5 Players to Keep an Eye On For The Vikings at 34
K. Joudry
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A large part of the appeal of the Lions deal, it would seem, rested in the chance to go from 46th to 34th. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah now has the ability to really focus in on who he thinks is the best selection at the 2nd spot in RD2. There are some great players out there, so let’s see who the Vikings may be interested in drafting at 34. Shout out to PFF for providing some great information and specific details.
Nakobe Dean
Linebacker, Georgia
There’s a sneaky need at linebacker. Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks are set to start, but there isn’t too much beyond them. Dean would be a strong special teamer and great backup. At times, Ed Donatell could get his three linebackers on the field. He has great range and quickness: “Dean’s range at the linebacker position is unparalleled in this draft class. He’s not only straight-line fast, but he also processes and reacts with elite quickness.”
Boye Mafe
EDGE, Minnesota
The Vikings will likely consider Mafe at 34. I feel confident saying this since they had him in for a pre-draft visit. He’d almost certainly become the EDGE3 in Minnesota, giving the team another pass rusher for third downs. It’s possible he’d benefit from playing behind Za’Darius & Danielle: “Mafe was a massive riser after he earned the highest pass-rushing grade among edge defenders during the Senior Bowl practices. He’s an ascending player who possesses one of the best get-offs in the class.”
Kyler Gordon
Corner, Washington
Adding Lewis Cine to the secondary helps, especially since he’s capable of playing in the slot from time-to-time. That said, there still needs to be more talent at corner. Gordon comes in at 58th in the PFF rankings, but he’s a strong athlete playing one of the game’s most important positions: “Gordon is a two-time Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List member and played like one this season. He played both outside cornerback and slot cornerback in 2021, earning an 89.6 coverage grade.”
Josh Paschal
EDGE, Kentucky
Another EDGE to consider. He’s 44th on the PFF board. At 6’3, 268, Paschal has the size to be moved around the line. In fact, last season featured precisely that: he was in the B gap for 87 snaps, on the tackle for 287 snaps, and outside the tackle for 252 snaps. He’s still only 22: “Paschal has a unique body type for the edge at 6-foot-3 and 278 pounds. He’s a leverage demon who lived in opponents’ backfields last year en route to a Power Five-leading 12.4% run-stop rate.”
Malik Willis
QB, Liberty
How could we not end with perhaps the best QB prospect of the year? Coming into the draft, many people mocked him to the Lions at 2nd overall. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but it shows how much upside he has. Sitting behind Cousins for a year or two may be a good thing: “Willis is an electric playmaker. However, the Liberty quarterback is still far too much of a roller coaster from game to game. He did, however, have the second-highest big-time throw rate we’ve ever charted (11.0%).”
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