Minnesota Vikings 7-Round Mock Draft

Still just passing time waiting for further Minnesota Vikings offseason developments. The Mock Draft Simulators that are out there make mock drafts too easy. Too damn easy. If you have to blow through a couple hours, go to one of these simulators and lose yourself in third-round corners. Since the Scouting Combine, I’ve been tooling around with three-round mocks. I don’t currently know enough about the players projected for the later rounds to go any further than that. So, this seven-round mock for the Vikings is a real stab in the dark. Aren’t all mock drafts, no matter then number of rounds, a stab in the dark? Anyway, here’s a stab at a Vikings 7-round mock draft. I used the Mock Draft Machine from the The Draft Network.

Minnesota Vikings 7-Round Mock Draft

1(12).   Jermaine Johnson, Edge, Florida State

2(46).   Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA

3(77).   Marcus Jones, CB, Houston

5(156). Jack Sanborn, LB, Wisconsin

6(184). Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson

6(191). Chris Paul, IOL, Tulsa

6(192). Thomas Booker, DL, Stanford

7(250). Elijah Hicks, DB, California

In my opinion, the greatest current need and draft need on the Vikings roster is cornerback. Cornerback, cornerback, cornerback. There are only four cornerbacks currently on the roster.

Cameron Dantzler

Kris Boyd

Harrison Hand

Parry Nickerson

Cameron Dantzler is the only one of the four that should be on the field for the majority of defensive snaps. Kris Boyd is a nice depth corner and very good special teams player. Harrison Hand is a bit of a mystery. He showed more potential as a rookie in 2020 than last season. Parry Nickerson has spent most of his four years in the league on practice squads. The Vikings currently have one starting cornerback. They need at least three. 

The Vikings have the rest of the offseason and the draft to add starting caliber cornerbacks. The best place to find those in the draft is the first round. Unfortunately, with the way this mock draft fell, I felt that the best pick for the Vikings at #12 was Jermaine Johnson. Edge rusher is a need. Maybe it won’t be as much of a need by draft time. I was able to select corners that I like in the second and third rounds. Tariq Woolen has only been playing cornerback for a couple seasons. He has elite speed and athleticism. Due to his inexperience, it’s a gamble to expect him to be able start in the NFL immediately. Maybe one day he’s considered the best cornerback to come out of this draft. Right now, he’s a significant gamble. Marcus Jones is one of my favorite players in this draft. I think that he’d immediately step in as the Vikings nickel corner. He’s also an explosive returner. 

Edge-corner-corner felt like the right way to go in this mock draft. In the real thing, I like cornerback in the first. 

The missing fourth-round pick is a problem. The wait felt forever with the mock draft simulator. The real wait is going to be longer. So much longer. Hindsight isn’t a fair way to judge football decisions but the trade for Chris Herndon will forever be considered a mistake. 

I don’t have much to say about the final five players in this mock draft. I like the potential of Justyn Ross. I saw mentions that the Vikings have met with him. I watched Thomas Booker make plays against Cal. I didn’t much care for him then. Elijah Hicks had a very good college career for the Golden Bears. He played corner his first couple years in Berkeley. He played safety his final couple years. I still can’t believe that he didn’t get an invite to the Scouting Combine. He’ll play in the NFL.