With The #12 Overall Selection, The Minnesota Vikings Select…
Noah Moore
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It’s that time of the year.
The NFL Draft is now only a couple days away, and the Vikings have a big selection to make with the #12 pick.
Vikings fans have been speculating all offseason, arguing over whether the Vikings should draft a shutdown corner, help for the offensive line, or a dynamic talent at the wide receiver position to pair with Justin Jefferson over the next several years. Which way will the new general manager and new head coach go in an attempt to improve the Minnesota Vikings enough to make the playoffs in 2022?
If you ask me, I think the Vikings will keep things simple: they will draft the best overall player. This year, I also think that the best player available will fit the Vikings’ most urgent position of need.
I think corner Derek Stingley Jr. will be available at the #12 position, and I don’t think the Vikings will be able to pass on that selection.
This is both the most obvious and the most popular pick for the Vikings to make if Stingley is still available when they go on the clock on Thursday night. He is the most mocked player to the Vikings throughout this offseason. Plus, cornerback is an obvious position of need for the team, even with their recent obsession with drafting first-round corners.
Stingley Jr. is a tremendous talent. From an athletic perspective, he has the ideal build at 6’1 195 lbs and the requisite speed with a sub 4.4 40-yard dash time. Combined with lanky arms and loose hips, these attributes make Stingley Jr. a great prospect. However, Stingley has had injury issues. If he is there at #12, it is likely because teams were concerned that his best season was back in 2019.
I think the Vikings will look past Stingley’s availability issues because their need of a lockdown corner is so great. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s preferred coverage demands a shutdown corner who can shadow the opposing team’s number one receiver. As of right now, that player is not on the roster. Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler are good, but they aren’t lockdown corners.
Stingley has the ability to shadow and shutdown the opposing team’s best receiver because of his elite speed and his ability to anticipate out-breaking routes. If he is still available at #12, I think the Vikings pull the trigger, and I think that it will be a great pick, giving Donatell the key piece he needs to field a competitive defense next season.
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