2018 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft: Minnesota Vikings, Pick #30

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve made it. After a full month, we’ve reached the only pick in the entire first round of the 2018 NFL Draft that actually means anything.

Yes, my friends. . .your Minnesota Vikings are ON THE CLOCK!

One last time, let’s review the entire mock to this point:

1. Cleveland Browns - Sam Darnold, QB, Southern California
2. New York Giants - Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
3. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) - Josh Rosen, QB, California-Los Angeles
4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston Texans) - Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
5. Denver Broncos - Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
6. Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets) - Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
8. Chicago Bears - Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
9. San Francisco 49ers - Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
10. Oakland Raiders - Vita Vea, DT, Washington
11. Miami Dolphins - Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
12. Buffalo Bills (from Cincinnati Bengals) - Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
13. Washington Redskins - Derwin James, S, Florida State
14. Green Bay Packers - Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida
15. Arizona Cardinals - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
16. Baltimore Ravens - Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
17. Los Angeles Chargers - Da’ron Payne, DT, Alabama
18. Seattle Seahawks - Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
19. Dallas Cowboys - Courtland Sutton, WR, Southern Methodist
20. Detroit Lions - Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
21. Cincinnati Bengals (from Buffalo Bills) - Connor Williams, OL, Texas
22. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City Chiefs) - Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
23. New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Rams) - Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
24. Carolina Panthers - Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
25. Tennessee Titans - Marcus Davenport, DE, Texas-San Antonio
26. Atlanta Falcons - Taven Bryan, DT, Florida
27. New Orleans Saints - Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
28. Pittsburgh Steelers - Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
29. Jacksonville Jaguars - Will Hernandez, G, Texas-El Paso

Honestly, I’m not going to bore you with all the comings and goings and all of that stuff like I have for the 29 other posts in this process. We’re Vikings fans. . .we know what the team has done this offseason, and we know what their needs are. So, I’m going to pretty much throw this open to players remaining that appear to have a realistic chance of being selected by the Vikings at #30 overall in our scenario.

Yes, that means that there will be multiple players at multiple positions. Everyone has their favorites, and there’s still going to be plenty of room for debate because everyone is going to have their favorites. So, I’m just going to list the available options in alphabetical order.

Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville - If the Vikings are unsure about turning the slot corner role over to Mackensie Alexander on a full-time basis, Alexander is someone they could certainly bring in to compete for that spot. He’s also go outstanding return skills if the team wanted to use him in that capacity.

Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma - Gripe about him being here all you wish. The tape shows first-round talent. If the Vikings can get him motivated, nobody will even remember the 2018 Scouting Combine. If the Vikings want to push Mike Remmers to the inside, they’d need a starting right tackle, and Brown could step into that void.

James Daniels, C/G, Iowa - We know how much the Vikings value flexibility along the offensive line, and Daniels is a player that certainly fits that bill. A center at Iowa, whether he’s a center or a guard in the NFL depends on who you ask. If the Vikings take him, then he’s probably a guard.

Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina - While the Vikings are probably going to be looking for more offensive weaponry, they could be interested in taking a tight end to complement Kyle Rudolph. Hurst’s age might scare some team off, but with Dallas Goedert off the board, he’s probably the next best tight end left.

Kolton Miller, OT, California-Los Angeles - Miller projects as a potential left tackle of the future, with a huge frame and very good athletic ability. The issue for Minnesota is that he doesn’t seem to be ready to step in immediately, and the Vikings need help on the o-line now rather than later. Still, he’s a possibility at this spot.

D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland - While the Vikings might look to a wide receiver at some point, they don’t need another slot option like Christian Kirk. Of the receivers remaining, Moore would probably be the best fit for the Vikings at this point. He could rotate into the slot, but could probably find as much or more success as an outside option.

Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State - People may question whether Price is worth a first-round pick after his pectoral injury at the Combine, but that’s a ridiculous question given that he’s going to be ready for Training Camp. He’s also familiar with one of his teammates in Pat Elflein, and would likely end up being a guard as he was when he and Elflein were both at Ohio State.

Frank Ragnow, C/G, Arkansas - A name that’s picked up plenty of steam over the past couple of weeks, the Chanhassen native had an impressive career for the Razorbacks. In just over 2,600 snaps in college, he allowed zero sacks and just eight quarterback hits. That’s pretty damn impressive.

Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia - We know that guard is a big need for the Vikings. . .honestly, the offensive line in general is huge. Wynn was very good as a tackle at Georgia, but projects as more of a guard at the NFL level. This pick would probably push Mike Remmers back to right tackle, which I see as a good thing, but your mileage may vary.

As things stand right now, that probably exhausts the list of realistic options for the Vikings in our current scenario. There aren’t any defensive tackles left that are worth this spot, and after Alexander, there probably aren’t any corners that belong here, either. The Vikings aren’t taking a running back or a quarterback in this spot, either, and edge rusher isn’t a huge need.

So, we’ve got nine different names for everyone to discuss/debate/argue about at #30 the way our Community Mock Draft has fallen. We’re going to leave the poll on this one open until just before the start of the first round, so there’s plenty of time to pick a winner between now and then.

With that, have at it, ladies and gentlemen!