So far, the majority of this year’s mock drafts have the Minnesota Vikings selecting Cincinnati corner Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Tell me if you’ve heard this before. There’s a good chance that the Minnesota Vikings could spend their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on a cornerback.
Even with Mike Zimmer no longer the team’s head coach, many feel the Vikings will look to use their first selection in this year’s draft on one of the top cornerbacks from the 2022 pool of prospects.
Currently, Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand, and Parry Nickerson are the only corners on Minnesota’s roster that are under contract for the 2022 season. So yeah, it’s not hard to argue that improving their cornerback group is a big priority for the Vikings this year.
Minnesota Vikings picking Cincinnati CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner in the 2022 NFL Draft is the consensus so far
Mock draft season is in full force, and so far, there is one specific prospect who keeps ending up with Minnesota in the first round.
According to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, former Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner has been the player the Vikings have used the No. 12 pick in the first round of 16.7 percent of this year’s mock drafts. That is the highest percentage of any 2022 prospect.
Former LSU corner Derek Stingley Jr. has been Minnesota’s pick in 14.6 percent of 2022 mock drafts and former Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. has wound up as the Vikings‘ top selection in 12.1 percent of this year’s mock drafts.
We will have to see how the next few weeks shape up with free agency and Pro Days still on the horizon. For now though, signs are pointing to Minnesota drafting a cornerback within the first two rounds for the third time in the last five years.