The Minnesota Vikings have been tied to a multitude of positions with the No. 12 pick of the 2022 NFL draft, including cornerback, safety, defensive end, defensive tackle and even quarterback at one point.
But a receiver? That’s a new one.
Few mock drafts, if any, actually have the team adding another receiving weapon to a crowded room that already includes the likes of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn and a developing Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
And yet, the Athletic’s Chad Graff is mocking the team taking another receiver with their first pick on the board. For context, Graff is assuming cornerbacks Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. are both off the board when the Vikings make their selection.
He has the team taking USC receiver Drake London at this spot. When breaking down the pick, he wrote:
“Kevin O’Connell has said multiple times since becoming the Vikings coach that he doesn’t plan on using as much 11 personnel as he did with the Rams because the Vikings roster doesn’t warrant that. But it could with this selection. O’Connell’s premise centers around the Vikings having a better No. 2 tight end/fullback than a No. 3 wide receiver. With London, I don’t think that would be the case anymore.”
Graff makes a good case for the Vikings to throw a monkey wrench in the entire draft by taking a receiver early. It isn’t just any receiver, either. They’d be taking London over guys like Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
It would be quite the gamble in this spot, especially considering the needs the team has on the defensive side of the ball.
Trent McDuffie could be a solid pick at cornerback, if both Gardner and Stingley are gone. The team could also add another pass-rushing talent in a draft with several potential game-wreckers on the board.
But it also wouldn’t be shocking to see O’Connell, the former offensive coordinator-turned-head coach, looking for a chance to add even more offensive firepower to a team with plenty of it.
The fun part is the fact that we have absolutely no idea what the first-year coach and first-year general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, are going to do because there’s no history of them in this position.
Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen. You’re in for the ride of your life at this year’s draft.
