Minnesota Vikings' Last-Minute 7-Round Mock Draft and Top-100 Big Board

The highly anticipated 2016 NFL draft is finally here for the Minnesota Vikings and 31 other teams, with the first round kicking off Thursday night from Chicago.

Barring a move up or down the board, Minnesota's first pick in the opening round will come at No. 23 overall.

This year's draft is another opportunity for general manager Rick Spielman and the Vikings to build on a roster that improved from seven wins in head coach Mike Zimmer's first season to 11 in 2015—a promising year that ended with Minnesota winning the NFC North and hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2009.

The next logical step in the progression line for the Vikings is to become a true Super Bowl contender in 2016.

In the following slides, we will develop one final top-100 big board and seven-round mock draft for the Vikings before the start of Thursday night's first round.

Top-100 Big Board

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Laremy Tunsil

The Vikings' top-100 big board lists the best players Minnesota would potentially consider taking in the 2016 NFL draft. Not all players listed below will be available to the Vikings when they come on the clock, but trades up or down the board are possible. Positions will also be taken into account, with quarterbacks left off the list and receivers, offensive tackles and safeties given priority. 

Minnesota Vikings' Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	Jalen Ramsey	CB/S	Florida State
3	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
4	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
5	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
6	DeForest Buckner	DL	Oregon
7	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
8	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
9	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
10	A'Shawn Robinson	DL	Alabama
11	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
12	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
13	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
14	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
15	Sheldon Rankins	DL	Louisville
16	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
17	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
18	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
19	Andrew Billings	NT	Baylor
20	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
21	Jarran Reed	DT	Alabama
22	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
23	Jaylon Smith	LB	Notre Dame
24	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
25	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
26	Noah Spence	DE	Eastern Kentucky
27	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
28	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
29	Cody Whitehair	OL	Kansas State
30	Germain Ifedi	OL	Texas A&M
31	Karl Joseph	S	West Virginia
32	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
33	Leonard Floyd	DE/LB	Georgia
34	Hunter Henry	TE	Arkansas
35	Kenny Clark	DL	UCLA
36	Joshua Garnett	OL	Stanford
37	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
38	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
39	Austin Johnson	DT	Penn State
40	Chris Jones	DL	Mississippi State
41	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
42	Darian Thompson	S	Boise State
43	Su'a Cravens	LB/S	USC
44	Vernon Butler	DL	Louisiana Tech
45	Tyler Boyd	WR	Pitt
46	Jason Spriggs	OT	Indiana
47	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
48	Jonathan Bullard	DL	Florida
49	Le'Raven Clark	OT	Texas Tech
50	Derrick Henry	RB	Alabama
51	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
52	Artie Burns	CB	Miami (FL)
53	Hassan Ridgeway	DL	Texas
54	Keanu Neal	S	Florida
55	Kamalei Correa	DE/LB	Boise State
56	Deion Jones	LB	LSU
57	Braxton Miller	WR	Ohio State
58	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
59	Shon Coleman	OL	Auburn
60	Joshua Perry	LB	Ohio State
61	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
62	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
63	Maliek Collins	DL	Nebraska
64	Jihad Ward	DL	Illinois
65	Willie Henry	DL	Michigan
66	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
67	T.J. Green	S	Clemson
68	Kentrell Brothers	LB	Missouri
69	Adolphus Washington	DL	Ohio State
70	Charone Peake	WR	Clemson
71	Shilique Calhoun	DE	Michigan State
72	Leonte Carroo	WR	Rutgers
73	Christian Westerman	OL	Arizona State
74	Jordan Jenkins	DE/LB	Georgia
75	Austin Hooper	TE	Stanford
76	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
77	Nick Martin	OL	Notre Dame
78	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
79	Nick Vannett	TE	Ohio State
80	Kyler Fackrell	DE/OLB	Utah State
81	Sheldon Day	DL	Notre Dame
82	Harlan Miller	CB	SE Louisiana
83	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
84	Carl Nassib	DE	Penn State
85	Max Tuerk	C	USC
86	Javon Hargrave	DL	South Carolina St.
87	C.J. Prosise	RB	Notre Dame
88	Vadal Alexander	OL	LSU
89	Jalen Mills	DB	LSU
90	Scooby Wright	LB	Arizona
91	Nick Vigil	LB	Utah State
92	Joe Schobert	LB/DE	Wisconsin
93	Jerald Hawkins	OL	LSU
94	Kenyan Drake	RB	Alabama
95	DeAndre Houston-Carson	DB	William & Mary
96	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
97	Connor McGovern	OL	Missouri
98	Ronald Blair	DE	Appalachian State
99	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
100	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke

Round 1

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Round 1, Pick 23: WR Josh Doctson, TCU

Few teams are more locked in to one position in the first round than the Vikings with a receiver. Josh Doctson—who produced 25 touchdowns in just 23 games over his final two seasons at TCU—has been the favorite for the 23rd pick for months. Picking Doctson here is nothing short of following the pack, but the fit between team and player has always made perfect sense for the defending NFC North champs. 

