The 2023 season for the Minnesota Vikings was the ultimate rollercoaster ride. Not even just week-to-week, but seemingly quarter-by-quarter and even series-to-series. You never knew what you were going to get from this iteration of the Vikings on any given day, and it made for some wild moments.
The season may not have ended the way the team, or the fans, wanted, but that disappointment shouldn’t overshadow the many good things that happened this year, least of all the many great contributions from the team’s rookie class.
There are a number of different ways to build a successful franchise in the NFL, but still the prevailing thought process is that it’s best to utilize the draft to build your base, and to supplement that base through free agency, trades, and the like.
Over the past few years, the Vikings have used the draft well to build up their base, including nabbing arguably the best wide receiver in football just a few short years ago when taking Justin Jefferson.
That success in the NFL draft continued in 2023, with the Vikings getting some major contributions from a number of their selections. Perhaps even more impressive, arguably their best rookie this season came in the form of someone who wasn’t drafted at all – instead being a true diamond-in-the-rough as an undrafted free agent.
With that as our backdrop, let’s revisit the 2023 Minnesota Vikings NFL draft class and hand out some grades now that their first season is officially behind them.
Round 1, Pick 23: USC WR Jordan Addison
Taking a wide receiver in the first round and expecting an immediate contribution from them is always a risky proposition. Wide receiver is one of the positions with the highest variance in first-year performance. However, the Minnesota Vikings have had some incredible luck with the position in the past.
Both Randy Moss and Justin Jefferson turned in two of the best rookie seasons the position has ever seen, and both blossomed into some of the best receivers of their eras.
It would be unfair to expect rookie first-round pick Jordan Addison to follow in those footsteps and become an elite receiver in his own right. However, the rookie season he put together isn’t far off from the ones turned in by his predecessors.
Addison was able to put together a rookie season of 70 receptions, 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. Even more impressive, he was able to do all that with four different quarterbacks throwing him the ball during the season.
Obviously the ceiling on Addison is somewhat limited, having to share the spotlight with Jefferson, and being the clear second option in the offense – perhaps even the third option with a healthy T.J. Hockenson. However, it’s clear that the Vikings made a pick with Addison and that he provides a valuable element to the offense.
NFL draft grade: A-
Round 3, Pick 102: USC CB Mekhi Blackmon
After taking USC wide receiver Jordan Addison in the first round, it was a long wait for the Minnesota Vikings and their fans for their next pick. Left without a second-round pick, they were forced to wait until pick 102 for their next selection.
Having only one pick in the top 100 is a rough spot to be in, but the team made the best of a bad situation with the Addison selection providing them with some great play throughout the year.
When the Vikings were finally back on the clock, they went back to the USC connection to take Addison’s teammate, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon. The cornerback position for the Vikings took a lot of heat this season, and it’s a position that many believe the team will look to improve in the 2024 NFL draft.
With that said, Blackmon performed admirably when his number was called this season. Blackmon finished as the third-ranked rookie cornerback per PFF, and finished the 2023 season with one interception, one fumble recovery, and 41 tackles over 15 games and three starts.
There is certainly a lot of room for improvement with the young corner, but it was a solid rookie campaign overall.
NFL draft grade: B-
Round 4, Pick 134: LSU Safety Jay Ward
Piggybacking off the third-round selection of Mekhi Blackmon, the Vikings went back to the defensive well in round 4, taking LSU Safety Jay Ward. It’s clear the team knew that the backend of the defense was an issue, and they wanted to take measures to bolster that weakness.
Unfortunately, those measures didn’t quite pan out the way the team or fans would have hoped.
That was the case in a rather big way for Ward. Despite being taken in the fourth round, Ward failed to make any sort of major contribution to the team in his rookie campaign. It’s important to not set expectations too high for a Day 3 pick.
Even so, being taken in the fourth round comes with the expectation of at least being somewhat of a role player. Ward, on the other hand, was barely a factor at all for the Vikings in year one.
Ward finished his rookie campaign with just 8 tackles, no interceptions, and one fumble recovery while not making a single start all season.
NFL draft grade: D
Round 5: Pick 141: LSU DT Jaquelin Roy
In the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings made it three straight picks on the defensive side of the ball with the selection of LSU defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy. Clearly the Vikings weren’t happy with the performance of their defense in 2022 and wanted to focus on beefing things up.
Being able to identify weaknesses and attack them aggressively is to be commended. However, much like with the previous selection, Jay Ward, the Vikings didn’t get much return on investment with the selection of Roy.
Roy only made one start in his rookie season, contributing just eight tackles, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit all year. That said, in the games that he was in this season, he looked like a player who has some potential in him.
I don’t think Roy is ever going to be thought of as one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, but I see a lot of growth potential with him and him being a good rotational piece in the near future.
NFL draft grade: C+
Round 5, Pick 164: BYU QB Jaren Hall
It was never the plan for fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall to see the field for the Vikings in his first season. He was a developmental prospect who was going to need time, and with the reliable Kirk Cousins at the helm, that opportunity was going to be afforded to him.
Unfortunately plans change at the drop of a hat in the NFL, and both Hall and the Vikings saw him thrust into action much earlier than anticipated.
Hall was originally the guy to replace Cousins after the Achilles injury, but that lasted all of a quarter and some change, after Hall was knocked out of the game with a concussion. A true revolving door at the position followed for the rest of the season, with Hall, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens all taking turns in the spotlight.
The QB carousel eventually spun back to Hall, and he wasn’t able to seize the opportunity on his second chance, either, eventually being replaced – again – by Nick Mullens.
It’s tough to be too hard on Hall, as it was never the plan for him to see action this early anyway. With that said, his performance when asked to step up did leave a lot to be desired. There are some traits there with Hall, but he’s still a long way off – with no guarantee he’ll ever get there.
NFL draft grade: C-
Round 7, Pick 222: UAB RB DeWayne McBride
Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot to say about the Minnesota Vikings’ seventh-round selection, UAB running back DeWayne McBride. After being taken with the 222nd pick, McBride failed to make an impression on the coaching staff and was waived in late August.
The next day, McBride was brought back and spent the season on the practice squad.
McBride has shown enough on the practice squad for the Vikings to sign him to a futures contract, but in a season where the team struggled mightily to run the ball, the fact that McBride couldn’t get a call-up and see the field is discouraging.
NFL draft grade: Incomplete
Undrafted free agent: Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace, Jr.
You can’t talk about the 2023 Minnesota Vikings or their NFL draft class without bringing up undrafted free agent Ivan Pace. Pace, the linebacker from Cincinnati, was a Day 3 prospect on many prognosticator’s draft boards, but slipped all the way out of the draft on the final day.
Every other team’s loss was the Vikings’ gain when Pace signed with the team immediately after the draft, and came in ready to prove everyone wrong. And prove them wrong he did.
Pace came in and almost immediately garnered the respect of everyone in the football community with his play. As the season went on, Pace gained more and more responsibility on the field, and he excelled in every situation defensive coordinator Brian Flores thrust him into.
So much so that multiple outlets had no choice but to recognize Pace for his contributions. Pace’s rookie season garnered him All-Rookie team placements from both the Pro Football Writers of America and from PFF.
Pretty good start for a player no one wanted to take a chance on in the NFL draft.
NFL draft grade: A+
