Honestly, the Minnesota Vikings have always kind of felt like a team that’s one or two more pieces away from becoming a powerhouse. For a while, the spot that needed the most help was at the signal caller position, but with J.J. McCarthy set to make his debut this season Minnesota will likely be looking to shore up other areas in this year’s NFL draft, which kicks off on Thursday.
With no second round pick (they traded it to get Dallas Turner), and late-round picks in the first- and third-round, Minnesota likely won’t be seeing any huge names fall to them in the draft, but they can still make moves to make an impact right away.
Picking a guard
One of the positions Minnesota will look to improve at is the guard slot. With the 24th overall pick, if they’re looking for a guard, their choice likely boils down to two options: Donovan Jackson or Grey Zabel.
At first glance, Zabel seems like the more sure prospect. He’s a big midwest boy who played at most of the offensive line spots during his time with North Dakota, suggesting that he could be moved around a little to find where he fits best. For Minnesota, Zabel will come with two likely downsides.
The first is that, simply, he might be taken earlier than them. Mel Kipper has Zable going 18, with Jackson landing in Minnesota. His colleague, Jordan Reid, suggests Zabel will fall to 28, though he also has Minnesota going a different direction (we’ll get there.)
As for the other downside, Zabel didn’t show to be the most physical prospect for the guard slot. North Dakota tried playing him at left guard for a handful of games before shifting him outside to a tackle position; which is where he’d spend the majority of his time. His draft profile notes his smaller hands and shorter arms make it hard for him to hold a block for too long, which could cause an issue when pairing him with a rookie quarterback.
Jackson is perhaps the less impressive prospect, although one with better looking physicals and a more impressive resume for the position. A 5-star recruit who was ranked number one overall at the guard position, Jackson has started every game for Ohio State the last three seasons. 2022 and 2023 saw him play solely at the LG slot, which is where he’d start the first five games of last season before shifting to LT to help fill in for injuries. If the Vikings do take him in the first round, look for him to potentially start at LG over Blake Brandel.
Here’s the other question Minnesota has to answer this week: what are we doing at safety? With Cam Bynum moving to the Colts, and Harrison Smith not getting any younger, Minnesota could look to find their next safety in this year’s draft.
Safety of the future
That’s the direction Reid picked for Minnesota, with the Vikings selecting South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori with the 24th pick. In fairness, it’s a good pick. Emmanwori is the consensus-best safety in the pool with a unique blend of talent and natural athleticism. He could be the heir-apparent to Smith, and someone that could get starting reps right away with the Vikings’ defense.
The problem? He probably won’t fall to them.
Kipper lists him as the 17th best overall prospect. Field Yates thinks he’ll go 19th overall to the Buccaneers. It’s just not likely to happen for the purple and gold.
So without him, who’s up next?
Well there’s Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman Jr. He’s small for the NFL, and runs the risk of being out-bodied by receivers down the field, but his athleticism and his instincts could make up for it. A bit more of a raw prospect than Emmanwori, but he could be the Vikings’ best bet if they’re looking to shore up the safety position this year.
And of course there’s Georgia’s Malaki Starks. A top defender in the nation in previous years, Starks could be a good pick for highest-upside at the safety position. The plus-side, he doesn’t really have one glaring weakness. The down-side? He’s got lots of little ones and sometimes just leaves you wondering what exactly happened during plays.
Bolster the late-draft options
One final option the Vikings could look to do with their first-round pick, as unlikely as it may be, is move it to somewhere else. With a drought of options in this year’s draft, Minnesota could opt to move down into the final few picks of the first round, or even into the early-second round, by and secure a few more picks in the late rounds by moving their 24th overall pick.
Whichever way they go, Minnesota has the pressure on. They’re looking to build on a near-perfect regular season, and they’re looking to do it with a good mix of younger, high-upside guys and proven stars. Thursday may very well be the first look into just what the expectations for this season will be.