Sports
NFL 2017 Draft: Minnesota Vikings Top Pick Defensive Tackle?
The 2017 NFL Draft begins Thursday. The Minnesota Vikings currently do not have a first-round draft pick, but that could change.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The 82nd annual Draft begins Thursday, April 27, and runs through Saturday, April 29. The Draft will be televised nationally by ESPN, beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday, and noon on Saturday.
Of course, the Minnesota Vikings, who will host this year's Super Bowl when it comes to U.S. Bank Stadium, do not have a first-round draft pick.
Why? Here's a refresher: Just before the start of last season, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Vikings for a first-round pick in 2017. The trade came after the Vikings placed Bridgewater on injured reserve a day after the quarterback tore his ACL and dislocated his knee at practice.
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The Vikings' current first pick is in the second round, 48th overall. The Vikings are slated to select from the No. 79 and No. 86 spots in the third round. General Manager Rick Spielman could decide to trade up for a first-round pick, but most analysts say that is unlikely to happen.
The league's 32 teams will draft for seven rounds, beginning Thursday at 8 p.m. Round 1 will take place Thursday night, Rounds 2-3 will be held on Friday, and Rounds 4-7 will wrap things up on Saturday.
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NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter has predicted the following top 5 picks:
- Mitchel Trubisky, QB, University of North Carolina
- Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
- Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
- Leonard Fournette, RB, Louisiana State University
- O.J. Howard, TE, University of Alabama
Reuter predicts the Vikings will defensive tackle Malik McDowell out of Michigan State.
After Trubisky and Garrett, who are the consensus top two talents in the draft, things become murkier for division rival Chicago Bears at number three. Reuter sees them taking Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. predicted the Vikings would take defensive tackle Caleb Brantley out of Florida in the second round. He predicts the team will select linebacker Duke Riley, from LSU, and Amara Darboh, a wide receiver, from Michigan.
Justin Heinze (Patch Staff) contributed to this report.
Photo by William Bornhoft/Patch.com
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