My general feeling on early mock drafts is that it’s too early for a mock if the first round isn’t set. Right now, eight picks aren’t set. It’s too early for mock drafts. That hasn’t stopped some of the most anticipated mockers from doing some mocking. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. posted his first mock draft of the 2022 Mock Draft season. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler posted his Mock Draft 2.0.
Kiper and Brugler are in agreement with what the Minnesota Vikings should do with the 12th pick.
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
It’s really no surprise that the noted draft analysts have the Vikings selecting a cornerback. That’s a position of great need. Unless the position is soundly and completely addressed in free agency, it’ll be a great need in late April. It’s also no surprise that “Sauce” Gardner is the pick. At this early stage of the draft evaluation process, the top corner in the 2022 NFL Draft is a toss-up between Gardner and LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr.
Kiper and Brugler aren’t the only mockers with early mocks. They’re everywhere. Here a mock. There a mock. Everywhere a mock mock. I remember a day when the only mock drafts came from Paul Zimmerman and Joel Buchsbaum. Each did one and each was released about a week before the real draft. It’s a very different day for mock drafts. Anyway, here are some Vikings draft predictions from a variety of mockers (collected by Vikings.com).
PFF’s Austin Gayle:
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
PFF’s Michael Renner:
Kenny Pickett, QB, Cincinnati
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer:
Devin Loyd, LB. Utah
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson:
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso:
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards:
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole:
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre:
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs:
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
The Draft Network’s Joe Marino:
George Karlaftis, edge, Purdue
Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor:
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza:
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
USA TODAY Sports’ Charles McDonald:
Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
Athlon Sports’ Bryan Fischer:
Matt Corrall, QB, Mississippi
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling:
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
SB Nation’s James Dator:
Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
***
There’s a lot of “Sauce” out there.
The most curious are the quarterback predictions. Most of the quarterbacks considered contenders to be selected in the first round have been mocked to Minnesota. Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Sam Howell, Matt Corrall. Only Desmond Ridder is missing. The Vikings are in an uncertain quarterback situation. It’s where they’ve been for most of the past 44 years. Life since Fran Tarkenton hasn’t been easy. I’m going with the assumption that Kirk Cousins is the Vikings quarterback in 2022. I’m going with that assumption because he’s under contract for 2022. The top task of the Vikings new decision-makers will probably be to prepare for life after Cousins. I like the idea of selecting a quarterback high in the 2022 NFL Draft. I like the idea of Kellen Mond competing with that quarterback to back up Cousins in 2022 and to replace him in 2023. I like the idea of drafting a quarterback until they find their next franchise quarterback. 44 years is a long time.
While selecting a quarterback at #12 is appealing and fun, there are greater immediate needs. Cornerback currently looks like the top need. Pretty much anywhere on the defense is a need.
I’d be thrilled if Kyle Hamilton is available at #12. It’s more likely that he’s off the board by the fifth pick.
It’s early.
Brugler mocked two rounds of selections. His second round pick for the Vikings:
Kingsley Enagbare, edge, South Carolina
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