Despite releasing Adam Thielen, the Minnesota Vikings have yet to address the wide receiver during the off-season.
This approach sends a pretty clear signal of one potential need during the NFL Draft. Unless the Vikings feel comfortable with K.J. Osborn and Justin Jefferson as their wide receivers, they’ll likely need to select one at some point during the draft.
NFL.com’s Rhett Lewis’ first mock draft has the Vikings taking a wide receiver early, selecting TCU’s Quentin Johnston in the first round.
Hendon Hooker is off the board here, and the Vikings could use some help on defense … but the potential of pairing a big-bodied physical specimen with Justin Jefferson might be too appealing to pass up in this scenario. Johnston has some work to do on his hands, but he offers terrific run-after-the-catch ability and could alleviate some pressure on Jefferson.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4, Johnston is a unique blend of size and athleticism, making him an intriguing player early in the draft. While he’ll likely need to clean up his hands, as Lewis mentioned, Johnston would fit in nicely with Jefferson and could create a fortified group of offensive weapons for whoever their quarterback of the future is.
It’s also interesting that Lewis mentioned Hendon Hooker as a potential selection. Hooker seems to be gaining more traction as a first-round selection, and the Vikings need to figure out who their future quarterback is. If they remain at pick 23, then Hooker could be an option for the Vikings.