Vikings Draft 2023: Five-round post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft

Fifth Round (Pick No. 177)

Keaton Mitchell – RB (East Carolina)

With roster cuts coming throughout the next few weeks, Dalvin Cook could be the next to go. If he does indeed hit the open market – or a new team via trade – then the Vikings will want to add at least one more running back to the roster.

Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu are both under contract for multiple years, while Alexander Mattison is set to be a free agent once the new league year begins. Minnesota has to find a replacement if they lost both Cook and Mattison.

Keaton Mitchell is a phenomenal athlete with incredible production at the college level, which seems to be the kind of player the new regime values in running backs. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash with a 38-inch vertical at the Combine.

Last season, Mitchell carried the ball 201 times for 1,452 yards and 14 touchdowns while also catching 27 passes for 250 yards. He progressed each year at ECU and has climbed into that early Day 3 tier of a crowded running back group.

While it may not be Mitchell in the end, the Vikings are probably going to add another young running back at some point in the draft or in free agency.