Mock Draft

[StumpHunter]

Pick 38 Noah Sewell LB Oregon
Pick 62 Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee
Pick 70 Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA
Pick 87 Mekhi Garner CB LSU

To me, there is just so much more value in those first 3 rounds than the next 4, and so I made trades that got the Vikings 4 picks in those rounds. Going from 4 picks scattered through the first 5 rounds to 4 picks in the first 3 would be an ideal draft for me, and getting Hooker in the 3rd makes this draft something special. The guy is something else and I would be shocked if he fell all the way to 62, but he was there so I grabbed him. Another option here since Hooker probably doesn't fall this far is Steve Avila, OG/C from TCU. He projects better as a guard than center, but the Vikings need both to improve offensively.

Sewell is a thumper and a bit of a change from the Kendricks MLB type we have gotten used to. He could really help shore up the run D and isn't terrible in coverage.

Charbonnet is built to be more of an inside zone rusher and since that is what KOC wants to run despite not having the players to block it effectively, he is a good fit here.

Garner has the length to cover bigger WRs and would be a good addition on the outside. He isn't the perfect prospect due to concerns about his speed, but this is the late 3rd round so you take what you can get.

[VikingLord]

Pick 38 Noah Sewell LB Oregon
Pick 62 Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee
Pick 70 Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA
Pick 87 Mekhi Garner CB LSU

To me, there is just so much more value in those first 3 rounds than the next 4, and so I made trades that got the Vikings 4 picks in those rounds. Going from 4 picks scattered through the first 5 rounds to 4 picks in the first 3 would be an ideal draft for me, and getting Hooker in the 3rd makes this draft something special. The guy is something else and I would be shocked if he fell all the way to 62, but he was there so I grabbed him. Another option here since Hooker probably doesn't fall this far is Steve Avila, OG/C from TCU. He projects better as a guard than center, but the Vikings need both to improve offensively.

Sewell is a thumper and a bit of a change from the Kendricks MLB type we have gotten used to. He could really help shore up the run D and isn't terrible in coverage.

Charbonnet is built to be more of an inside zone rusher and since that is what KOC wants to run despite not having the players to block it effectively, he is a good fit here.

Garner has the length to cover bigger WRs and would be a good addition on the outside. He isn't the perfect prospect due to concerns about his speed, but this is the late 3rd round so you take what you can get.

I like it. All very good value where you're getting them. If it worked out that way I'd be very optimistic. Hooker at #62 in particular is great value. I suspect he'll rise in pre-draft evals though and will go somewhere in the bottom half of the 1st.

[IIsweet]

Jack Campbell from Iowa is an absoluite Beast. He is 6'5 and extremely intelligent. The Butkus award winner for a reason. To me he is plug and play in our defense, but he runs a projected 4.70. He makes up for the speed by being a great football player. I would love him and probably a 2nd rd pick, maybe 3rd? Btw, I am an original Iowa boy, transplanted to the South, and LOVE my Hawkeyes !!!

[Pondering Her Percy]

Jack Campbell from Iowa is an absoluite Beast. He is 6'5 and extremely intelligent. The Butkus award winner for a reason. To me he is plug and play in our defense, but he runs a projected 4.70. He makes up for the speed by being a great football player. I would love him and probably a 2nd rd pick, maybe 3rd? Btw, I am an original Iowa boy, transplanted to the South, and LOVE my Hawkeyes !!!

I like Campbell but my worry with him is his speed. I like the instincts but I feel like his speed just isnt there, especially for a pass heavy league. 20 years ago, this dude would be a top 10 pick. I want quickness and speed at LB.

[CharVike]

Jack Campbell from Iowa is an absoluite Beast. He is 6'5 and extremely intelligent. The Butkus award winner for a reason. To me he is plug and play in our defense, but he runs a projected 4.70. He makes up for the speed by being a great football player. I would love him and probably a 2nd rd pick, maybe 3rd? Btw, I am an original Iowa boy, transplanted to the South, and LOVE my Hawkeyes !!!

