Tight end: The Vikings roster only has two tight ends right now: T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Hockenson is 27 and didn’t seem fully himself in his return from his ACL injury in the back half of last season. Oliver, 28, who also missed time due to injury last year, is set to be a free agent next spring. Drafting a young tight end now who would get at least a year to learn from both of those guys before a probable shakeup of some kind next offseason seems an obvious choice. Either the Vikings’ No. 97 or No. 139 overall pick would be a solid one to spend on a tight end, and Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II (6-foot-5, 243 pounds) would be a great get. He’s the son of former Dolphins wide receiver Oronde Gadsden I and a childhood friend and teammate of Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner.
On the Access Vikings podcast, Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer and Emily Leiker discuss GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft philosophies and predict some possible draft surprises: