Vikings Hold 23rd Pick in 2023 NFL Draft, Just Four Total Picks

With the Vikings' season ending on Sunday, their position in the 2023 NFL Draft is set. They have the 24th overall pick, which is actually the 23rd pick because the Dolphins, at 21, forfeited their pick due to tampering violations.

So let's just refer to it as the 23rd pick.

The Vikings have had success in that range in recent years, selecting Justin Jefferson 22nd in 2020 and Christian Darrisaw 23rd the following year. Those were two incredible, home run picks by Rick Spielman and Minnesota's previous regime. Usually, it's not that easy to find superstar players in that range of the draft, but it's possible.

On the other end of things, the Vikings took Laquon Treadwell and Sharrif Floyd at 23 in 2016 and 2013, respectively.

Fans became accustomed to the Vikings having tons of draft picks during the Spielman era, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and company currently have just four to work with:

First round (23rd)
Third round
Fourth round
Fifth round

They sent their second-rounder to Detroit in the T.J. Hockenson trade, which worked out very well. They also got a fourth-rounder in that deal, but traded away their original fourth-rounder in a move up to get Akayleb Evans during last year's draft. They also traded their sixth-rounder for Ross Blacklock and their seventh-rounder was involved in a 2021 deal for Stephen Weatherly.

One would imagine Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings will explore ways to add more picks before or during the draft. OverTheCap currently projects them to get a fifth-round compensatory pick after losing Tyler Conklin in free agency last year, so that would be five selections.

Last year, in the first draft under this regime, Adofo-Mensah made a league-high six trades, moving back four times and up twice. That included two controversial trade backs with NFC North rivals early in the draft.

The Vikings' 2022 draft class is off to a slow start, due to injuries to Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., and Akayleb Evans. But it's too early to judge. Ed Ingram played every snap at right guard and all three of those defensive backs still have promise, as does linebacker Brian Asamoah.

This year, defense figures to again be the focus for the Vikings in the draft. They need to continue adding young, impact talent at every position on that side of the ball. Receiver and interior O-line stand out as the main needs on the offensive side, but we'll have to see how free agency shakes out to get a true sense of the Vikings' draft needs.

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