The Vikings hoped Kirk Cousins would lead them to a Super Bowl in 2018 but instead they missed the playoffs. Now Minnesota needs a strong draft. If the Vikings are going to get back into Super Bowl contention in 2019 they need to add significant talent in this year’s draft. The massive contract they handed Kirk Cousins will prevent them from being big players in free agency. If GM Rick Spielman is going to give head coach Mike Zimmer the talent he needs to win big next season, he needs to execute a near perfect draft. The good news for Vikings fans is that there’s still a ton of elite talent on the roster. A complete overhaul isn’t required here. Minnesota just needs to add talent at a few key positions to lift the team back into title contention. It’s pretty obvious where the Vikings need to invest most of their draft capital. The offensive line couldn’t protect Cousins consistently last year. That has to change if the team’s investment at quarterback is going to pay off. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see us project a lineman to the Vikings in round one. Round 1: Cody Ford Riley Reiff gave the Vikings a decent season at left tackle in 2018, but right tackle was probably the weakest position on Zimmer’s squad. Ford would give Minnesota a guy they can immediately plug in and play at the problem spot. You’ll see tons of mock drafts give the team Jonah Williams in this spot, and we don’t think that would be a bad selection. However, Ford seems more like a player that Zimmer would gravitate towards. He’s got a nasty streak that just seems to fit with the way Minnesota would like to play. There are some scouts who worry about Ford’s ability to stay at tackle, but we believe he’s a natural fit to play on the right side. If the Vikings want a left tackle they should go with Williams. However, Ford is the better fit for their scheme on the right side.<doc-sep>Hey, hey, it’s Saturday! And that means that we’ve got your latest iteration of the 2019 Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Database for your viewing and discussion pleasure. We’re expanding to 40 mock drafts this week, and over half of the mocks are either new or have been updated since last week’s Pre-Combine version, so let’s take a look at how much has changed. To start with, as always, here are the 40 mocks that make up the Database for this week. Once again, the offensive linemen are the dominant force in this week’s Database, although the overall percentage of picks they make up is slightly lower. Offensive linemen account for 33 of the 40 selections in this week’s Database, which is 82.5%, while the percentage last week was at 83.3% (25/30). Our overall leader has not changed, as Oklahoma offensive tackle Cody Ford remains on top of the mountain. Ford picked up nine of the 40 selections in this week’s Database (22.5%). Dalton Risner of Kansas State also holds on to his spot in second place, although he has fewer selections this week than he did last week. Risner appears five times in our Database this week (12.5%) after appearing six times in our Pre-Combine version. Breathing down Risner’s neck are Mississippi offensive tackle Greg Little, Washington State tackle Andre Dillard, and Alabama tackle Jonah Williams. All three of those players appear four times in our Database for this week (10% each). Dillard held steady with his number of selections from the Pre-Combine version, while Little picked up one extra selection and Williams picked up three more. West Virginia tackle Yodny Cajuste and Jawaan Taylor of Florida are next in line with two selections each (5%). Taylor dropped from three selections to two, while Cajuste went up from one to two from last week’s Database. Rounding out the offensive linemen are two players that are making their debut this week and, based on their Combine workouts, I would expect to start seeing a lot more of. North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury appears twice in our Database this week (5%), while Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom appears once (2.5%). Again, this doesn’t leave much for the other positions on the field, with just seven selections in our Database this week going to players that don’t play on the offensive line. The defensive linemen are in the second spot again, as they garnered a total of four picks this week (10%). Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins leads the way, as he was named twice in this week’s Database (5%), while Zach Allen of Boston College holds on to his one selection from last week (2.5%). The other selection goes to another debuting player, as Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat is in our Database this week with one selection (2.5%). Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver becomes the first player to drop out of our Database, as he does not appear this week after appearing last week. Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson continues to hold it down for the skill position players, as he moved up to two selections this week (5%) after appearing once last week. Last, but not least, Michigan linebacker Devin Bush continues to be our lone linebacker, holding on to his one pick from last week (2.5%). With that, here’s the graphical representation of this week’s Database. As we’ve detailed, there’s a lot of purple on there. . .hopefully Excel has enough shades of purple to cover all of the offensive linemen in the event that any more are added going forward. Oh, feel free to click to embiggen, if you wish. We’ll start with the trend graph next week, since two weeks really isn’t enough to see any sort of a “trend” develop. We’ll be back again next Saturday with a Mock Draft Database that’s been expanded to 50 different mocks, monitoring what experts think the Minnesota Vikings will be doing with their draft choices this April. By then, the Combine will be completely in the books and many mock drafters will have adjusted accordingly, so we’ll have to see how things change.