Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

PROJECTED TRADE WITH BUFFALO BILLS

Minnesota could look at a cornerback here, but Emmanwori's value may be too good to pass up -- and the Vikings might have taken him if they'd stayed at No. 24. Stepping into the lineup at strong safety, this athletic freak also showed the quickness to play nickel while at South Carolina.

I know people who have Kelvin Banks Jr. as their top OT in the class, and I know some who wouldn't take him in the first round. I'm much closer to the former camp than the latter, and while Minnesota's done some work to address the interior of their OL, I don't think upgrading at tackle too would be a mistake.

The Vikings have done a good job adding talent up front to their defense, but they could still use an upgrade at slot corner. Barron is built to be an NFL slot defender and would form a nice tandem with the recently re-signed Byron Murphy Jr.

Trade: Vikings trade No. 24 to Eagles for No. 32, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick.

The Eagles and Bills called for the No. 24 pick. Rather than settling for a 2025 fourth-rounder from Buffalo, Minnesota opted to take the long-term view. Philadelphia was willing to trade its glut of picks (No. 32, a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 third-rounder). If it were possible to trade back again in this mock draft, the Vikings would have considered that as well. For now, Banks, whom The Athletic's Brugler ranked as the No. 22 player in his top 100 prospects big board, made sense. Banks could vie for the Vikings' open left guard spot. He also has tackle potential, which might be necessary depending on the health of the position in the next couple of seasons. Both left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O'Neill have navigated serious injuries in recent years. — Alec Lewis

With Harrison Smith entering Year 14, the Vikings go get a young safety with the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways.

With the Vikings currently possessing an NFL-low four draft picks, expect GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to be actively searching for trade-down opportunities. In this scenario, he'd be a big winner, adding another pick or two and Campbell, a superb athlete whose speed to the sidelines and in coverage would give the Vikings' defense another dimension of playmaking potential.

The Vikings bolstered their interior on both sides of the ball in free agency, allowing them to draft Starks here. You've got to strengthen a pass defense that gave up the fifth-most passing yards last season. Starks can help there, showing great instincts.

Minnesota made some big splashes in free agency as it tries to take the NFC North from the Lions. Among them were deals to re-sign Byron Murphy Jr. and bring in Isaiah Rodgers, but I'm not sure the Vikings should -- or will -- be done adding to the cornerback room.

Barron, meanwhile, picked off five passes last season, showing his ball skills. He ran a 4.39 at the combine, showing his speed. And he played more than 600 snaps at both slot corner and outside corner over the past two seasons, showing his versatility. I really like this fit.

I just can't fathom the Vikings passing on Malaki Starks given how his versatility would play in Brian Flores' defense. The only thing stopping it is general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's track-record with Georgia safeties.

Minnesota's overhaul of the trenches in free agency has been impressive to watch.

Still, how much does Javon Hargrave have left in the tank? For one of the league's best rosters, getting young names in the pipeline to take over long-term is a must for Minnesota to sustain its window.