Vikings Draft Picks 2023: Every selection Minnesota has in April

The NFL Draft is coming around the bend… When will the Minnesota Vikings make their selections on draft weekend?

The Minnesota Vikings put up an impressive regular season in 2022, with a 13-4 record that was good for best in the NFC North, second in the entire conference and fourth in the league. If the year was determined solely by regular season performance, the Vikings would have looked alright.

Of course, that’s not how the cookie crumbles in the NFL or any pro American sport. The Vikings were upset by the New York Giants in the Wild Card round of the postseason, losing 31-24 on their home field. At the end of the day, it was a failure of a season for Minnesota who had deep postseason hopes based on their regular season record.

Minnesota had a good record, but was a nail-biter team all year long. They had a -3 point differential, remarkable for a team with so few losses, and were one of just two teams in 2022 to make the extended part of the season with a negative differential.

So, while their record indicates the Vikings could have tried to run it back with what they had in ’22, they shouldn’t rest on their final record. They’ll need to use the NFL Draft to add talent.

Vikings draft picks 2023

Barring any trades to add or get rid of picks, the Vikings will have five opportunities throughout draft weekend. Here’s when to expect those:

1. Round 1: 23 overall
2. Round 3: 87 overall
3. Round 4: 119 overall
4. Round 5: 158 overall
5. Round 6: 211 overall

Minnesota sent its second-round pick to the Lions, its fourth-round pick to the Browns, and its seventh-round pick to the Steelers. The selection Minnesota now owns in the fourth round was originally owned by the Lions.

Vikings draft needs 2023

After free agency, here’s what Nik Edlund of The Viking Age said about the team’s needs still:

1. Edge
2. Inside linebacker
3. Cornerback
4. Wide receiver
5. Defensive line

You can read Edlund’s full analysis here. Minnesota could fill some of these needs in the latter stages of free agency, but many of these will have to be addressed by the draft.

Wide receiver is surely the most flashy opening after the team let longtime WR Adam Thielen walk to Carolina, but other positions like edge rusher and inside linebacker are perhaps as if not more important to the Vikings’ success, especially if that point differential is of any importance to them.