I like Campbell but my worry with him is his speed. I like the instincts but I feel like his speed just isnt there, especially for a pass heavy league. 20 years ago, this dude would be a top 10 pick. I want quickness and speed at LB.

He's seems to be more of a 4-3 MLBer than a 3-4 ILBer. Hicks and Kendricks are both experienced pros but they were expected to cover from the middle to sideline and didn't have the speed for that. That's why I like Simpson 6’3”, 230 lbs / 4.39 40-time. He's certainly doesn't have the instincts or football intelligence of Campbell at this point but he has wheels.
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Campbell has the length to wrap up tackles, shed blocks, and disrupt passing lanes. Plus, he moves like a more diminutive player in space, with the short-area quickness and read/react ability to close on the ball. There are more athletic and imposing LBs in the class, but teams will covet Campbell’s no-nonsense skill set. Of course our version of the 3-4 could be different with the outside guys rushing forcing the ILBers to handle the flats and outs. Maybe that's why the middle was wide open. If you stick with only 3 rushers it won't be pretty.

[JJBreaksRecords]

I like Campbell as well, but share your fears he might not be fast enough. But he would be a good LB in the middle. Im not sure where they will play Asamouh, but he should be where they need speed/coverage, and Campbell in the middle. Would be even better if we could wait for our second pick, but thats no possible.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I like Campbell as well, but share your fears he might not be fast enough. But he would be a good LB in the middle. Im not sure where they will play Asamouh, but he should be where they need speed/coverage, and Campbell in the middle. Would be even better if we could wait for our second pick, but thats no possible.

If we stay in a 3-4, I dont see Campbell fitting because there isnt as true of a MLB in a 3-4 as there is in a 4-3. If we were to switch to a 4-3, I definitely see Campbell fitting in the middle. Asamoah is definitely an outside backer in a 4-3. And he would play Hicks' spot in a 3-4 I would think.

[CharVike]

I like Campbell as well, but share your fears he might not be fast enough. But he would be a good LB in the middle. Im not sure where they will play Asamouh, but he should be where they need speed/coverage, and Campbell in the middle. Would be even better if we could wait for our second pick, but thats no possible.

If we stay in a 3-4, I dont see Campbell fitting because there isnt as true of a MLB in a 3-4 as there is in a 4-3. If we were to switch to a 4-3, I definitely see Campbell fitting in the middle. Asamoah is definitely an outside backer in a 4-3. And he would play Hicks' spot in a 3-4 I would think.

I agree with what you posted. Asamoah and Campbell as you described were they should play would be perfect in a 4-3. Then put the players we currently have as DEs back to DE and Tomlinson back inside and that gives us at least the makings of a decent front 7. It all starts there. Watching that Chief / Bengal game Mahomes was able to just stand there in the pocket waiting for guys to get open. Of course he was under pressure and sacked at times and on those plays it wasn't good for him. Burrow was harassed liked crazy and his play suffered but I give the kid credit he hung tough and made some plays.

[Texas Vike]

Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 is worth a read:

https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremia ... nkings-1-0

I have to admit that his write up on Bijan has me reconsidering what VL proposed. Anthony Richardson is another interesting option for our #23 pick. KOC and KAM have to be thinking about getting a young QB in here to start the process of replacing Kirk.

[CharVike]

Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 is worth a read:

https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremia ... nkings-1-0

I have to admit that his write up on Bijan has me reconsidering what VL proposed. Anthony Richardson is another interesting option for our #23 pick. KOC and KAM have to be thinking about getting a young QB in here to start the process of replacing Kirk.

I like McKee from Stanford as the QB.

[VikingLord]

Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 is worth a read:

https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremia ... nkings-1-0

I have to admit that his write up on Bijan has me reconsidering what VL proposed. Anthony Richardson is another interesting option for our #23 pick. KOC and KAM have to be thinking about getting a young QB in here to start the process of replacing Kirk.

When I think about Richardson as a QB prospect and KAM taking him at #23, I think about that scene from Lord of the Rings where Smeagol beseeches Frodo not to try to take the Ring of Power into Mordor through the Black Gate. I wish I could find that clip on Youtube, but apparently that scene wasn't as popular or memorable as others from that movie.

