Minnesota Vikings 7-round mock draft: Two first-round pick set the tone
By David Glancy
Round 1
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 22. player. Cornerback. TCU. Jeff Gladney. 872
The Minnesota Vikings’ biggest need entering the draft is cornerback after the departures of Rhodes, Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander. The Minnesota Vikings are now left with inexperience and a lack of depth at the position.
The 2020 NFL Draft class has plenty of talent at the cornerback position and while Jeffrey Okudah and C.J. Henderson, the top corners in the draft, will be long gone by the time Minnesota goes on the clock, Jeff Gladney has excelled playing a press-man coverage in TCU and would instantly fit in Zimmer’s defense. Gladney is surprisingly long despite measuring at only 6-foot and is one of the most physical corners in the draft.
EDGE. A.J. Epenesa. 25. 878. Scouting Report. Iowa. player. Pick Analysis
With the top offensive and defensive tackles off the board by the time the Minnesota Vikings are on the clock, Iowa defensive end, A.J. Epenesa, makes the most sense as the best player available at a position of need. While the Vikings will need to replace Diggs’s production, a receiver does not appear to be a day one need.
Both Epenesa and Yetur Gross-Matos will likely be available with the 25th pick, but Epenesa’s style of play fits better than Gross-Matos’s. Epenesa has fallen as a late-first/early-second round prospect after a poor combine, but is effective through the middle and can be an immediate starter.
Round 2
Offensive Tackle. TCU. Lucas Niang. 58. Pick Analysis. player. 872. Scouting Report
The Minnesota Vikings take their second TCU Horned Frog in this mock draft by selecting offensive tackle, Lucas Niang. Niang possesses first-round talent but is projected to fall to the second after hip surgery ended his senior year. Niang started at right tackle in college but could play either side of the line. As a second-day selection, Niang gives the Vikings flexibility on the line.
Niang could become a day one starter and allow either tackle Brian O’Neill or Riley Reiff the ability to move to the inside. With Reiff earning the second highest salary behind Cousins, taking Niang gives the Vikings an immediate replacement and is the best long-term option to improve the line with their second pick.