Folks are sharpening their draft predictions, with the event from Green Bay, Wisconsin, getting underway in less than two weeks.
One Bold Vikings Draft Prediction Is a Blast from the Past
The Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to pick 24th on draft night — if they don’t trade down — and have just four picks altogether this year, courtesy of an expensive trade in 2024 that netted pass rusher Dallas Turner.
Thanks to Pro Football Network, an outfit that offered bold draft predictions for all 32 teams last week, there’s a theory that suggests the Vikings’ first two picks are defensive backs.
If that scenario sounds familiar, well, it happened not long ago.
The Bold Prediction from PFN
PFN fired off this bold prediction regarding the Vikings: “Draft DBs with First 2 Picks — The Vikings have spent a lot of early draft picks on defensive backs under GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah but without much to show for it.”
“While Khyree Jackson’s tragic situation obviously falls in a different category, ill-fated picks like Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth played a part in almost the entire secondary hitting free agency this offseason. Even after re-signing Byron Murphy, the Vikings could use more long-term solutions in the secondary. Harrison Smith is on a year-to-year basis, while Josh Metellus is a free agent next offseason.”
Minnesota’s secondary might need help for the long term, but back-to-back defensive backs to start the even is somewhat bold, especially as the franchise has been in the mood lately to enhance the offensive and defensive trenches.
PFN added, “Mekhi Blackmon could get a chance to start, but he is totally unproven after tearing his ACL before last season. The Vikings only four picks in the 2025 NFL Draft — the fewest of any team. Regardless of whether they trade down from No. 24 or stay put, it’s realistic to think Minnesota might once again double-dip on defensive backs with their top draft picks.”
It’s worth noting that a safety-then-cornerback or cornerback-then-safety isn’t too controversial; most fans wouldn’t boisterously object.
This Actually Happened in 2022
So, this very thing happened three years ago during general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft.
He held the No. 12 pick in the draft, and as a first-timer, got cute by completing intradivisional trades with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. Adofo-Mensah notably, notoriously, and God-forsakenly passed on safety Kyle Hamilton with the 12th overall pick, shipping it to Detroit, a club that would use the selection on wide receiver Jameson Williams.
The draft is already known as one of the worst in Vikings history.
Lewis Cine
Without Hamilton and as the owner of the 32nd pick, Adofo-Mensah drafted Lewis Cine, a violent defensive back from the University of Georgia. At the time — Hamilton resentents aside — Vikings fans didn’t hate the pick. Cine had upside.
Six months later, he broke his leg as a rookie, missed the rest of the regular season, and hardly played in 2023. Minnesota released him in the summer of 2024.
Andrew Booth
Cine’s draft mate, Andrew Booth, didn’t fare much better, although he didn’t break his leg in half. Adofo-Mensah pulled Booth out of Round 2 that season.
He merely struggled in 2022 and 2023, culminating in a trade to the Dallas Cowboys about two weeks before Adofo-Mensah cut Cine for good.
There’s nothing wrong with the PFN forecast of back-to-back defensive backs, but some will groan because it would feel eereily reminiscent of 2022.
This Time Could Be Different
Just because something flunked during the first trial doesn’t mean history is guaranteed to repeat.
Equipped with knowledge of his mistakes from the 2022 draft, perhaps Cine would adeptly draft a safety and a cornerback, preparing his secondary for the future. Harrison Smith is 36 years old, set to retire soon, probably after the 2025 campaign.
And the Vikings have no youthful corners in the pipeline aside from Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern.
The Options if PFN Has It Right
If Minnesota delivers on the PFN bold prediction, these are the usual suspects at corner and safety:
- Trey Amos (CB, Ole Miss)
- Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
- Nick Emmanwori (S, South Carolina)
- Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
- Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame)
- Andrew Mukuba (S, Texas)
- Damien Porter (CB, Iowa)
- Shavon Revel Jr. (CB, East Carolina)
- Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
- Azaraeye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State)
- Xavier Watts (S, Notre Dame)
- Kevin Winston Jr. (S, Penn State)