Richardson is a prototypical athletic QB. He's tall. He's big. He's got a strong arm and can make all the throws. He can run. He's dynamic.

But he's not going to be a reliable starting QB as a pro and this is why - he's not a student of the game and he's not good at reading the field, plus his athleticism often leads to him making a lot of off-kilter throws because he doesn't possess solid fundamentals IMHO. He's going to wow at the Combine and get scouts lathered up. In fact, I expect he'll make the chances of anyone taking him lower than the 15th pick a moot point as someone will get overly excited about what he brings to the table and believe they can coach him into a becoming a good pro. Good luck. It might happen. I just don't want the Vikings to be the team that takes that chance.

I think Stump hit it on the head with his mock on Hendon Hooker in the 3rd or if the Vikings move up in the later 2nd, maybe get him there. He's consistently trended upwards during his college career. He's accurate, can make things happen with his feet, and has demonstrated an ability to rise to the challenge in big games. His big issue is an ACL injury that will require rehab for much or all of his rookie season, which means he can't get on the field right away for the team that drafts him, and that will push him down boards. It is exactly that sort of thing, though, that could be a huge gift to a team like the Vikings, because if he were healthy he'd be a sure first round pick and probably a top 15 pick.

If this upcoming draft were to somehow deposit Bijan Robinson to the Vikings in the first round and KAM managed to snag Hendon Hooker somehow, wow, what a bonanza of a draft that would be. The Vikings would get a generational RB talent and a QB prospect that I think could become a legit franchise impact starter. That would be very impressive.

For those who aren't familiar with Hendon Hooker, I highly recommend looking up his highlights on Youtube.

[Texas Vike]

Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 is worth a read:



I have to admit that his write up on Bijan has me reconsidering what VL proposed. Anthony Richardson is another interesting option for our #23 pick. KOC and KAM have to be thinking about getting a young QB in here to start the process of replacing Kirk.

When I think about Richardson as a QB prospect and KAM taking him at #23, I think about that scene from Lord of the Rings where Smeagol beseeches Frodo not to try to take the Ring of Power into Mordor through the Black Gate. I wish I could find that clip on Youtube, but apparently that scene wasn't as popular or memorable as others from that movie.

Richardson is a prototypical athletic QB. He's tall. He's big. He's got a strong arm and can make all the throws. He can run. He's dynamic.

But he's not going to be a reliable starting QB as a pro and this is why - he's not a student of the game and he's not good at reading the field, plus his athleticism often leads to him making a lot of off-kilter throws because he doesn't possess solid fundamentals IMHO. He's going to wow at the Combine and get scouts lathered up. In fact, I expect he'll make the chances of anyone taking him lower than the 15th pick a moot point as someone will get overly excited about what he brings to the table and believe they can coach him into a becoming a good pro. Good luck. It might happen. I just don't want the Vikings to be the team that takes that chance.

I think Stump hit it on the head with his mock on Hendon Hooker in the 3rd or if the Vikings move up in the later 2nd, maybe get him there. He's consistently trended upwards during his college career. He's accurate, can make things happen with his feet, and has demonstrated an ability to rise to the challenge in big games. His big issue is an ACL injury that will require rehab for much or all of his rookie season, which means he can't get on the field right away for the team that drafts him, and that will push him down boards. It is exactly that sort of thing, though, that could be a huge gift to a team like the Vikings, because if he were healthy he'd be a sure first round pick and probably a top 15 pick.

If this upcoming draft were to somehow deposit Bijan Robinson to the Vikings in the first round and KAM managed to snag Hendon Hooker somehow, wow, what a bonanza of a draft that would be. The Vikings would get a generational RB talent and a QB prospect that I think could become a legit franchise impact starter. That would be very impressive.

For those who aren't familiar with Hendon Hooker, I highly recommend looking up his highlights on Youtube.

Great post. I caught some of Hooker's games and really liked what I saw.

[VikingLord]

I caught some of Hooker's games and really liked what I saw.

