Power rankings aren’t the most predictive measure when they are released in May, but they give you a good baseline for where teams are currently at.
The post-draft power rankings from Pro Football Focus have the Minnesota Vikings ranked 14th overall, but also claim they traded, not traded for, tight end T.J. Hockenson midseason.
The Vikings will look to replace tight end T.J. Hockenson, who they traded midseason, with Josh Oliver. He’s been injury prone but is a promising signing nonetheless. They also signed an elite edge defender in Marcus Davenport.
In order to give proper power rankings, it’s a good idea to know what the roster projects to be.
Outside of that, they projected the biggest impact from the NFL draft to be cornerback Mekhi Blackmon.
The Vikings finished 2022 with a 78.4 coverage grade, ranking 18th in the NFL. With Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, Duke Shelley and Chandon Sullivan moving on in free agency, they need more depth at cornerback. Their newest cornerback, rookie Mekhi Blackmon, may make an immediate impact. Blackmon played 907 snaps from which he produced a 90.6 PFF grade and allowed a catch on just 47.6% of the passes thrown into his coverage. He missed only two tackles in 2022.
Could Blackmon be a starter this season? It’s not out of the question with the uncertainty surrounding Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans’ injury history. You can tell on film that Blackmon is a Brian Flores cornerback and that type of player is likely to see the field early.