The Mock Drafts have been speaking for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to add to the offensive line, defensive line or secondary during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In leading up to Round 1 on April 24, 2025, we'll take a look at o-line, d-line, cornerback and safety 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.
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Vikings status at cornerback
Bringing back Byron Murphy, Jr., with a multiyear extension was a major point of emphasis for the Vikings. Murphy offers position versatility (can play outside or in the slot) and is coming off arguably the best season of his career, which ended with Defensive MVP honors at the Pro Bowl.
Murphy provides quality leadership for a room to offset 2024 veteran additions Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin becoming free agents.
The Vikings also were active in bringing in veterans who have been with other teams, signing Isaiah Rodgers (fresh off him winning Super Bowl LIX with Philadelphia) and Jeff Okudah (the No. 3 overall pick of 2020 by Detroit who offers high upside but has dealt with injuries).
Minnesota also is poised to welcome the return of Mekhi Blackmon, who appeared in 15 games as a rookie in 2023 but missed all his second season after suffering a torn ACL at the first training camp practice of 2024.
Dwight McGlothern, an undrafted rookie last season, appeared in five games after earning a roster spot with a strong training camp. NaJee Thompson, an undrafted rookie in 2023, appeared primarily on special teams in 15 games that season but missed all of 2024 because of an injury.
Newly signed defensive back Tavierre Thomas has a strong track record on special teams.
Kahlef Hailassie (10 games with Browns), Reddy Steward (one game with Bears) and Ambry Thomas (42 games with 49ers) signed futures contracts in January. Thomas spent part of 2024 on Minnesota's practice squad.
Recently said
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about the Vikings status at cornerback during the NFC Coaches Breakfast at the Annual League Meeting on April 1.
"I think there are scheme fits and there are guys that just make sense playing in your system, and then there are guys like Byron Murphy, which go beyond that. What I mean by that is he's an inside-outside guy that's a hub of communication," O'Connell said. "You can ask a lot of coaches in this room right now, and playing against our defense is not the most fun thing they do all season because it's a check defense and the players have total control over it. [Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores] kind of gives them the keys, and based on a lot of different things they're seeing, they can make the best possible decision to get in and out of defenses. … There's a layer above the neck that Byron brings to our team. He loves football. He's tough. He's been really available for us and out there making a lot of plays. He turned the ball over a lot last year.
"Isaiah was a guy that Flo' really identified early, and historically I've been doing this long with Flo', but when Flo' has that tone in his voice about guys … he's been pretty darn accurate," O'Connell later added. "Speed; I think he's got the ability to make plays on the football. He's got the ability to do something with it when he does catch it. I see Isaiah being an every-down impact guy."
Expert rankings
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has seven cornerbacks in his Top 50: 2. Travis Hunter, 11. Jahdae Barron, 14. Will Johnson, 35. Maxwell Hairston, 40. Benjamin Morrison, 42. Trey Amos and 50. Azareye'h Thomas.
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has three cornerbacks in his overall Top 25: 1. Hunter, 12. Johnson and 19. Barron.
Rankings for offensive linemen by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.
Prospects
Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).
Hunter, who also played wide receiver in college, is being included with cornerbacks for our purposes since most envision him playing that side of the ball at the NFL level.
School: Colorado (after Jackson State) | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 188 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB1
Bucky Brooks: CB1
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB1* (Kiper published a disclaimer that Hunter would top all corners but created a list that did not include him)
Pro Football Focus: CB1
Dane Brugler: CB1
2024 stats: 74 receptions for 911 yards and 9 TD; 2 rushes for 5 yards and 1 TD; 23 tackles (16 solo), 1 TFL, 3 INT, 11 PD, 1 FF
Career stats: 149 receptions for 1,820 yards and 18 TD; 73 tackles (53 solo), 3 TFL, 8 INT, 29 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
Give him six trophies: After setting the Georgia high school record for career receiving touchdowns (48) at Collins Hill, Hunter established himself as a two-way player under Coach Prime. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner also garnered the Walter Camp Award, the Bednarik Award, the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Hornung Award and the Biletnikoff Award to collect six trophies last season. He earned National Player of the Year honors from The Associated Press and Sporting News. Most envision teams tasking Hunter with primarily playing cornerback but also contributing from time to time as a receiver.
School: Texas | Year: 5th-year Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 194 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB2
Bucky Brooks: NB1 (Brooks created a separate category of nickelbacks in addition to cornerbacks)
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB3
Pro Football Focus: CB2
Dane Brugler: CB3
2024 stats: 67 tackles (46 solo), 2.5 TFL, 1 sack, 5 INT, 16 PD, 1 FR
Career stats: 227 tackles (136 solo), 19.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 8 INT, 32 PD, 1 FF, 3 FR
Capped in style: Barron closed out his five-year college career for his hometown Longhorns by posting a career-best five interceptions and claiming the Jim Thorpe Award, as well as 2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Defensive MVP.