A tall, springy receiver with red-zone ability and star potential, Doctson could give quarterback Teddy Bridgewater the true No. 1 receiver Norv Turner's offense lacks. Team the TCU star with Stefon Diggs—a mid-round steal for the Vikings last spring—and the Vikings would suddenly possess a strong one-two punch on the perimeter. Just think of Doctson as Turner's second edition of Michael Irvin, whom he helped turn into a Hall of Famer in Dallas. 

Round 2

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Round 2, Pick 54: S Keanu Neal, Florida 

I've selected Ohio State's Vonn Bell and Clemson's T.J. Green in this spot in past mocks, but Keanu Neal also makes sense here. The back end of the second round just feels like an ideal place for the Vikings to find a long-term solution at safety, especially with one of Bell, Neal or Green likely to still be on the board when the 54th pick arrives. 

Neal might be the best fit of them all, mainly because he's the most accomplished against the run, and few defensive backs in the class hit as hard. The coverage aspect of his game might be unrefined, but he doesn't have athletic deficiencies holding him back—and he'll likely have time to develop behind some veteran players before the Vikings make him the starter next to Harrison Smith. 

Round 3

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Round 3, Pick 86: DL Hassan Ridgeway, Texas

Like Neal in the second round, it might be a little iffy on Hassan Ridgeway getting all the way to pick No. 86. But if he's there, the Vikings should absolutely pounce on an interior disruptor who possesses the power and burst off the snap to fit right into Minnesota's defensive line rotation. 

Zimmer and the Vikings would need to coach him up on holding the point against the run, but his rare ability to create pressure from the inside remains an invaluable asset. Also, with Tom Johnson possessing zero guaranteed money on his contract past 2016, taking a player like Ridgeway would give Minnesota a natural replacement for 2017 and beyond.

Round 4

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Round 4, Pick 121: OL Rees Odhiambo, Boise State

The Vikings added guard Alex Boone and tackle Andre Smith in free agency while also restructuring Phil Loadholt's deal to keep him around for at least one more season. But the moves shouldn't deter GM Rick Spielman from looking for more help in front of Bridgewater. 

Keep in mind, Smith and Loadholt are under contract for just one season, and left tackle Matt Kalil is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The Vikings' offensive tackle position could look completely different by this time next year. 

Enter Rees Odhiambo. He dealt with some injury issues at Boise State, but he also brings dual-position potential (could slide inside to guard) and experience playing on the blind side. If the Vikings can keep him on the field, Odhiambo could be the team's long-term answer on either the left or right side.

Round 5

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Round 5, Pick 160: DE Tyrone Holmes, Montana

Tyrone Holmes didn't play against top opponents every week at Montana, but he's an athletic edge-rusher with all the tools of a player capable of harassing the quarterback in the NFL. And when he did play a good opponent, he shined. 

From Pro Football Focus: "Holmes had a dominant game against North Dakota State in the opener (+10.7), and he had a similarly strong performance in the East-West Shrine Game (+4.2 on only 33 snaps). He has the frame and athleticism to get after the quarterback at the next level."

The Vikings hit a home run on Danielle Hunter—an athletic rusher with some rawness to his game—last year. Could Holmes be Zimmer's next project on the edge? A little development could go a long way with the Montana product.

Round 6

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Round 6, Pick 180: LB Aaron Wallace, UCLA

The Vikings have grown fond of UCLA prospects, with at least one Bruin taken by Minnesota in three straight drafts. Linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks have worked out, and it wouldn't be shocking to see the Vikings go back to the well to draft a player who shared the field with both players.

Much like Barr, Aaron Wallace has experience playing as a stand-up linebacker in a four-man front and rushing the quarterback off the edge.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com called the 6'3", 240-pounder an "ascending prospect with twitch, athleticism and power." If anyone can find a place and a role for a player with Wallace's profile, it's probably Zimmer.

Round 7

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 17: KJ Maye #1 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers carries returns a punt against Jonathan Rose #14 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first quarter of the game on October 17, 2015 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (

Round 7, Pick 240: P Tom Hackett, Utah

With Jeff Locke entering the final year of his rookie deal, the time is now to acquire some overdue competition at punter. Tom Hackett is a rugby-style punter who won the Ray Guy Award for the nation's best punter in both 2014 and 2015. His confidence kicking the ball would give Locke a real push for a roster spot. 

Round 7, Pick 244: WR K.J. Maye, Minnesota

Jarius Wright is under contract through 2019, but the Vikings could conceivably get out of the deal as soon as 2017 if things start to go south. While K.J. Maye isn't big or fast, he has the makeup to stick around as a tough, fearless slot receiver.