NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN's Todd McShay both have the Vikings taking a defensive player in the first round of their most recent mock drafts.
What makes both mocks at least somewhat interesting?
1) They are the first educated guesses after the NFL combine, which provides more data to move players up or down a board.
2) Team executives and agents talk a lot at the combine. It's possible that McShay and/or Jeremiah have gleaned from those conversations that Anthony Barr, Sheldon Richardson or both are shaky propositions when it comes to re-signing with the Vikings and therefore could be replaced in the draft.
That said, free agency starts next week, and what happens in the coming days should have a significant impact on the Vikings' draft board. After the first waves of roster reshuffling and free agency, mock drafts should start to get more meaningful (if not accurate).
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
