NFL Draft 2018: Which positional need should the Vikings address first?

Entering the 2018 NFL Draft, is there a specific positional group the Minnesota Vikings should focus on improving first before any others?

Given the success the Minnesota Vikings have had from building their roster through the draft over the past few years, the team doesn’t have a ton of areas to improve upon heading into the 2018 NFL season.

19 of their 22 starters from 2017 are expected to return for next season and two of those open spots will be taken by two of their newest acquisitions in quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. So if the majority of their players can stay healthy in 2018, the Vikings should have a very good chance to contend for a championship for the second year in a row.

With most of their starting lineup already set for next season, Minnesota’s selections in the upcoming NFL Draft will likely be used on players that will improve the team’s depth for 2018.

The Vikings’ biggest needs heading into this year’s draft are on the interior offensive line, the interior defensive line, and at nickel corner. Is one of these three positions more vital for Minnesota to address with their first pick of the draft this year?

Minnesota Vikings

Based on the Vikings’ recent draft history, the team should still be able to improve in these three specific areas no matter which one gets taken care of first or last.

As recent as 2017, Minnesota was able to land center Pat Elflein in the third round and defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson in the fourth round. Elflein became an immediate starter on the Vikings’ offensive line last season and Johnson figures to have a bigger role on the team’s defensive line in 2018 with the recent departures of Tom Johnson and Shamar Stephen.

In 2016, Minnesota selected cornerback Mackensie Alexander in the second round and he was regarded by some as a first-round prospect that year.

Looking at where the Vikings were able to land these talented players in the draft over the past two years, no one should be worried about which position Minnesota uses their first-round pick on in 2018.

Next: Vikings 7-round mock draft, 1.0

Whether it be an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman, or a cornerback in the first round, the Vikings should be able to take care of the other two positional needs with their next couple of selections this year and still land some very impressive prospects.