Vikings take injured, high-upside cornerback in recent 2025 mock draft

Shavon Revel Jr. is one of the most intriguing corners in next year's draft.

ECU's Shavon Revel Jr. is one of the most intriguing cornerback prospects in this year's draft / ECU Athletics

The 11-2 Vikings are thriving right now, but it's never too early to look toward the future, and their selection in a recent ESPN 2025 mock draft is a fascinating one. Field Yates has Minnesota using the No. 30 overall pick on East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., who has all kinds of talent but suffered a torn ACL in September.

"A torn ACL cut Revel's final season short in September. If not for that, we'd be talking about him much closer to the top 10. Revel has terrific size, speed, acceleration and ball skills, as he snagged two interceptions in three games this season. It's unclear whether Brian Flores will still be the Vikings' defensive coordinator next season (or if he will land a head coach job elsewhere), but it's worth nothing that Minnesota dials up pressure and relies on its corners a lot. And with Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaquill Griffin set to be free agents in March, the Vikings need cover guys like Revel."

Revel established himself as a big-time draft prospect when he earned second-team All-AAC honors as a sophomore in 2023, recording 13 passes defended and 4 TFLs. He was then off to a great start to this season before getting hurt. Nonetheless, his size, athletic tools, and playmaking ability might still get him drafted in the first round in April. This would be a risk-reward gamble from Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who would be landing a player with massive upside at a decreased cost due to his injury.

Along with defensive tackle, cornerback will be one of the positions that makes the most sense for the Vikings in next year's first round. As Yates mentioned, all three of their starters this year — Murphy, Gilmore, and Griffin — are pending free agents. Even if they bring back Murphy on a big contract and get Mekhi Blackmon back from his ACL injury, they'll need more at that position. Revel could be a foundational piece for Flores as a corner who is sticky in man coverage and not afraid to help out in run support.

It is worth noting that Revel's potential could cause him to go higher than the Vikings will pick, despite coming off the injury. He goes 18th overall to the Rams in a recent mock from Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Life.

More: Assessing three Vikings picks in recent early 2025 NFL mock drafts

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