In a crucial offseason, the Minnesota Vikings are short on draft capital. With just four draft picks in this year’s NFL Draft, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have to use his limited draft selections wisely and sensibly to improve the team’s significant roster weaknesses. The team got dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball during their back-to-back losses against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams to end their season, and the team is also facing six key free agents in the secondary. If Minnesota wants to continue to compete in an already highly competitive NFC North, they have to hit on their draft picks.
As the East-West Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl occur this week, the NFL Draft is fast approaching. Experts and analysts are creating mock drafts to predict each team’s direction in April, and although things will change based on how each franchise reacts to the free agency period, many teams have their share of needs on the board.
With Minnesota, barring a trade down, currently slated to pick 24th in the first round, there are several players general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should be taking a look at if they are available when it is the Vikings turn to pick.
Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina
The Vikings have needed secondary help for so long that it has become a running joke within the scouting community every time the team gets mock-drafted a corner. Still, here we are, another year and another CB suggestion for Minnesota.
Shavon Revel might be the best cornerback in the second tier of corners behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Michigan’s Will Johnson. Unfortunately, Revel only played in half of East Carolina’s games this season due to a torn ACL, so his draft stock could take a hit, pushing him right into Vikings trade-down territory.
Revel is appealing for several reasons, but the first is his combination of size and speed. Earlier this week, he measured at 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds at the Shrine Bowl (shoutout to my friend Alex Katson for the official measurements on his spreadsheet tracker), which is the prototypical size for a starting NFL cornerback. Revel also possesses elite positional athleticism, great footwork, recovery speed, and quick instincts to always be in the right place when in coverage. While the ball skills production was not there in college, the tools and traits are there for Revel to become a good cover corner in the NFL.
If the team chooses not to bring back any pending free agents at cornerback (Byron Murphy Jr, Stephon Gilmore & Shaquill Griffin), look for Adofo-Mensah to attack the position early in the draft.
Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss
The Vikings ran a platoon on the interior of the defensive line this past season, which isn’t always bad. However, they never received any substantial production from the position, especially in the form of a pass rush. Harrison Phillips is a good player and an average to above-average player at the position, but he needs some help generating pressure up the middle of the defense.
Walter Nolen, the former Texas A&M standout, is coming off a 6.5 sack season in his first season after transferring to Ole Miss. He would provide an instant upgrade down the middle of the defense. With an elite power and speed combination, Nolen can win reps in multiple ways to generate pressure up the middle and take on opposing blocks to free up edge rushers. Nolen provides exponentially better movement ability and overall athletic prowess than other prospects at the position. Measuring at 6-foot-3 and 293 pounds in Mobile at the Senior Bowl this week, Nolen would be the perfect athletic counterpart on the defensive line next to Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner long-term. If Minnesota decides to pass on top defensive tackle free agents Osa Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys and Milton Williams from the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, look for the team to turn their eyes toward Nolen in round one.
Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
Vikings fans are enamored with the idea of signing Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith in free agency this off-season. The interior offensive line was a liability down the stretch this season, and finding upgrades is high on the to-do list for the Vikings front office.
If the team cannot sign Smith or is unwilling to pay his expected high price tag, drafting Tyler Booker from Alabama is not a bad consolation prize. The Vikings’ offensive line has been missing a big, strong, and physical specimen that plays with an edge and nastiness against opposing defensive linemen. Booker provides precisely that. His physicality would instantly improve the Vikings’ run game, giving the RB room an anchor to run behind and generate speed downhill. However, Booker’s movement ability is a question mark; for a team that likes to get linemen moving across the offensive line several pull concepts in the run game, Booker’s lack of first-step quickness and overall movement ability could shy the Vikings away from him.
However, Trey Smith’s contract is projected to cost over 20 million dollars a season, so the Vikings may have to consider alternatives to fill their offensive line if they’re unwilling to pay the premium price.