Sportsbooks Not Buying the Draft Plans Kwesi and the MN Vikings are Selling…

Just because the Minnesota Vikings aren’t desperate for high-end talent at any one position, after they addressed all of their major roster weakness during free agency, they prepare for the start of the NFL Draft on April 24 with plenty of flexibility. That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t positions groups in more need of additional talent than others.

The most glaring positions of weakness remain in the secondary and on the interior offensive line, neither of which was fully addressed last month. The Vikings feel good about the top of their DB depth chart, after bringing back Harrison Smith and Byron Murphy Jr. They’re also extremely bullish on new CB, Isaiah Rodgers.

But the other secondary starters from 2024 — including S Cam Bynum, CB Stephon Gilmore and CB Shaq Griffin — are all gone (at least for now). And while Vikings decision makers may be confident that both Rodgers and safety Theo Jackson are ready for bigger roles in 2025, neither guy has proven themselves as a starter in this league.

Minnesota Vikings claim they are not interested in safeties

For the most part, the Minnesota Vikings haven’t been shy about their plans in the draft. They are targeting interior defensive line, interior offensive line and cornerback. They’ve also shown interest in adding at tight end and wide receiver.

Not only are those the most obvious positions of need on the roster, but the Vikings have also shown a lot of interest in these positions, just based on their list of in-person visits this offseason (combine, top 30, etc).

• Cornerbacks – 6
• Defensive Line – 6
• Offensive Line – 8
• Running Back – 3
• Tight End – 2
• Wide Receiver – 1
• Quarterback 1

But as you may notice from the above positional visitor count, there has been one spot on the roster that those in the Minnesota Vikings organization have tried to make very clear they are NOT interested in upgrading, even if it may appear to be a position of need, on paper.

Kevin O’Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Brian Flores and multiple local and national insiders have all stated on different occasions that Theo Jackson is their starting free safety in 2025. They’ve backed that up by showing ZERO public interest in safeties this entire offseason.

Related: Rival Execs Continue to Question Minnesota Vikings Power Structure

Could they be bluffing, though? Is it possible that the Minnesota Vikings have their eyes on one or two safeties at the top of this class? There are multiple safeties projected to go in the back half of the first round. Could the Vikings’ lack of interest in a safety be nothing more than a smoke screen? If so, sportsbooks are not buying it.

Vegas pegs safety as top target for Vikings, even if team won’t

Not only does Vegas have safety as a good possibility for the Vikings’ first overall pick later this month, but all of the major sportsbooks have safety either tied as the most likely position they draft first, at + 200, or right behind cornerback (+300). DraftKings, FanDuel and ESPN Bet all agree that defensive back is the likely top pick for Minnesota, whether that be at safety or cornerback.

As we mentioned at the top of this article, the Minnesota Vikings enter the 2025 NFL Draft trying to convince those around them that they don’t have any desperate needs at the top of their depth chart, especially at safety. Whether or not that proves true in three weeks is yet to be seen.

But one thing is for sure, nobody was saying that a month ago, when half of the Vikings’ 2024 roster was scheduled to hit free agency. That’s why, with only four draft picks upcoming at the end of April, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the other top decision makers at TCO Performance Center zeroed in on 2025 free agency as their plan A to improve the roster this offseason.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Cut Depth Cornerback and Former Trade Acquisition

While some might argue over the age and injury history of their new free agency class, there is no doubt the Vikings look a lot better now than they did just one month ago.

Entering the draft, they’ve already shored up the secondary, offensive and defensive lines with re-signings and four new top 75 free agents (three in the top 15), according to The Athletic’s Top 150 Free Agency rankings — DT Jonathan Allen (No. 10) DT Javon Hargrave (No. 11), OG Will Fries (No. 14) and C Ryan Kelly (No. 74).