School: Michigan | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 194 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB3
Bucky Brooks: CB2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB2
Pro Football Focus: CB3
Dane Brugler: CB2
2024 stats: 14 tackles (12 solo), 1 TFL, 2 INT, 5 PD in 6 games played
Career stats: 68 tackles (57 solo), 4 TFL, 9 INT, 19 PD in 32 games played
Program legacy: Johnson, whose father Deon played DB at Michigan from 1990-94 and helped the Wolverines win three Big Ten titles, added his name to the school record books with three career interceptions returned for touchdowns.
School: Kentucky | Year: R-Junior | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 183 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB4
Bucky Brooks: NB2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB4
Pro Football Focus: CB6
Dane Brugler: CB4
2024 stats: 19 tackles (15 solo), 1 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PD in 7 games played
Career stats: 89 tackles (71 solo), 2.5 TFL, 1 sack, 6 INT, 16 PD, 3 TD in 32 games played
Trifecta: Hairston, who served as a captain in 2024, tied Dallas Owens' school record for career interceptions returned for touchdowns with three.
School: Notre Dame | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 193 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB5
Bucky Brooks: CB4
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB8
Pro Football Focus: CB7
Dane Brugler: CB10
2024 stats: 20 tackles (14 solo), 4 PD in 6 games played
Career stats: 84 tackles (61 solo), 4.5 TFL, 1 sack, 9 INT, 27 PD in 31 games played (racked up 6 INT in 2022)
Athletic family: Morrison's father Darryl played safety at Arizona and was drafted by Washington in the sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Benjamin's brother Sammy (football) and sisters Faith and Naomi (gymnastics) and Grace (volleyball) all competed in college athletics.
School: Mississippi (after Louisiana and Alabama) | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 195 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB5
Bucky Brooks: CB5
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB5
Pro Football Focus: CB5
Dane Brugler: CB5
2024 stats: 50 tackles (39 solo), 3.5 TFL, 3 INT, 16 PD, 1 FF in 13 games played
Career stats: 121 tackles (91 solo), 8 TFL, 4 INT, 31 PD in 61 games played
Most in a decade: In his lone season with Mississippi, Amos led the team with 13 pass breakups, the most by a Rebels player since 2015. He also tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
School: Florida State | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 197 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB7
Bucky Brooks: Not ranked among Top 5 CB
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB6
Pro Football Focus: CB9
Dane Brugler: CB6
2024 stats: 52 tackles (35 solo), 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 4 PD in 12 games played
Career stats: 95 tackles (64 solo), 8 TFL, 2 INT, 15 PD in 37 games played
Limited starting experience: Thomas totaled 13 starts during college, a run that began at the end of the 2023 season in the Orange Bowl and continued through the 2024 season.
School: East Carolina (after Louisburg College) | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 194 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked among Top 50 prospects
Bucky Brooks: CB3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB7
Pro Football Focus: CB4
Dane Brugler: CB7
2024 stats: 8 tackles (4 solo), 0.5 TFL, 2 INT, 4 PD in 3 games played
Career stats: 72 tackles (39 solo), 4 TFL, 1 sack, 4 INT, 16 PD in 39 games played
Determined DB: Regardless of where he winds up, Revel could be a storyline that every fanbase is pulling for. During high school, he suffered a fractured skull during a 2017 car accident, ending his sophomore season. In 2021, Revel followed a 10-hour graveyard shift at a warehouse by participating in a prospect camp at East Carolina, eventually enrolling in 2022. He dealt with an injury that fall, as well as the death of his oldest sister, Shaqueria Carson, before having a breakout 2023 season. His 2024 campaign, however, ended with an ACL tear after the Pirates third game of the season.
School: Iowa State | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 195 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked among Top 50 prospects
Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked (among Top 5 corners or nickels)
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB9
Pro Football Focus: CB8
Dane Brugler: CB12
2024 stats: 18 tackles (12 solo), 2 TFL, 3 INT, 5 PD in 12 games played
Career stats: 51 tackles (33 solo), 2 TFL, 3 INT, 9 PD, 5 blocked kicks in 61 games played
Track speed: Porter set the Iowa high school Class 4A record in the 400 meters in 2019 with a time of 46.99 seconds, becoming the first sub-47.00 time in Iowa prep history. It was the second time in three years that he won state in the event.
School: Kansas State | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 191 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked (in Top 50 overall prospects)
Bucky Brooks: NB3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB10
Pro Football Focus: CB11
Dane Brugler: CB9
2024 stats: 50 tackles (40 solo), 2.5 TFL, 1 INT, 8 PD in 12 games played
Career stats: 102 tackles (83 solo), 5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 5 INT, 23 PD in 28 games played
No-fly zone: In 2023, Parrish racked up four interceptions and totaled 13 passes defensed, recording at least one PD in nine of 12 games.
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