Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Database, v5.0

It’s that time of the week where we update our Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Database, and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen the sort of things we’re seeing this close to draft weekend.

Since we started doing this year’s Database about six weeks ago, we’ve had 42 players mocked to the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. Of those 42 players, 33 of them make an appearance in this week’s Database.

Just for the heck of it, rather than going from 80 mocks last week to 90 this week, I just went ahead and bumped things up to the full allotment of 100 for this week. That means we’ve got 200 projected first-round picks for the Vikings right now, and the lack of consensus is pretty stunning.

In this week’s Database, we don’t have a single player that garnered 10% of the total selections, but we have nine players that managed to get up to at least 5%. In addition, the gap between the top two position groups has just about disappeared completely.

With that, here are the 100 mock drafts that make up our Mock Draft Database for this week. In addition, if you want to take a look at more mock drafts than you can shake the proverbial stick at for all the teams. . .even the 31 that don’t matter as much. . .check out the NFL Mock Draft Database website.

So, how does it all break down? Let’s dive into the data here and have a look.

Defensive Backs - 70/200 selections (35%, no change from last week)

• Kristian Fulton, Louisiana State - 17 selections (8.5%, down from 10%)
• A.J. Terrell, Clemson - 12 selections (6%, up from 5.63%)
• Trevon Diggs, Alabama - 10 selections (5%, up from 4.38%)
• Jeff Gladney, Texas Christian - 9 selections (4.5%, up from 3.75%)
• Jaylon Johnson, Utah - 9 selections (4.5%, down from 5%)
• Xavier McKinney, Alabama - 5 selections (2.5%, up from 1.88%)
• C.J. Henderson, Florida - 3 selections (1.5%, up from 1.25%)
• Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State - 2 selections (1%, up from 0.63%)
• Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn - 2 selections (1%, down from 1.88%)
• Damon Arnette, Ohio State - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)

We still have ten different defensive backs in our Database for this week, as Louisiana State safety Grant Delpit has dropped out. He was replaced by Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette. Fulton continues to lead the way for the defensive backs for the third consecutive week, and he was just a couple of selections away from being the top overall player selected in our Database for this week. It still appears, at least on the surface, that this is the Vikings’ biggest need, so it makes sense that this is still the most mocked position by the experts out there.

But, as I said in the open, the gap is narrowing.

Wide Receivers - 67/200 selections (33.5%, up from 33.3% last week)

• Tee Higgins, Clemson - 17 selections (8.5%, up from 8.13%)
• Denzel Mims, Baylor - 14 selections (7%, up from 5.63%)
• Justin Jefferson, Louisiana State - 13 selections (6.5%, up from 5%)
• Jalen Reagor, Texas Christian - 13 selections (6.5%, up from 6.25%)
• Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado - 7 selections (3.5%, down from 4.38%)
• Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State - 2 selections (1%, down from 1.25%)
• Henry Ruggs III, Alabama - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 0.63%)

The wide receivers are still the second-most mocked position for the Vikings thus far, but they have the most players with double-digit selections with four. This is supposed to be a very deep class at the wide receiver position, so it’s possible that the Vikings could pass on the position early on. However, with a glaring need at the position now, it might be prudent for them not to wait.

Defensive Line - 46/200 selections (23%, down from 24.38% last week)

• Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State - 19 selections (9.5%, up from 9.38%)
• A.J. Epenesa, Iowa - 14 selections (7%, up from 6.25%)
• Ross Blacklock, Texas Christian - 5 selections (2.5%, down from 3.75%)
• Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma - 3 selections (1.5%, down from 1.88%)
• Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina - 2 selections (1%, down from 1.88%)
• Zack Baun, Wisconsin - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 0.63%)
• Derrick Brown, Auburn - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)
• K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 0.63%)

Gross-Matos has unseated Fulton to become the most-selected player in the Database this week, though the defensive linemen as a whole continue to trail the wide receivers and the defensive backs. I still think that if the Vikings are going to look for defensive line help early it will be on the interior rather than on the edges, but they could always try to slide Ifeadi Odenigbo inside. I wouldn’t do it, but I’m not the Vikings, so what do I know?

Offensive Line - 15/200 selections (7.5%, no change from last week)

• Josh Jones, Houston - 7 selections (3.5%, down from 3.75%)
• Austin Jackson, Southern Cal - 4 selections (2%, down from 2.5%)
• Mekhi Becton, Louisville - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)
• Netane Muti, Fresno State - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)
• Lucas Niang, Texas Christian - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 0.63%)
• Cesar Ruiz, Michigan - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 0.63%)

A very distant fourth place in our Database continues to be held down by the offensive linemen. There are a couple of new names this week, including Becton, who I’ve seen mocked in the top five in a few different spots. His selection by the Vikings came in a draft where they traded up into the teens to make a selection, but I still don’t think that’s going to be high enough to get him if they want him.

Also, props to Lucas Niang, who is the only player that appears in the first, second, and third rounds of our Database for this week. I guess you could say his stock is fluctuating depending on who you talk to.

Linebackers - 2 selections (1%, down from 1.88% last week)

• Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma - 1 selection (0.5%, NEW this week)
• Patrick Queen, Louisiana State - 1 selection (0.5%, down from 1.88%)

Another new name comes to us from the linebacker position, as Kenneth Murray makes his Mock Draft Database debut. Queen lost two-thirds of the support he had last week, but still manages to hang on to one selection to stay in this week’s Database.

There are no quarterbacks, running backs, or tight ends mocked to the Vikings thus far, and we haven’t seen a quarterback in our Database since way back at the beginning when Oregon signal caller Justin Herbert was mocked to Minnesota at #25. We know there’s no way the Vikings are spending a first-rounder on a quarterback at this point, though, so that makes sense.

With that, we move on to the graphics portion of this week’s Database, both of which you may click to embiggen. The first one is a rather messy Donut Graph that shows just how crazy spread out everything is in this week’s Database.

One day I’m going to learn to do actual graphics or something. Maybe. Maybe not, I don’t know.

Also, here is the Jell-o salad graph for this week, looking at the trends we’ve seen develop over the past seven weeks.

The colors on both graphs should line up so that the same shades of the various colors represent the same player. Adding new players throws things off a bit, but I’m pretty sure everything matches up.

With that, our Mock Draft Database for this week is in the books, ladies and gentlemen! We’ll be back with an updated list of mocks next weekend as we get closer to what should be a truly unique 2020 NFL Draft.