EAGAN, Minn. — The NFL's New League Year begins at 3 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, but the league's attention will soon fully turn to 2022 NFL Draft, which is just over six weeks away.
The Vikings currently have the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after Minnesota went 8-9 in 2021 and finished in second place in the NFC North.
Minnesota has drafted at No. 12 overall twice in team history, selecting quarterback Christian Ponder in 2011 and running back (and Vikings Ring of Honor member) Chuck Foreman back in 1973.
The Vikings currently have eight overall picks.
The 2022 NFL Draft is slated to be held from April 28-30. The first round will be on April 28, followed by Rounds 2 and 3 on April 29 and the final four rounds on April 30.
Here is the fifth version of our Vikings 2022 Mock Draft Tracker, which includes 17 recent predictions from across the football world.
Defense is the flavor for the Vikings, as every draft expert below projected Minnesota to take a defensive player in the first round.
Here's a look at our fifth Vikings 2022 Mock Draft Tracker:
ESPN's Todd McShay
March 9, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Jermaine Johnson II, Edge Rusher, Florida State
The Vikings have a tenacious pass-rush duo in Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum, but Johnson can be a third impact player on their front. His 12 sacks and 45 pressures were both top-15 numbers in the country last season, and he's a great value pick for Minnesota at No. 12. In Indianapolis, the 6-foot-5, 254-pounder ran a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash and impressed with a 10-foot-5 broad jump. New Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell watched a great pass rush help his former team, the Rams, to a Super Bowl. So he'd happily welcome another smooth-moving explosive end to the mix.
Click here for McShay's full mock draft.
NFL.com's Bucky Brooks
March 1, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: George Karlaftis, Edge Rusher, Purdue
The energetic pass rusher could step in immediately to spark a front line that needs another QB hunter.
Click here for Brooks' full mock draft.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein
March 8, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Derek Stingley, Jr., Cornerback, LSU
Stingley's name will gain traction once again after his pro day next month, and the Vikings are a team in need of a talented cornerback to tighten up the pass defense.
Click here for Zierlein's full mock draft.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus
March 14, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: David Ojabo, Edge Rusher, Michigan
Kirk Cousins' one-year, fully guaranteed extension tells me the Vikings are totally out on this year's quarterback class.
Gardner is another player who is poised for the top 10 after a great showing at the scouting combine. He's big, fast, confident and has the tape to match all the traits. Vikings would love to get him just outside those first 10 picks.
Click here for Sikkema's full mock draft.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus
March 8, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: David Ojabo, Edge Rusher, Michigan
Vikings edge defender Danielle Hunter's future in Minnesota is to be determined, but regardless of the outcome, the Vikings need to add premium edge rush talent.
Ojabo has all the traits of an elite stand-up pass-rusher but has effectively one season of college football under his belt. Nevertheless, that one season is a very strong one, as Ojabo racked up 42 quarterback pressures and earned an 87.3 pass-rush grade despite hardly playing before 2021.
Click here for Spielberger's full mock draft.
Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News (three rounds)
March 13, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Travon Walker, Center, Georgia
Walker is versatile and explosive. He can line up anywhere on Minnesota's front for new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and can be downright disruptive. The Vikings have some outside issues with end Everson Griffin and linebackers Nick Vigil and Anthony Barr [scheduled to become free agents].
The predicted pick at No. 46: Christian Watson, Wide Receiver, North Dakota State
You betcha the Vikings can look to Fargo for someone who [can] boost Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen as an outside size-speed prospect to take advantage of Kirk Cousins' big arm in Kevin O'Connell's offense. Watson is rising fast after putting on a freak show at the combine.
The predicted pick at No. 77: Zach Carter, Defensive Tackle, Florida
Click here for Iyer's full mock draft.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports (three rounds)
March 15, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Jermaine Johnson II, Edge Rusher, Florida State
After transferring from Georgia, Johnson had a fantastic season at Florida State. And he told us at the combine that he felt like he had something to prove going from the SEC to the ACC. Well, he did that and then some, then he dominated the Senior Bowl, and followed that up with an electric workout in Indy. The Vikings need help at CB, and that could be an option here, but with rumors swirling of a Danielle Hunter trade on the horizon, beefing up edge rusher makes sense here too.
The predicted pick at No. 46: Jalen Pitre, Safety, Baylor
The predicted pick at No. 77: Max Mitchell, Tackle, Louisiana
Click here for Wilson's full mock draft.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports
March 9, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Ahmad Gardner, Cornerback, Cincinnati
Gardner would be an ideal replacement for Patrick Peterson in Minnesota. He has All-Pro upside on the perimeter.
Click here for Trapasso's full mock draft.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports
March 10, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Derek Stingley, Jr., Cornerback, LSU
It is the question as old as time with Minnesota, which comes first: the cornerback or the edge rusher? Fans could make a case for Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II here, but Stingley is a better overall talent when performing at his peak. The Vikings have had better luck with edge rushers than cornerbacks, so maybe they are gun shy to return to the latter well.
