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- Mar 19, 2019
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We’re fast approaching the 2019 NFL Draft.
The first round of the annual event will begin at 7 p.m. (CT) on April 25 in Nashville.
The Miller Lite Vikings Draft Party will coincide with the opening night. It is scheduled from 6 to 11 p.m. on April 25 at U.S. Bank Stadium and will feature live coverage of the draft by “Voice of the Vikings” Paul Allen and KFAN. Tickets are available for purchase here.
The second and third rounds will be held on April 26, with festivities beginning at 6 p.m. (CT).
The fourth round will start at 11 a.m. (CT) on April 27 and be followed by Rounds 5-7.
The Vikings currently have eight selections in the draft, beginning with the 18th overall pick.
Vikings.com is taking a glance at the top prospects at each position leading up to the draft.
April 11: Running backs
April 12: Tight ends
April 15: Quarterbacks
April 16: Wide receivers
April 17: Offensive tackles
April 18: Centers and guards
April 19: Defensive tackles
April 22: Defensive ends/edge rushers
April 23: Linebackers
April 24: Cornerbacks
April 25: Safeties
Where the Vikings Stand
The Vikings currently have three guards on their roster. A fifth-round draft pick in 2017, Danny Isidora is the only primary guard returning from last season; he appeared in 14 games for Minnesota, starting two. The Vikings added two guards in free agency this spring, including former Titans lineman Josh Kline, who has started 46 consecutive games. Minnesota also added former Jets guard Dakota Dozier, who served as mainly a reserve player in New York. Worth noting is that Vikings tackle Aviante Collins, who spent the 2018 campaign on Injured Reserve, has taken reps on the interior, as well.
Minnesota has three centers on its roster: Pat Elflein, Brett Jones and Cornelius Edison. Elflein is entering his third season in Purple after being a third-round selection by the Vikings in 2016. He started 13 games in 2018 after coming back from shoulder and ankle injuries suffered the previous season. The Vikings re-signed Jones, whom they acquired from the Giants via trade in 2018. Jones started the first three games in place of Elflein. Edison spent the 2018 season on Minnesota’s practice squad.
Recent Draft History (over past five years)
Total number of interior linemen taken: 109
Round 1: 9 (3 in 2018, 0 in 2017, 3 in 2016, 2 in 2015, 1 in 2014)
Round 2: 15 (4 in 2018, 4 in 2017, 2 in 2016, 2 in 2015, 3 in 2014)
Round 3: 20 (1 in 2018, 2 in 2017, 5 in 2016, 4 in 2015, 8 in 2014)
Round 4: 18 (1 in 2018, 3 in 2017, 2 in 2016, 9 in 2015, 3 in 2014)
Round 5: 19 (3 in 2018, 5 in 2017, 4 in 2016, 2 in 2015, 5 in 2014)
Round 6: 18 (3 in 2018, 3 in 2017, 4 in 2016, 3 in 2015, 5 in 2014)
Round 7: 10 (2 in 2018, 1 in 2017, 3 in 2016, 3 in 2015, 1 in 2014)
Over the past five years, the trend has been a higher number of interior linemen taken in the middle rounds, while fewer have gone off the board in the first or final rounds. Sixty-nine percent of the guards and centers available have been drafted in rounds 3-6, while only eight percent have been first-round picks.
The Prospects (based on rankings by Dane Brugler of The Athletic)