In the third edition of the 2023 NFL Mock Draft Roundup for the Minnesota Vikings this year, which prospects has the team been ending up with recently?
It’s now that time of the year when it’s difficult for a day to go by without a new NFL mock draft being released. There is definitely no shortage of draft predictions for fans of the Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the 31 other teams to check out, as the annual event is now less than a month away.
When it specifically comes to Vikings, what do some of the most recent mock drafts have the purple and gold doing with their first-round pick this year?
NFL Mock Draft Roundup 3.0: Who are the Minnesota Vikings selecting in 2023?
Mock Draft No. 1: Bucky Brooks (NFL.com)
- Selection: Zay Flowers – WR (Boston College)
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks points to the departure of Adam Thielen this offseason as a big reason for this selection by Minnesota in the first round. Brooks adds that Zay Flowers’ “speed, quickness, and precision make him an ideal candidate” as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver next to Justin Jefferson.
Mock Draft No. 2: Keith Sanchez (The Draft Network)
- Selection: John Michael Schmitz – C (Minnesota)
This is a bit of an odd choice since the Vikings just re-signed veteran center Garrett Bradbury to a three-year contract this offseason.
The Draft Network’s Keith Sanchez doesn’t classify John Michael Schmitz strictly as a center though. Instead, Sanchez declares that Schmitz “has the skill and motor to easily be a 10-year starter” as part of Minnesota’s interior offensive line.
Either way, Vikings fans would flip out (not in a good way) if the team spent their 2023 first-round pick on an interior offensive lineman.
Mock Draft No. 3: Joe Broback (Pro Football Network)
- Selection: Bryan Bresee – DL (Clemson)
With Dalvin Tomlinson no longer on the roster, Pro Football Network’s Joe Broback has Minnesota adding some young talent to their defensive line in the form of former Clemson defender Bryan Bresee.
Broback believes Bresee’s “power” and “underrated athleticism” could make the Vikings’ defensive line “a major problem” for opposing offenses during the 2023 season.