Free agency will determine the Minnesota Vikings’ priorities in the 2025 NFL Draft. Will they sign multiple interior defensive linemen? How will they improve the interior of their offensive line? Will cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. or running back Aaron Jones test the market?
The answers to those questions will affect Minnesota’s plans. The team will also be mindful of needs in the present and future. For example, center Garrett Bradbury’s contract is set to void after the 2025 season. Securing a replacement via the draft would be smart.
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Similar to our last mock draft, trading down in the first round felt like the right call. The Vikings are projected to have only four picks (including a third-round compensatory pick). Unearthing more darts to throw feels like the right approach for a team in need of youth.
Here is our second mock draft:
Round 1: Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
In my first mock draft, I projected Minnesota to take a guard. That remains in play, and it’s a sensible route if the Vikings fortify the interior of their defensive line with sharp signings in free agency. Cornerback is also an option here, especially if the Vikings can’t re-sign Byron Murphy Jr.
Ultimately, defensive tackle feels the safest at the moment because Minnesota sees it as a major need. Alexander may not be as heralded as Michigan’s Kenneth Grant or Oregon’s Derrick Harmon. Still, he’s less bulky and more versatile, which aligns with how defensive coordinator Brian Flores wants to play. Alexander, measured at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, produced one of the best pass-rush win rates in college football last season. His tape shows explosion, violence and effective hand usage.
Alexander is likely to be available late in the first round. Targeting him allows us to trade back with the Kansas City Chiefs, a team typically willing to move around. Dropping seven spots opened the door to two more picks: a late second-rounder and a sixth-rounder. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has traded back before, and the Vikings could be set up for this strategy once again.
Toledo DL Darius Alexander was moving. 💨
4.96 unofficial.
📺: 2025 #NFLCombine on NFL Network
📱: Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/GQYp0o4sDn— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 27, 2025
Round 2: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa (acquired via trade)
The primary reason I wanted to trade down was to ensure the Vikings could snag one of the elite running backs. North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton will be tempting in the first round if he’s still on the board. Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson has game-breaking skills as well, but he, too, might be gone too early.
Johnson offers a blend of size (6-foot-1, 224 pounds), vision and three-down ability. He may not possess the smoothness of Hampton or the speed of Henderson, but he’s more capable of being a bellcow than many of the prospects projected to go in the middle rounds.
This class of running backs is exceptional, and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, Miami’s Damien Martinez and Kansas State’s DJ Giddens are all intriguing. Most come with questions, though. Are Sampson and Giddens big enough to shoulder a heavy workload? Does Martinez have a dynamic enough skill set? Skattebo’s pass-catching ability might be underrated, and if the Vikings end up adding a running back in the third or fourth round, he might be a realistic option. Johnson, though, provides security as another major positional priority.
Round 3: Jared Wilson, C, Georgia
I had three goals in this mock draft: find a game-affecting interior defender, find a running back of the future and supplement the interior of the offensive line (with an eye on the future). That last point is where Wilson comes in.
Bradbury is under contract through 2025, so Minnesota’s future at the position is uncertain. Wilson is not the biggest option, but he wowed in Indianapolis with his athletic traits. He ranked as the No. 2 center since 1987 in RAS score, which is intended to reflect a player’s overall athleticism.
It’s worth asking whether Wilson will fall to the third round. Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s draft expert, listed Wilson at No. 83 on his most recent top-100 list. If he falls and the Vikings find themselves in the third round without having already added an interior offensive lineman, he would make sense.
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Round 5: Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee
Another interior defensive lineman? Why not? Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has reiterated his belief that you can never add enough juice to either front. Even if the Vikings sign interior defenders in free agency, and even if they fortify the group with a younger option in the form of Alexander, it could still be worth selecting a player like Norman-Lott.
He’s not a perfect prospect by any means. There are some injury concerns with his knee. Norman-Lott is built low to the ground at 6-foot-2 and 291 pounds, yet he uses his measurables to create leverage against interior offensive linemen. And although he rushed the passer on only 139 snaps last season (compared to Alexander’s 327), Norman-Lott posted the highest pass-rush win rate in the country among interior defenders (18.9 percent).
Omarr Norman-Lott is an underappreciated name heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Extremely productive interior pass rusher who should be excellent at the @seniorbowl and NFL Combine. pic.twitter.com/X3Rur1NM9d
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) December 5, 2024
Round 5: Zy Alexander, CB, LSU
Minnesota needs more young cornerbacks. The staff believes in the trajectory of Mekhi Blackmon, who is coming off an ACL tear, and Dwight McGlothern, who was an undrafted free agent last year. Still, the tragic passing of Khyree Jackson affected the team’s long-term outlook. Alexander is not the thickest corner at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, but he moves smoothly and can play man and zone, which is a priority for Flores.
Round 6: Ricky White III, WR, UNLV (acquired via trade)
How about a gift for Matt Daniels’ special teams unit? White blocked four punts last year, altered three more and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Oh, and by the way, he also notched 1,000-yard receiving seasons in back-to-back years. Vikings No. 3 receiver Jalen Nailor is entering the final season of his rookie contract. White would help the special teams unit win on the margins and give receivers coach Keenan McCardell another player to mold.
(Photo of Kaleb Johnson: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)