Vikings Trade Back, Select Draft's Top Linebacker in New NFL.com Mock

The Vikings currently hold the No. 23 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but there's a good chance they won't be making their selection at that spot.

In his first draft as general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded down from the 12th pick to the 32nd pick. The next night, he turned the 34th pick (acquired in the first trade) into two picks in the 50s. Adofo-Mensah went on to make a league-high six trades during the course of the draft, four of which involved moving back. It's a one-draft sample size, but it seems clear that Adofo-Mensah, like Rick Spielman before him, believes there's value to be gained in trading back and accumulating additional picks.

Add in the context of this year's draft — the Vikings only have five picks at the moment, with Nos. 23 and 87 their only top-100 selections — and it feels like Adofo-Mensah moving back is the most likely outcome. That's not to say Minnesota won't make its selection at 23 if a player they love falls to that spot. They could even trade up if they want to, which they did twice last draft (for cornerbacks Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans). But fans should very much be bracing themselves for the possibility of the Vikings not making their pick at 23.

That leads us into a bold new mock draft from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. Most mocks don't incorporate trades, and if they do, it's usually just a team moving up for a quarterback. Zierlein has the Vikings trading with the Bills, who move up from 27 to 23 to snag Texas's Bijan Robinson, who many believe is a generational running back prospect.

At pick 27, the Vikings go in a slightly surprising direction, selecting Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders.

Sanders spent one season at inside linebacker and absolutely filled up the stat sheet at Arkansas. He's big and a solid athlete; he can be a capable pass rusher for Minnesota to deploy when needed.

Sanders is the consensus top off-ball linebacker in this year's draft after a huge junior season for the Razorbacks. In 12 games, he racked up 103 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 13.5 total TFL, an interception, five passes defended, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He started his career as an edge rusher at Alabama and didn't do a whole lot in his first two seasons, but the 21-year-old Sanders transferred within the SEC, changed positions, and the results were phenomenal. He was named a first team All-American in 2022 and decided to leave school early.

All of the traits are there for Sanders to be a late first-round pick. He's an explosive athlete at 6'4", 235 pounds, running a 4.59 40 and posting a 37-inch vertical jump. He has the fluidity to be a three-down player who can blitz, fill the correct gaps against the run, and drop into coverage. Sanders has a quick first step and is a sure tackler who uses his length to his advantage.

There are some questions with Sanders' evaluation, of course. The big one is that he only spent one season in college as an off-ball linebacker, so he's still learning the intricacies of the position. He may have some growing pains in the NFL as he gets accustomed to the speed of the game and the size of the players climbing to block him at the second level.

Still, the upside is clearly there for Sanders. And Minnesota might be a great fit for him, as he could learn from former linebackers coach Brian Flores, the Vikings' new defensive coordinator. Sanders would join veteran Jordan Hicks and second-year player Brian Asamoah in the team's LB room, giving them some depth and variety this season. Sanders' history as an edge rusher would make him a valuable weapon for Flores as a blitzer. Hicks will likely be gone in 2024, with Sanders and Asamoah taking over as the long-term duo at the position.

LB Drew Sanders defeated two blocks to sack Cincy's QB on third and seven pic.twitter.com/caaGtYoCKB
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) March 28, 2023

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