The Vikings own the 23rd pick in Thursday's NFL draft. The consensus is general manager Rick Spielman will use the first-round slot to select a wide receiver.

Early mock drafts favored Michael Thomas out of Ohio State, Josh Doctson from TCU, or Laquon Treadwell from Mississippi.

Who will it be, though?

The most recent NFL.com mock drafts lean in favor of Treadwell with four of the six writers/analysts projecting the 6-2, 221-pound receiver goes to the Vikings with the 23rd pick.

CBS Sports' NFL writers are split. Two picked Treadwell while another two picked a less-discussed wide receiver Will Fuller out of Notre Dame. Rob Rang picked Doctson.

ESPN's two-man team of Mel Kiper and Todd McShay also projected the Vikings will take Treadwell, if he's still on the draft board late in the first round.

Sports Illustrated bucks the trend with Chris Burke and Peter King projecting Doctson will the right fit for the Vikings and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Other mock drafts have the Vikings taking an offensive lineman or linebacker, but add it all up and the Vikings will select Treadwell as the 23rd pick on Thursday night.

The problem is "Mock drafts are exercises in futility," said SI's King. The Vikings will use the first-round pick however they see fit and could even trade up or down to address their needs.

The Vikings added six free agents this offseason and released veteran wide receiver Mike Wallace. His departure left a hole the Vikings need to address.

While Treadwell averages out to be the Vikings' projected 23rd overall pick, there is even greater consensus as to where North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz will be drafted. Mock drafts overwhelmingly have Wentz slotted as the No. 2 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cal quarterback Jared Goff is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams.

With three days remaining until the Vikings are officially on the clock, here are the most recent explanations as to why Treadwell will end up with the Vikings or why others might be a better fit. We will start with King's projection though he admitted to successfully predicting only seven picks (out of 64) in the past two years. His co-worker, Chris Burke, was only one of two writers from the SI/ESPN/CBS Sports/NFL.com group to pick Wentz to go No. 1. His reasoning is also listed below.

Peter King, Sports Illustrated/MMQB: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
"The Vikings have no idea why the best receiver in the draft—according to several teams—fell to number 23, but they'll take the gift. One of the things GM Rick Spielman wants to get for Teddy Bridgewater is an outside receiver with game-breaking speed and sure hands. Doctson has both."

Charley Casserly, NFL.com: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
"Teddy Bridgewater needs some weapons."

Todd McShay, ESPN: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
"With outstanding hand-eye coordination and body control, Treadwell is highly effective on contested throws and jump balls. He'd give QB Teddy Bridgewater a receiver who can consistently win on short-to-intermediate throws. Great value at No. 23, too."

Rob Rang, CBS Sports: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
"With the needs along the offensive line addressed via free agency, the Vikings may look to help out young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater by boosting his receiving corps on draft day. The 6-2, 202-pound Doctson has enough speed to challenge vertically and he's a master at winning contested passes due to his strong hands and body control."

Cris Collinsworth, Pro Football Focus: Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State
"This is a non-traditional pick for Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer, but I'm going to do it anyway. Jones is a huge guy with poor technique who I think Zimmer can coach into a first-class player. When he plays with proper technique and stays low, he is really difficult to handle. He flashed his athleticism often at Mississippi State, and actually ended up with the second-best pass-rush grade among interior linemen last season. The longer he's around Zimmer, the better he'll get. Jones is just too big, too athletic and too rare to slide out of the first round."

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
"The Vikings need to give Teddy Bridgewater more weapons, and Treadwell will be outstanding on third downs and in the red zone."

Burke on Wentz:
"Will this be Wentz or Jared Goff? The answer depends on whom you ask, with the Rams even going so far as to say they don't know which one they want (*cough* they're lying *cough*). My colleague, Doug Farrar, and I debated the various pros and cons of each guy but at least keep this in mind: Wentz is a better fit for what the Rams' offense has been and is seemingly set up to be with the downhill running style of one Todd Gurley."