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Latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft focuses on Vikings selecting a position of need

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated Dec 10, 2024 4:56 PM ET

The 11-2 Minnesota Vikings are focused more on earning the number one seed in the NFC rather than April's NFL Draft, but it's never too early to start paying attention to who the Vikings could select.

In December, mock drafts are more about trying to bring attention to different players than trying to be correct on who is going to go where. Learning about players is a good thing and something that will help us understand who might be available come April.

There are a lot of different options the Vikings can take in the first round, but we will likely see some similar names.

Vikings take a cornerback in latest mock draft

Our own AJ Schulte at A to Z Sports just wrote a two round mock draft and has the Vikings taking a cornerback in Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston. Here is what Schulte had to say:

I've been a fan of what the Vikings have been able to manufacture in their secondary, as they've made some astute free agent decisions throughout their defense. However, multiple corners are set to hit free agency, and the team needs to get younger (and cheaper).

Hairston missed most of 2024 with an injury, but multiple scouts I spoke to said they preferred him over teammate Andru Phillips last season and it's easy to see why. He's incredibly fluid and possesses great length and twitch. Pair that with elite ball skills (third in the country in interceptions in 2023) and it's no surprise Hairston is in first-round conversations even with the injury.

Cornerback is a huge need for the Vikings with just the injured Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern on the roster for next season. The length and twitch paired with the ball skills that Schulte described are excellent tools that defensive coordinator Brian Flores can use to maximize his defensive scheme.

We will see a lot of cornerbacks sent to the Vikings, and I have a feeling that Hairston will be a mainstay.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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