Vikings 2022 Draft: Five-round best player available mock draft

Fifth Round (No. 156 overall)

Grant Calcaterra – TE (SMU)

Tight end is a bit of an underrated need for the Vikings. Irv Smith Jr. will be healthy by the time the season starts, but he’s yet to put together a full season in his career. Tyler Conklin signed a big free-agent contract with the Jets, and that leaves just Johnny Mundt and Zach Davidson fleshing out the depth chart.

They’ll take a tight end at some point, and according to the PFF rankings, Grant Calcaterra was the best player on the board when Minnesota was on the clock in the fifth round, completing that beautiful coupling of top available player and need.

Calcaterra started his collegiate career in Oklahoma but actually retired in 2019, due to concussions. He came back in 2021 at SMU and proceeded to haul in 38 balls for 465 yards and four touchdowns.

The guy has good size and is blessed with rare speed for the position. He’s pretty similar to Irv Smith how he is such a natural receiver who is so dangerous after the catch.

The concussion concerns are real, and that will be what pushes this guy down the board. The fact that he also struggles to maintain his blocks despite his willingness to do so, will be a red flag to some teams.

That being said, this guy has much more upside than the average fifth-round choice and would be a big-time addition and upgrade to the Vikings’ tight end depth chart.