Minnesota Vikings: Grading each day of the 2020 NFL Draft

Minnesota Vikings, Cameron Dantzler (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Minnesota Vikings, Cameron Dantzler (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Photo by NFL via Getty Images
Photo by NFL via Getty Images /

Vikings Day 1 Grade for 2020 NFL Draft

On the first day of the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings entered the opening round with two selections at the latter half of the draft order.

Minnesota went into the round with the Nos. 22 and 25 selections, with many people thinking the team would pick either a wide receiver, defensive back or offensive lineman with at least one or both of those selections.

As wideouts and cornerbacks started to slide to the latter portion of the first round, the Vikings ended up landing intriguing prospects at both of those positions, ending up knocking the first round out of the park.

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At No. 22, the Vikings got a stud prospect when they picked wide receiver Justin Jefferson out of LSU.

Finding a replacement at wide receiver left behind by Stefon Diggs after the team traded him away to the Buffalo Bills this offseason, Minnesota found a new target to pair alongside Adam Thielen and the rest of the receiving corps in purple and gold.

Jefferson is a player that will come in and immediately make an impact alongside Thielen and company in the passing game led by Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins. This pick was a no-brainer and the Vikings filled a big hole on offense.

As the No. 25 pick approached, the Vikings ended up moving back in the draft, completing a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to send them the No. 25 pick in exchange for the No. 31 overall pick and a 2020 fourth- and fifth-round selection.

While obtaining more assets to use this year, either in the draft or as trade bait, the Vikings used the second-to-last pick in the first round to address the defensive side of the ball with the selection of TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney.

The selection of Gladney, much like the Jefferson pick, fills a large need for the Vikings in an area where they lost a decent amount of players within already this offseason. Gladney will also have the potential to come in and get some playing time right away for the purple and gold, especially after Minnesota cut Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes earlier this offseason.

For the first round of the draft, the Vikings get a grade of A for their performance in gaining more assets while addressing two big needs on both ends of the ball.