National Football League

2015 Vikings draft preview: Forecasting Minnesota's first pick

Published Apr. 30, 2015 6:00 a.m. ET

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With the 11th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select. . . .

Or maybe with the 15th pick, or No. 17 or 18, maybe even 20.

Minnesota enters Thursday's first round of the draft with the 11th overall selection. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman made it clear he would like to trade back in the first round and acquire more picks.

Spielman doesn't see much separation in talent from anywhere from seventh to 20th this year. Holding the 11th pick could be of value if teams have specific targets, especially outside of the top 10 where the financial hit isn't as big later in the contract.

"Everybody's targeting this guy or that guy," Spielman said Tuesday. "But I just went through five different scenarios this morning; what if a potential pass rusher falls down, what if a potential offensive lineman, and there's multiple offensive linemen that we're looking at, what if a DB falls down, what if the receivers fall down?"

As of Tuesday, Spielman wasn't even narrowed down on how Minnesota would want to tackle the first round.

"I can tell you at this point, and we'll have it resolved by Thursday, we are wide open on any direction that we're going to go," Spielman said. "There is no one set, honed in, we're taking this position and moving forward."

If Spielman didn't know -- and he's at least said in the past when he's decided on a player without divulging the name -- trying to predict where the Vikings will go is a tricky exercise.

Here's a look at what Minnesota might be weighing if it stays at No. 11:

BRANDON SCHERFF, OL, IOWA

Let's start off with the player Spielman and the Vikings might covet enough to stay put. Scherff is the top offensive line prospect in the draft who could start right away in Minnesota at right guard. Scherff was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Hawkeyes, but many believe he will end up at guard in the NFL. He has the ability to play guard, but could possibly stick at tackle, as well.

The Vikings have a hole at left guard and Scherff is the best option in the draft. He has good technique, is equally adept at run and pass blocking and could be a long-term, plug-and-play lineman. With Minnesota, Scherff could possibly come in right away and start as a guard, with the option of possibly moving to tackle later depending on the futures of Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt.

Scherff is highly regarded entering the draft and could see his name called in the picks leading up to No. 11, though. Spielman said the Vikings likely won't move up in the draft, which could count out Scherff.

BUD DUPREE, DE, KENTUCKY

Spielman said Minnesota's scouts and coaches identified 13 edge pass rushers. The "tweeners" as Spielman called them don't fit into specific defensive end or outside linebacker spots, especially in the Vikings' 4-3 base defense. Most aren't big enough to hold up on the line or have the instincts to drop in coverage as a linebacker.

Dupree might have the best chance of the group of fitting into a true every-down spot with Minnesota. At 269 pounds, Dupree is among the bigger "tweeners." He has good speed and is strong. Perhaps Dupree is able to add a few more pounds, get stronger in the NFL and hold his own on the edge of the defensive line. Or maybe the Vikings see stand-up potential in Dupree and can pair him at outside linebacker with Anthony Barr. Barr would have been considered an odd fit at this time a year ago.

A three-year starter at Kentucky, Dupree has been productive. He had 21 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss the past three seasons. If adding another pass rusher to the defense is the objective, Dupree could be on his way to Minnesota late Thursday.

DEVANTE PARKER, WR, LOUISVILLE

The belief -- and the assumption here -- is two receivers will be selected in the top-10 picks. Alabama's Amari Cooper and West Virginia's Kevin White look to be elite talents at an increasingly emphasized position who won't last long. Next off the board is likely Parker, who has a chance to be a No. 1 receiver himself.

A true senior -- who once was Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's teammate â Parker is tall (6-foot-3), quick (he ran a 4.45-second, 40-yard dash at the combine) and has the numbers to match. Parker missed half the season with a foot injury last year and finished with 43 catches for 855 yards and five touchdowns.

In two seasons with Bridgewater at quarterback, Parker produced a combined 95 catches, 1,629 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. He only started 15 games in those two seasons. Parker has long arms and uses his height and body control to go up and high-point the ball in traffic.

Minnesota addressed the position by trading for Mike Wallace in the offseason and the depth at the receiver is as good as it's been in several years for the Vikings. But the chance to add another top talent will be intriguing. Before the addition of Wallace, wide receiver looked to be an easy connection with talent in the draft matching up with need. Minnesota has to consider a receiver still, but could look to add at another important position . . .

TRAE WAYNES, CB, MICHIGAN STATE

. . . Which brings us to the opposite side and staying on the outside. The Vikings have added veteran cornerback Terence Newman to help at cornerback. But Newman's presence shouldn't stop Minnesota from adding another elite talent at one of the defense's most important positions.

The Vikings could be in position to add the draft's top cornerback in Waynes. Waynes has good size (6-foot, 186 pounds), speed (4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and can get physical at the line in press coverage and stay with big receivers in coverage. Waynes can also make plays in zone coverage. He started the past two seasons for the Spartans and had 96 tackles and six interceptions.

Waynes could start right away for Minnesota. Imagine pairing Waynes with emerging third-year cornerback Xavier Rhodes. The Vikings, with good coaching in Zimmer and defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, could possibly feature one of the top cornerback tandems in the league if Rhodes continues his development and Waynes performs as expected.

Facing some of the league's top passing attacks in the NFC North, Minnesota could finally have the depth and talent at cornerback to match up with the rest of the division. The prospect of adding another top cornerback to Zimmer's defense is why Waynes will be called out as the Vikings' pick . . . if they stay at No. 11.

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