Cornerback. Defensive tackle. Running back. Guard. Safety.

That's the ordering of Minnesota's "biggest needs" as the 2025 NFL offseason comes into full picture, according to NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter, who outlined priorities Sunday night for all 32 teams.

Reuter's stance on the Vikings aligns with the consensus of numerous draft experts, with ultimate decisions obviously tied to what the organization winds up doing in free agency, which starts March 12.

It serves two-fold as a reminder that Minnesota has some holes to plug – with 20-plus pending free agents, including four veteran cornerbacks in Pro Bowl Defensive MVP Byron Murphy, Jr., along with Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Fabian Moreau – and not a ton of current draft capital, owning the 24^th overall choice in addition to two fifth-rounders and a projected compensatory pick in the third.

Reuter's listing got us thinking … who are the highest-rated, draft-eligible cornerbacks and what other clubs share Minnesota's top need? To gauge the former, we'll fold in Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 prospects.

Jeremiah, a former NFL scout and highly respected draft voice in the media, included five corners in his initial prospects ranking: Texas' Jahdae Barron (No. 9), Michigan's Will Johnson (12), Florida State's Azareye'h Thomas (43), Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston (44) and Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison (45).

Heisman Trophy winner and unanimous All-American Travis Hunter, an offense-defense star at Colorado, was tagged by Jeremiah as a wide receiver and No. 2 overall player that could moonlight at cornerback.

Short story shorter, the Vikings might have plentiful CB options to consider late in the first round.

So long, of course, as the field isn't wiped out by cornerback-needy teams. In addition to the Vikings, Reuter underlined CB as one of the first three "biggest needs" for Jacksonville (5^th pick), San Francisco (11^th), Indianapolis (14^th), Atlanta (15^th), Pittsburgh (21st), Green Bay (23rd), the Los Angeles Rams (26^th) and Detroit (28^th). Furthermore, Reuter declared CB the top priority for the Jaguars and Packers.

Jacksonville, specifically, has several secondary players entering contract years and may want to bring in fresh competition as it transitions into new coach and general manager leadership, while Green Bay could try to replace soon-to-be free agent Eric Stokes and the talented but oft-injured Jaire Alexander.

We'll reiterate that free agency will steer Minnesota toward its final draft strategy.

ESPN, FOX Sports roll out 2025 power rankings

The NFL reigns supreme in that even after the conclusion of the "big game," the action never stops.

It's a 24-7-365 business that features as many eyeballs on players and teams once the season ends, in anticipation of the NFL Scouting Combine and draft, as it does throughout Weeks 1-18 and the playoffs.

Therefore, with Super Bowl LIX in the bag and 2024 officially in the rearview, it's time to flip the page; ESPN and FOX Sports decided way-too-early power rankings for the 2025 slate are a good starting place.

Both outlets released their hierarchies in the 40-ish odd hours since the Eagles trounced the Chiefs, 40-22, and extinguished Kansas City's quest for the league's first Super Bowl championship three-peat.

Now, let's delve into the outlook for Minnesota, which is about one month into its 2025 buildout and tasked with making major decisions at key positions, including quarterback, with pending free agent Sam Darnold's future in Purple a hot topic – and what that entails for 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy.

Kevin Seifert for ESPN helped rank the Vikings 10^th and noted that with a projected four picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will dip heavily into free agency to fill his roster.

Also, Seifert reminded, the handling of its quarterback room will guide Minnesota's offseason approach.

Meanwhile, David Helman of FOX Sports pegged Minnesota two spots lower and shared the following:

Doing my best to learn my lesson from this past year, which is that quarterback uncertainty might not matter as much if O'Connell is your head coach. The Vikings roster is fantastic, and K.O. can get good results no matter if the quarterback is Darnold, McCarthy or someone else — Daniel Jones, anyone?

Division rivals Detroit (2^nd) and Green Bay (6^th) received more love on Helman's list, and were viewed similarly by ESPN, at Nos. 3 and 7. To round out the NFC North, Chicago was 18^th and 22^nd, respectively.

Helman was understandably bullish on the NFC and Super Bowl Champion Eagles, touting them No. 1:

The only thing more exciting than a Super Bowl championship is that the Birds look poised to continue this run. There are some big free agents like Zack Baun, Josh Sweat and Milton Williams. They'll likely need to find a new offensive coordinator again. But the vast majority of this roster is young and locked in for years to come. The Eagles should have every expectation of contending to keep their crown.

Check out the full power rankings at ESPN and FOX Sports.

View the Vikings 2025 Opponents

View the Vikings 2025 Draft Picks