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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker: Version 4.0

EAGAN, Minn. — It's officially time for the NFL Scouting Combine.

More than 300 draft-eligible prospects will put their speed, strength, agility and overall football skills to the test this week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In addition to showcasing their talents on the field, the prospects will look to impress NFL teams off it as well through interviews.

Minnesota currently has the 24th pick, but it will be the 23rd overall selection due to Miami having to forfeit its first-round pick this year and a third-rounder in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Dolphins engaged in "impermissible communications" with Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady in 2019-20 while he was with New England and after the 2021 season while he was with the Buccaneers.

The Vikings have drafted at No. 23 overall four times in franchise history, most recently selecting left tackle Christian Darrisaw in 2021. Minnesota has also drafted wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (2016), defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (2013) and receiver Lance Rentzel (1965).

Minnesota currently has four overall picks in this year's draft.

The 2023 NFL Draft will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27-29. The first round will be on April 27 while the second and third rounds will be on April 28. The final four rounds will conclude this year's draft on April 29.

Here is the fourth version of our Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker, which features 16 recent predictions from around the world of football.

Cornerback is the most popular position currently projected to Minnesota (nine of the mock drafts) in the first round. We also have the year's first multi-round mock drafts.

Take a look at our fourth Vikings 2023 Mock Draft Tracker:

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com

Feb. 21, 2023

The predicted pick: Deonte Banks, Cornerback, Maryland

Maryland DB Deonte Banks

Jeremiah's take: "Banks has good size, and I think you'll see his stock rise as the evaluation process unfolds. The cornerback is physical and tough."

Click here for Jeremiah's full mock draft.

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports

Feb. 22, 2023

The predicted pick: Emmanuel Forbes, Cornerback, Mississippi State

Podell's take: "Forbes is a ballhawk. He totaled 14 interceptions, the most in the NCAA during his three years in school from 2020-22 while playing in the SEC West. The Vikings, who had the second-worst total defense (388.7 total yards per game allowed) and pass defense (265.6 passing yards per game allowed) desperately need that playmaking. New Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores loved loading up on top corners when in Miami, and he starts that trend again with this pick."

Click here for Podell's full mock draft.

Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports

Feb. 27, 2023

The predicted pick: Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia

Wilson's take: "The Georgia-to-first-round pipeline continues. A year after five Bulldogs went in Round 1, expect a handful this time around, too. Ringo is a long, physical corner who has matched up against some of the best players in the country."

Click here for Wilson's full mock draft.

Josh Edwards of CBS Sports (two rounds)

Feb. 27, 2023

The predicted pick at No. 23: Zay Flowers, Wide Receiver, Boston College

Edwards' take: "Minnesota adds some speed to complement Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Zay Flowers will one day become the long-term compliment to Jefferson."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

Click here for Edwards' full mock draft.

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports

Feb. 27, 2023

The predicted pick: Calijah Kancey, Defensive Lineman, Pittsburgh

Fornelli's take: "I've always said any time you can take a disruptive, undersized tackle from Pitt, you have to do it. OK, so Calijah Kancey isn't Aaron Donald, but hardly anybody is. But he is disruptive and plays every snap like it's his last. He could be an absolute steal for the Vikings or anybody who takes him."

Click here for Fornelli's full mock draft.

Nate Davis of USA Today

Feb. 22, 2023

The predicted pick: Nolan Smith, Outside Linebacker, Georgia

Davis' take: "One way to address the NFC's worst pass defense? Infuse more juice into its pass rush, and Smith can do just that – especially if he's allowed to start out with a focus on sub packages and passing downs."

Click here for Davis' full mock draft.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus (two rounds)

Feb. 27, 2023

The predicted pick at No. 23: Deonte Banks, Cornerback, Maryland

Sikkema's take: "The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Banks stands out as a man coverage outside cornerback. He does lack consistency when it comes to mirroring off press coverage, but when he's in sync, he's one of the best cover cornerbacks in the class. The Vikings need to invest in a player like that on the outside."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

Click here for Sikkema's full mock draft.

