With just over a month to go until the 2014 NFL Draft, there is no reason not to look at what the experts believe is going to happen with the No. 8 pick for the Minnesota Vikings. There is still this faction of people who believe that the team is going to take a quarterback with that pick. The names Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles have been thrown around a lot. I have written this in the past that the team shouldn’t be considering a quarterback in the first round.
The team needs help on defense more than anything and especially in the secondary. There was one mock draft that had the Vikings taking Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald with the No. 8 pick. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Donald could be a game-changer but is he the player the team should be taking? The defensive line appears fairly set with Everson Griffen and Brian Robison at the end positions and Sharrif Floyd and Linval Joseph inside. A move to get Donald would likely ship Floyd out of town or into a reserve role and the team has already move a lot of moves on the defensive line this offseason.
The better move still appears to Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert. Many mock drafts have him falling to No. 10 and the division rival Detroit Lions. Minnesota can’t allow something like that to happen. The cornerback position has improved with Captain Munnerlyn’s arrival but bringing someone like Gilbert is solidifies the position. The other interesting possibility could be someone like Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack if he were to fall to the eighth pick. It isn’t likely to happen but an impact player like that wouldn’t hurt.
There are going to be a lot of discussions between and May 8 in deciding who exactly the Vikings are going to take. It is obvious that new Vikings coach Mike Zimmer isn’t a fan of Manziel and said after Manziel’s pro day that “it was a sideshow.” That likely takes him out of the equation. The Vikings will get a quarterback at some point but when is anyone’s guess. Gilbert, Donald or Mack would all be better options.