Collectively, NFL Insiders & Analysts Believe Minnesota Will Go Defense in RD1

K. Joudry |

Apr 21, 2022

Mar 5, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis (DL05) goes through drills during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Count me as being among those who believe the Vikings will lean defense in the opening round. The needs are many, especially when it comes to the two most important positions: EDGE and corner. The mock drafts certainly reinforce the belief that the Vikings main needs rest on defense.

Recently, Tyler Forness of The Vikings Wire tweeted a pretty crazy summary of where mock drafters are leaning:

For the last 10 weeks, I have been tracking who has been mocked to the Vikings for @TheVikingsWire. I have compiled 104 unique mock drafts and I found this particular stat interesting

Defensive players mocked: 101
Offensive players mocked: 3
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) April 18, 2022

104 total mock drafts feature Minnesota going defense in 101 instances. That’s a touch over 97% of the time.

Names commonly sent to Minnesota include Jermaine Johnson, Derek Stingley Jr., Trent McDuffie, Jordan Davis, and Devonte Wyatt. At times, the mock drafts have sent Tyler Linderbaum or one of the high-end receivers to Minnesota, but they’re in the clear minority.

During free agency, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah brought in Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, and Jordan Hicks. Patrick Peterson was brought back, but the team said goodbye to notable players like Xavier Woods, Michael Pierce, and (likely) Anthony Barr. The end result is a defense with some solid starters in place. In fact, there’s good reason to believe that the front seven can be really strong.

The Vikings will run into issues if they sustain an injury or two. They’re frightfully thin at corner, LB, EDGE, and safety. Losing a starter at one or more of these positions would put a strain on this group. For this reason, it makes a lot of sense to keep adding talent, especially early on.

The mock drafts have taken notice of this situation, sending defensive talent in the Vikings’ direction.

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