Minnesota needed this draft, in this season more than in seasons past. That’s because the Vikings saw a crazy number of players leave in free agency this offseason.
Corners Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander signed with the Bengals. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph signed with the Chargers. Safety Andrew Sendejo signed with the Browns. Safety Jayron Kearse signed with the Lions. Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell signed with the Falcons. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes signed with the Colts. Defensive end Stephen Weatherly signed with the Panthers.
That’s a lot of players to lose, and the Vikings didn’t have a ton of cap space in the offseason to replace them. That pointed to Minnesota needing to nail this draft. The team had to find talent that could come in and start right away on a team that’s coming off a 10-6 regular season and a playoff victory.
So far, it’s worked out. The Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson, a wide receiver out of LSU, with the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft.
When the team traded back at the No. 25 pick, I was worried at first. But then, the Vikings went and got TCU corner Jeff Gladney, a player I would have been fine with them taking at No. 22. Instead, the team went and drafted him at No. 31, and acquired more picks in trading back.
The team followed that up by taking Boise State tackle Ezra Cleveland in the second round. Cleveland is athletic and fits the Vikings’ system well. That’s another pretty good pick.
My first gripe was with the draft choice of Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler at No. 89. Personally I thought that Louisiana Tech cornerback Amik Robertson was the better option at the time, but not everyone seems to think so. We’re going to have to see on that pick.
Minnesota’s third round pick after Dantzler came at No. 105. I was having trouble figuring out who the Vikings were going to take. It seemed like the Vikings were going to have to reach for a defensive end or defensive tackle at the moment when I looked at the best players available.
But the Vikings traded out of the pick, showing they weren’t afraid to acquire more assets at a later time. Not everyone is a fan of the Vikings trading back for the second time in the draft, but overall I think the team has a chance to still add very good players in the fourth round and beyond. If the Vikings first several draft decisions are any indication, I think Rick Spielman and company deserve a lot of credit.