2022 NFL Draft: Players the Vikings Could Target at Positions of Need on Day 3

The Vikings still have five picks to make (for now) and several needs to address.

The Vikings followed up their first-round selection of Georgia safety Lewis Cine with an interesting second night of the 2022 draft, landing Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. and LSU guard Ed Ingram in the second round before taking Oklahoma linebacker Brian Asamoah II early in the third.

Trading down from the 34th pick — with the Packers, no less — and picking up two seconds, then moving up to go get Booth at No. 42 overall in a trade with the Colts was some shrewd GM work from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Many viewed Booth as a first-round talent; he fell due to medical concerns but was a great pick for the Vikings where they got him. It helps that he plays their No. 1 position of need coming into this draft.

So the Vikings essentially traded 34, 77, and 192 for Andrew Booth Jr., 59, and 122.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah appears to be good at this.

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) April 30, 2022

The Vikings then took Ingram at 59 and Asamoah at 66. Ingram is an athletic, powerful guard with experience at both RG and LG. It seemed like a bit of a reach in the second, but he could certainly turn into a good player at a position that has been a revolving door in Minnesota for a while. Asamoah is an undersized linebacker who flies around the field with sideline-to-sideline range and makes plays. He'll be an asset on special teams right away and possesses a lot of upside because of his athleticism and instincts.

Now the focus turns to Day 3, which kicks off at 11:00 a.m. central time on ESPN, NFL Network, and ABC. The Vikings currently have five picks between rounds four and seven, which are listed below.

• Fourth round, No. 122 (from Colts)
• Fifth round, No. 156 (from Ravens)
• Sixth round, No. 184
• Sixth round, No. 191 (from Chiefs)
• Seventh round, No. 250 (from Broncos)

Before the draft, I ranked every position group by how much of a need it was for the Vikings. So far, they've addressed the needs I had ranked first (CB), third (interior OL), fourth (safety), and eighth (linebacker).

That leaves edge rusher (2nd), defensive tackle (5th), tight end (6th), and wide receiver (7th) as the obvious places to go on Day 3. With that said, they could very well double up at a position they've already addressed — especially cornerback — or surprise by taking a running back, quarterback, offensive tackle, or even a specialist.

With the caveat that it's very difficult to predict who will be taken on the third day of the draft, here are some players the Vikings could target on Saturday.

Edge rushers

• Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina
• Dominique Robinson, Miami (OH)
• Amare Barno, Virginia Tech
• Tyreke Smith, Ohio State
• Micheal Clemons, Texas A&M
• Jesse Luketa, Penn State
• Isaiah Thomas, Oklahoma
• Esezi Otomewo, Minnesota
• David Anenih, Houston

Defensive tackles

• Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma
• Matthew Butler, Tennessee
• John Ridgeway, Arkansas
• Haskell Garrett, Ohio State
• Eyioma Uwazurike, Iowa State
• Neil Farrell Jr., LSU
• Thomas Booker, Stanford
• Jayden Peevy, Texas A&M
• Kalia Davis, UCF

Tight ends

• Cade Otton, Washington
• Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
• Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
• Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin
• Daniel Bellinger, San Diego State
• Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
• Cole Turner, Nevada
• Grant Calcaterra, SMU
• James Mitchell, Virginia Tech

Wide receivers

• Khalil Shakir, Boise State
• Calvin Austin III, Memphis
• Justyn Ross, Clemson
• Kyle Phillips, UCLA
• Romeo Doubs, Nevada
• Bo Melton, Rutgers
• Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech
• Kevin Austin Jr., Notre Dame
• Jalen Nailor, Michigan State
• Makai Polk, Mississippi State
• Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa
• Tay Martin, Oklahoma State

Cornerbacks

• Tariq Woolen, UTSA
• Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
• Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State
• Jalyn Armour-Davis, Alabama
• Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State
• Josh Jobe, Alabama
• Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State
• Derion Kendrick, Georgia
• Kalon Barnes, Baylor
• Jack Jones, Arizona State

Bonus

• Sam Howell, QB, UNC
• Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
• Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
• Matt Araiza, P, San Diego State
• Cade York, K, LSU

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.