Free Agency or Draft: How should the Vikings fill their needs in 2021?

Safety

How the Vikings should fill this need: NFL Draft

The Vikings are all but assuredly going to lose Anthony Harris in free agency this year. He’ll make some decent money and simply just be out of Minnesota’s preferred price range.

They could look to replace him with a free agent, but that will also cost money that they don’t have. So Minnesota really should look to find a starter in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.

Safety is one position where young players have proven over and over again that they can come in and make an impact from Day 1. Just last year alone, we saw players like Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jeremy Chinn come in and produce at a high level right from the start.

The hated Green Bay Packers drafted a safety in the first round back in 2019 and then he went on to start 14 games for the team. The precedence is there for a first-year safety to be able to come in and start and play well.

The question for the Vikings is when will they take that safety? Taking one at pick No. 14 is too high, as there just isn’t anyone worth taking there. They could move back in the first round and use their top pick on a prospect like Trevon Moehrig. They could also look to move into the second round and target UCF’s Richie Grant.

Or Minnesota could choose to stay put with their multiple third-round choices and use one of those picks to get a player like Talanoa Hufanga, Hamsah Nasirildeen, or Andre Cisco.

Any of these guys would be huge scores for the Vikings and they would likely be viewed as the immediate starter opposite Harrison Smith. Minnesota would be wise to double-dip at the position as early as the fourth round just to make sure they land that impact rookie safety.