In the leadup to the 2023 NFL Draft, Vikings.com is taking a look at prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by those national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects.
Vikings status at wide receiver
For the first time since 2014, Adam Thielen will not be part of the Vikings 53-man roster.
The Vikings parted ways in free agency with Thielen, who has since signed with the Panthers.
Justin Jefferson remains the Vikings No. 1 receiver, no questions asked, and K.J. Osborn likely will vie for that No. 2 spot. But that's not to say Minnesota won't bring in other names who could compete, as well.
Jefferson continues to impress as he enters Year 4. He topped the single-season franchise records for receptions (set by Cris Carter) and yards (set by Randy Moss) in the same game, a 27-24 win over the Giants on Dec. 24, Minnesota's 15th game of the 2022 season. Jefferson was targeted 184 times on the way to setting a franchise record with 10 games in one season with at least 100 receiving yards.
The Vikings used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three receivers) more than 70 percent of the time last season, continuing increased opportunities for Osborn in his third pro season. Osborn finished with a career-high 60 receptions for 650 yards and five scores on 90 targets.
In addition to Jefferson and Osborn, Minnesota's current receivers group includes Trishton Jackson, Jalen Nailor, Blake Proehl, Jalen Reagor and free-agency addition Brandon Powell, who played in Los Angeles for Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.
Expert rankings
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has five wide receivers in his overall Top 50: 13. Jordan Addison, 19. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 22. Zay Flowers, 30. Quentin Johnston and 40. Jalin Hyatt
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has three receivers in his overall Top 25: 10. Flowers, 12. Smith-Njigba and 19. Addison
Rankings for quarterbacks by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.
Wide Receiver Prospects
Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).
School: Ohio State | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 196 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: WR2
Bucky Brooks: WR1
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR2
Pro Football Focus: WR2
Dane Brugler: WR3
2022 stats: 3 games before dealing with hamstring injury; 5 catches for 43 yards
Fellow athlete: Smith-Njigba isn't the only athlete in his immediate family. His brother, Canaan, plays baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and made his MLB debut in June 2022.
School: USC | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 173 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: WR1
Bucky Brooks: WR4
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR3
Pro Football Focus: WR4
Dane Brugler: WR1
2022 stats: 11 games; 59 catches for 875 yards and 8 TD
Fellow athlete: Addison considered attending Notre Dame, but because the school wanted him to play defensive back instead of receiver, he opted for USC.
School: Boston College | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-9 | Wt: 182 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: WR3
Bucky Brooks: WR2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR1
Pro Football Focus: WR3
Dane Brugler: WR9
2022 stats: 12 games; 78 catches for 1,077 yards and 12 TD
1 of 14: Flowers, whose full name is Xavien Kevonn Flowers, has 13 siblings.
School: TCU | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 208 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: WR4
Bucky Brooks: WR3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR4
Pro Football Focus: WR1
Dane Brugler: WR2
2022 stats: 14 games; 60 catches for 1,069 yards and 6 TD
Leader by nature: Johnston was a team captain for the 2022 Horned Frogs, helping TCU advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
School: Tennessee | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-0 | Wt: 176 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: WR5
Bucky Brooks: WR5
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR5
Pro Football Focus: WR9
Dane Brugler: WR5
2022 stats: 12 games; 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 TD
Record year: Hyatt set the Volunteers single-season record for touchdown catches thanks to a single-game record five touchdown receptions against Alabama on Oct. 15.
School: North Carolina | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-9 | Wt: 171 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked
Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR6
Pro Football Focus: WR5
Dane Brugler: WR4
2022 stats: 11 games; 94 catches for 1,029 yards and 11 TD; 10 punt returns for 133 yards
NFC North tie: Downs' uncle, Dre' Bly, starred at North Carolina and in the NFL, playing 11 pro seasons (1999-2009) for the Rams, Lions, Broncos and 49ers. Bly currently serves as Detroit's cornerbacks coach.
View photos of Vikings front office staff preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft in the Thomson Reuters Draft Room at the TCO Performance Center.
School: SMU | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 204 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked
Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked
Mel Kiper, Jr.: Not Ranked
Pro Football Focus: WR8
Dane Brugler: WR6
2022 stats: 12 games; 96 catches for 1,355 yards and 10 TD
Giddyap: Rice's 1,355 receiving yards last season set a Mustangs single-season record.
View every Vikings first round draft pick through the years.
