Draftek’s Delicious Mock Draft for Vikings
Dustin Baker
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The last two weeks have juxtaposed the Minnesota Vikings draft strategy, at least as perceived by fans and pundits. Various mock drafts sent defensive tackle Christian Barmore to Minnesota at pick #14 in February, but now that prognosis has taken a hit.
Why? Because the Vikings first flamboyant free-agent move of 2021 was securing the services of Dalvin Tomlinson from the New York Giants. The 27-year-old University of Alabama alumnus will play the 3-technique defensive tackle position for the Vikings alongside nose tackle Michael Pierce this season.
Ergo, the 1st-Round necessity for a 3DT plummets. That doesn’t mean a defensive tackle is totally off the board, though. More on that later.
News broke last week that long-time Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr would re-do his contract, saving the team precious cap space in 2021. It also means that Barr will be a free agent in 2022. That may propel the Vikings to prepare for life after Barr.
Wouldn’t you know it – Draftek’s latest mock draft has that pegged. Their hypothetical draft sends Micah Parsons, Levi Onwuzurike, and Dillon Radunz to the Vikings.
Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
No Barr? No problem.
Draftek sends Parsons to Minnesota, and a new Barr-less era begins. On Parson to the Vikings, Draftek notes:
“The Vikings cut Kyle Rudolph and Dan Bailey in an effort to create cap space. They could cut or offer to restructure (…errrr, pay cut) the contracts of Riley Reiff and Anthony Barr. Even if they do somehow adjust the contract of Barr this year, his cap hits in 2022 & 2023 are $15.6M and 18.1M, respectively. It is not sustainable. In this mock, Micah Parsons somehow falls to the Vikings, and they are too happy to select him. PFF believes he’s the closest thing to a linebacker prototype since Luke Kuechly. Parsons is 6’3″ 245 and reportedly ran a 4.43. Another scouting report believes that Micah has a chance to be a perennial All-Pro for as many years as he wants to be. Parsons would be a perfect replacement for Anthony Barr.”
At age 30, Barr would get a fresh start, and Parsons would ascend alongside Eric Kendricks and another linebacker to be named later.
Levi Onwuzurike, DT (Washington)
Mentioned earlier – the addition of Dalvin Tomlinson does not mean the Vikings have to ignore the future of defensive tackle altogether. Head coach Mike Zimmer can groom a contingency plan in case Tomlinson is underwhelming or in the off chance that the new Viking heads elsewhere two years from now when his contract expires.
The scouting report on Onwuzurike from ProFootballNetwork.com:
“Explosive, athletic defensive tackle who has blocked punts in the past. Fires off the snap, gets a lot of force going up the field, and can be tough to stop. Clogs the middle of the line, stands up blockers, and works his hands throughout the action. Bull rushes opponents up the field and collapses the pocket. Very intense and chases the action. Onwuzurike showed the ability to be a game changer at Washington, occupying blocks, penetrating the line of scrimmage, and even getting out in space to make plays. He comes with a large upside, but must finish his game to grab hold of the starting job in the NFL.”
A Tomlinson-Pierce-Onwuzurike trio would metamorphose Minnesota’s defensive-tackle situation from one of the worst groups in 2020 – to one of the league’s elites in 2021.
Dillon Radunz, OT (NDSU)
Oh, the hometown warm-fuzzies.
Radunz is from Becker, Minnesota – 47 miles from U.S. Bank Stadium – and played college football at North Dakota State University. And, the Vikings love a home-state storyline.
General Manager Rick Spielman also needs offensive linemen – at least two of them capable of starting in Week 1. So, Draftek sends Radunz to the Vikings in Round 3 – about 12 picks after Onwuzurike’s selection. Based on the Vikings current state of affairs, Radunz would probably have to start in September.
TheDraftNetwork.com says of Rodunz:
“Dillon Radunz aligns at left tackle for the Bison offense. Relatively speaking, he plays with good overall athleticism with regards to body control and balance. In the run game, he is excellent. He has a nasty disposition as a run blocker and wants to maul you. He can improve his proficiency at getting on moving defenders at the second level, but there’s nothing alarming in this regard. He remains upright and demonstrates instances of good lateral redirect agility. He has the frame to gain more mass and bulk, which should make him more effective.”