Another Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft

Players are arriving in Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine. It’s time for another Minnesota Vikings mock draft. 

For this mock draft, the Vikings trade their first round pick (#24) to the Kansas City Chiefs for first- and third-round picks (#31 and #66).

1. (31)   Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo

3. (66)   TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

3. (97)   Tre Harris, WR, Mississippi

5. (139) Quincy Wilson, CB, Louisville

5. (160) Seth McLaughlin, C, Ohio State

With only four draft picks, it feels likely that the Vikings will try and trade back in the first round to increase their opportunities. Seeing as two of their likely positional needs (defensive line and running back) are extremely deep in this draft, a first-round trade back feels even more likely. That being said, there are a few players that if available at #24 the Vikings could/should/would stay put and pick that player. A guess at those players:

Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi

Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

and, maybe:

Tyler Booker, G, Alabama

At the start of the offseason, Walter Nolen was my #1 draft crush. In the past few weeks, Kenneth Grant has taken that title. Of the two, I believe that Grant is more likely to be available at #24. 

As for this mock draft, I like it. After Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant, and perhaps Oregon’s Derrick Holmes, Darius Alexander has emerged as a defensive tackle favorite. So much so that the trade-back window is limited for fear of losing the chance at selecting him. TreVeyon Henderson would be an outstanding addition. I don’t think that there’s any chance that he’s available early in the third round. It’s probably more likely that Kansas’ Devin Neal and Central Florida’s RJ Harvey are the top running backs available at #66. But, you never know. Funny things can happen in a draft. Neal and Harvey are nice third-round options. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, aand Jalen Nailor, receiver isn’t the need of some other positions. At 6’3,” Tre Harris would add some needed size to the Vikings receiver group. I really like Quincy Wilson. I doubt that he’s available in the fifth-round so he’s an easy pick here. Seth McLaughlin would immediately provide offensive line depth and perhaps take over for Garrett Bradbury in a year. 

I like this draft. PFF seems to like it as well as they gave it an A-. With TreVeyon Henderson in the third and Quincy Wilson in the first, it should be at worst a solid “A.”