Vikings Draft 2022: Three-round mock draft to maximize Kirk Cousins

First-Round Pick

Derek Stingley – CB (LSU)

Coming into the 2021 college football season, Derek Stingley was a lock to be the first cornerback off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft. His freshman tape at LSU is some of the best cornerback prospect film that you will ever watch and that sticks in the back of your mind when you see him come back to earth a bit in his next two seasons.

There is still a strong chance that Stingley winds up as the first cornerback off the board, which would be the case if the Vikings take him 12th overall. He has the ceiling to be a top-five cornerback in the NFL with every trait and tool that you look for in a cornerback.

The Vikings have essentially nothing in the secondary heading into next season and that cannot be the case when we check back in at the end of April. Stingley can turn the secondary around in just one offseason while being a turnover machine for the Vikings. The defense was a mess a season ago, but this is the first step in fixing that.

An edge rusher in the first round is also possible, but if Danielle Hunter is healthy and on the roster, that need falls down the list a bit. Hunter forcing opposing quarterbacks to throw at Stingley should have Vikings fans excited about the future of the defense.

Maximizing Kirk Cousins does not simply mean they have to keep adding pieces to the offense and try to win in shootouts. Cousins does a lot better when the defense keeps the game manageable and that should be the goal for the Vikings moving forward.