More than four hours after the NFL draft resumed Friday evening, the Vikings officially announced the team's one and only pick of the day.
Vikings draft USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon after getting two more Day 3 picks in trade
In a swap with the 49ers, the Vikings gave up the No. 87 pick for the No. 102 pick (the last of the third round), and No. 164 and No. 222 selections on Saturday.
April 29, 2023 at 12:47PM
The Vikings want to make USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, drafted with the last pick of the night in the third round (102nd overall), worth the wait.
Blackmon was drafted after the Vikings traded back from the 87th pick with San Francisco, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's former team, while acquiring two more picks Saturday. Minnesota now has five selections during Saturday's final rounds, including a fifth-round pick (164th) and seventh-round pick (222nd) acquired from San Francisco during Friday's trade. They also have picks No. 119, No. 158 and No. 211.
"He was somebody we wanted to take with our first pick at 87," Adofo-Mensah said, "but we got a good deal and decided to take the chance, and obviously it's always treacherous. There are guys coming off the board and a group of guys we're considering."
Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell waited much of Friday as the league picked through depth in areas of need for the Vikings. Nine cornerbacks were taken before the Vikings were on the clock on Friday, starting with the Steelers selecting Penn St. cornerback Joey Porter Jr. — the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter.
The Vikings landed Blackmon, the 10th and last corner drafted on Friday. He was a USC teammate of the Vikings first-round pick, receiver Jordan Addison.
Blackmon, 24, had a winding collegiate journey that peaked with a team-leading 12 deflections in his lone season for the Trojans, in which he earned a first-team All-PAC-12 selection.
The California native wasn't a rated recruit — zero stars — out of East Palo Alto. He began at College of San Mateo before transferring to Colorado, where he spent four seasons before leaving for USC last year.
"My journey will teach you to stay humble," he said. "I always believed in myself. I just needed the opportunity. Once I got to college and I got it, there was no turning back."
Blackmon (5-11, 178 pounds) is categorized as an aggressive man-to-man cornerback by draft analysts, giving first-year defensive coordinator Brian Flores a much-needed option at a relatively thin position. The Vikings retained just two corners, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans, who played last season. The team added veterans Byron Murphy Jr. and Joejuan Williams in free agency.
"Ultimately at that position, you just want people who can cover," Adofo-Mensah said. "That's the main point of the job, and he's somebody who can do that."
Blackmon, like Addison, visited Minnesota on an official pre-draft visit; each team is allotted 30 official visits.
"It is always good to get more time with people," Adofo-Mensah said. "We always talk about what's it going to be like when we're sharing a hallway with them, so when I get to spend a whole day with them ... you feel like you get to learn somebody."
A run of tight ends came through the NFC North with five drafted in the second round, including Detroit taking Iowa's Sam LaPorta and Green Bay selecting Oregon St.'s Luke Musgrave — the nephew of former Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. The Packers later drafted South Dakota St. tight end Tucker Kraft in the third round.
The Vikings' second-round pick also went to a tight end — T.J. Hockenson, acquired via trade last year for what became the 55th overall pick to Detroit. According to Adofo-Mensah, team brass joked about Hockenson being the entertainment for the evening while waiting through 32 second-round picks.
"But I think he was somewhere else [Friday night]," Adofo-Mensah said.
Hockenson was at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where he led the "Let's Play Hockey" pregame chant for the Wild-Stars playoff game.
On Friday night, the Lions executed two trades with the Vikings' former pick.
First, Detroit moved back eight spots (to No. 63) with Kansas City to gain a fourth-round pick (122nd) and a seventh-round pick (249th). The Lions then moved back another five spots (to No. 68) in a trade with Denver that turned a sixth-round pick (183rd) into a fifth-round choice (139th).
The Lions eventually drafted Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker with the 68th pick.
The Vikings' chances to trade running back Dalvin Cook may have taken a hit. Five teams, including the backfield-needy Dolphins, drafted running backs on Friday. Miami picked standout Texas A&M runner Devon Achane in the third round.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
