While the 2025 NFL Draft is still more than a handful of months away, it's never too early to think about who the Minnesota Vikings might end up selecting with their top pick.
In a 2025 mock draft released on Thursday, CBS Sports' Josh Edwards has the Vikings using the 32nd overall selection in the first round (wait, what!?) on current Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke. Edwards also included a brief explanation for why Minnesota could end up drafting Burke next year.
"Minnesota has rolled through its options at cornerback over the years, and the 2025 NFL Draft brings them back to the well with the selection of Denzel Burke in the first round."
While some Vikings fans are still recovering from the Mike Zimmer era of the franchise when it seemed like the team always used high draft picks to select a cornerback, Minnesota drafting a corner in 2025 seems very believable.
Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr., and Shaq Griffin are the cornerbacks who have been on the field the most for the Vikings this year and all three of their contracts are set to expire at the end of the season.
That leaves Minnesota with Mekhi Blackmon (coming off a torn ACL), Akayleb Evans, and rookie Dwight McGlothern as the only corners who are currently under contract with the team past the 2024 campaign.
With the Vikings expected to have over $75 million in cap space next year, one can expect them to probably spend that money on a starting-caliber veteran cornerback or two. But even if Minnesota does that, they should still consider using the team's top selection in the 2025 draft on Burke or another top corner prospect.
In Burke, the Vikings would be getting a 6-foot-1, 193-pound preseason AP All-American who has been excellent for the Buckeyes this season. In five games, he's already snagged two interceptions, and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 54.5 when throwing in his direction, according to PFF.
Minnesota was able to patch up its cornerback room this offseason by signing multiple veterans like Gilmore and Griffin. But for the future, investing draft picks in top corner prospects like Burke should be part of the Vikings' strategy to improve their secondary.