Kent Platte of Pro Football Network (three rounds)

Feb. 18, 2023

The predicted pick at No. 23: Devon Witherspoon, Cornerback, Illinois

Platte's take: "Aggressive in the best way on the field, Witherspoon has that confident swagger you look for in a starting defensive back, and I'd expect him to crush interviews at the combine.

He isn't the biggest corner, but he isn't undersized, and his relative athleticism compared to the receivers he's facing tends to show up on the field."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

The predicted pick at No. 87: A.T. Perry, Wide Receiver, Wake Forest

Click here for Platte's full mock draft.

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network

Feb. 21, 2023

View photos of current Vikings players during their time at the NFL Scouting Combine from previous years.

The predicted pick: DJ Turner, Cornerback, Michigan

Pauline's take: "I like DJ Turner more than most. He's a polished corner with outstanding ball skills despite being under the radar. Minnesota absolutely has to add more competition at the position this offseason, and Turner could be a Day 1 starter."

Click here for Pauline's full mock draft.

Arif Hasan of Pro Football Network (three rounds)

Feb. 25, 2023

The predicted pick at No. 23: Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia

Hasan's take: "The Minnesota Vikings double up on physical Georgia defensive backs in the first round, following up their Lewis Cine pick last year with Kelee Ringo, who might be the best run defending cornerback in this year's draft among a class full of them.

He's incredible at bringing down ball carriers and carries high-level coverage capability against pass catchers. That sounds like somebody who could thrive in Brian Flores' scheme."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

The predicted pick at No. 87: Adetomiwa Adebawore, Defensive Lineman, Northwestern

Click here for Hasan's full mock draft.

Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network

Feb. 16, 2023

The predicted pick: Josh Downs, Wide Receiver, North Carolina

Cummings' take: "The run of wide receivers concludes with Josh Downs heading to the Minnesota Vikings. He'd be a phenomenal complementary threat to Justin Jefferson, with the explosiveness, alignment versatility, and separation ability to help put defensive backs in a blender."

Click here for Cummings' full mock draft.

Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network (two rounds)

Feb. 23, 2023

North Carolina WR Josh Downs

The predicted pick at No. 23: John Michael Schmitz, Interior Offensive Lineman, Minnesota

Sanchez's take: "John Michael Schmitz was one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl, and the Vikings desperately need a versatile interior offensive lineman to upgrade that position. The Vikings need to add an element of toughness to their offense to be able to impose their will running the football. Schmitz should help them do both things."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

Click here for Sanchez's full mock draft.

Minnesota OL John Michael Schmitz

Damian Parson of The Draft Network

Feb. 27, 2023

The predicted pick: Deonte Banks, Cornerback, Maryland

Parson's take: "The Vikings defensive secondary was not impressive in 2022. This defense needs to take a step forward heading into 2023 to prevent so many one-score affairs. Deonte Banks has the height, weight, and speed to succeed on the perimeter in the NFL. He has the traits to potentially become the Vikings CB1 of the future."

Click here for Parson's full mock draft.

Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News (two rounds)

Feb. 27, 2023

The predicted pick at No. 23: Lukas Van Ness, Edge Rusher, Iowa

Iyer's take: "The Vikings need to boost their pass rush badly behind Za'Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. Van Ness can be a situational star at first with his burst and relentlessness before rounding out into a complete edge player."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

Click here for Iyer's full mock draft.

Luke Easterling of Draft Wire (three rounds)

Feb. 23, 2023

The predicted pick at No. 23: Emmanuel Forbes, Cornerback, Mississippi State

Easterling's take: "Bringing in Brian Flores is a huge boost for one of the league's worst defenses, and his first order of business should be improving the secondary. Forbes was a big-play machine for the Bulldogs, and would be a perfect fit in this defense."

The Vikings currently don't have a second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

The predicted pick at No. 87: Tanner McKee, Quarterback, Stanford

Click here for Easterling's full mock draft.

Natalie Miller of Draft Wire

Feb. 26, 2023

The predicted pick: Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, USC

Miller's take: "The Vikings once again sit right where they are and find one of the cleanest route runners in the class, who falls probably farther than he should. Sound familiar? Addison will be the perfect complement to Justin Jefferson, and will be yet another weapon in an already dangerous Minnesota offense."

Click here for Miller's full mock draft.

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