Inside The Vikings

Vikings Day 3 NFL Draft Preview: Picks, Needs, Possible Targets on Saturday

The Vikings are set for a busy Saturday, with plenty of needs to address.

Will Ragatz

Oct 7, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Oct 7, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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After a busy first night of the 2024 NFL Draft saw the Vikings land J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, Day 2 came and went without Minnesota making any picks. Their second-rounder was traded in March in a deal for the 23rd pick, and their third-rounder was moved a couple years ago in the T.J. Hockenson deal.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings will be back in action for Day 3 on Saturday, with five picks at their disposal and plenty of needs to address. As is always the case, there's still plenty of talent available after the first three rounds. Here's a quick preview of an important day for the Vikings, which begins at 11 a.m. CT.

Vikings 2024 draft picks

* Round 1, Pick 10: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
* Round 1, Pick 17: Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama
* Round 4, Pick 108
* Round 6, Pick 177
* Round 6, Pick 203
* Round 7, Pick 230
* Round 7, Pick 232

Day 3 needs

Defensive tackle: Minnesota has one of the five worst DT rooms in the NFL. Harrison Phillips is a solid nose tackle, but Jonathan Bullard is a replacement-level player who starts for the Vikings and the pressure-creating options are Jerry Tillery and Jaquelin Roy. This is a glaring need.

Cornerback: The Vikings' starting corners are in place with Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin, and Mekhi Blackmon, but they could really use another young piece at that position with a chance to develop into a contributor. 2022 draft picks Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans have not panned out.

Left guard: Dalton Risner remains a free agent, so the Vikings' current projected starter at LG is Blake Brandel, who has been a backup throughout his career. They need competition at that spot.

Wide receiver: You can never have too many wide receivers. The Vikings let K.J. Osborn walk in free agency, so it would be helpful if they could grab someone who can enter the depth mix with Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield, and Jalen Nailor.

Kicker: The Vikings need to add a kicker to compete with John Parker Romo, who they signed from the XFL. That could be an option in the seventh round or undrafted free agency.

Others: On defense, linebacker and safety are both options where the Vikings could add someone with versatility and special teams value. They could also take another edge rusher. On offense, don't rule out tight end or running back. Basically the only position that would be surprising is quarterback.

Potential targets with pick 108

If the Vikings don't trade down (which feels like a real possibility), they'll have the eighth pick of the fourth round on Saturday morning, and then nothing until the first pick of the sixth round. These players are among those who would make sense at 108:

That's obviously just a small portion of the players who could be under consideration for the Vikings in the fourth round. Keep an eye on Jackson and Baker, who took top-30 visits to Minnesota recently.

Late-round names to know

The following players visited the Vikings during the pre-draft process and could be options in the 6th or 7th round (or as UDFAs).

* LSU IOL Charles Turner III
* Oregon DT Taki Taimani
* Tennessee TE McCallan Castles
* UNC OT Spencer Rolland
* UNI DT Khristian Boyd
* Washington RB Dillon Johnson
* Iowa TE Erick All
* USF OT Donovan Jennings
* CFL CB Qwan'tez Stiggers
* Ohio State S Josh Proctor
* Memphis RB Blake Watson
* UTSA WR Joshua Cephus
* TCU S Millard Bradford

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