Minnesota Vikings NFL Draft Mailbag: Best fits for Brian Flores, future at quarterback, and fascinating versatile prospects
There are a lot of interesting angles to the NFL Draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings
We are less than four weeks away from the NFL Draft, and the Minnesota Vikings are a fascinating team.
They have a ton of needs on both sides of the ball to address in the NFL Draft, and figuring out how to address them will be an interesting process for the franchise. They didn’t add many players in free agency, with quarterback Kyler Murray, punter Johnny Hekker, and cornerback James Pierre being the main ones.
What will the Vikings end up doing in the NFL Draft? I opened myself up to questions on Twitter/X and answered the best ones.
Future at quarterback
The NFL Draft doesn’t have a lot of quarterback prospects this year that you would consider high-end like we’ve seen in past years. After Fernando Mendoza, the question is whether or not you like Ty Simpson enough to select him in the first two rounds. Those answers will vary significantly across the board.
If you don’t like Simpson enough, there aren’t a lot of traits-based players in this class. Drew Allar has all the tools to be good, but he’s been bad at football for most of his college career. The one guy I’m intrigued by is Cole Payton. He is only a one-year starter at NDSU because Cam Miller started his first four seasons in Fargo. Even so, he thrived at quarterback in his 14 starts and has proven to be an elite runner at the position. A 23-year old as a one-year starter isn’t a great profile, but it’s worth a shot after pick 75.
Options at defensive tackle
I combined these questions since they are similar in nature. First off, to answer the first part of Alex’s question, Redmond was a defensive end and not a nose tackle. Theoretically, the Vikings would need a defensive end and a nose tackle added to the roster. Although, the Vikings may not add a traditional nose tackle after their success on defense
If they were to take a nose tackle, Lee Hunter at 49th overall or Domonique Orange at 82nd overall. Kayden McDonald is a likely first-round pick, and I don’t have any interest in taking a nose tackle in round one. Peter Woods and Caleb Banks are both worth the 18th overall pick, but the foot injuries for the latter could end up preventing that. A couple of potential day two options are Oklahoma Sooners’ Gracen Halton and SE Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor.
Where could Harold Perkins get drafted?
This is a very interesting one to talk about. Perkins finished his freshman year as a potential top-10 selection if he were to come out in the 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he struggled after that and tore his ACL partway through the 2024 season. As things sit, he’s got a very weird profile, but it also fits the modern NFL.
Perkins is likely going to be more of an overhang at the next level with is ability to move forward. He shows good burst in pursuit as a blitzer and run defender, but there are lapses in coverage, and, his best trait being rushing the passer, is hindered somewhat by his smaller frame. He’s likely a day-three player at this point, but could be a nice addition to the depth of a roster.
Kenyon Sadiq could be a fascinating option
The idea of selecting a tight end in the first round has some merit, as T.J. Hockenson’s contract now expires after the 2026 season. He could still return to the Vikings in 2027 if the market isn’t flush for his services, but his time with the Vikings will likely be done by that point.
If you add Sadiq, the idea is that he’d be ready to take over as the TE1 at the start of next season. There is some merit to that with having Josh Oliver as the TE2. It’s somewhat of a risk that the Vikings would take a tight end in round one, as the old adage is that you draft a tight end for their next team. However, Sadiq is a rare athlete at the position and thrives attacking up the seam.