NFL Draft expert suggests perfect Vikings pairing with Justin Jefferson

Look for the Minnesota Vikings to potentially replace Adam Thielen in the 2023 NFL Draft with former Ole Miss star Jonathan Mingo.

Adding former Ole Miss wideout Jonathan Mingo to the Minnesota Vikings receiving corps could make Justin Jefferson even better, like that is even possible…

Minnesota is in a bit of a transition as a franchise. The Vikings won the NFC North under first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell last season, but cap constraints and organizational restructuring could make the Vikings a possible regression candidate. One former Vikings star who is no longer with the franchise is wide receiver Adam Thielen, who signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason.

Although Minnesota could attack the wide receiver room in the first round, ESPN’s Matt Bowen believes they can adequately replace Thielen with a player like Mingo in the third round out of Ole Miss. Keep in mind that the Vikings traded for former Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson last season. He will play a huge part in redefining their receiving corps. So … can Mingo play in the slot?

Given that O’Connell is an offensive-minded head coach, he would put Mingo in advantageous situations to make plays as a rookie in this revamped Minnesota receiving corps.

NFL Draft rumors: Ole Miss’ Jonathan Mingo to Minnesota Vikings in day two

Historically, the Vikings seem to do a pretty good job at drafting and developing wide receiver talent. Although he was excellent at LSU, Jefferson was the Bayou Bengals’ No. 2 option next to Ja’Marr Chase. Nobody saw him being this type of player for the Vikings. Going about replacing Stefon Diggs could not have gone any better for them. So what about Mingo replacing Thielen?

Frankly, they better hit on Mingo or whoever they take to replace Thielen because Minnesota does have a tough history of letting top-flight receiving talent get out of town. From Diggs, to Percy Harvin, to Randy Moss, it is what the Vikings do. However, they are never down bad when it comes to the state of their receiving corps. Simply put, they believe they have a great feel for the position.

Ultimately, day two is probably the right place to find a receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. While there will be a few guys going in the first round, this is not as deep of a receiver draft at the top end of it as in years past. Therefore, a savvy organization like the Vikings could get someone better for the money by selecting a player like Mingo out of Ole Miss in the third round with their top-100 pick.

Lane Kiffin develops excellent offensive talent, so this would be a smart selection for the Vikings.