7 Defensive Draft Prospects for Vikings Fans to Watch at the Senior Bowl
Josh Frey
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Every year, some of the top talent in college football heads to Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl.
Not only is it an opportunity for potential draft prospects to show off their skills against other talented players, but it also gives them a chance to meet with executives and coaches from NFL teams for the first time. This year’s event kicks off on Tuesday, January 30th with the first team practices, and coverage of the event can be viewed on ESPN as well as NFL Network and NFL+. Here are seven players from the defensive side of the ball to keep an eye on this week.
UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu
Laiatu Latu has turned into one of the favorites for the Vikings if they stick-and-pick at No. 11 overall. The pass rusher has been spectacular at UCLA over the past two seasons, putting together back-to-back seasons with 10+ sacks. Latu is one of the few surefire first-round prospects heading to Mobile this week, and Vikings fans should keep an eye on him as there is a very real possibility that he plays in purple next season if Minnesota doesn’t take a QB in the first round.
Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
Quinyon Mitchell is a great example of evaluators needing to look at the talent rather than the jersey. Mitchell has emerged as one of the best ball-hawking CBs in the country over the past two seasons since he became a full-time starter for the Rockets, and as a result, Toledo’s defense helped propel them into the AP Top 25 ranking this year for the first time since 2015.
Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat
T’Vondre Sweat is a behemoth at the defensive tackle position. He stands at 6’4″ and right around 360 pounds, wreaking havoc on opposing offensive linemen in the running game. Vikings fans should keep an eye on how he does in pass rushing drills throughout the week because if he can improve this area of his game, there is a very high ceiling for Sweat at the NFL level.
Texas DT Byron Murphy
In Daniel Jeremiah’s first 2024 NFL mock draft, he sent the Texas DT Byron Murphy II with the 11th overall pick. It’s for good reason. Murphy may not have had the same size as Sweat on the Texas defensive line, but he is a much more polished prospect. The defensive tackle has refined his pass rush skills and was a very prolific player in that area for the Longhorns. If the Vikings want to use their first-round pick on a prospect in the middle of their defensive line, Murphy should be near the top of the list, and his talents will be on full display throughout this week.
Missouri LB Ty’Ron Hopper
Despite being undersized, Ty’Ron Hopper is a ridiculous athlete, a vicious tackler, and offers tremendous upside as a blitzer. Sound familiar, Vikings fans? It should because this is a very similar profile to that of Ivan Pace, who thrived in Minnesota’s defense this season. With Jordan Hicks set to enter free agency, Hopper could be on the Vikings’ radar in the middle rounds of this spring’s draft.
TCU CB Josh Newton
TCU has produced a couple NFL defensive backs in recent years (Tre’von Moehrig, Trevius Hodges-Tomlinson), and Josh Newton may be the most talented of them all. He has acceptable NFL size at an even 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, and his ability to track the ball in the air gives him big-play potential that the Vikings need in their secondary.
Penn State CB Kalen King
We’ll close this out by sticking with the cornerback position. Kalen King is a twitchy athlete at the cornerback position and has the competitive edge to fight with receivers that are larger than him. Going against some talented wide receivers this week will be a good test as he tries to raise his draft stock heading into the spring.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.