With the 23rd pick in the first round, and just five picks in seven rounds overall, it could well be a mildly slow NFL Draft for the Vikings when it begins with Round 1 on Thursday night.
As it stood on Wednesday, the Vikings were set to pick too late Thursday to nab a super-hyped player who would send fans’ hearts racing — quarterbacks Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, or Alabama defensive end Will Anderson Jr. — and had too few later picks to package in a deal to move up.
On the other hand, the Vikings seem to have a lot of unfinished business that can most effectively be addressed starting Thursday, and that could bring some surprises.
Minnesota has decisions to make on running back Dalvin Cook and edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, signed but apparently unhappy and/or unwanted. They could be moved for late-round draft picks, or perhaps as part of a package for a depth player. And in their quest to find a successor to quarterback Kirk Cousins, entering a contract year, the Vikings reportedly have let San Francisco know they’re interested in Minnesota native Trey Lance, injured early as a rookie and overshadowed late by the play of Brock Purdy.
So, maybe this weekend — and Thursday night in particular — will set a lot of wheels in motion as general manager Kewsi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell attempt to ride the crest of last year’s NFC North championship to better things in Year 2.
In a pre-draft meeting with reporters on April 14, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell set the stage by revealing little.
“We are going to do it the way we’ve always done it,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Try and make decisions to find impactful players that fit our culture and where we’re trying to go about business.”
This will be Adofo-Mensah’s second draft in Minnesota, so saying the Vikings will handle the draft the way they’ve always handled the draft means little. Last year, he made six draft-day trades and selected 10 players, many who played some games last season but none who made a big impact.
As far as needs, Minnesota’s most pressing are on defense. Already the team’s Achilles heel, it lost linebacker Eric Kendricks, tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, and cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler to free agency or salary cap moves.
Outside of edge rushers — Minnesota added Marcus Davenport on a one-year contract and already has Smith, Danielle Hunter and effective backup D.J. Wonnum — the Vikings’ defense has jobs available. That’s especially true at cornerback, and if Minnesota used its No. 23 pick on a promising one such as Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon or Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., he’ll likely get a chance to start.
The Vikings also released veteran receiver Adam Thielen in a cap move this spring, and while they have Justin Jefferson — whose fifth-year option was officially picked up on Tuesday — and burgeoning talent K.J. Osborn, the depth there has taken a big hit.
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell talked at length this month about finding and developing a successor to Cousins, making $30 million this season and turning 35 on Aug. 19. While Young and Stroud are the best of a top-heavy quarterback class, and likely Top 5 picks, there are a few quarterbacks who could slip into Minnesota’s options.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson appears to have the right tools, and was productive in his only year as a starter, but completed only 53 percent of his passes and threw nine interceptions for the Gators in 2022. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker completed 70 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns but turned 25 in January, which made him the most likely of the big-time QB prospects to fall into the Vikings’ grip.
“Ideally you would love to have that person in that role developing behind a great player like Kirk,” O’Connell said. But, he added, you acquire the player you believe in most, whether he has time to learn under Cousins or not.
“You have to have ultra belief and connection on making that decision,” O’Connell said, “because it is such an important decision.”
Vikings 2023 NFL Draft Picks
Minnesota will start the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday with five picks. That can, and often does, change. For now, they are:
Round 1: 23rd overall
Round 3: 87th overall
Round 4: (From Detroit) 119th overall
Round 5: 158th overall
Round 6: (Compensatory) 211th overall
