Best remaining players available for the Vikings

The Vikings traded down in the first round to move up in the second -- who were they targeting?

By Paul Hodowanic

Courtesy of the trade with the Detroit Lions, the Vikings will be making the second pick of the second round on Friday as well as two more picks in the third round (No. 66 and 77). There’s still plenty of value on the board, so let’s take a look at 10 options heading into Day 2.  

The QBs

There are plenty of intriguing still available as just one QB – Pitt’s Kenny Pickett – was taken in the first round on Thursday. Liberty’s Malik Willis, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, and Ole Miss’s Matt Corrall are all potential Day 2 picks. 

Now, would the Vikings be interested? It’d be surprising to see them take one at No. 34. If they like someone enough to take them there, you’d think they would’ve drafted them at No. 32 to take advantage of the fifth-year option attached with first-round picks. Any QBs taken from here would be on a four-year deal and with Kirk Cousins under contract for two seasons, that could waste half of the QB’s rookie deal. 

Still, the upside of someone like Willis is tantalizing and offers the Vikings’ new regime a succession plan from Cousins. And that quarterback would not have the expectations of a first-round pick or the responsibility to start immediately. 

Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson

The Vikings addressed the secondary with the drafting of safety Lewis Cine, but they still have plenty of need at cornerback. Booth is the top cornerback available heading into Day 2 and would be a good value. He’s ranked No. 22 on The Athletic’s consensus big board. 

Dane Brugler’s assessment of Booth:

“Overall, Booth’s tape has some volatility and he must mature his feel for spacing, but he has fluid athleticism, finds the football, and disrupts the catch point, three important ingredients to playing the position at a high level. He has NFL starting traits (if he stays healthy) and projects best in a man-heavy scheme.”

Booth did not participate in the NFL Combine or Clemson’s Pro Day because of a sports hernia surgery. Booth is expected to be ready for training camp. 

Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

Linebacker is not necessarily a need for Minnesota, but Dean is arguably the best player available left in the draft. He’s ranked No. 19 overall by PFF and is probably the best blitzing linebacker in the draft. He finished 6th in pressures amongst linebackers in 2021.

Arnold Ebeketie, EDGE, Penn State

Ebeketie was getting some late buzz as a first-round pick and will likely come off the board quickly on Friday. He has had a PFF grade above 85 the past two seasons and was graded as one of the top pass rushers in all of college football. He collected 8 sacks last season and has ideal length and size. 

Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan

Could wide receiver be in play? I think so, especially with the value Skyy Moore presents. Moore has been a late riser in this draft process. Moore is great after the catch, having led the FBS in missed tackles last season and he’s got the 4.4 speed to run away from defenders after he makes them miss. 

Minnesota will rightly be questioned for not taking Jameson Williams, but adding Moore would go a long way in quelling some of those concerns.

George Pickens, WR, Georgia

Moore isn’t the only wide receiver in play at No. 34. Pickens has all the measurables to be a No. 1 X-receiver in the NFL and has fantastic ball skills. What may drop him is off-field concerns. Several questions have been raised about his maturity and work ethic in the lead-up to the draft. He’s got all the talent, but it’s unclear whether he has the drive to reach his potential. 

Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn

McCreary lacks the ideal athletic makeup at cornerback but his production can’t be denied. McCreary had an 89.9 PFF grade last season going up against some of the best wide receiver talent in the SEC. He allowed a completion percentage of 45.3%. But he’s an outlier. McCreary has the second shortest arms of any draft prospect since 1999.

Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota

If the Lewis Cine selection was any indication, the Vikings’ new regime values athleticism A LOT. That makes Mafe an intriguing prospect. Mafe’s Relative Athletic Score is 9.91 and he had one of the best pre-draft workouts of all the prospects. 

Pro Football Focus ranked Mafe sixth in pass-rush grade and sixth in pressures since the start of 2020. They also ranked him third last year in pass-rush win rate in third-down passing situations.

Drake Jackson, EDGE, USC

Jackson is another EDGE defender that was gaining some momentum as a first-round pick. He just turned 21 and has some elite qualities. His most productive season was as a freshman before a new coaching staff converted him to an outside linebacker. Teams drafting him as an EDGE rusher are betting on his traits and that he can return to his productive ways once he’s back as a defensive end.

Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut

Defensive tackle is also a potential position the Vikings could address and Jones is one of the best still available. Jones possesses the brute strength you want from a nose tackle and was one of PFF’s highest-graded defensive ends in 2021. 

Honorable Mentions

The luxury the Vikings find themselves in with a top pick in the second round is there are still so many prospects. This draft has long been talked about as relatively weak at the top of the draft with tons of depth and potential starters in the second and third rounds. Minnesota now has a chance to capitalize on that. For this exercise, I focused on players that will likely be early second-round picks, but here are a few names that could be taken with one of their third-round picks. 

Alabama WR John Metchie, North Dakota State WR Christian Watson, Memphis G Dylan Parham, Arizona State C Dohnovan West, Houston DT Logan Hall, Washington CB Kyler Gordon, South Carolina EDGE Kingsley Enagbare