Minnesota Vikings Address Major Weakness in Debut of Mel Kiper’s 2025 NFL Mock Draft

With the Minnesota Vikings losing 27-9 in the NFL’s Wild Card round to the Los Angeles Rams, attention immediately turned to the offseason, where their defense (especially the secondary) has all sorts of questions that need answered.

Minnesota Vikings facing major questions in their 2025 secondary

The list of pending free agents includes cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin and Bryon Murphy Jr. Minnesota’s secondary could include new faces at safety, too, with Harrison Smith again pondering retirement and Cam Bynum also due for free agency.

This will force the Vikings to be aggressive in courting defensive backs throughout the offseason. Surely, they will look to the free agent market, and they have money to spend in that area. Another route to fixing their CB problems is through the 2025 NFL Draft.

Kiper Jr. projects cornerback to the Minnesota Vikings

ESPN’s Mel Kiper — one of the most trusted names in the NFL Draft scouting and mock drafting world — released his first 2025 NFL mock draft on Wednesday, where he projects the Minnesota Vikings to select Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison with the 24th overall pick.

Morrison missed all but six games in 2024 with a hip injury, but he’s a top-tier cover man. He has sound technique, and he has the ball skills to keep Minnesota’s INT total high.

-Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN)

Related: ESPN Analyst Confident the Vikings Will Sign Sam Darnold to Lucrative Contract Extension

The Vikings led the National Football league in interceptions last season. Without a doubt, Morrison would help in that area going forward. In three years at Notre Dame, Benjamin Morrison pulled in nine interceptions, to go with 84 total tackles.

Benjamin Morrison! 🔒🔒🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Or6F1Hyp2E

— WeAreDBnation (@WeAreDBNation1) May 25, 2024

What other positions could the Minnesota Vikings target?

Although the Vikings could end up thin at cornerback, they have other positions of need that could be filled with their first round pick. Both the offensive and defensive line could use upgrades in the offseason. Quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked nine times in the playoff loss to the Rams.

The defensive line was elite against the run this year, but often struggled at creating pressure. These could be two spots the Vikings look to improve with their 24th overall pick. This is especially true if the Vikings are able to resign any of their free agent corners.

What lies ahead

The Minnesota Vikings have many more questions to answer before they decide what to do in the first round of the draft. For example, who will be the quarterback next season and will Brian Flores be back as defensive coordinator? Who will they be able to sign in free agency?

Related: Vikings Finally Get Kevin O’Connell Contract Extension Done; Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Up Next

The answers to all of these questions will influence what the team ultimately decides to do with the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Until we know more of that context, it’ll be difficult to really predict who the Minnesota Vikings will target, or what position.