When reviewing the draft for the Minnesota Vikings, all the trades made over the weekend must be taken into account. The Vikings entered the draft with only a handful of picks, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was looking to gather more darts to throw. He got his wish as the Vikings ended up trading every one of their picks outside of their first-round selection. So, after deals with teams like the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings went from:<\/p>\n
to a final selection of:<\/p>\n
The team only added one pick, but their maneuvering placed them with four picks inside the top-150 instead of three. The question for the Vikings, as it always is post-draft, is whether they utilized these picks in the best way.<\/p>\n
Minnesota Vikings NFL Draft Review Grade:<\/strong> 7.8\/10<\/p>\n Wide receiver wasn\u2019t the biggest need for Minnesota heading into draft night, but the depth chart outside of Justin Jefferson<\/a> needed to be addressed. The selection of Jordan Addison with the 23rd<\/sup> pick answers that question with emphasis.<\/p>\n Right before the Vikings\u2019 pick, a run started on receivers with the Seahawks, Chargers, and Ravens all taking receivers in succession. Fortunately for Minnesota, Addison made it through and was still available. The USC product entered the draft as arguably the best-to-second-best receiver in the class, so his availability at 23 was obviously too much to pass up. Many thought the Vikings might go defense or even quarterback here, but the addition of Addison should bring an immediate difference-maker to the offense.<\/p>\n Mekhi Blackmon, the team\u2019s third-round pick, is an aggressive and sticky corner who will certainly be in a position to compete for starting snaps with the question marks surrounding the defensive back depth chart. What makes this pick questionable is the value compared to who was still on the board at the time. Keelee Ringo<\/a> was still available, along with a plethora of quality defensive linemen. Meanwhile, Blackmon was projected as more of a fifth-round prospect by most analysts. He was a top 30 visit to Minnesota like his USC teammate Addison, so there was obviously some interest here. Perhaps the coaching staff is seeing something special in his intangibles and experience, but this is definitely a wait-and-see pick at best.<\/p>\n When the Vikings passed on a first-round quarterback, the assumption was any serious search for Kirk Cousin\u2019s successor was over. However, Minnesota\u2019s fifth-round selection of Jaren Hall has certainly reignited some interest in the conversation.<\/p>\n New #Vikings<\/a> developmental QB Jaren Hall is a poised dual-threat player who had 51 TD passes, 11 INTs, and 655 rushing yards over the past two seasons at BYU. Well worth a fifth-rounder. pic.twitter.com\/oyGbt5IQOD<\/a><\/p>\n — Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) April 29, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMinnesota Vikings 2023 Draft Review: Huntin\u2019 for Picks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Best Player: Jordan Addison<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Head-Scratcher: Mekhi Blackmon<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Surprise: Jaren Hall<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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