Now only two months from the NFL draft, the latest mock from Mel Kiper Jr. has been dropped and the longtime draft expert has put a standout from the Senior Bowl in the Minnesota Vikings' lap.
Kiper has the Vikings using the 24th overall pick to take North Dakota State interior offensive lineman Grey Zabel. He says interior offensive line is Minnesota's No. 1 need with Dalton Risner hitting free agency and Garrett Bradbury set to become a free agent in 2026. We'd agree, though we'd argue that the Risner and Bradbury caveats don't matter and that they simply need better players at guard.
"Enter Zabel, the ultimate swing man who can play anywhere," Kiper wrote. "He played both tackle spots and both guard spots in college, and he took reps at center at the Senior Bowl -- where he quieted any concerns about his level of competition at North Dakota State by dominating. I love his pass-blocking fundamentals, and he's a Round 1-caliber player."
Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy said Zabel's performance in Mobile, Alabama cemented him as a first-round pick. Hypothetically, Zabel could start at left or right guard in 2025, shoring up a longtime weakness on the roster.
The only other guard going before Zabel in Kiper's mock is Alabama's Tyler Booker (18th to Seattle).
Notable players the Vikings would be choosing Zabel over in the mock include Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr., Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, and Michigan freak athlete defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, who isn't even going in the first round of Kiper's prediction.
Other takeaways from the mock include North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton going 12th overall to the Dallas Cowboys. If that happens, the Vikings' decision to draft a running a back in the first round would presumably come down to whether or not they think Iowa's Kaleb Johnson or Ohio State's TreVeyeon Henderson are worthy of first-round selection.
