The Minnesota Vikings' selection in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft leaves a lot of questions. What position will they end up taking? That is the biggest question right now.
Free agency is going to answer a lot of questions. The selections for the Vikings are widespread in both position and player, which is the epitome of this draft class.
The seventh week of our mock draft roundup project has the Vikings selecting multiple different talented players.
Jahdae Barron, DB, Texas
Scouting Report
- A to Z Sports' Travis May
- USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Jahdae Barron was the best cornerback in the country last fall based on the meaningful metrics. Nine passes defended on top of his five interceptions. A passer rating when targeted that was so low opposing quarterbacks would quite literally be better off chucking the ball into the dirt instead. The Vikings only have one pick in the first three rounds as of this writing with a huge need at cornerback. That makes this is an easy selection.-May
Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
- Bears Wire's Mike Pendleton
- Fantasy Pros' Matthew Jones
- Fantasy Life's Matthew Freedman
- The 33rd Team's Ian Valentino
Cornerbacks are a need in the NFC North, and Morrison would be a nice get as the top secondary players start to come off the board late in the first round. The Vikings were led by 34-year old Stephon Gilmore as their top secondary this past season, and they’re going to need to get younger. Morrison is smart, disciplined, and is a blanket in coverage.-Pendleton
Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Scouting Report
- The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner
- San Deigo Union Tribune's Eddie Brown
It’s not impossible the Vikings (or the Chargers two spots earlier) go with a running back, as both Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton would be great fits in either scheme. Same time, the Vikings are in a division with the run-heavy Lions and a Bears team that just hired the Lions’ old OC. More help over the ball is always needed.-Baumgardner
Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Scouting Report
- The 33rd Team's Kyle Crabbs
- Fantasy Pros' Mike Fanelli
- NBC Sports' Kyle Dvorchak
- College Football Network's Zaeem Aamir
- NFL.com's Dan Parr
- Pro Football Network's Brentley Weissman
- Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman
- Pro Football Network's Ben Rolfe
- The Palm Beach Post's Hal Habib
Minnesota's secondary has a clear vacancy in the secondary with the need for a long-term anchor on the back end. Harrison Smith has been an amazing player for Minnesota but is in the endgame of his career, and Cam Bynum is an expiring contract.
The chance to add Emmanwori to Brian Flores' defense is, frankly, a horrifying thought for opposing offenses. He's got ball skills and zone-coverage ability but is also blazing fast and would be a brutal terror in the Vikings' pressure packages.-Crabbs
Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
Scouting Report
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Ayrton Ostly
- Newsday's Tom Rock
- Sports Illustrated's Brock Viera
- CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso
Like Morrison, Revel suffered a season-ending injury in 2024 and slides because of that. Both of Minnesota's starting outside cornerbacks are free agents this offseason. Revel's mix of size at 6-foot-3 and elite speed should make him a good fit for the Vikings as they look to re-stock on defense. They'll address defensive line in Round 2.-Ostly
Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
- A to Z Sports' Tyler Forness
- Bleacher Report's Staff
- Cleveland.com's Tim Bielik
This one is going to hurt some Vikings fans, as Starks is a safety from Georgia (Lewis Cine in 2022), but he's a much better prospect that has insane amount of versatility. He would be a perfect fit for the Vikings' defense.-Forness
Jihaad Campbell, ILB, Alabama
- SB Nation's JP Acosta
Brian Flores loves freak athletes on his defense, and Campbell fits the bill at LB. I mean, how many MIKE LBs in college do you see carrying the post from the second receiver in Tampa 2? Pairing Campbell with Blake Cashman would allow LB Ivan Pace to be used in a more specific role and give the Vikings a true three-down LB.-Acosta
Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Scouting Report
- College Football Network's Max Dorsey
- Athlon Sports' Luke Easterling
The Vikings’ interior defensive line was probably the worst part of their defense last year, so they address that with this pick.
