EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings added a major piece to their puzzle last week by hiring Brian Flores as its defensive coordinator.
With that offseason question now answered, the Vikings will turn their attention toward the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and Draft in the coming weeks.
Minnesota currently has the 24th pick, but it will be the 23rd overall selection due to Miami having to forfeit its first-round pick this year and a third-rounder in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Dolphins engaged in "impermissible communications" with Tom Brady in 2019-20 while he was with New England and after the 2021 season while he was with the Buccaneers.
The Vikings have drafted at No. 23 overall four times in franchise history, most recently selecting left tackle Christian Darrisaw in 2021. Minnesota has also drafted wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (2016), defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (2013) and receiver Lance Rentzel (1965).
Minnesota currently has four overall picks in this year's draft.
The 2023 NFL Draft will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27-29. The first round will be on April 27 while the second and third rounds will be on April 28. The final four rounds will conclude this year's draft on April 29.
Here is the third version of our Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker, which features 20 recent predictions from around the world of football.
While cornerback is the most popular position currently projected to Minnesota (14 mock drafts), we did see our first trade involving the Vikings.
Take a look at our third Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker:
Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com
Feb. 10, 2023
The predicted pick: Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia
Frelund's take: "The Vikings secondary could benefit in particular from Ringo's change-of-direction speed."
Click here for Frelund's full mock draft.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com
Feb. 7, 2023
The predicted pick: Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia
Zierlein's take: "Ringo comes with great size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and a championship pedigree. He's strong and physical and should be an upgrade at the position for the Vikings."
Click here for Zierlein's full mock draft.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com
Feb. 3, 2023
The predicted pick: Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia
Edholm's take: "Patrick Peterson is a free agent, and the Vikings needed corner help last season with Peterson on the roster. Ringo isn't a first-round prospect for everyone, but he's gifted enough to gamble on here."
Click here for Edholm's full mock draft.
Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus
Feb. 13, 2023
The predicted pick: Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, USC
Renner's take: "Addison is a dream scenario for the Vikings. He's not just a separator, but also one who will make you pay down the football field if you tilt your safeties toward Justin Jefferson. He won the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football's top receiver, in 2021 and tallied 25 touchdowns over the past two seasons."
Click here for Renner's full mock draft.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports
Feb. 13, 2023
The predicted pick: Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, USC
Edwards' take: "Jordan Addison, Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson form a dynamic trio in Minnesota for now, but the Vikings are set up with sustainability at wide receiver for many years to come."
Click here for Edwards' full mock draft.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports
Feb. 13, 2023
The predicted pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Trapasso's take: "The Vikings dip into the receiver well to complement Justin Jefferson. Awesome value here for the Vikings given Smith-Njigba's injury in 2022 pushes him down the board."
Click here for Trapasso's full mock draft.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports
Feb. 14, 2023
The predicted pick: Drew Sanders, Linebacker, Arkansas
Wilson's take: "Drew Sanders is a former five-star who transferred from Alabama after the 2021 season, and all he did was show out for the Razorbacks. He was an edge rusher for the Crimson Tide, but he lined up all over the defense for Arkansas. He's a one-man wrecking crew when he's on the field."
Click here for Wilson's full mock draft.
Kyle Stackpole of CBS Sports
Feb. 10, 2023
The predicted pick: Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia
Stackpole's take: "The Vikings must address their pass defense that was second-worst in the NFL in 2022, especially with veteran Patrick Peterson set to become a free agent. Kelee Ringo's size, length and speed overshadow his lackluster interception total (four the past two seasons), although he did combine for 15 pass breakups in that span. He has the traits to end up as the best cornerback in this class."
Click here for Stackpole's full mock draft.
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports
Feb. 13, 2023
The predicted pick: Emmanuel Forbes, Jr., Cornerback, Mississippi State
Fornelli's take: "I know other talent evaluators like Forbes, but I believe I'm the high man on him. That's fine with me. I love him. He sometimes gets too aggressive, but it's understandable, given how good his hands are. He's a playmaker who can play in any number of schemes."
Click here for Fornelli's full mock draft.
Diante Lee of The Athletic
Feb. 8, 2023
The predicted pick: Clark Phillips III, Cornerback, Utah
Lee's take: "Clark Phillips III is a bit on the smaller side in comparison to the other top corners in this class, but Minnesota must improve its coverage defenders. Also, Phillips is a competitive guy and doesn't back off because of physical disadvantages. He's a fluid mover, makes plays at the catch point and tackles well for his weight. Minnesota also might consider a player such a Baylor DT Siaki Ika here."
Click here for Lee's full mock draft.
