2025 NFL Mock Draft: Insider predicts Vikings to trade down and get potential Harrison Smith replacement

The Minnesota Vikings' primary focus in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft will be upgrading the defense, especially the secondary, which is in bad shape heading into the league's new year. Cornerbacks Byron Murphy Jr., Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau are all scheduled to test the open market, while safety Harrison Smith only has a year left on his deal.

Fortunately, the Vikings have $62 million in cap space. They can quickly address their cornerback issue by re-signing Murphy and adding one of D.J. Reed, Carlton Davis, or Charvarius Ward to the roster. However, the team is reportedly preparing to hand Sam Darnold a massive deal to keep him in Minnesota after his stellar 2024 campaign.

If they end up handing extensions to the quarterback and Murphy and sign one of the top free-agent cornerbacks, they won't have enough cap space left to add a long-term replacement for Smith. They can address that issue in the draft, and NFL analyst Rob Maadi expects them to do it on Day 1.

In his latest Mock Draft, he predicted that the Vikings would trade the 24th pick to the Philadelphia Eagles and pick Georgia Bulldogs star Malaki Starks with the last pick of the first round. He wrote:

"The Vikings traded most of their picks away last year to move up for J.J. McCarthy so trading down and adding more assets makes sense. Mock trade: Eagles get No. 24 and a fifth-rounder (161) for the No. 32 pick, a fourth-rounder (129), a fifth-rounder (169) and a future fourth. After trading down, the Vikings still get an elite safety in [Malaki] Starks."

---

Malaki Starks stats: The Bulldogs safety is among the most coveted players in the Draft

The Bulldogs entrusted freshman Malaki Starks to replace Lewis Cine as the starting safety, and the young star proved to be an upgrade. He finished the year with more tackles for losses, interceptions, and pass deflections than his predecessor, helping Georgia become only the second team in the 21st century after the Florida Gators to repeat as National Champions.

He had another spectacular year in his sophomore season, recording 31 solo tackles, three interceptions, and seven pass deflections. After a stellar campaign, he earned a place on the All-American Team and put NFL teams on notice.

Starks' final season in college was arguably his best, as he finished with an astonishing 52 solo tackles, four tackles for losses, three pass deflections, and one interception. He developed into an all-round safety who can play in a cover-two or press coverage and even start on the line of scrimmage.

The 21-year-old is expected to be the first safety taken off the board, especially after an impressive display at the Combine, and the Vikings would gladly pick him if he's available when they are on the clock.