holes.
Round 7: Baylor CB Grayland Arnold
I didn’t get too crazy with the final pick for the Vikings. Arnold adds depth to a position that saw three players from the Vikings sign elsewhere in free agency.
If Holton Hill or Mike Hughes suffer injuries, it might take more than a first-round and a sixth-round corner to fill the void. Maybe Arnold, who provides good value in the seventh, steps up.
