2024 NFL Mock Draft: Minnesota Vikings full 7-round projection in late-January

Round 6, Pick 178: Joe Milton, Quarterback, Tennessee

The Vikings don't address quarterback early, and taking Tennessee signal-caller Joe Milton in Round 5 is not going to be the answer. He does give the team a backup they can bring up in their system, who can serve when called upon, but at a fraction of the cost of a free agent backup.

Milton had his best season in 2023, completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 78 times for 299 yards and seven touchdowns. He has good size at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. He has an elite-level arm, one of the best in the draft.

He has good pocket awareness, and his mobility allows him to escape when the pocket collapses. He does lack accuracy, and like all cannon-armed quarterbacks, he has not figured out how to put touch or finesse on his throws. There are questions about his post-snap reads as the play develops.

Round 6, Pick 227: Chau Smith-Wade, Cornerback, Washington State

The Vikings go defense yet again with the last pick, selecting cornerback Chau Smith-Wade from Washington State. More of a zone coverage corner than a man corner, he gives the team options on passing downs. He had seven pass breakups in 2023 but did not log an interception.

He reacts quickly to screen and run plays and comes up quickly to make solid tackles. He does a great job at recognizing the play and anticipating where the ball is and where it's going. He does need to spend a lot of time watching film and practicing covering great route runners (the Vikings have two of those he can face every day on the practice field).

He can be slow to close on the ball and needs to work on his footwork. He could potentially start off on special teams as a gunner, while he learns to play cornerback in the NFL.