Minnesota has a little over two weeks before it has select players in the NFL Draft.
The Vikings don’t have the luxury of drafting solid backups or depth players; this is a season where Minnesota will have to take some players who can come in and start right away.
This time, I decided to go with two positional needs in the first two rounds: cornerback and offensive tackle. There are two cornerbacks on the roster — Mike Hughes and Holton Hill — who I am confident that the team could play next season.
That means that the Vikings should make sure the player they’re taking at corner can at least garner a lot of reps next season, if not start.
When it comes to tackle, I think the team could move tackle Riley Reiff to guard and fill his old spot with a good rookie. It’s a better draft for tackles this season, so that makes sense.
You can see the entire draft, via The Draft Network, here.
Here’s what I did.
Round 1: TCU CB Jeff Gladney
Gladney is good in press coverage and could come in and at least play nickel corner for the Vikings. Hill and Hughes have both been good at times, but both have question marks surrounding them.
Gladney makes it so that the defensive back corps of the Vikings has more depth, and could very well start. Safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith make it so that the Vikings can hide a rookie corner on their defense.
Round 1: Houston OT Josh Jones
I’ve drafted Jones in past draft simulations, and that’s because he’s a talented tackle who fits the Vikings well.
It’s also been reported that Jones has a FaceTime call scheduled with the Vikings, among other teams. Jones is a big physical tackle, and if the Vikings want to take him, they can move Reiff to guard and put Jones at either left or right tackle, depending on what the team wants to do about current right tackle Brian O’Neill.
Round 2: Michigan WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
I’ve also previously drafted Peoples-Jones in a draft simulation, and I still think he’s a solid option for the Vikings.
It’s a deep draft for wide receiver, and Minnesota recently traded away Stefon Diggs. Peoples-Jones would be higher up if he was hypothetically in another year’s draft class. You can read some earlier analysis of Peoples-Jones here.
The Vikings have other positional needs besides wide receiver, so it makes sense to wait until the second round to fill that void.
Round 3: Appalachian State LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
Davis-Gaither can compete for the starting spot at linebacker beside Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. Barr and Kendricks have both been decent, but there was a rotating cast at the other linebacker position last season. If he doesn’t become a starter, he’s at least a solid depth player.
Round 3: Notre Dame S Alohi Gilman
Hopefully if you’re the Vikings, the team would simply have Gilman as a solid reserve at safety.
However, Anthony Harris was reportedly labeled a tag-and-trade candidate earlier in the offseason. If Harris leaves, it’s not the end of the world, because Minnesota would likely get haul in return, and the team has Harrison Smith. However, it’s still a big blow to the secondary, and that’s why I went with Gilman here.
Round 4: Iowa CB Michael Ojemudia
Sure, I already took Gladney in this draft, but Minnesota lost more than one cornerback in free agency, so the team could very well need another player who could at least play nickel.
I think Ojemudia could do that. He is good in zone coverage, and has decent size.
Round 5: Arkansas DL McTelvin Agim
Agim is a big defensive tackle, who could be a nice one-two punch alongside Michael Pierce up the middle for the Vikings. Minnesota has Armon Watts, who’s lighter, but good at getting to the passer. Agim is a different dimension on the defensive line.
Besides Watts, the Vikings still have Shamar Stephen, who started last season, Hercules Mata’afa, who apparently put on a lot of weight this offseason, Jaleel Johnson and others. It should be a fun competition for starting spots on the interior defensive line.
Round 6: Syracuse DE Kendall Coleman
Coleman will likely be a reserve on the Vikings, if they do end up taking him. However, there is a chance he could win the starting defensive end spot opposite of Danielle Hunter.
Ifeadi Odenigbo seems like a clear choice to start if the season had to begin today. However, a lot can happen, and all the defensive ends on the team besides Hunter have small sample sizes in starting for the Vikings.
Round 6: Washington G Jared Hilbers
Hilbers played tackle for the Huskies, but some scouts project him as an interior lineman at the NFL level.
I drafted Hilbers for the Vikings as a guard. He can compete for the starting guard spot with Pat Elflein. In this simulation, the Vikings drafted Jones in the first round, moving Reiff over to guard. Hilbers might not win the other guard spot, but he could also be a solid platoon lineman for his versatility.
Round 7: Colorado QB Steven Montez
Montez might not pan out at the NFL level, but he’s good enough where the Vikings could take a flyer on him in the seventh round.
He has a good frame and can be accurate, but he struggles a lot under pressure. It’ll be interesting to see if he can fix that at the next level.
Round 7: Georgia WR Lawrence Cager
Cager is a large wide receiver, who doesn’t have the breakaway speed Adam Thielen has, but adds a different dimension to Minnesota’s offense by being able to go up and get jump balls.
Cager would likely compete for the wide receiver three spot on the team, and add important depth to the Vikings’ offense.
Round 7: Fresno State CB Jaron Bryant
Bryant is no more than a depth pick, but he still brings good value to the team in the seventh round.
The Vikings might need an extra corner or two if Holton Hill and Mike Hughes end up missing time. Bryant can be a decent reserve and maybe even help out in nickel packages.
