Latest NFL Draft pro day likely takes a top prospect out of the range of the Minnesota Vikings

It would have been great to see him fall to 18th overall.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of fascinating prospects to look at in the first round of the NFL Draft. When taking a look at the different options for the Vikings, one position stands out as a need: cornerback.

They did make a move to the cornerback room by adding James Pierre from the Pittsburgh Steelers on the first day of free agency. That gave them a capable enough top three cornerbacks with him, Byron Murphy Jr., and Isaiah Rodgers. Even so, there isn’t a single cornerback signed past the 2027 season. Adding one in the first round is a very likely situation.

Mansoor Delane likely tests out of range for the Vikings

If they end up taking a cornerback in the first round, it would be their biggest investment since the 2022 NFL Draft when they selected Andrew Booth Jr. at 42nd overall, and the first one in the first round since they selected Jeff Gladney at 31st overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

This year, three cornerbacks are bona fide first-round picks: Avieon Terrell, Jermod McCoy, and Mansoor Delane. The latter had their pro day on Monday, and tested very well, running an unofficial 4.35 40-yard dash.

It’s an impressive time for Delane, but he probably ran slower than that due to standard pro day inflation that we see every year. The Vikings were a popular target for Delane in mock drafts since the beginning of the year, tied for sixth with 14 selections out of 315 mock drafts. He often goes higher than 18th overall, and after Monday’s performance, it’s going to be highly unlikely that he doesn’t make it to the Vikings’ selection.

Delane is one of the better players in the draft, and there are a lot of teams that need a top cornerback ahead of the Vikings. With his ability to play in man coverage, the Vikings would likely need to trade up, and that’s unlikely to happen.

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