14 players reportedly attending Vikings' top-30 draft event
With the draft just three weeks away teams are hosting prospects for the top 30 visits and thanks to numerous reports we have an educated guess about which players will show up to visit the Minnesota Vikings.
Earlier this week, KSTP-TV's Darren Wolfson joined Skor North's Mackey & Judd and mentioned seven players who will attend the Vikings' top-30 event.
- Brian Branch, S, Alabama
- Jordan Addison, WR, USC
- Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
- Starling Thomas V, CB, Alabama-Birmingham
- Terrell Smith, CB, Minnesota
- Jordan Howden, S, Minnesota
- Karl Brooks, DT, Bowling Green
Addison and Johnston are projected by most to be drafted in the first round. The same goes for Branch, who was an All-American safety at Alabama who is rated by Pro Football Focus as the best safety in the draft.
"Branch is the definition of a football player," PFF's scouting report says. "He plays the game you wish every defensive back would. He’s also the best tackling defensive back PFF has graded, missing only four tackles on 174 career attempts."
Minnesota has solid safety depth with Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Mettellus and 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine.
The one name not on the list from Wolfson is Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, who has been tied to the Vikings in multiple mock drafts in recent days, including by respected NFL insiders Daniel Jeremiah and Todd McShay.
Other players reportedly attending the top-30 visit in Minnesota are:
- Anthony Bradbord, OT, LSU
- Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi
- Nash Jensen, OT, North Dakota State
- Marte Mapu, S, Sacramento State
- DeWayne McBride, RB, Alabama-Birmingham
- John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
- Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska
Add them up and you get 14 players so far, though the three from the Gophers – Howden, Smith and Schmitz – play within 90 miles of the Vikings' headquarters so they don't necessarily have to count against the 30-player limit, though they can make both a local visit and attend the private top-30 event.
It's not the full picture, but wide receivers and defensive backs are obvious areas of need and the Vikings appear to be doing their due diligence on a number of players who could fill those holes.