Click here for Edwards' full mock draft.
Kyle Stackpole of CBS Sports
March 10, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Derek Stingley, Jr., Cornerback, LSU
The Vikings halt the fall of Stingley, who was once considered the consensus No. 1 cornerback but has since fallen back with the likes of "Sauce" Gardner, Trent McDuffie and others. Stingley could still wind up on top once all of their careers progress, and recapturing the magic of his freshman campaign at LSU would be a good place to start.
Click here for Stackpole's full mock draft.
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports
March 11, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: George Karlaftis, Edge Rusher, Purdue
What you have to love about Karlaftis is the motor never stops. He's going all-out on every snap, and he's strong enough and quick enough to make a lot of blockers look foolish. That said, he's not as fluid as you'd like when changing direction, and he does struggle when he isn't able to overpower his blocker with his strength or speed off the snap. There's plenty of potential for an above-average pass rusher here, and those are always valuable.
Click here for Fornelli's full mock draft.
Kevin Hanson of Sports Illustrated
March 11, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Ahmad Gardner, Cornerback, Cincinnati
It's very possible that Gardner won't last until the 12th pick, but if he does, this would be an easy choice for new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Three Minnesota cornerbacks played more than 160 defensive snaps last year, and two of them — Patrick Peterson (884) and Mackensie Alexander (689) — are headed toward free agency. With ideal length and smooth footwork, the ball-hawking — three interceptions in each of past three seasons — cornerback has the versatility to excel in either press or off coverage.
Click here for Hanson's full mock draft.
Christian D'Andrea of USA TODAY Sports
March 11, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: David Ojabo, Edge Rusher, Michigan
Ojabo wasn't the unstoppable force I'd expected at the combine, but he was still pretty dang good; a 4.55-second 40 at 255 pounds and solid numbers in both the broad and vertical jumps. That's enough to keep him ahead of Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II and Georgia's Travon Walker as the Vikings pick at No. 12.
Ojabo was the Barnum to Hutchinson's Bailey, recording 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 13 games in Michigan's breakthrough 2021 — forcing five fumbles along the way. He's explosive, athletic, and able to bend around offensive tackles along the edge or use his twitchiness to slice inside and get to the quarterback.
Click here for D'Andrea's full mock draft.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire
March 13, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Trent McDuffie, Cornerback, Washington
Mike Zimmer's tenure in Minnesota ended with some truly abysmal cornerback play, which is an unfortunate way out for one of the best secondary coaches of his era. Only Cameron Dantzler played at an above-average level among the Vikings cornerbacks in 2022, and if new Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell is going to succeed at his position, he'll need at least one more potential star at the position.
McDuffie certainly qualifies as a possible future star. The interception totals won't blow you away — he's got two in three seasons with the Huskies — but he's also given up just 56 catches on 100 targets for 502 yards, 173 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 74.7. Over the last two seasons, his opponent passer ratings allowed have been 52.1, and 52.0. If you want consistency (and the Vikings really need it at the position), that's a pretty good indicator.
Click here for Farrar's full mock draft.
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network (three rounds)
March 12, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Ahmad Gardner, Cornerback, Cincinnati
What's new: Domino effect of last several picks, spurred by Russell Wilson trade
Original pick: CB Trent McDuffie
This pick flip is simple...I think Gardner is a better cornerback prospect.
The predicted pick at No. 46: Christian Harris, Linebacker, Alabama
The predicted pick at No. 77: Khalil Shakir, Wide Receiver, Boise State
Click here for Crabbs' full mock draft.
Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network
March 14, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Jordan Davis, Defensive Tackle, Georgia
Who would have thought that the most impressive combine performance would come from a defensive tackle? Jordan Davis at 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds put on a performance for the ages. But not only is Davis a good athlete, he is a productive football player and served as the engine of that vaunted Georgia defense. The Vikings need help stopping the run and their guy falls right to them.
Click here for Sanchez's full mock draft.
James Fragoza of Pro Football Network (three rounds)
March 11, 2022
The predicted pick at No. 12: Jermaine Johnson II, Edge Rusher, Florida State
With how Jermaine Johnson II performed at the Senior Bowl and the combine, it wouldn't surprise me if he went in the top 10. Regardless, he falls to the Vikings in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft, gifting Minnesota with a stellar edge defender to pair with Danielle Hunter. Johnson can set the edge in run defense, use leverage to beat blocks, and owns easily projectable tools to the NFL.
The predicted pick at No. 46: Martin Emerson, Cornerback, Mississippi State
The predicted pick at No. 77: Cole Strange, Offensive Line, Chattanooga
Click here for Fragoza's full mock draft.
