2022 NFL Draft: One Month Out, Five Thoughts on the Vikings' Options in the First Round

Do the Vikings need to go with a cornerback at 12? Not necessarily, but it depends.

All of a sudden, the 2022 NFL draft is less than a month away. 

The Vikings have had a busy free agency period under new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell. They extended Kirk Cousins, signed three or four defensive starters (Za'Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, Jordan Hicks, Chandon Sullivan), and bolstered their depth with some low-cost additions on both sides of the ball. They might not be done spending, but at this point, it seems likely that the next big-time addition to their roster will happen on Thursday, April 28th.

Minnesota has the No. 12 pick in this year's first round, and barring a trade back to the 18th pick or later, the franchise will be making its earliest selection since 2015. The entire draft is obviously important, but the inaugural first-round pick of the Adofo-Mensah era looms especially large given the Vikings' clear goal of making a playoff run this season.

As the month of March wraps up, let's dive into five thoughts on the Vikings' options when Day 1 of the draft rolls around. 

If Sauce isn't there, cornerback isn't a must at 12

Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner has been a popular choice for the Vikings in mock drafts for months, and understandably so. He's a long, physical corner who shines in press coverage with his athleticism and coverage skills. He also has the ball skills and instincts to make plays in zone, giving him impressive versatility. Those traits, along with incredible college production and the swagger that elite corners usually have, are why Gardner is the consensus No. 1 corner in this class.

The Vikings have a major need at outside corner and would presumably love to add Gardner. The problem is that his stock has risen throughout the pre-draft process to the point where it looks less and less likely by the day that he'll be available at 12. The Jets and Giants both have multiple top-ten picks and need a corner, meaning it would be very surprising to see Gardner fall out of the top 10.

Adofo-Mensah doesn't strike me as someone who would give up assets to move up for a non-quarterback. Assuming that's the case and Gardner is off the board, do the Vikings need to take a corner at 12? I don't think they do, despite the magnitude of their need at the position. This CB class is deep enough that they'll have options. If you love a non-Gardner corner at 12, go for it. If you don't, you could trade down and probably still land a premium player like Clemson's Andrew Booth Jr. or Washington's Trent McDuffie. There's also the option of taking the highest player on your board at a different position and targeting a corner like Florida's Kaiir Elam or Auburn's Roger McCreary in the second round.

If Gardner makes it to 12, I don't see how the Vikings pass up the chance to select him. But assuming he doesn't, Adofo-Mensah shouldn't feel forced to take a cornerback with the 12th pick (particularly if the Vikings add another veteran CB or two in free agency soon).

Stingley might be worth the risk

With all of that said, there's one particular corner (Sauce excluded) who might be worth a gamble at 12. LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. has surpassed Gardner in recent months as the player I've seen most commonly mocked to the Vikings. He'd come with a significant amount of risk, but he'd also come with as much upside as any corner in the class (Sauce included).

Stingley was an elite recruit a few years ago and instantly was the best cornerback in the nation as a true freshman on LSU's 2019 championship team. He had six interceptions and 15 total passes defended that year, was named a first team All-American, and would likely have been a top-five pick if he were draft-eligible in 2020. But Stingley has only played in 10 games (with no INTs) over the past two seasons due to illness, COVID protocols, and multiple lower-body injuries, which has caused his stock to fall a bit. In particular, the Lisfranc injury Stingley suffered in his foot last year is a potential cause for concern.

However, despite the injuries and dropoff in his play over the last two seasons, Stingley's potential may be too great for the Vikings to ignore. If he stays healthy and gets back to the 2019 version of himself, he would wind up being a steal for whoever lands him. Stingley has the tools to be an immediate-impact corner and a perennial Pro Bowler if things break right in his NFL career.

