5 notable players the Vikings could have drafted the past five years

Player No. 5

2022- Kyler Gordon - DB (Chicago Bears)

The Vikings’ 2021 final team stats showed that the team still suffered on the defensive side of the ball with a 24th overall ranking. That ranking was further evidenced by the team’s 8-9 record.

Minnesota’s offense was 14th overall in 2021, but defense was definitely an area of need for 2022. So, with the final pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Vikes took Georgia defensive back Lewis Cine.

For all intents and purposes, Cine is a good athlete who shined for the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, he didn’t have long to prove himself before Cine suffered a nasty lower leg injury in Week 4 and was lost for the season.

To help shore up their leaky secondary, Minnesota could have taken Kyler Gordon instead, who was picked by Chicago with the 39th selection in the second round. Gordon was an All-Pac-12 corner coming out of Washington, and scouts viewed him as an eventual starter.

In 2022, Gordon started 14 games for the Bears and tallied 71 combined tackles, a forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three interceptions, and six passes defended. If nothing else, it sure would have been nice to steal away a good player from the rival Bears.