Vikings should already be thinking about these 2027 NFL Draft prospects

The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 at their bye, which makes talking about the 2027 NFL Draft feel slightly indecent. Do it anyway. Minnesota's excellent start hasn't erased the longer-term questions hiding inside its current roster construction, particularly along the interior offensive line, at linebacker, and in a secondary that could still use another premium young corner.

Nobody knows where Minnesota will pick, and several months of college football, free agency, and roster decisions will reshape the needs board. The useful exercise in October isn't predicting the Vikings' first-round card. It's identifying players whose traits fit what Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores actually ask their guys to do. These three 2027 NFL Draft prospects belong on that early list.

Greg Johnson, IOL

Minnesota's interior offensive line remains one of the easiest places to imagine another premium investment, and the hometown connection only adds another layer to this fit.

Gophers offensive lineman Greg Johnson has experience across the line and has played both guard and center this season. CBS Sports ranked Johnson 14th on its midseason 2027 draft board after he allowed only one pressure across his first 201 pass-blocking snaps of 2026. He probably belongs at guard, but that positional flexibility has obvious value.

Minnesota already has Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, and Will Fries as major pieces up front, while Blake Brandel currently sits atop the depth chart at center. Caleb Tiernan also gives the Vikings another developmental option. The roster could still benefit from getting younger and better at center and interior depth.

Johnson's movement ability would fit an O'Connell offense that asks linemen to work in space. If he's available late in Round 1 or on Day 2, this pairing practically writes itself.

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB

Brian Flores adding another young linebacker who can pressure quarterbacks, play the run, and move around the formation sounds exactly like the kind of defensive indulgence Minnesota should be considering.

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa isn't merely an old-school downhill linebacker. PFF's October mock draft actually sent him to Minnesota at No. 30, citing his ability against the run and as a blitzer. Through the early portion of the season, he'd missed just 7.7 percent of his tackle attempts while producing eight pressures on only 18 pass-rushing snaps, according to PFF's Vikings projection.

That's Flores catnip.

Blake Cashman remains a useful piece, but he's 30, while Eric Wilson is another veteran occupying significant snaps. Minnesota needs to keep feeding this defense younger players who can disguise intentions before the snap and attack from multiple alignments.

Viliamu-Asa could blitz beside Dallas Turner, drop underneath passing lanes or chase runners from the backside. Flores values defenders who keep quarterbacks guessing. This one would give him another movable piece for the collection.

Audavion Collins, CB

Minnesota's cornerback room has spent too many seasons one injury away from another round of emergency roster shopping, making a high-upside developmental addition easy to justify.

Minnesota currently starts Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers, with James Pierre as a primary depth option. Rookie Charles Demmings gives the group another young player, but the Vikings' cornerback depth still lacks the sort of blue-chip investment they've mostly avoided in recent drafts.

Audavion Collins brings a different profile. CBS Sports ranked him 44th at midseason and highlighted his physical press coverage after he allowed only two catches for seven yards over the opening portion of 2026. That production will change as the sample grows, but the traits are more interesting than the tiny stat line.

Flores asks his defensive backs to survive isolated coverage when Minnesota sends pressure. A corner who can disrupt releases, carry receivers vertically, and play with some edge at the line fits the job description. If Collins keeps stacking good tape, he could land squarely in Minnesota's range on Day 2.

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