<doc-sep>“Do you expect me to talk?” “No, Mr. Spielman, I expect you to draft!” Hey, everyone! I know I didn’t do a mock last week, and I apologize for that. But now we’re back, and the effects of the Scouting Combine should have fully hit the big boards across the internet, so let’s get back into the draft sims, shall we? Once again, this is being done using the FanSpeak On the Clock Premium draft simulation tool. We will once again be taking the Minnesota Vikings through a seven-round mock draft, complete with any trades that might be sent my way by the other virtual GMs. Here are the parameters I’m using for this week’s mock: Big Board - CBS Sports Aggregate big board (updated 8 March) Computer using random big boards Difficulty level - Classic Team needs - FanSpeak (G, OT, Edge, WR, TE, C, CB, RB, S) Here are the Vikings’ picks as we stand right now: I’m also going to be operating under the assumption that both Anthony Barr and Sheldon Richardson are going to be gone when free agency gets underway this week. With that, away we go! No trade offers come in before the first round gets underway, and no trade offers have come in when we hit the clock at pick #18. With that, here’s what the board looks like when it comes time to make our first selection: To this point, two offensive linemen have gone off the board. . .Jonah Williams went off to the Jacksonville Jaguars at #7, and Greg Little went to Carolina at #16. I know that there are going to be people screaming for an offensive lineman here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Ford was the choice in this scenario if it were to happen in the real world. However, operating under the assumption that we’re going to need a Sheldon Richardson replacement next to Linval Joseph, I absolutely can’t pass this up. Round 1, Pick 18 - Ed Oliver, DT, Houston Oliver spent a lot of time playing on the nose with the Cougars, but that’s not where he’s going to be playing in the NFL. He’s going to be a three-technique tackle, and with his quickness and skills, he has the potential to be one of the NFL’s best at the position in very short order. Lining Oliver up next to Linval Joseph would give the Vikings their strongest defensive tackle pairing since the Williams Wall came down, and if he falls to this spot, he’s a no-brainer. With the Vikings, it’s not a stretch to think he’d be an early favor for 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s that good. Into the second round we go, and no trade offers come in before the picks start flowing. and none come in when we hit pick #50. So, here’s the board: Another easy one, based on what we saw this week at the Combine and from the scheme that the Vikings want to implement. Round 2, Pick 50 - Garrett Bradbury, C, North Carolina State I believe I had Bradbury to the Vikings in my previous mock, and have already gone over his strengths. He’s the perfect fit for the zone scheme the Vikings want to implement, and would push Pat Elflein over to guard, which would (theoretically) strengthen two spots on the offensive line, particularly if Elflein is healthy to start the year. As we get to the third round, I have two trade offers come in, presumably so that the simulator can remind me that trades are, in fact, in effect in this sim. Yeah, no interest in trading up, so this is an easy refusal on both fronts. No more offers come in as we hit pick #81, and both of the Wisconsin guards (Beau Benzschawel and Michael Dieter) went off the board within five picks of our spot, which is a bit of a disappointment. So, here’s what things look like now: Really not a fan of the way the board has fallen here, to be honest. But, there’s a value to be had here, so let’s get a guy that could play a significant role early on. Round 3, Pick 81 - David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State Until we see Dalvin Cook actually stay healthy for more than a few consecutive games, we have to assume that he’s going to spend some time nicked up. Throw in the fact that Latavius Murray is likely soon to be an ex-Viking and Roc Thomas having his issues, and running back is now a bigger need than it was. Montgomery could slot into the Murray role, as he’s great out of the backfield as a pass catcher, and is the rare back that comes into the league as a very good blocker as well. On to Round 4 of the draft, and no trade offers come in when we get the round started. However, we do get a couple of proposals when we get on the board for our fourth round selection. I ask myself, “What would Rick Spielman do here?” And the response is that he would turn that fourth-round pick into two fifth-rounders, bringing us to the magic number of 10. So, I take Denver’s offer and patiently wait for the fifth round to start. Once we get there, no trade proposals come in now that we’re on the board at #148 overall. Here’s what the board looks like: Again, not necessarily loving the way things have gone down here, but let’s go back to the defensive side. Round 5, Pick 148 (from Denver) - Shareef Miller, Edge, Penn State Miller has been a solid player for the Nittany Lions, having been named a third-team All-B1G player in each of the last two years. He seems like the kind of project that Mike Zimmer and Andre Patterson would like