Vikings Mock Draft Tracker 2.0

With the draft creeping ever closer, most experts are still at a loss when it comes to what the Minnesota Vikings will do with pick No. 18.

Though most predicted that the new triangle of authority would look to bring in a safety to replace Harrison Smith, there was some discourse as to who exactly the Vikings would look to choose between Oregon's Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

Now that the Vikings have hosted their Top 30 visits, most teams have a clearer idea of which player they could target. With all this in mind, let's take a look at who the experts have Minnesota selecting.

Kiper, Yates, Ried, Miller (ESPN+)

Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

This quartet of impressive draft minds reasons that the Vikings will look to replace Harrison Smith with Thieneman, a pick that they note is a popular prediction.

Thieneman’s combine performance saw him leap all the way up the boards. Given the variety of tools that he possesses, he could be a worthy successor to Smith as well as a seamless fit in Brian Flores’ defense.

Chad Reuter (NFL.com)

Caleb Banks, DT, Florida

While most believe that the Vikings will end up taking a safety in the first round, Reuter has them going a different way, adding a big defensive tackle from Florida in Caleb Banks.

Last offseason, the Vikings did their best to bolster the defensive trenches by adding Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Still, middling seasons upon their returns from injury saw the veteran defensive tackles cut, leaving the Vikings in the same position they were last season.

This time, instead of looking for proven commodities, they look to the draft and add talent and youth, pairing Jalen Redmond with a true run-stuffing DT who can eat up blocks and free up linebackers.

Nick Shook (NFL.com)

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

Shook also has the Vikings sticking with defense, but instead of Thieneman, he has the Vikings selecting the McNeil-Warren, the other popular safety option. Shook argues that while both players are good, McNeil-Warren is a better fit in the Flores defense with his high motor and ability to play both in the box and deep, something Smith did throughout his career.

Instead of sticking to the popular opinion, Shook veers slightly off course, providing an alternative to Thieneman, while also having the Vikings select someone who both fits their needs and is also a scheme fit in the defense.

Mike Renner (CBS)

Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

While Shook argued that McNeil-Warren is a better fit for the Flores scheme, Renner counters that Thieneman is also an equally good fit.

Renner sticks to the consensus opinion, like the ESPN+ draft gurus (and plenty more), stating that there is a reason Thieneman has been so consistently mocked to the Vikings, and that the fit is too good for the Purple and Gold to pass up.

Lance Zierlein (NFL.Com)

Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

The first person to have the Vikings selecting a cornerback, Zierlein has them adding reinforcements to the secondary with a true press-man cornerback in McCoy. He opines that with McCoy's size and ability to play on an island, Flores will have more freedom to generate exotic looks to further confuse quarterbacks, something the defensive coordinator has become known for.

By adding another member to the cornerback room, the Vikings defense gains long-term flexibility and adds a blue-chip talent at cornerback who is also in his early 20s.