3 options for the Vikings with the 12th pick

A new dawn is upon Minnesota, as the Vikings start their new era following seven years with Mike Zimmer calling the shots as the head coach. There are lots of new faces in the franchise, and although quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a contract extension and will remain under center, some major changes were made as Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah take over and shape things as they see fit.

What should be the focus of the new regime to improve the team through the draft? The last two years have been incredibly disappointing on defense, but there’s a lot of room for improvement on the other side of the ball as well, especially regarding the targets available to Kirk Cousins. Whatever decision the Vikings board makes in the 2022 draft, they have to land a superstar, just like they did with Justin Jefferson back in 2020.

Check out three possible options for the Minnesota Vikings with the 12th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

#1 – Derek Stingley Jr, CB

If Stingley makes it to the #12, he’s not going past it – not a chance in the world. Not only he would fill the biggest need in the entire Vikings’ roster, but he would instantly slot into the number one cornerback position and dominate from there. There’s also the prospect of Stingley, an LSU product, learning from Patrick Peterson, the legendary veteran cornerback who has re-signed with the Vikings and has also played for the Tigers during his college career.

If Stingley stays healthy, which is a big ‘if’, then he will go down as one of the superstars of this class and the best cornerback of the bunch. We’ve already talked about his quality in other parts of the series – he’s a lockdown cornerback who got into the spotlight during LSU’s championship season in 2019 with 14 passes defended and 6 interceptions.

I won’t even discard the Vikings trading up just to get him depending on how early Sauce Gardner goes – trade-ups aren’t allowed in this series, though. Stingley and the Vikings are a match made in heaven.

#2 – Jermaine Johnson, EDGE

I might be wrong but this is the first time that Johnson shows up in this series, and I can see him as a possibility if Stingley doesn’t make it until 12. The other position where they have a major need, apart from cornerback, is EDGE rusher, and Johnson is worthy of a mid-first-round pick without a doubt – even better, he would slot right into the new 3-4 defensive regime that Ed Donatell hopes to deploy.

Johnson, coming from Florida State, had his own stint at JUCO before blossoming out of FSU. 12 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 70 total tackles in 2021 are absurdly great numbers and they should justify his day one pick, although teams will be scared to take him that early considering he has only one year as an elite college player. But if Stingley is out, Johnson it is.

#3 – Kyle Hamilton, S

Hamilton shows up for the third straight team, which goes to show how valuable he can be for the franchise that gets him. While not the most athletic guy in the world, the safety is really smart and has incredible ball skills, features that allow him to be at the right place at the right time.

It’s the same thing for the Vikings as it was for the Commanders: while Hamilton isn’t the biggest need for the team, you can never allow a blue-chip, cornerstone prospect to go past your team just because you don’t need to improve his position at the moment. With players like the Notre Dame safety, you should always take a chance, and improving at the back would facilitate the pass rush job as well.