The more I look at the upcoming draft the less likely I think it is that either Robinson or Hooker last to where the Vikings pick in the first and third rounds, respectively. I think Robinson is gone by #20, and Hooker will go by the middle of the 2nd.

I am beginning to believe that the best value on the board where the Vikings pick in the 1st is going to be CB and WR. The pre-draft mocks out right now seem to favor CB, but the particular players being associated with the Vikings are all over the map at that spot in the draft. That tells me two things - this is a deep CB class, but a flat CB class. There are a lot of CBs who are probably going to be pretty good pros. I can't recall a CB class as deep as this one in recent memory in fact. So taking a CB at #24 is probably good value, but it's also driven by immediate need, and that makes me less enthused about it since there are liable to be a few stinkers in the mix that might look like good picks where the Vikings draft.

At WR, I'm torn on that too. Could the Vikings use an impact WR to pair with Jefferson next year? Absolutely. Do they need to spend #24 on a WR to pair with Jefferson next year? Not really, especially when whatever WR's available at that spot probably also won't be consensus impact starters their first year.

If it comes to value at those positions I think it is reasonable to expect someone to want to move up and equally reasonable to think KAM would be willing to move down to get some more picks, either in this draft or the 2024 draft. I can see him moving down into as late as the middle 2nd (and hopefully getting adequate compensation), where a guy like Hooker would make a lot of sense even if he sits next year.

I don't see a trade up happening in this draft. The only player I'd consider trading up to get would be Robinson, and even there I'd only think that is worth it if he's still on the board at, say, #20. Not sure what KAM would have to give up to get him, but he'd probably be worth it from a production perspective for sure.

I'd put the odds of KAM holding at #24 at 90%, and trading down if he can at around 50-60% right now.

[IIsweet]

I feel that we HAVE to replace Cleveland 6'6" 312 and Bradbury 6'3" 300. Cleveland is a Tackle who I have never been sold on. Too early to move on from Ingram who was a rookie and will definitely get better. IF we could somehow come away with 2 of G O'Cyress Torrence 6'5 337, C John Michael Schmitz 6'4 306, OG Andrew Vorhees 6'6 325, C Ricky Stromberg 6'4 315, and IOL Steve Avila 6'4 332, that would be amazing. According to NFL Draft Blitz, they are prospect ranked 34,50,56,79, and 88. IMO, that adds a lot of size and beef to the OL. After watching us get absolutely manhandled on the interior OL, this is where I target the draft. Problem is that we have so many needs on the defensive side of the ball, but the CB class is deep this year. LBs are everywhere and there are quite a few players there. S is a position that can also be addressed later in the draft.

[JJBreaksRecords]

I feel that we HAVE to replace Cleveland 6'6" 312 and Bradbury 6'3" 300. Cleveland is a Tackle who I have never been sold on. Too early to move on from Ingram who was a rookie and will definitely get better. IF we could somehow come away with 2 of G O'Cyress Torrence 6'5 337, C John Michael Schmitz 6'4 306, OG Andrew Vorhees 6'6 325, C Ricky Stromberg 6'4 315, and IOL Steve Avila 6'4 332, that would be amazing. According to NFL Draft Blitz, they are prospect ranked 34,50,56,79, and 88. IMO, that adds a lot of size and beef to the OL. After watching us get absolutely manhandled on the interior OL, this is where I target the draft. Problem is that we have so many needs on the defensive side of the ball, but the CB class is deep this year. LBs are everywhere and there are quite a few players there. S is a position that can also be addressed later in the draft.

Right. I hope the Vikings FO thinks of this as a 3 year rebuild. And that start with the Oline. Ezra isnt worth a resign, And Ingram and Trudbury dont seem like the future to me. Maybe backups, but I doubt Turdbury thinks hes a backup. With even a slightly better Oline, Mattison, TY, a late RB pick will be good enough for now. Kirk has 2 more years (unless he asks for a trade *please god*). And I hope TJ finishes his NFL career with the Vikings.

We are also going to need a couple EDGE, a cb or 2, and ILBs). But all that will take time, and maybe a few players from KAMs first draft actually play next season.