Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Database, v6.0

Photo by Adrian Garcia/Getty Images

A new leader and the same two major positions of need

Welcome to what might be the second-to-last version of this year’s Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Database, depending on whether or not I get to throw one together during draft week. If I don’t, next weekend’s Database will be the final one for this season, as we’re now less than two weeks away from a very unique 2020 NFL Draft.

We’re still at 100 mocks in our Database for this week, and over half of those have been updated or added since our last update. I’ve tossed out some of the ones that haven’t been updated for a while, and will continue to do that next week as well to try to give us the most accurate, up-to-date pulse on what the experts think the Vikings are up to.

Since everyone has waited long enough, here are the 100 mocks that make up our Mock Draft Database for this week. Most of these were found courtesy of the NFL Mock Draft Database, which everyone should check out if they just can’t get enough mocks. In a bit of disclosure, the DraftTek mock has the Vikings with three first-round picks and one third-round pick because of trades, but for the purposes of the percentages below, I only counted the first two picks from that mock as our first rounders. It keeps things at a nice, even 200 that way.

Strangely enough, even after all the additions, updates, and changes, our top two position groups each received exactly the same number of selections as they had last week. They’re just distributed a bit differently. Where are the changes? Let’s check everything out and see!

Defensive Backs - 70/200 selections (35%, no change from last week)

• Kristian Fulton, Louisiana State - 20 selections (10%, up from 8.5%)
• Trevon Diggs, Alabama - 11 selections (5.5%, up from 5%)
• A.J. Terrell, Clemson - 11 selections (5.5%, down from 6%)
• Jeff Gladney, Texas Christian - 10 selections (5%, up from 4.5%)
• Jaylon Johnson, Utah - 6 selections (3%, down from 4.5%)
• Xavier McKinney, Alabama - 6 selections (3%, up from 2.5%)
• Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State - 2 selections (1%, no change)
• C.J. Henderson, Florida - 2 selections (1%, down from 1.5%)
• Damon Arnette, Ohio State - 1 selection (0.5%, no change)
• Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 1%)

Fulton has gotten himself back to the 10% level. . .but he’s not the overall leader in our Database for this week. Also, it doesn’t appear people are buying into the idea of the Vikings not drafting Trevon Diggs after sending his brother Stefon to Buffalo, as he bumped up just slightly from last week.

On the other hand, this came across the Twitters today, too. A lot can change over the course of the next week and a half or so.

Interesting nugget from @MelKiperESPN on @ESPNRadio just now about the 2020 cornerback class. Outside of Okudah & Henderson, Kiper says there's zero consensus from teams about who is the No. 3 CB. Notes that Trevon Diggs' stock has dropped & might be late Day 2/early Day 3 pick,

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 12, 2020

Wide Receivers - 67/200 selections (33.5%, no change from last week)

• Denzel Mims, Baylor - 21 selections (10.5%, up from 7%)
• Tee Higgins, Clemson - 18 selections (9%, up from 8.5%)
• Justin Jefferson, Louisiana State - 12 selections (6%, down from 6.5%)
• Jalen Reagor, Texas Christian - 9 selections (4.5%, down from 6.5%)
• Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State - 3 selections (1.5%, up from 1%)
• Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado - 3 selections (1.5%, down from 3.5%)
• Henry Ruggs III, Alabama - 1 selection (0.5%, no change)

Yes, for the first time in this year’s Database, a wide receiver is the overall leader, as Mims picked up quite a bit of support from what he saw last week. In order for him to move up, a couple of players had to drop, and the two that suffered the most were Reagor and Shenault, as you can see above. The more I see of Mims on tape, the more I like him, but we’ll see if the Vikings like him, too.

Defensive Line - 43/200 selections (21.5%, down from 23% last week)

• Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State - 18 selections (9%, down from 9.5%)
• A.J. Epenesa, Iowa - 15 selections (7.5%, up from 7%)
• K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State - 3 selections (1.5%, up from 0.5%)
• Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma - 3 selections (1.5%, no change)
• Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina - 2 selections (1%, no change)
• Zack Baun, Wisconsin - 1 selection (0.5%, no change)
• Ross Blacklock, Texas Christian - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 2.5%)

The defensive linemen remain in third place in our positional rankings, despite the fact that there are only two players picking up the majority of the votes. I’m still of the mindset that the Vikings’ defensive line needs are on the interior rather than on the edges, but perhaps I’m wrong.

Offensive Line - 17/200 selections (8.5%, up from 7.5% last week)

• Austin Jackson, Southern Cal - 6 selections (3%, up from 2%)
• Josh Jones, Houston - 5 selections (2.5%, down from 3.5%)
• Mekhi Becton, Louisville - 2 selections (1%, up from 0.5%)
• Ezra Cleveland, Boise State - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)
• Lucas Niang, Texas Christian - 1 selection (0.5%, no change)
• Cesar Ruiz, Michigan - 1 selection (0.5%, no change)
• Isaiah Wilson, Georgia - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)

Jackson once again leapfrogs over Jones to the top of the offensive line list, while we have a couple of new additions this week to this position group. Cleveland might be an interesting selection, but it remains to be seen if the Vikings think that there might be someone else out there that’s. . .

(•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)

Better Than Ezra.

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Linebackers - 3/200 selections (1.5%, up from 1% last week)

• Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma - 2 selections (1%, up from 0.5%)
• Patrick Queen, Louisiana State - 1 selection (0.5%, no change)

As I’ve stated several times already, I don’t think linebacker is a position of desperate need for the Vikings. It’s not that I don’t think Murray and Queen are good players, because they certainly are. I just think the Vikings have other things to worry about.

Let’s move on to the graphics here, shall we? I’ve attempted to do away with the “hard edges” on these. Hopefully that makes them a little easier to read.

We’ll start with this week’s donut graph, highlighting all 33 players that actually appear in this week’s version of our Database. You can click to embiggen things, and you’re likely going to need to as I had to make the font a little smaller to accommodate all of the names.

And, as always, we have the Jell-o salad graph, which tracks the ups and downs of all 44 players that have appeared in our Database for this season in some way, shape, or form. Again, you may click for the purposes of embiggening.

That’s your Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Database for this week, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll see if next weekend’s update is the final one for this draft season or not.

from Daily Norseman - All Posts https://ift.tt/2V71Seh