Vikings Draft Nightmare Scenario Summed Up in One Sentence

In a draft where anything can happen, the Minnesota Vikings are hoping for the best, but should prepare for the worst.

The Vikings only have four picks entering the 2025 NFL Draft and are likely favorites to make a move for more picks. They currently own the 24th overall pick and could leverage that to add a couple more picks in the later rounds.

Minnesota has been attached to selecting a cornerback or safety in most mock drafts in the first round to boost the depth and develop behind older players like Harrison Smith. Not being able to get one in the secondary late in the first round could smell trouble for the Vikings the rest of the draft.

Bleacher Report NFL writer Brad Gagnon wrote on Friday, nightmare scenarios for all 32 NFL teams in the draft in one sentence. Gagnon believes that if the top half of the draft is heavy on cornerbacks or find a trade partner to move down, it could devastate their draft strategy early.

"A team with just four total draft picks misses out on a first-round-caliber corner like (Jahdae) Barron or (Benjamin) Morrison and can’t get a good offer to drop back for more selections."

Barron is a speedy cornerback out of Texas after he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The Jim Thorpe Award winner led the Longhorns in pass deflections with 11 and was tied for fourth in the nation with four interceptions.

Morrison would have been a sure-fire first-round pick if it hadn't been for a hip injury that cost him 10 games last year. He was a freshman All-American in 2022 with the Fighting Irish after six interceptions on the season, which was tied for third in the nation. NFL Next Gen stats graded him as the sixth highest overall cornerback at the Combine with a score of 79.

Byron Murphy Jr. is the only cornerback who is guaranteed to be a starter on the Vikings' defense. Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell has previously stated that he sees Isaiah Rodgers as an every-down corner. Still, there is uncertainty about whether he and Jeff Okudah will step up.

Finding a future starter in the secondary is one of the last pieces for the Vikings to resolve before joining the Super Bowl conversation, but not getting extra picks hurts the team's ability to build depth in other positions.