After some light speculation that he might retire, Harrison Smith will be back with the Minnesota Vikings for a 14th season in 2025. The 36-year-old's prime is behind him, but he is still better than a lot of his peers at safety, and his presence as a veteran leader cannot be understated.
That being said, the prospect of retirement has come up after the last three seasons for Smith, and it will come up after every season that remains in his career. Eventually, he will do so and start his clock toward induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Only having four picks in the draft later this month, at least for now, may push the idea of securing a potential successor for Smith to the back burner--if not entirely out of the plan. But the Vikings have to be thinking about it on some level.
PFF offers Vikings a Harrison Smith successor on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft
PFF's Mason Cameron has named a best fit for each team on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Vikings have just one pick on that day right now (third round, No. 97 overall), but Cameron had them adding a potential successor for Smith: Texas safety Andrew Mukuba.
"As it stands, Minnesota’s only pick on Day 2 falls in the compensatory range of the third round, limiting the team's options. However, the Vikings can nab a safety with excellent coverage instincts like Mukuba to replenish a secondary hit hard in free agency.
At Texas in his final season, the senior snagged six interceptions, contributing to his 89.7 PFF coverage grade — second highest in this year’s safety class."
After a solid three seasons at Clemson, Mukaba transferred to Texas for his final college season and upped his production level with 69 total tackles, five interceptions (tied for fourth in FBS), and seven pass breakups over 14 games.
Mukuba's PFF grades were good across the board last season, highlighted by the aforementioned coverage grade as he allowed just a 43.5 percent completion rate (10-for-23) and a 12.1 passer rating in his coverage.
508 of his 712 snaps came lined up at free safety, but there were shades of Smith in his alignment versatility (129 snaps in the box, 71 snaps as a slot corner, and four snaps as a wide corner, according to PFF).
Safety has been a fairly popular target for the Vikings with their first-round pick (No. 24) in mock drafts. But there's a chance they wait, and if so, Mukaba could be on the radar for them on Day 2 as an ideal successor for Smith.