Vikings Draft 2021: Realistic three-round mock draft

Which prospects will the Minnesota Vikings end up with during the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft?

In less than 48 hours, barring a trade, we will finally find out who the Minnesota Vikings are going to select with their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

There has been a bunch of speculation during the last few months about which direction the Vikings will take when it comes to their first selection. It’s still difficult to confidentially guess how they will use it.

Minnesota added a bunch of new pieces to their defense in free agency this year, so most are assuming the team will target an offensive prospect with their first 2021 draft pick. But one should never underestimate the desire of Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer to make sure his defense returns to being an elite unit next season.

In the first three rounds of this year’s draft, Minnesota currently has one selection in round one, no pick in round two, and a pair of selections in round three. In this mock draft, however, the Vikings will make two trades that result in the team acquiring a pick in the second round.

The first trade will be between Minnesota and the Washington Football Team. In the deal, the Vikings will send their first-round selection (No. 14) to Washington in exchange for their first-round pick (No. 19), their third-round pick (No. 82), and a fourth-round selection in 2022.

After Minnesota adds a prospect from their new slot in the first round at No. 19, the Vikings will make another trade on Day 2. This time, Minnesota will make a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In this trade, the Vikings will send two of their third-round picks (No. 78 and No. 82) and a fourth-round selection (No. 119) to the Jaguars in exchange for Jacksonville’s second-round pick (No. 45).

So after these two deals, Minnesota will have the 19th, 45th, and 90th selections in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft. Which prospects will the Vikings choose to use these picks on?