Kenneth Grant was outshined most of his career due to playing next to Mason Graham, but he’s still a high-level NFL talent. Grant can get after the passer as an interior guy, and I project him to play a 3-4 end or a 4-3 DT. Either way, I think he would fit very well in Minnesota.-Dorsey
Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
Scouting Report
- Barstool Sports' Steven Cheah
- Fantasy Life's Thor Nystrom
- Fantasy Pros' Russell Brown
Stewart doesn't have a ton of production (4.5 total sacks in three seasons), but a 6'6" 290 lbs. he is a massive EDGE rusher. He can help shore up their run defense, which is a big point of emphasis playing in a division with Detroit and Green Bay. But developing more of a pass rush plan he has sky high potential if he can put it all together.-Cheah
Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
- NFL.com's Chad Reuter
The Vikings face the possibility of a near-complete turnover at the corner position this offseason, with four veterans -- including starters Stephon Gilmore and Byron Murphy -- scheduled for free agency. Thomas' size (6-1, 191) and aggressiveness in coverage make him a first-round value.-Reuter
Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
- Underdog Fantasy's Hayden Winks
Kevin O'Connell partially blamed the interior line play as why they were embarrassed in their final two games, and I'd have to agree. Whether it's with big-play hunter Sam Darnold or inexperienced JJ McCarthy at QB, the pocket can't collapse as it did in 2024. RG Dalton Risner is a free agent, and both LG and C positions are ripe for upgrades. Jackson looks like a guard but did swing out to left tackle for the Buckeyes when Josh Simmons missed time.-Winks
Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Scouting Report
- Pro Football Network's Owain Jones
- Yahoo! Sports' Nate Tice and Charles McDonald
- ESPN's Field Yates
- Fox Sports' Joel Klatt
Derrick Harmon took a giant leap in 2024, transferring to Oregon, increasing his production exponentially to 11 TFLs and five sacks. The disruptive interior defensive lineman is a pure three-down player who has explosive penetrative force, refined technique, and pressure-creating instincts.-Jones
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
- Fox Sports' Rob Rang
The Vikings' decision to either retain veteran Sam Darnold or go all-in on last year's top pick JJ McCarthy will obviously help determine which direction they go with this pick. While a running back isn't necessarily the biggest position of concern, adding juice to the backfield would make a lot of sense if Minnesota opts to keep Darnold and load up for a title "run." And, if building around McCarthy is the plan, providing him with a young, versatile back like Judkins could also ease the young quarterback's transition to NFL starter.-Rang
Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
- CBS Sports' Josh Edwards
After trading down with Kansas City, the Vikings are still able to address of a big position of need. Tyleik Williams is not going to offer much in terms of a pass rush, but he does raise the floor of the run defense.-Edwards
Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama
Scouting Report
- NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry
- Panthers Wire's Anthony Rizzuti
Never a bad idea to solidify the interior of the offensive line when looking for answers there. The Vikings will be forced to do exactly that after finishing the season unable to keep Sam Darnold clean. Booker is Daniel Jeremiah's No. 14 player in his top 50.-Perry
Overview
| Player | Selections |
|---|---|
|
CB Shavon Revel Jr. |
24 |
|
CB Jahdae Barron |
19 |
|
CB Benjamin Morrison |
19 |
|
DT Walter Nolen |
15 |
|
DT Kenneth Grant |
13 |
|
OG Tyler Booker |
13 |
|
S Nick Emmanwori |
13 |
|
DT Derrick Harmon |
12 |
|
S Malaki Starks |
7 |
|
CB Trey Amos |
5 |
|
DT Tyleik Williams |
5 |
|
RB Ashton Jeanty |
4 |
|
EDGE Shemar Stewart |
4 |
|
RB Omarion Hampton |
3 |
|
CB Azareye'h Thomas |
3 |
|
CB Darien Porter Jr. |
2 |
|
OT Josh Conerly Jr. |
2 |
|
OL Donovan Jackson |
2 |
|
LB Jihaad Campbell |
2 |
|
RB Quinshon Judkins |
2 |
|
OT Emery Jones Jr. |
1 |
|
OG Tate Ratledge |
1 |
|
EDGE Landon Jackson |
1 |
|
OL Marcus Mbow |
1 |
|
OT Josh Simmons |
1 |
|
EDGE Mykel Williams |
1 |
|
OT Jonah Savaiinaea |
1 |
|
RB Kaleb Johnson |
1 |
|
CB Maxwell Hairston |
1 |
|
CB/WR Travis Hunter |
1 |
|
RB TreVeyon Henderson |
1 |
|
DT Omarr Norman-Lott |
1 |
|
DT T.J. Sanders |
1 |
|
OT Armand Membou |
1 |
|
DT Deone Walker |
1 |
|
Total |
184 |
