4. The Vikings will draft a non-need position in the middle rounds.
The Vikings needs are pretty clear. They need a guard, a tackle, a wide receiver, a running back, and a defensive tackle. Secondary needs are safety, tight end, and linebacker. So don’t be shocked when the team uses a fourth-round pick on a position not listed above.
The early favorite for that unexpected position would be cornerback. Mike Zimmer goes nuts for corners they way the Dad from “A Christmas Story” goes crazy for turkey. He just can’t help himself. He’ll convince Rick Spielman to take one early on Day 3 much to the dismay of the Purple faithful.
If it isn’t a corner, some other dark horse positions could be defensive end, an edge-rushing outside linebacker, or even a quarterback. Quarterback would only happen if a player fell who was projected to go much higher and the Vikings figured the value was just too good to pass up. They could roll the dice on an edge rusher type that Mike Zimmer may feel he could use in a similar role to Anthony Barr. It’s hard to say at this point exactly what this surprising pick will be, all we can know is that it is going to happen.