Looking at a new seven-round Vikings mock draft

We’re always happy to bring stuff from Jordan Reid to everyone’s attention. As many of you probably remember, Jordan got his start with the folks from the Climbing the Pocket Network and has managed to work his way up the ranks to a job at ESPN doing draft analysis. It’s always awesome to see someone with this much “one of us” energy ascending to the top of his profession.

Jordan put together a full seven-round mock draft that is posted behind the great E$PN paywall, but we wanted to share his picks for the Minnesota Vikings with you along with our thoughts on them. There are a couple of picks that will be of some interest to fans of the purple.

The first one is. . .uh, the first one, where the Vikings are selecting USC wide receiver Jordan Addison to pair with the great Justin Jefferson. Here’s what Reid has to say about that pick:

With only five total picks, I would be surprised if the Vikings actually remained here and made a selection. They are a prime trade-back candidate. Still, after the release of Adam Thielen, there’s a gaping hole at the WR2 spot opposite Justin Jefferson. Addison would give the offense another versatile player who can line up inside and outside. A detailed route runner, Addison has physical traits that are similar to those of Calvin Ridley, who was a first-round pick in 2018. Addison’s success in multiple offensive schemes (Pitt and USC) will help his NFL value. Addison could thrive off the attention given to Jefferson by defensive coordinators.

I think the first sentiment expressed is one that a lot of Vikings fans agree with, hoping that the Vikings have a trade-down partner on Draft Thursday to accumulate some more capital. If they make the pick here, though, they could do much worse than Addison, who would immediately help to take heat off of Jefferson. Wide receiver is becoming a more popular choice for the Vikings in most mock drafts, so taking someone like Addison wouldn’t be a surprise.

The other pretty interesting pick comes in the fourth round, where Jordan has the Vikings selecting UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, deeming him his favorite prospect-team fit of the fourth round.

Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his contract, and it’s clear the Vikings want to keep their quarterback options open. Thompson-Robinson would provide them with a cheap backup who could be groomed as an eventual successor for Cousins. Thompson-Robinson is viewed as a notch below the top five quarterbacks in this class, but his stock has risen after an impressive pre-draft process.

I’ve expressed before that I’m skeptical about the chances of the Vikings blowing up what little draft capital they have this year (and the next year or two beyond that) to take a quarterback early in this year’s draft. Taking someone like Thompson-Robinson would give them an opportunity to take a flier on a guy that has a lot of talent and ability but might not be ready to take over right away.

The full draft for the Vikings goes like this:

24) Jordan Addison, WR, USC

87) Owen Pappoe, LB, Auburn

119) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA

158) Jalen Redmond, IDL, Oklahoma

211) Kei’Trel Clark, CB, Louisville

What do you think of this seven-round mock, folks?