2022 NFL Draft: Best Players Available, Potential Vikings Targets in Rounds 2 and 3
If you thought the Vikings were busy on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft, just wait until you see the action Day 2 brings.
Minnesota closed out Thursday night's first round by selecting Georgia safety Lewis Cine at No. 32 overall, a pick they made two hours after they were originally on the clock. The Vikings traded down from 12 to 32 in a deal with the Lions, also sending the 46th pick to Detroit and receiving picks 34 and 66. That means they'll be awfully busy on Friday night, with three of the next 45 selections in the draft and plenty of ammo to move up or down the board if they want to.
"I really felt like the value that could present itself in that kind of 30-ish to 70-something type of picks, we've got a lot of guys on our board stacked there that can help us win a lot of football games," head coach Kevin O'Connell said after the first round. "That's what we'll go through tonight and tomorrow and make sure we've got a great plan for how we want to go about things."
The Vikings will be on the clock not long after 6:00 p.m. central time tonight with the 34th pick. In addition to the 66th pick, they also have their original third-rounder at No. 77 overall. That will give them the opportunity to add three more potential starter-caliber players by the end of the night — unless they add or subtract picks in subsequent trades.
So, which prospects could Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell target this evening?
For pick 34, here's a look at some of the top players available at the Vikings' positions of need according to The Athletic's consensus big board, which compiled over 80 different analyst big boards into one ranking.
- No. 22: Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
- No. 24: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
- No. 29: David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
- No. 34: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
- No. 35: Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
- No. 36: Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
- No. 40: Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
- No. 45: Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
- No. 46: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
- No. 48: Logan Hall, DT, Houston
- No. 49: Christian Watson, WR, NDSU
- No. 50: Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
It seems likely that the Vikings' pick at 34 will come from that group, though nothing is certain in a draft like this one. Booth and Gordon are the top cornerbacks, which is a major need, and Dean could be a steal. The Vikings could also go with an edge rusher, a defensive tackle, or a wide receiver; there are some exciting options at each of those positions.
Among the edge rushers, Ojabo is the most intriguing because he's arguably a top-15 talent but is coming off a serious Achilles injury. Keeping Mafe in Minnesota would make for a fun story.
Quarterbacks Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, and Sam Howell are all still on the board, as Kenny Pickett was the only QB taken in round one. But if the Vikings were going to take a QB like Willis, they would've almost certainly done so at 32 to have a fifth-year option (which only applies to first-rounders) for that player.
The Vikings could definitely trade back from 34 if they get a strong offer from a team that wants to move up for a quarterback or someone else.
"My cell phone is always charged," Adofo-Mensah said. "We'll take the calls. We'll be ready to pick. We'll be ready either way."
As for players the Vikings could target at 66 and/or 77 — in the event they stay at those picks — here's a position-by-position breakdown of players who could make sense in that range.
Cornerbacks
- Roger McCreary, Auburn
- Tariq Woolen, UTSA
- Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
- Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
- Marcus Jones, Houston
- Kalon Barnes, Baylor
Edge rushers
- Drake Jackson, USC
- Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma
- Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
- Josh Paschal, Kentucky
- Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina
- Sam Williams, Mississippi
- Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
Linebackers
- Chad Muma, Wyoming
- Christian Harris, Alabama
- Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
- Troy Andersen, Montana State
- Channing Tindall, Georgia
- Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma
- Damone Clark, LSU
Defensive tackles
- Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma
- DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M
- Phidarian Mathis, Alabama
Interior offensive linemen
- Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
- Dylan Parham, Memphis
- Cam Jurgens, Nebraska
- Sean Ryhan, UCLA
- Jamaree Salyer, Georgia
- Ed Ingram, LSU
- Luke Fortner, Kentucky
Wide receivers
- John Metchie III, Alabama
- Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
- Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
- David Bell, Purdue
- Calvin Austin III, Memphis
- Khalil Shakir, Boise State
Tight ends
- Trey McBride, Colorado State
- Greg Dulcich, UCLA
- Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State
- Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
- Jelani Woods, Virginia
- Cade Otton, Washington
- Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
It would be very surprising if the Vikings take a quarterback, a running back, an offensive tackle, or another safety before Day 3.
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