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Let’s see what he’s got the purple doing
‘Tis the season for mock drafts to start popping up around the internet. In this pre-Combine period of the offseason, there is still plenty of room for things to change. However, mock drafts that are done at this point do still give us a bit of a benchmark for the rest of the pre-draft process.
Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller, who we’ve always been pretty big fans of, has put together his first seven-round mock draft of this offseason, and he’s even gone so far as to project all of the compensatory picks to give us a full 256 selections. So, what does he see for the Minnesota Vikings?
Well, he starts off by making Mike Zimmer a happy camper, taking Louisiana State University cornerback Kristian Fulton with the 25th pick. The Vikings’ defensive backfield could find itself in a serious state of flux this offseason, and while a lot of people might roll their eyes at the idea of another first-round cornerback, it might be a necessary selection.
Here’s what Miller has to say about the pick:
Despite getting a Pro Bowl invite, Xavier Rhodes’ play dropped off substantially in 2019. The combination of Rhodes’ struggles and other issues at the cornerback position has the Minnesota Vikings going all-in on the position in Round 1 of the 2020 draft.
Fulton, who grades out higher than 2019 draft pick Greedy Williams did at LSU, is a physical cornerback with excellent instincts and toughness. He was banged up in 2019 and played through an ankle injury that may have some questioning his tape, but don’t question his mentality. He’s wired to be great, and like Tre’Davious White before him coming out of LSU, he could be special as a late first-rounder.
A sneaky need for Minnesota would be quarterback if one happened to fall, but none of value are available in this spot.
The Vikings do address the quarterback position with Miller’s second pick for them, taking Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (State Farm) with their second selection. Fromm is the 6th quarterback taken in Miller’s mock, behind the following:
- Joe Burrow, #1 overall to Cincinnati
- Tua Tagovailoa, #5 overall to Miami
- Justin Herbert, #6 to Los Angeles (AFC version)
- Jordan Love, #13 to Indianapolis
- Jacob Eason, #14 to Tampa Bay
Yes, Miller has five quarterbacks going in the first 14 picks of the draft, and then none until the Vikings take Fromm in Round 2. It would cost a decent amount for the Vikings to trade up from #25 to a position where they would get ahead of any of those teams, but I don’t hate the selection of Fromm where the Vikings get him in this scenario.
Here are the rest of the picks that Miller has for the Vikings in his mock:
- Round 3, #89 - Robert Hunt, OL, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Round 4, #129 - Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
- Round 4, #138 (compensatory) - Alex Taylor, OL, South Carolina State
- Round 6, #206 - Binjimen Victor, WR, Ohio State
- Round 7, #220 (from Miami) - Charlie Taumoepeau, TE, Portland State
- Round 7, #240 - Kamren Curl, S, Arkansas
- Round 7, #253 (compensatory) - Justin Strnad, LB, Wake Forest
- Round 7, #254 (compensatory) - Damar Hamlin, S, Pittsburgh
Again, there is a lot that’s going to change over the next 11 weeks or so, but what do you folks think of Matt Miller’s first mock draft of the year?
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