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PFF draft board: Minnesota Vikings

AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 31: Laquon Treadwell #1 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates a touchdown reception against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

PFF is putting together team-specific draft boards for all 32 franchises using our draft rankings and evaluation of how each player fits in specific schemes.

Included are three ideal targets for each team with their first-, second-, and third-round picks, along with a team-specific draft board (at the bottom of this article) that includes every player in PFF’s draft rankings.

Here is the entry for the Minnesota Vikings:

Round 1 (23rd overall)

Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State

The Vikings are in the market for a wide receiver, but also a specific type of wideout. With Josh Doctson likely off the board by the time they pick, the team should be focused instead on Michael Thomas, who has the size (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) and strength to become a difference-maker. Minnesota has quickness elsewhere in the receiving corps, but are lacking the physicality that Thomas can bring to help Bridgewater out in the underneath game. He also has the ability to go deep and win downfield against defensive backs in this offense.

Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss

PFF may be lower on Treadwell than other people, but he still makes a lot of sense for a team like the Vikings in the first round. He may not separate well, but he is physical and has impressive run-after-the-catch skills, breaking 17 tackles with the ball in his hands last season. He could become the possession target in this offense and free up Stefon Diggs on the other side.

Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia

There is only one safety in this class worthy of a first-round pick, and Karl Joseph is that guy. He is a very close match for Harrison Smith as a player who can play in all safety roles in a defense, and would give the Vikings an incredibly versatile pairing, allowing them to become incredibly creative and disguise their coverages in a way most teams cannot.

Round 2 (54th overall)

Kevin Byard, S, Middle Tennessee State

As much as the Vikings change up their coverages, they use a lot of single-high safety, and Byard might be the best pure FS in this draft. Harrison Smith is capable of moving around and playing both, but to facilitate that, Minnesota needs a second safety that can play centerfield. Last season, they played a variant of cover-1 or cover-3 coverage on 53.1 percent of their snaps, so any safety they draft needs to have range.

Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State

Another player PFF is cooler on than others, Decker is too good of a prospect to let slip beyond this point, and the Vikings are fans of halting draft-day slides. The former Buckeye has allowed only two sacks over the past two seasons, and averaged 15 total pressures per season. With Matt Kalil already outstaying his welcome, this could be the ideal replacement.

Keyarris Garrett, WR, Tulsa

Every time I studied a cornerback prospect played Tulsa, Keyarris Garrett jumped off the tape as a player with huge talent. He gave William Jackson III (one of the best CB prospects in this draft, in PFF’s eyes) all he could handle when the two met head-to-head. Garrett broke 21 tackles in 96 receptions this past season.

Round 3 (86th overall)

Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama

Round 3 may not be a happy place for the Vikings if the PFF draft board is to be believed. The team needs to start thinking about life after Adrian Peterson, and neither Jerick McKinnon nor Matt Asiata make that landscape any more appealing. Henry may not be a blue-chip prospect, but he can be an impact-player in the NFL in the kind of power scheme the Vikings like to employ. He notched 1,339 yards last season after first contact.

Justin Simmons, S, Boston College

If Kevin Byard is the FS to allow Harrison Smith to move around, Simmons would be the rover that moves Smith back to more of a true free-safety role. He graded positively in all areas of the game last season, and only missed five tackles all year.

Kentrell Brothers, LB, Missouri

At some point, the Vikings need to stop playing Chad Greenway, and Kentrell Brothers would be the perfect excuse to stop doing so. His measurables are not good, hence this draft spot, but his production and instincts are excellent, and he could join Barr and Eric Kendricks to create an excellent young LB corps.

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