With the 2023 NFL Draft all wrapped up, who in the Minnesota Vikings organization came away the biggest winners now that it's all said and done?
The 2023 Draft is now officially in the rearview mirror as fans look ahead to training camp to see the 2023 class at work. The Minnesota Vikings entered the draft with five picks and ended up leaving with six selections made due to trades from second-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Only time will tell how this rookie class will turn out, but Vikings fans are hoping for an immediate impact as the 2023 season approaches.
As is the usual process for the post-draft, it is time to assess the draft and its impact on the Vikings as a whole. Here are 5 big winners for the Vikings after the 2023 NFL Draft.
Winner No. 1
Brian Flores - Defensive Coordinator
The Vikings' defense this past season was not ideal, to say the least. The team has worked this offseason to strengthen that side of the football, and one of the biggest moves for them was to bring in Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator.
Though Minnesota has lost some contributors to free agency, they've also added pieces to help Flores, and that includes this year's draft class.
The Vikings selected three defensive players in this year's NFL draft, and the picks helped out places on the defense with big needs.
Though some people may not have been a fan of the Mekhi Blackmon selection in round three, it was reported that the Vikings were huge fans of the USC corner, including Flores himself. If Blackmon was Flores' guy, he should be happy he ended up in Minnesota.
The other selections of DT Jaqueline Roy and versatile DB Jay Ward should also go a long way in helping Flores' defense, as these are all players who could make an impact on day one. If you also want to take into account the Vikings' solid UDFA class, Brian Flores has a lot of new exciting pieces to help build his defense in Minnesota.