Don't think twice about taking Hamilton if he makes it to 12

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton isn't someone I've spent much time considering as a potential option for the Vikings. The 2021 first team All-American is a uniquely-gifted prospect who some analysts have called the best player in this entire draft class, regardless of position. For much of the pre-draft process, he rarely made it out of the top 5, let alone the top 10, in mock drafts.

And yet, there's been more and more talk recently of a possible Hamilton slide on draft night. He plays a position that teams don't typically value early in the draft, but the thought was that he's special enough to overcome that sentiment. Then he reportedly ran in the 4.7s at Notre Dame's pro day, and speed started to become a question mark as well.

If Hamilton does somehow make it to the Vikings at 12, they should (metaphorically) sprint to the podium to hand in the card. No, safety isn't a glaring need for the Vikings right now with Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum currently in place as starters. But the draft is about landing the best possible player, and Hamilton fits that description. The 6'4", 220-pound unicorn would be a massive addition to the Vikings' defense. It all starts with his elite football IQ and instincts. That mental edge allows him to anticipate what's happening and use his dynamic size and athleticism to make plays. Hamilton is versatile, physical, rangy, and possesses excellent ball skills. Even if he doesn't have the greatest straight-line speed, he makes up for that with everything else.

Imagine the Vikings adding Hamilton and having him play alongside — and learn from — another former great Notre Dame safety in Smith. They could easily find different ways to get Bynum onto the field, too. If Hamilton falls to 12, he's the type of player you shouldn't think twice about adding to your football team.

Defensive line is still in play at 12

The Vikings' two biggest free agent additions have been defensive linemen, but that doesn't mean they can't continue to add to that group by taking one with the 12th pick. Think about it: Phillips is replacing Michael Pierce and Za'Darius Smith is essentially replacing Everson Griffen in a new defensive scheme. The Vikings have some interesting young players at both IDL and EDGE, but they haven't brought back FA Sheldon Richardson and you can always use more talent up front.

Depending on how the board unfolds, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Vikings take a defensive lineman or edge rusher in the first round. Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux and Georgia's Travon Walker are in the Gardner/Hamilton class of prospects who seem like no-brainers if they somehow fall to 12. FSU's Jermaine Johnson and Purdue's George Karlaftis are edge rushers who would fit wonderfully in Ed Donatell's scheme. Georgia behemoth Jordan Davis would add another scary dimension to the Vikings' defensive line.

This is a deep class of defensive linemen, so the Vikings may wait until Day 2 to select one. But adding Phillips and Smith does not, by any means, prohibit Minnesota from taking a DL on Thursday night.

A sleeper position to keep in mind? Wide receiver

So far, all we've discussed are defensive backs and defensive linemen. Given what we know about this draft class and the Vikings' needs, those seem like the clear favorites, but there are a bunch of other position groups that can't be ruled out when it comes to their first-round selection.

Off-ball linebacker? Maybe, although the Vikings seem set with Eric Kendricks, Hicks, and some young depth behind them. What about the offensive side of the ball? The Vikings are set at tackle for a long time, and an interior offensive line pick that early feels unlikely. Running back or tight end would be shocking. Quarterback is theoretically still possible, but the Cousins extension makes that seem a lot less realistic this year.

That leaves one position group to keep in mind as a sleeper: wide receiver. Although the Vikings have a talented top three in Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn, you can never have too many studs at wideout, especially if O'Connell wants to spread things out and use four at times. Adding a first-round talent at receiver would give the Vikings another immediate weapon for Cousins while providing a long-term replacement for Thielen, who turns 32 in August.

As seems to be the case every year, this WR class is loaded. The top of the draft has a bunch of standouts with varying skillsets: Ohio State's Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, USC's Drake London, Arkansas's Treylon Burks, and Alabama's Jameson Williams. Each would bring something different and impactful to the Vikings' offense, and it wouldn't be a shock to see Adofo-Mensah pull the trigger on a receiver in the first round, either at 12 or after trading back.

Those are my five thoughts, one month out. Get ready for tons of draft content right here at Inside the Vikings over the next four weeks.

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