Beginning today, 259 players will hear their names called during the NFL Draft. The draft is the NFL’s best answer to reality television, with the event taking over three days and countless hours.
For the Minnesota Vikings, it’s an opportunity to continue building a roster that found itself in the playoffs just a year ago. However, the Vikings have just five draft picks after multiple trades, including for T.J. Hockenson in at the trade deadline. That number could decrease even further if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chooses to get aggressive by moving up for a quarterback.
Regardless of how the Vikings maneuver the board, they’ll have to get creative to add impactful players at positions of need, especially with three picks coming on Day 3 of the draft.
Here are eleven players the Vikings could target during the NFL Draft.
Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Draft Projection: 1st round
If you’re looking for Deonte Banks’ best showcase, look no further than last season’s game against Ohio State. Despite facing multiple future NFL wide receivers, Banks held his own and found different ways to impact the game, including on special teams.
Banks has scheme versatility, but he’ll thrive in Brian Flores’ press-man defense, where he can use his physicality and athleticism to keep up with wide receivers. Penalties were a problem at times (including against Ohio State), but Banks has all the traits to be a CB1 in the Vikings’ defense, as long as he’s available when they select.
Alabama S Brian Branch
Draft Projection: Late 1st round to early 2nd round
Brian Flores’ defense relies on versatile safeties, and Brian Branch might be the most versatile in this year’s draft class. Branch primarily handled slot cornerback for Alabama’s defense, but he has the athleticism to play in single-high safety looks in the NFL. Regardless of where he plays, Branch has an incredible mind, and he can diagnose most of the things that occur in front of him. Branch is the closest thing to Jevon Holland in this year’s draft class, but the Vikings will have to take him early.
Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo
Draft Projection: Early Day 2
Few players have climbed up the draft board as quickly as Ole Miss’s Jonathan Mingo, who will likely be one of the first wide receivers taken on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. That draft projection might rule out the Minnesota Vikings, but he does become an option if they choose to trade out of the first round.
At 6-foot-2, Mingo is a modern-day big slot that impacts the game in different ways. Mingo is a solid route runner with acceptable but not imposing athleticism for his size, making him an intriguing secondary receiving option. His value, though, will likely come in his ability to block, where he can help open up an offense as a physical complimentary blocker.
Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson
Draft Projection: Middle Day 2
Tyrique Stevenson will be scheme dependent in the NFL, but the good news for Minnesota is that he should fit Brian Flores’ defense. Stevenson will be best utilized in a press-man scheme, where he can use his physicality to disrupt wide receivers. While Stevenson will need to improve his play recognition skills, his quickness should help masquerade any problems he faces.
Florida iDL Gervon Dexter Sr.
Draft Projection: Middle to late Day 2
Gervon Dexter Sr. is an extremely interesting and frustrating evaluation. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Dexter tested out of this world, finishing with a 9.53 relative athletic score. However, Dexter’s film doesn’t always agree with the idea that he’s a physical monster. His get-off isn’t great, and he can struggle against physical blockers and double teams.
Here’s the kicker: Dexter is only 22 years old and hasn’t played football for a long time. Dexter played just two years of high school football, putting most of his focus into basketball. Knowing this, the Vikings would be betting on Dexter developing with more playing time and better coaching.
Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda
Draft Projection: Late Day 2 to early Day 3
If the Minnesota Vikings choose to move from Dalvin Cook, then Pittsburgh’s Israel Abanikanda. Abanikanda is a zone-scheme running back who put together impressive numbers for Pittsburgh, surpassing the century mark in nine games last season. Abanikanda might become a complimentary running back in the NFL, but his acceleration and breakaway speed make him an intriguing one-cut running back.
Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry
Round Projection: Late Day 2 to middle Day 3
As someone who attended A.T. Perry’s rival high school, I am inclined to mention that Perry is from Palm Beach County, so he’s built for this.
Brief monologue aside, Perry is a frustrating but rewarding watch on film. Not only is he a crafty receiver, especially when he has to break presses, but Perry is physical and can work through contact. However, drops were a problem at Wake Forest, and there are moments of inconsistency on his tape. If Minnesota can work through his inconsistencies, Perry’s athleticism and length should make him a reliable WR2 in the offense.
Nebraska WR Trey Palmer
Draft Projection: Early Day 3
Trey Palmer is the quintessential vertical threat, capable of using his electrifying speed to test defenses vertically. Although Palmer’s speed will help him get to the NFL, he’ll have to find a way to become more diverse and technical in his route running. However, those are things that can be taught with time and patience. The good news is his speed pops wherever, and Palmer can return kicks in the NFL, giving him extra value. Palmer will require coaching, but there’s a reason to bet on his skillset.
Oregon State CB Rejzohn Wright
Draft Projection: Middle Day 3
Oregon State’s Rejzohn Wright will enter the NFL with something that can’t be taught: size and length. At 6-foot-2 with 32.5-inch arms, Wright has the physical skillset to be a starting outside cornerback at the next level. However, for Wright to reach that point, he’ll have to cut back on some of his physicality mishaps. Wright is best in a man coverage scheme where he can use his length to disrupt wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he can play in zone coverage looks when necessary.
Bowling Green iDL Karl Brooks
Draft Projection: Middle Day 3
Bowling Green’s Karl Brooks is an interesting evaluation, and that mainly comes down to his lack of a set position in the NFL. Despite being 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, Brooks has shorter arms, so he likely can’t be an every-down interior defensive lineman in the NFL. However, his impact as a pass rusher should be enough to help him carve out a role as a third-down pass rusher.
Even if that’s the case, it’s hard not to like Brooks’ skillset. At Bowling Green, Brooks had 27.5 sacks in 52 career games, and he impressed against increased competition at the Senior Bowl. With his athleticism and initial burst, Brooks can be a formidable interior pass rusher on third downs for the Minnesota Vikings.
UAB CB Starling Thomas V
Draft Projection: Late Day 3
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah preferred Power 5 players in his first NFL Draft, so selecting UAB’s Starling Thomas V would require a deviation from the precedent. However, Thomas’ athleticism fits right in with what the Vikings value, and they did bring him in for a Top 30 visit. At 5-foot-10, Thomas will likely need to move inside when he gets drafted, but his gifted athletic traits should help make that transition easier.
