We're only 20 days away from the 2022 NFL Draft's start.
Experts and pundits around the country are finalizing their position rankings and taking last looks at what each team needs.
A handful of draft analysts recently looked over the Vikings roster and offered some positions of need for Minnesota, with cornerback leading the way.
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid opined that defense should be a priority for Minnesota, as he also listed safety and linebacker, along with interior offensive line and wide receiver.
Reid wrote:
Even after adding savvy veterans like linebacker Za'Darius Smith and guard Chris Reed, the Vikings have determined that they are going to play next season with a similar roster as last year. Bringing back Patrick Peterson eases their need at cornerback, but there is still room on the depth chart for a CB2 to compete with Cameron Dantzler for a spot.
At No. 12 overall, Derek Stingley, Jr. (LSU), Trent McDuffie and Andrew Booth, Jr., could all be options here. The Vikings also have a need at defensive end, so they could wait until Day 2 to draft a corner. Because Minnesota could use a lot of young depth on the defensive side of the ball, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might spend most of the draft capital on defense.
Danny Kelly of The Ringer also mentioned some positions of need for the Vikings, as he went with cornerback, edge rusher and wide receiver.
Kelly opined:
This could be the fourth time the Vikings take a CB in the first round since 2013, and they might be more desperate this year than ever before. The team has bigger names at [edge rusher], where they signed Za'Darius Smith in free agency and still have veteran Danielle Hunter.
But Smith missed 16 games last season with a back injury, and Hunter didn't play after Halloween due to a pectoral injury. New Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and new General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have a lot of work to do on this defense, which allowed the third-most yards in the NFL last season.
Defense appears to be the popular first-round pick for Minnesota, as all but one analyst predicted a defensive player in Version 6.0 of the Vikings Mock Draft Tracker.
Brugler unveils massive annual draft guide
"The Beast" has been released.
That's the nickname for Dane Brugler's annual draft guide, which dropped Thursday morning.
Brugler, a draft analyst for The Athletic, offered some insight into the mammoth undertaking that many look forward to each year.
This year's draft guide is the most extensive to date. Scouting reports on 399 prospects. Rankings and testing data for 1,698 prospects. Hundreds of schools represented, from Georgia to Mount Union.
Brugler's scouting reports are always in-depth and usually witty. In 2021, he described Vikings tight end Zach Davidson as "raw as sushi" as he was preparing to make the jump from Division II to the NFL.
His 2022 guide is also chock full of info, including his Top 100 players, a list that is led by Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
N.C. State tackle Ikem Ekwonu, Alabama tackle Evan Neal, Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker and Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner round out the top five players on Brugler's board.
Brugler goes deep on every position, even ranking his top long snappers available in the 2022 draft class. He also includes projected round ranges for hundreds of prospects.
"The Beast" can be found here.