to get their hands on and mold, and he seems to be a solid value here. We’re back on the board at #156, and now we bounce back to offense. Round 5, Pick 156 (from Denver) - Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor<doc-sep>The Minnesota Vikings saw their season end earlier than they expected it to coming into the year with a final record of 8-7-1. That disappointment, however, is in the past and all eyes now are on building a potential championship-caliber team for 2019 and beyond. Free agent signings can be a nice complement to what a roster already has, but what makes or breaks teams will always be the NFL Draft, where front offices set the tone for what their futures will look like. The Vikings' biggest need by far this offseason is improving on the offensive line, followed by another playmaker or two on offense in any combination. They could take a step there by what they do in free agency, but the draft features some intriguing options up and down the board. Here is a look at our latest seven-round mock draft put together by Vikings on 247Sports using The Draft Network's brand new mock draft simulator, which allows you to run full simulations and also create your own big board. Notes:<doc-sep>
With another Saturday upon us and the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine well in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for another installment of our Mock Draft Database, tracking what experts around these vast interwebs of ours predict for the Minnesota Vikings when the 2019 NFL Draft rolls around this April. We’ve expanded our scope once again this week, as we’re now up to 50 mock drafts from across the internet. One position continues to dominate, and will likely do so throughout this process, but we are seeing a few different names and a little more variance as to how the picks are distributed. With that, here are the 50 mocks that make up the Database for this week: As you can see from the dates, over half of the drafts in our Database this week have been either added or updated since last week’s update, so a lot of them should be showing what they learned at the Scouting Combine. Once again, the offensive linemen are dominating the overall distribution of picks. They slightly increased their overall percentage of selections, as they garnered 43 of the 50 picks in this week’s Database (86%). That’s a bump up from 83.3% last week. Cody Ford of Oklahoma remains the leader in the clubhouse, as he’s the first person in this year’s Database to pick up double-digit selections in any of our roundups. Ford appears 12 times this week (24%), and he’s been in the low-20% range in all three of our Databases so far. We have a couple of pretty significant risers this week in the form of Alabama tackle Jonah Williams and North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury. Both of them picked up seven selections this week (14% each), with Williams nearly doubling his four selections from last week and Bradbury nearly quadrupling his two picks from the previous Database. With those two players rising as they did, a lot of the offensive linemen that had been in the Database saw a drop. Kansas State guard Dalton Risner (8%), Washington State tackle Andre Dillard (6%), Mississippi tackle Greg Little (6%), Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor (4%), and West Virginia tackle Yodny Cajuste (2%) each saw a drop-off in selections from the previous Database. Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom picked up a second selection this week (4%), though one of the drafts that has the Vikings selecting Lindstrom (from Alpha Football) has the Vikings trading down with the New England Patriots, getting an extra second round pick, and taking Lindstrom at #32. The picks in the table above represent both of the Vikings’ second round selections in that mock, and they used their third-round pick on Michigan defensive end Chase Winovich. We have one debuting offensive lineman in our mock this week as well, as Texas A&M center Erik McCoy. . .another Combine superstar. . .appears once this week (2%). Once gain, that doesn’t leave a whole lot for any of the other positions, as there are just seven other selections to go around. Michigan linebacker Devin Bush picked up a bit of support this week, as he appears three times in our Database (6%). He remains the lone linebacker in our Database. At the defensive end spot, we have a new name and a new leader at the position, as Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell makes his debut this week with two selections (4%). In addition, after becoming the first player to disappear from the Database last week, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver becomes the first player to re-appear, as he’s back with one selection (2%). Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, Boston College defensive tackle Zach Allen, and Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat all dropped out of our Database this week. T.J. Hockenson continues to be the lone offensive skill position player in our Database, though he has just one selection this week (2%). And, yes, in something that we knew was probably coming eventually, someone mocked a first-round defensive back to the Vikings. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has them selecting Washington cornerback Byron Murphy, who makes his debut this week (2%). With that, here are the graphical representations for this week, starting with the donut graph that focuses exclusively on how this week’s picks were distributed. As always, you may click on the picture for purposes of embiggening.