Vikings Double Down on Potential Draft Blunder, Citing Ex-Lions Bust

The Minnesota Vikings seemingly overlooked a need at cornerback entering the 2025 NFL Draft.

Byron Murphy Jr. is the only returning starter, while Mekhi Blackmon and incoming Philadelphia Eagles free agent Isaiah Rodgers are still unproven as full-time starters.

Draft experts felt the Vikings should address the position. According to 656 mock drafts compiled by A to Z’s Tyler Forness, cornerback was the second-most mocked position to the Vikings in the first round, accounting for 27% of first-round mock draft selections.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah admitted there were opportunities at their disposal to land a cornerback, but instead took Ohio State left guard Donovan Jackson No. 24 overall.

His reasoning was grounded in confidence in the cornerbacks currently under contract, including former Detroit Lions first-round pick Jeff Okudah.

“Okudah is somebody we signed in free agency that we’re excited about resuming his career,” Adofo-Mensah said on KFAN radio on April 30. “He’s as talented as anybody that got drafted Thursday [Day 1] or Friday [Day 2].”

Ex-Lions CB Jeff Okudah is Far From a Sure Thing for the Vikings

Adofo-Mensah’s confidence in Okudah has the potential to be blind faith when considering Okudah’s track record in the NFL.

The first defensive back to be drafted in the top three picks of the draft since 1997, Okudah, selected No. 3 overall in 2020, has not lived up to his surefire draft status.

An Ohio State product, Okudah has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. He played in 10 of a possible 33 games in his first two seasons with the Lions, hampered by hamstring, shoulder and Achilles injuries. He tore his Achilles in the 2021 season opener and missed the remainder of the season.

The Lions traded him to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick in the final year of his rookie contract before he signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans last season. Okudah also landed on injured reserve with a hip injury he sustained in the Texans’ season opener.

Overall, Okudah has two interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 44 career appearances out of a possible 84 games in his five seasons in the league.

On a one-year, $2.35 million contract, Okudah is a low-risk, upside bet that could pay off — but his struggles to stay on the field remain one of his biggest obstacles.

Adofo-Mensah Speaks Openly About Passing on Sliding 1st-Round CB Prospect

As Adofo-Mensah mentioned, there were opportunities to add to the cornerback room, including a first-round prospect at a discount.

Michigan corner Will Johnson, the consensus No. 13 overall pick, slid in the draft due to medical concerns and his decline to test his 40-yard dash. The Vikings could have traded back and still landed an offensive lineman to plug in at right guard and potentially land Johnson, who fell to the No. 47 pick by the Arizona Cardinals.

“Sometimes it’s the way the board falls. We would love to take an opportunity, but it’s got to be the right fit,” Adofo-Mensah said. “There were opportunities to do it, but it’s got to fit — scheme, medical, all those things combined — versus your other needs.

“We’re fired up with the guys in that room. We signed Isaiah Rodgers. We also got Mekhi Blackmon coming back off of injury. We got Dwight McGlothern, who played good football for us in the preseason,” Adofo-Mensah added. “We’re excited.”