3 New Vikings Mock Drafts. 3 Different Faces.
Dustin Baker
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There is no consensus on who the Minnesota Vikings will select at the 14th Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Theories on particular positions are aplenty, but no collective agreement exists (or even anything all that close). The Vikings have notable roster holes, so this healthy debate regarding the draft choice is not too surprising. If any groupthink on the draft prevails among Vikings fans, it likely involves the “best offensive lineman or defensive lineman available.”
The Vikings must shore up personnel at the defensive line, offensive line, free safety, and cornerback positions. A chunk of this will occur in two weeks when free agency’s legal tampering is kickstarted. With a slim allotment of dollars, general manager Rick Spielman will address the roster needs about one month before he virtually heads to the NFL draft.
Because one cannot know what roster spots Spielman will prioritize, draft speculation runs even more rampant than it probably should be. Will there be a pass-rushing emphasis? A fortification of the trenches to finally keep quarterback Kirk Cousins upright? Or does the franchise pounce on the true-blue Best Player Available?
Ergo, mock drafts plop several characters onto the Vikings 2021 lineup. Here are the most recent to prance the internet.
CBS Sports – Alijah Vera-Tucker (OL) USC
The Vikings finished 2020 as the NFL’s fourth-worst defensive team – a spooky deviation for the usually-formidable Mike Zimmer defense. The 2020 defense was flat-out porous. The only aspect of football that it ranked highly was defensive third-down percentage. The Vikings were the league’s 9th-best team in this regard. Everything else was trashy.
Nevertheless, some trusted entities still assert that Spielman will continue his quest to bolster the pass-protection. This is becoming trendworthy. Should Spielman seize another offensive lineman in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, it will be the fourth consecutive year orchestrating such behavior (2018: Brian O’Neill, 2019: Garrett Bradbury, 2020: Ezra Cleveland, 2021: ??)
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin recently sent Aljah Vera-Tucker to Minnesota in his mock draft. On Vera-Tucker and the Vikings, Benjamin wrote:
“Minnesota is going to be hunting for edge help, but it also needs to address the offensive front. (Don’t we say this every year?) Vera-Tucker would be a rock-solid addition either inside or outside.”
Benjamin evidently sees the offensive-lineman trend, too. It is noteworthy because teams typically don’t emphasize high-round offensive line preference year after year. Interior linemen can often be found later in the draft. But when the Vikings try that strategy, they end up with players like Willie Beavers and T.J. Clemmings.
SI.com – Rashawn Slater (OL) Northwestern
Ryan Roberts of SI.com agrees on the legitimacy of an offensive lineman to Minnesota. It’s just a different guy in his mock draft. Roberts places Rashawn Slater from Northwestern University on the Vikings 2021 roster, presumably at the guard position. Slater is, by trade, an interior offensive lineman, and that type of lineman generally wiggles into the 2nd-7th rounds of the draft.
But not Slater. This is what Roberts said about Slater to the Vikings:
“Interior offensive line is not the sexy pick but the Vikings were an absolute mess in 2020. Adding Slater, who can also slot into multiple spots, provides great value. Ge could start or back up all five positions up front in a pinch.”
Indeed, offensive line is a need for the Vikings as the guards that the team employed in 2020 were downright awful. The nucleus of Minnesota’s offensive line – O’Neill, Bradbury, Cleveland, and Reiff – should be a core by which to build. Adding Slater would theoretically assemble a starting fivesome for Week 1 of 2021.
Pro Football Network – Kwity Paye (EDGE) Michigan
Minnesota’s defense was rancid in 2020 because it generated no pass rush. That forced the ultra-young secondary to panic and mature at a breakneck velocity. It didn’t work. The man that led Minnesota in sacks (Yannick Ngakoue) didn’t even play for the team for Weeks 8 thru 17 – embarrassing, to be sure. Pro Football Focus called the Vikings the NFL’s worst pass-rushing squad per its scoring system. Gross.
And that’s why Pro Football Network’s Matthew Valdovinos’ mock draft from Tuesday hits home. He summons Michigan’s Kwity Paye to the Vikings and states:
“The Vikings have a desperate need for talent on the defensive line, whether on the edge opposite Danielle Hunter or the interior. They select what many view as the top edge rusher in the 2021 class, Kwity Paye”
Per Valdovinos vision, the Vikings starting defensive line would resemble LE: Danielle Hunter, NT: Michael Pierce, 3DT: Unnamed Free Agent, RDE: Kwity Paye.
Yes, please.