After the Vikings added a couple of starting-caliber offensive linemen in free agency and created more competition at safety, too, their biggest remaining need heading into next month’s NFL draft is at wide receiver. While 22 players will be picked before they’re on the clock, recent history suggests they can still find a difference-maker in the first round.
In this decade, standout wide receivers Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins and Kelvin Benjamin are among the receivers who were snagged between the 20th and 32nd picks. Of the 10 receivers selected in that range since 2010, seven produced a 1,000-yard season within their first three years in the NFL, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.