Bane 1.0 – 2025 Vikings Mock Draft: Kwesi’s Flashbacks
With free agency more in the rear-view than the windshield, true mock draft season is upon us. The Vikings have done a marvelous job filling their needs to this point, so this draft feels like they can go in a million different directions.
With that being said, let’s mock.
Round 2, Pick 34 (via NYG) – S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
- Height: 6’0
- Weight: 203lbs
- 24 Y/O in November 2025
- PFF Big Board Rank: 39
- 89.7 PFF Defensive Grade (5th among safeties in the nation)
- 89.5 PFF Coverage Grade (5th among safeties in the nation)
- 6 INTs, 3PBUs, 53.6% completion, 29.5 passer rating allowed in 2024
We’re on the third edition of the Harrison Smith farewell tour in 2025, and the Vikings will be three years removed from attempting to draft his replacement in Lewis Cine by the time the 2025 NFL Draft commences. In this mock, Minnesota will attempt to do so again via a trade-down with the New York Giants.
- NYG sends picks 34 and 99, a 2026 4th-round pick, and a 2027 6th-round pick.
- MIN sends Picks 24 and 2026 5th-round pick.
Watts is the top ball-hawking safety in this class due to his football IQ and ability to react quickly to the ball. Despite the lack of positional value that safeties possess during draft time, these skills will likely get him drafted on Day 2, despite his struggles with tackling.
He possesses the coverage prowess to win assignments all over the field, as he was fun heavily at safety, in the box, and also at slot corner, providing a versatile defender that would shine in a Brian Flores defense.
Round 3, Pick 97 – DI Deone Walker, Kentucky
- Height: 6’7
- Weight: 331
- Turned 21 Y/O in March 2025
- PFF Big Board Rank: 106
- 71.2 PFF Defensive Grade (180th among DI in the nation)
- 67.7 PFF Run Defense Grade (302nd among DI in the nation)
- 75.4 PFF Pass Rushing Grade (33rd among DI in the nation)
- 4 sacks, 18 QB hurries, 3 batted passes, 20 defensive stops in 2024
Walker was in talks to be a top 10 selection in this draft around this time last year, but a 2024 full of regression and a broken back, plummeted his draft stock. However, his sheer size and ability to rush the passer provide an intriguing prospect for Brian Flores and company during the years of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
His size and length provide him with a dominant bull rush and the ability to control the opposing pass blocker, although he can often get washed out in run-defending assignments. His technique will need refinement, but the right touch could make him a dominant interior pass rusher with a run-defending downside, much like the Vikings’ free agency acquisition, Hargrave.
Round 3, Pick 99: LB Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
- Height: 6’2
- Weight: 235lbs
- Turns 23 Y/O in September 2025
- PFF Big Board Rank: 108
- 74.2 PFF Defensive Grade (138th among LBs in the nation)
- 73.2 PFF Run Defense Grade (232nd among LBs in nation)
- 70.5 PFF Coverage Grade (135th among LBs in the nation)
- 2 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 2 PBUs, 1 forced fumble in 2024
Minnesota has a solid 1-2 punch at MLB with Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr., but the position does lack depth. Bassa is a former safety who isn’t afraid to get dirty and rub some dirt on it, a player that B-Flo would adore.
Round 5, Pick 139: CB Denzel Burke, Ohio State
- Height: 5’11
- Weight: 186lbs
- Turns 23 in November 2025
- PFF Big Board Rank: 178
- 70.7 PFF Defensive Grade (234th among CBs in the nation)
- 70.1 PFF Coverage Grade (252nd among CBs in the nation)
- 2 INTs, 2 PBUs in 2024
Denzel Burke was a four-year starter throughout his college career, beginning in 2021 when he became the first true freshman to start on the Buckeyes since 1996. Burke earned All-American Second Team honors in 2023, while 2024 proved to be his least productive season. Had 2024 gone like the 2021-2023, he could safely be mocked as a first-round selection.
It may be fair to say his 2024 campaign was just a down one and that Burke possesses all the tools of a very good CB2 or CB3 in the NFL.
Round 6, Pick 189: RB Raheim Sanders, South Carolina
- Height: 6’0
- Weight: 217lbs
- Turns 23 in June 2025
- PFF Big Board Rank: 264
- 81.2 PFF Offensive Grade (62nd among RBs in the nation)
- 86.1 PFF Rushing Grade (36th among RBs in the nation)
- 111 Zone Rushing Attempts in 2024 (28th among RBs in the nation)
- 210 touches, 1,212 total yards, 11 TDs in 2024
The Vikings may have retained Aaron Jones and traded for Jordan Mason, but that doesn’t stop them from going after a potential back of the future in Sanders. Sanders was an effective zone-scheme running back throughout college, which is the style of running the Vikings prefer. He could be a perfect replacement for Aaron Jones, who will be 31 in December.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF helped with this article.
Top Vikings FA Add Was Being Pursued by Multiple Teams Around the NFL