Mel Kiper's First 2026 Mock Draft Lands Vikings Shutdown Corner

The Vikings enter the offseason looking to rebound after a disappointing 2025 campaign. The team has a few roster holes to fill, including the one they've been linked to in most early mock drafts, cornerback. ESPN's long time draft expert Mel Kiper unveiled his first 2026 mock draft, which continues the trend of the Vikings landing a lockdown corner with their No. 18 overall pick.

Kiper has the Vikings staying put at No. 18 and selecting LSU's Mansoor Delane. The 22-year-old spent last season with the Tigers after three years at Virginia Tech.

In selecting Delane to the Vikings, Kiper wrote that he brings "top-end ball skills and some really good coverage technique to Minnesota."

"The Vikings redid their cornerback room in 2025 free agency, but they still have depth problems behind Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers," continued Kiper. "Plus, Minnesota managed just eight interceptions this season (tied for sixth fewest). Well, over the past two campaigns, Delane has six picks and 18 pass breakups. That's impact production, and coordinator Brian Flores would love to get a player such as Delane into his unit."

In 2025, Delane posted the third-best PFF coverage grade among corners in the nation with a 91.0, behind only Notre Dame's Leonard Moore (92.5) and San Diego State's Chris Johnson (92.4). Delane, a consensus All-American, allowed just 13 catches for 147 yards and zero touchdowns in 2025.

The LSU product is considered one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2026 draft class. Kiper has Delane listed as his second-best corner and the No. 20 overall prospect in the class. As far as corners in 2026, he ranks only behind Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, another corner frequently selected by the Vikings in draft analysts mocks.

Sep 13, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane (4) reacts to Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (not pictured) making an incomplete pass during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over as the Vikings' general manager, the team has drafted four cornerbacks in an effort to shore up depth at the position. None of those four are still on the roster. Andrew Booth and Akayleb Evans were taken in the early rounds of the 2022 draft but were gone by the 2024 season. Mekhi Blackmon, a third-round pick in 2023, had the most promising stretch in purple of the group but was traded ahead of the 2025 season. And Khyree Jackson, taken in the fourth round in 2024, tragically passed away due to a fatal car accident just a few months after he was drafted.

For one reason or another, Minnesota has been unable to find a solid corner through the draft over the years. The team last drafted a Pro Bowl corner when it took Xavier Rhodes in the first round back in 2013.

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