NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Vikings' first-round pick at No. 24

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings took Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy 10th overall. This year, they own the 24th pick and have been linked to these prospects in the offseason.

RB Quinshon Judkins | Ohio State

Recently, USA Today’s Jacob Camenker decided to let his computer do the thinking and asked his Microsoft Copilot AI chatbot to predict the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. The results were mixed and some may take issue with Minnesota’s pick, Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins.

“Minnesota could certainly use a high-end running back to complement 30-year-old Aaron Jones,” Camenker says, “but they have more significant needs to address in Round 1 than running back.”

Judkins averaged 1,261 yards and 15 touchdowns in three college seasons, two with Ole Miss and last year with Ohio State, but even at 6-foot-0 and 219 pounds he’s not a terrific blocker and is limited as a receiver.

Pro Football Focus ranks Judkins as the fourth-best running back in this year’s draft, which makes him somewhat of a reach towards the end of the first round.

S Nick Emmanwori | South Carolina

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has other ideas for the Vikings in his latest mock draft, with Minnesota adding to its 28th-ranked secondary.

Emmanwori performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 43″ vertical and 11’6″ broad jump, finishing with a perfect 10.00 RAS (Relative Athletic Score). He had 244 tackles, 11 passes defended and six interceptions in three seasons with the Gamecocks where he proved to be an effective tackler against the run.

Prisco notes the Vikings lost FS Cam Bynum to the Colts in free agency, and this season could be SS Harrison Smith’s last with the team. At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, Emmanwori offers a unique blend of size and speed and would fit perfectly in Brain Flores’ system.

LB Jihaad Campbell | Alabama

The Vikings own just four picks in this year’s draft, something Fox Sports’ Rob Rang points out in his mock draft. To remedy the situation, Rang has Minnesota trading down with Kansas City to get more picks and taking Campbell 31st overall.

Rang calls Campbell “a superb athlete whose speed to the sidelines and in coverage would give the Vikings’ defense another dimension of playmaking potential.” PFF gives Campbell top marks among linebacker prospects and ESPN’s Field Yates calls him “the best inside linebacker in the class.”

Campbell had one tackle in nine games as a freshman but the 6-foot-3, 244-pound linebacker had 66 tackles and an interception in 2023. He followed that up with 119 tackles (54 solo) on his way to a first-team SEC nomination in 2024 while registering five sacks, two forced fumbles and another interception.

Of course, ESPN’s Jordan Reid reported that Campbell needed surgery for a torn labrum after the NFL Scouting Combine. While he was able to compete in the 40-yard dash (4.52) and broad jump (10 feet, seven inches) he may not be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season.

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