BREAKING: Vikings add jack of all trades defender who Brian Flores will love in latest NFL Mock Draft
The NFL Draft has been quite an interesting event for the Minnesota Vikings over the last three years.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been widely criticized for his drafting ability over the last three years with the majority of the criticism coming from the 2022 NFL Draft. The failures of Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr. when they could have had Kyle Hamilton are something that fans won’t let him forget.
Vikings take versatile defender in NFL Mock Draft
It’s evident that the Vikings have taken a lot of steps to improve their process since the 2022 NFL Draft when Adofo-Mensah was using the scouts and big board of his predecessor Rick Spielman’s staff.
One of those factors comes into play in the latest mock draft from our own Travis May at A to Z Sports as he sent the Vikings Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron.
Jahdae Barron was the best cornerback in the country last fall based on the meaningful metrics. Nine passes defended on top of his five interceptions. A passer rating when targeted that was so low opposing quarterbacks would quite literally be better off chucking the ball into the dirt instead. The Vikings only have one pick in the first three rounds as of this writing with a huge need at cornerback. That makes this is an easy selection.
May has Barron as a cornerback, which is a very valid opinion. He played the majority of his snaps on the outside in 2024, but I see him as more of a nickel back/safety hybrid. That was where Barron played the majority of his snaps in 2023. Personally, I have him as a nickel/safety, but that’s part of what makes him so intriguing.
The reality with Barron is you can play him just about anywhere on the back end of the defense. If you need him on the outside, in the slot, in the box, or playing a deep half/third, he can do that for you. That’s huge for a Vikings team that prioritizes
Secondary needs to be adjusted in a major way for the Vikings, as they only return one, maybe two (Harrison Smith’s retirement pending) of their top six set to hit free agency. Taking the versatile weapon, who also won the Jim Thorpe award this past season, is a smart move.
