Now is the time of year when the Minnesota Vikings could potentially draft anyone. Everyone is still available, theoretically, and mock drafts are running wild. Looking through a few mocks, it appears the Vikings are a wild card, with multiple needs. But an early consensus at pick 11 is Louisville wideout DeVante Parker. Is he the right pick for the Vikings?
There has been mock draft speculation that the Vikings will take offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes. But as one of the top linemen in the draft, Scherff might not last until the Vikings' pick; drafting Gordon would mean running back Adrian Peterson likely won't be back; and I'm not convinced the Vikings are going defense with their first pick two years in a row.
But ESPN's Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah from NFL.com and the Vikings Journal's Bo Mitchell have all landed on Parker to Minnesota in their respective initial mock drafts. In addition, many of the mock drafts that I saw in which Parker isn't the pick, he is generally available at 11 and goes to either the Cleveland Browns at No. 12 or the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 18. It's a good bet Parker doesn't make it past the receiver-starved Chiefs.
Should the Vikings then grab Parker, the former Cardinal teammate of Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater? (Full disclosure: last week I wrote that the Vikings should take an offensive lineman with their first round pick, and that is still my contention. But a draft can change with the surprise selection of one player, so if Parker is the pick, let's see how he fits in Purple.)
The Vikings don't necessarily have a need at wide receiver—that is, if aging wideout Greg Jennings doesn't fall off completely in his skills, Cordarrelle Patterson figures out the game to go along with his natural abilities, Charles Johnson is the real deal and continues to get even better than he showed this past season and Duron Carter signs with Minnesota. That's a lot of ifs. So let's just say the Vikings have a need a wide receiver.
What does Parker bring that these other receivers don't have?
Parker is 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, and is from Louisville, Kent., where he played college ball. He would be the tallest wideout on the Vikings (except if Carter joined the team, as he is 6-foot-5, 209 pounds), but both Johnson (215 pounds) and Patterson (220 pounds) are heavier.
Parker has been clocked with 4.34 speed in the 40-yard dash, which has a nice ring to it. It will be interesting to see how he does at the NFL Combine. Needless to say, he could probably take Jennings in a foot race.