RB Tommy Mason (1961, Tulane)
DE Carl Eller (1964, Minnesota)
DT Alan Page (1967, Notre Dame)
OL Ron Yary (1968, USC)
RB Chuck Foreman (1973, Miami)
QB Tommy Kramer (1977, Rice)
DB Joey Browner (1983, USC)
DL/LB Chris Doleman (1985, Pittsburgh)
OL Randall McDaniel (1988, Arizona State)
RB Robert Smith (1993, Ohio State)
OL Korey Stringer (1995, Ohio State)
WR Randy Moss (1998, Marshall)
QB Daunte Culpepper (1999, Central Florida)
DT Kevin Williams (2003, Oklahoma State)
LB Chad Greenway (2006, Iowa)
RB Adrian Peterson (2007, Oklahoma)
WR Percy Harvin (2009, Florida)
LT Matt Kalil (2012, USC)
S Harrison Smith (2012, Notre Dame)
DT Sharrif Floyd (2013, Florida)
CB Xavier Rhodes (2013, Florida State)
WR Cordarrelle Patterson (2013, Tennessee)
LB Anthony Barr (2014, UCLA)
QB Teddy Bridgewater (2014, Louisville)
CB Trae Waynes (2015, Michigan State)
WR Laquon Treadwell (2016, Mississippi)
WR Justin Jefferson (2020, LSU)
CB Jeff Gladney (2020, TCU)
T Christian Darrisaw (2021, Virginia Tech)
S Lewis Cine (2022, Georgia)
WR Jordan Addison (2023, USC)
School: Houston | Year: Redshirt Senior | Ht: 5-foot-8 | Wt: 165 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked
Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked
Mel Kiper, Jr.: WR10
Pro Football Focus: WR6
Dane Brugler: Not Ranked
2022 stats: 13 games; 109 catches for 1,398 yards and 17 TD
Had the numbers: Dell's receiving yards and touchdowns led FBS. He ranked second in catches and was the only FBS player with 1,300 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022.
Vikings status at tight end
The Vikings have five tight ends under contract for 2023, including T.J. Hockenson, who was acquired via trade with the Lions last season, and free agent addition Josh Oliver, regarded as one of the NFL's best blocking tight ends. There are a couple of ways Oliver is expected to help the passing game.
Hockenson finished the 2022 campaign with career highs in catches (86), yards (914) and touchdowns (6) in his time with Detroit and Minnesota, earning himself a second career Pro Bowl nod. He provided another big target for Cousins, catching at least five passes in eight of his 11 games as a Viking, including Minnesota's playoff game.
The Vikings also have Johnny Mundt, who is entering his second season with Minnesota but has plenty familiarity with O'Connell's system after playing for the coach in Los Angeles. While largely used in a blocking capacity, Mundt showed off his pass-catching skills more than ever before, recording career highs of 19 receptions and 140 yards last season. He also caught his first NFL touchdown.
Ben Ellefson, who has landed on Injured Reserve in each of the past two seasons, and second-year tight end Nick Muse, whom the Vikings signed to a Reserve/Futures contract in January, round out the group.
Expert rankings
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has five tight ends in his overall Top 50: 9. Dalton Kincaid, 21. Michael Mayer, 25. Darnell Washington, 39. Luke Musgrave and 42. Sam LaPorta
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has two tight ends in his overall Top 25: 18. Kincaid and 24. Mayer
Rankings for quarterbacks by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.
Tight End Prospects
Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).
School: Utah | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 246 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: TE1
Bucky Brooks: TE1
Mel Kiper, Jr.: TE1
Pro Football Focus: TE1
Dane Brugler: TE4
2022 stats: 12 games; 70 catches for 890 yards and 8 TD
One to remember: Kincaid didn't join his high school football team until his senior season. He wanted to help his hoops game but recorded 745 yards and eight touchdowns.
School: Notre Dame | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-4 ½ | Wt: 249 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: TE2
Bucky Brooks: TE2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: TE2
Pro Football Focus: TE2
Dane Brugler: TE1
2022 stats: 12 games; 67 catches for 809 yards and 9 TD
Late to the game: Mayer first had his eye on college basketball rather than football. As a freshman in high school, he had to be coaxed to talk to the football coach and then joined the team for which his brother, A.J., played quarterback.
School: Georgia | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-7 | Wt: 264 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: TE3
Bucky Brooks: TE3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: TE4
Pro Football Focus: TE5
Dane Brugler: TE3
2022 stats: 15 games; 28 catches for 454 yards and 2 TD
Back to back: After committing to Georgia on national television, Washington helped the Bulldogs win the past two CFP titles.
School: Oregon State | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 253 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: TE4
Bucky Brooks: TE4
Mel Kiper, Jr.: TE3
Pro Football Focus: TE4
Dane Brugler: TE2
2022 stats: 2 games before suffering a knee injury; 11 catches for 169 yards and 1 TD
Football family: Luke is the nephew of former Oregon and NFL QB and long-time college/pro coach Bill Musgrave, who served as the Vikings offensive coordinator from 2011-13.
School: Iowa | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 245 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: TE5
Bucky Brooks: TE5
Mel Kiper, Jr.: TE7
Pro Football Focus: TE3
Dane Brugler: TE6
2022 stats: 12 games; 58 catches for 657 yards and 1 TD
Hawkeyes tradition: LaPorta is viewed as another "premier" tight end to come out of the Iowa football program, joining others such as Dallas Clark, George Kittle, Noah Fant and Hockenson.
School: South Dakota State | Year: Redshirt Junior | Ht: 6-foot-5 | Wt: 254 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked
Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked
Mel Kiper, Jr.: TE6
Pro Football Focus: TE6
Dane Brugler: TE5
2022 stats: 9 games; 27 catches for 348 yards and 3 TD
Home-state school: Kraft is a South Dakota native, having grown up in Timber Lake and attended Timber Lake High School, where he impressed on offense, defense and as a punter.