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News
Feb. 12, 2023
The predicted pick: Christian Gonzalez, Cornerback, Oregon
Iyer's take: "The Vikings need to give Cam Dantzler, Sr., better help on the back end with Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan heading into free agency. Gonzalez also offers good size and can get physical with his agile coverage."
Click here for Iyer's full mock draft.
Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network
Feb. 7, 2023
The predicted pick: Christian Gonzalez, Cornerback, Oregon
Rolfe's take: "The Minnesota Vikings desperately need to address their defense in a number of ways this offseason. Regardless of how they approach the CB position in free agency, there will always be the need to add more talent. Gonzalez definitely brings that talent and has a chance to be a starter immediately for a Vikings defense that needs immediate help."
Click here for Rolfe's full mock draft.
Arif Hasan of Pro Football Network
Feb. 2, 2023
TRADE: Hasan has Minnesota trading down to the No. 25 overall pick in a deal with the Giants. He did not include compensation terms in his proposed trade.
The predicted pick: Devon Witherspoon, Cornerback, Illinois
Hasan's take: "Having missed out on the first tier of cornerbacks in the draft, the Vikings can trade back and still grab a first-round quality player while still accumulating the picks that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is known to love having. The Vikings just sunk second- and fourth-round picks in cornerbacks last year and have a younger player in Cameron Dantzler, Sr., that they might want to continue to develop.
The problem is that those three players are the only ones they have under contract next year, and none of them are by any means reliable. Witherspoon has the opportunity to break into the top-10 conversation if the draft circuit goes well for him. But for now, he'll be in the second tier. The Vikings should like both his length and agility, two things not often paired together."
Click here for Hasan's full mock draft.
James Fragoza of Pro Football Network
Feb. 11, 2023
The predicted pick: Cam Smith, Cornerback, South Carolina
Fragoza's take: "Cam Smith is an instinctual corner with quick feet and fluid hips. He was rarely tested at South Carolina, but when he was, he broke up 15 passes and intercepted four more. His prowess in press can unlock coverage looks that Minnesota couldn't run with their personnel last season."
Click here for Fragoza's full mock draft.
Joe Broback of Pro Football Network
Feb. 3, 2023
The predicted pick: Calijah Kancey, Defensive Tackle, Pittsburgh
Broback's take: "If Calijah Kancey was a couple of inches taller and had about 20 more pounds on his frame, he'd be a legitimate top 10 pick. His game isn't in question, but his size will be under the microscope.
Kancey's one of the most explosive playmakers in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Vikings could use a player like him in this mock. His first step gives him an early advantage on any play, and the front seven of the Vikings defense would take a step forward with him on the field."
Click here for Broback's full mock draft.
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network
Feb. 5, 2023
The predicted pick: Joey Porter, Jr., Cornerback, Penn State
Cummings' take: "I feel like I've made this same pick fairly recently for Minnesota. But if Joey Porter Jr., is still there, he's tough to pass up.
Assuming the Vikings will (hopefully) play more press-man with Ed Donatell out the door, Porter projects beautifully into that vision. His elite length-physicality-fluidity combination makes him a master of delaying receiver releases."
Click here for Cummings' full mock draft.
Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network
Feb. 9, 2023
The predicted pick: Devon Witherspoon, Cornerback, Illinois
Miller's take: "Minnesota has young cornerbacks on the roster, but none of them have shown they're ready to become consistent contributors. And they're the only three left on the roster before free agency hits.
Devon Witherspoon brings the high-end coverage tools necessary to survive in a league that has disallowed physicality in coverage. However, Witherspoon brings more than enough physicality against the run. The defensive back had a ridiculous eight tackles for loss in 2021."
Click here for Miller's full mock draft.
Luke Easterling of Draft Wire
Feb. 7, 2023
The predicted pick: Cam Smith, Cornerback, South Carolina
Easterling's take: "If the Vikings hadn't had one of the league's worst defenses, they might have been able to make a deep playoff run. New Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores should make a huge difference, but he'll need some help in term of personnel, particularly in the secondary. Smith is a complete player who could step into the starting lineup as an immediate upgrade."
Click here for Easterling's full mock draft.
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network
Feb. 6, 2023
The predicted pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Crabbs' take: "A cornerback run earlier in the draft likely didn't help us get defensive help for the Vikings, but the draft is more than one round long. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a nifty route-runner who can complement Justin Jefferson very well."
Click here for Crabbs' full mock draft.
Brentley Weissman of The Draft Network
Feb. 12, 2023
The predicted pick: Emmanuel Forbes, Jr., Cornerback, Mississippi State
Weissman's take: "The team does need more help at corner, and we know new Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores values man-cover defenders. Emmanuel Forbes is thin and a tad undersized, but he offers very good cover quickness and instincts to excel as a man defender. His ball skills are also outstanding."
Click here for Weissman's full mock draft.
