Minnesota Vikings 2023 NFL Draft

After months of talking and mocking, the 2023 NFL Draft is done. All drafts are about waiting. There were 259 picks in this draft. That’s an average of about eight picks per team. That’s a lot of waiting. The Minnesota Vikings selected six players in the 2023 NFL Draft. In between those six selections there was a lot of waiting. For the Vikings, this draft was all about waiting. 

The Vikings entered the draft with only five picks.

1. #23

3. #87

4. #119

5. #158

6. #211

As was the case in his first draft, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a lot of trades. The #23 pick was the only pick that he kept. He dealt the rest in a cascade of wheeling and dealing. The second-round pick was used in the fall to acquire T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions. Thanks to that deal, the Vikings were already scheduled to sit out the second. Thanks to Friday’s trade of the #87 pick, they damn near sat out the third round. The Vikings made the last pick of the night. From pick #24 through pick #101, the Vikings made no selections. That’s a lot of waiting. 78 picks passed by. It was the longest wait of the draft but it wasn’t the only long wait. Between their second and third picks, 31 picks passed by. Between their fifth and sixth picks, 57 picks passed by. That’s a lot of waiting. It’s not about where a team picks. It’s about how or who that team picks. The Vikings entered the draft with the above five picks. They ended up making selections with the following picks.

1. #23

3. #102

4. #134

5. #141

5. #164

7. #222

The six pick wait between #134 and #141 was glorious. So was having two picks in the fifth round.

The Picks:

1. Jordan Addison, WR, USC

3. Mekhi Blackmon, CB, USC

4. Jay Ward, DB, LSU

5. Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU

5. Jaren Hall, QB, BYU

7. DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB

The pattern of picking teammates had me hoping that BYU receiver Puka Nacua would fall to the Vikings in the seventh round. Those hopes were dashed by the Los Angeles Rams at the end of the fifth round. Also, the Vikings seem to have a fondness for players with names that start with “J.” Perhaps that’s inspired by Justin Jefferson.

I see a lot of potential in this draft. Pairing Jordan Addison with Justin Jefferson is brilliant. I like the potential of corners Mekhi Blackmon and Jay Ward. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the versatile Ward emerges as the Vikings nickel as a rookie. While I was hoping for an interior defensive linemen that could provide immediate pass rushing, Jaquelin Roy reminds me of Dalvin Tomlinson. If the Vikings couldn’t pull off a miraculous draft day deal for one of the draft’s top quarterbacks, Jaren Hall and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson were my top choices for a mid-round quarterback. If Hall can avoid the injuries that peppered his college career, he has a shot. Franchise quarterbacks don’t often come out of the fifth round but I’m now hoping that his kid can be one of them. He has some nice traits. DeWayne McBride was one of college football’s most productive backs the last couple seasons. 1713 yards, 7.4 yards/carry, 19TDs last season. It’s remarkable that he was still available in the seventh round. 

6 picks

3 offense

3 defense

From the Athletic’s Alec Lewis:

“A dynamic WR, versatile defenders, a developmental QB, and high-upside RB.”

It’s a productive draft that addressed the team’s needs.