Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022

Fourth Round

Address a need with a player not many are familiar with

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Vikings made a bit of a shocking pick in the fourth round when they drafted Missouri Cornerback Akayleb Evans. Evans was projected to go a few rounds later, but Kwesi said he was watching film alone in a dark room and fell in love with this guy.

He had to have him so badly that he moved up to get his guy. If the Vikings go that route again and take a seldom-known player at a position of need, they could end up with Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas.

Iosivas is one of the bigger sleepers in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s got great size at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. His speed is excellent for a large man, as he ran a 4.43 forty-yard dash at the Combine. He tested very well in the rest of the drills proving that the athleticism seen on film is no lie.

The level of competition he faced in college will be a concern, and there’s some thought that he isn’t a natural hands catcher. He did dominate his level of competition, hauling in 66 passes for 943 yards, and seven touchdowns his senior season.

Akayleb Evans probably should’ve been a sixth-round pick last year, and the same could be said for Iosivas. If the Vikings continue the pattern to reach a bit in the fourth round, then the Princeton pass catcher could be in line to be Adam Thielen‘s heir apparent.