Vikings Land Kyle Hamilton, Two Offensive Players in New 3-Round Mock Draft
The general line of thinking is that the Vikings are going to load up on defensive players early in this year's draft. There are potentially multiple starting jobs still open in the secondary, the defensive line could use another pass rusher or two, and the defense as a whole badly needs an infusion of young talent and depth.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is fairly set on offense after signing guards Jesse Davis and Chris Reed and tight end Johnny Mundt. You can always use more depth, but the Vikings' starting offense is set everywhere except for right guard, and there's more young talent waiting in the wings on that side of the ball than there is on defense.
That's why this new three-round mock draft from Thor Nystrom at NBC Sports Edge is interesting. He gives the Vikings a stud defensive back in the first round, but then uses each of the next two picks on offense. Let's take a look at each of his three Vikings picks, and then I'll give my analysis.
Rd. 1, Pick 12: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
Also available: CB Derek Stingley Jr., DT Jordan Davis, EDGE Jermaine Johnson II, CB Trent McDuffie, EDGE George Karlaftis, LB Devin Lloyd
Nystrom's analysis:
Seems like every mock you open these days has the Vikings using 1.12 to reunite LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr. with DB coach Daronte Jones, who returned to Minnesota after being LSU’s DC/DB coach last season. Jones can confirm Stingley’s physical talent, of course, just as he can confirm that Stingley checked out on his team the past two seasons. Would analytics-leaning Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, in his very first draft in charge, use a top-12 pick on a guy data doesn't back? Stingley has a quasi-unprecedented Round 1 CB profile, coming off a Lisfranc injury with only one good collegiate season on his resume, multiple years in his rearview mirror by this point. Hamilton, previously a top-5 overall prospect who appears to be dropping after running a 4.59, would be the superior secondary option for the Purple both short- and long-term. And how cool would it be for Hamilton to start his career next to former Notre Dame star S Harrison Smith?
Rd. 2, Pick 46: Cole Strange, IOL, Chattanooga
Also available: LB Christian Harris, WR George Pickens, S Lewis Cine, EDGE Nik Bonitto, CB Kyler Gordon, EDGE Josh Pachal
Rd. 3, Pick 77: Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA
Also available: WR Alec Pierce, LB Channing Tindall, CB Zyon McCollum, CB Alontae Taylor, EDGE Sam Williams, IOL Cam Jurgens
My analysis:
I don't have a problem with the decision to take Hamilton over Stingley and McDuffie, even if cornerback is the Vikings' more pressing need. I think Hamilton's rare combination of size, talent, and football IQ outweighs any concerns about his positional value or straight-line speed. The idea of pairing him with fellow Notre Dame product Harrison Smith is extremely appealing, and I'm confident defensive coordinator Ed Donatell would still find ways to use Camryn Bynum, whose starting safety job would almost certainly be taken by Hamilton right away. There are real-enough concerns about Stingley (injuries) and McDuffie (arm length) that I don't think the Vikings need to be locked in on taking a corner at 12. Hamilton would be a home run pick in the first round as the best player available, in my opinion.
Where this mock gets interesting is when the Vikings don't take a corner or defensive lineman with either of their picks on Day 2.
Strange is a player I like a lot and wrote about a couple weeks ago when he visited the Vikings. He's an ultra-athletic center prospect who could factor into the right guard competition as a rookie and take over at center for Garrett Bradbury in 2023 (if not sooner). Strange shined at the Senior Bowl and plays with a lot of explosiveness and tenacity. However, he's also an old prospect from a small school who has some of the same size and anchor concerns that have hurt Bradbury in the NFL. For those reasons, I like him better at 77 than I do at 46.
Then, at 77, it was surprising to see the Vikings take a tight end and continue to ignore cornerback and defensive line. Dulcich is a fun prospect because of his athleticism and big-play ability; he led UCLA in receiving in each of the past two years and averaged over 17.5 yards per catch for his career. He would give the Vikings another receiving weapon and replace Tyler Conklin as their secondary pass-catching TE. But I'm just not sure it's enough of a need to warrant a third-round pick. The Vikings have Irv Smith Jr. as the starter, they're high on former Rams TE Johnny Mundt, and they have Ben Ellefson (blocking) and Zach Davidson (receiving) as young depth pieces at the position.
I think taking one offensive player — likely an interior offensive lineman or wide receiver — on Day 2 could make sense, but two would surprise me. At the end of the day, though, talent is more important than need, so you never know what will happen.
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