One Week Out, 2 Men Dominate Vikings Draft Talks
Dustin Baker
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And then there was one…week.
The Minnesota Vikings and 31 other teams will select brand new players from the innards of the NFL’s 2021 Draft class in seven days. For three months [and beyond], hundreds of mock drafts sent players here and there, detailing every scenario possible for each NFL team on draft night.
Minnesota’s wishlist is twofold, at least per popular consensus. The Vikings must restock the trenches, equally allotting attention to the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. General Manager Rick Spielman needs to find [somewhere] two starting offensive linemen to accouter his front five. Garrett Bradbury, Ezra Cleveland, and Brian O’Neill are considered sure-fire starters. But after those names on the depth chart, a nosedive ensues. Men like Rashod Hill and Mason Cole might be classified as fringe starters by some, but that is not a widespread sentiment.
That’s why Alijah Vera-Tucker is “tied” for the “most mock-drafted player” to the Vikings in these last two weeks. The Daily Norseman provides a comprehensive draft tracker that can be viewed here.
He is even-steven with a player to be touched on shortly, but Vera-Tucker is in the driver’s seat per the convictions of sportswriters. He is the Vikings pick at #14 in about 20%-25% of all Minnesota mock drafts.
Vera-Tucker fixes 50% of the team’s offensive line shopping list, presumably filling the left guard spot for 2021. He could theoretically be moved to left tackle, too, but his skill set is probably more in tune with that of a guard on day one.
The choice of Vera-Tucker would leave the Vikings with one OL starting roster spot available — unless Mason Cole is the team’s solution. A Cole-as-the-starter mentality would kick either Vera-Tucker or Ezra Cleveland to left tackle. So, keep an eye on that.
Pro Football Focus ranks the USC lineman as the 34th-best player in the 2021 draft class. He may be perceived as a reach at #14 for Spielman. Some argue a trade-back into the 20s in Round 1 could enable a Vera-Tucker selection and the attainment of trade assets like a 2nd Rounder.
If it ain’t Vera-Tucker, it’ll be Kwity Paye — according to mock-draft brains. Should the Vikings tap defense as the primary priority, Paye is the guy per punditry. Like Vera-Tucker, Paye is chosen for the Vikings with their 1st-Round pick about 20%-25% of the time amid the last two weeks.
Paye would be the Week 1 Robin to Danielle Hunter’s Batman. You know the drill for the clichés.
A Michigan alumnus, Paye is prophesied to start on Day One. The pairing of Hunter and Paye would be rather snazzy — particularly when compared to the 2020 combo of Jalyn Holmes and Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Paye is a matchup-winning savant. Luke Braun from Zone Coverage tweeted this week:
And Braun ended an article about Paye by writing:
“Kwity Paye will enter his first training camp as a good edge defender with a chance to be great. He has a high floor, an even higher ceiling, and plays a premium position that the Vikings desperately need. If you are against drafting Paye because the risk is too high for the draft pick, I would ask you to fully consider that scenario. Which part are you afraid of?”
The same, aforementioned PFF big board calls Paye the 22nd-best player in this draft.
The Vera-Tucker v. Paye struggle is thematic. Fix the offensive line or fix the defensive line? The exciting news is that both of these men will probably be available if Spielman trades out of his pick.
A tradeback of a few spots, the acquisition of a 2nd-Round pick, and the selection of Vera-Tucker or Paye would satisfy a lot of mock-draft predictions.
Otherwise, the “other guys” will have nailed it. The most commonly mocked-drafted names other than Vera-Tucker and Paye are: Christian Darrisaw, Jaelan Phillips, Rashawn Slater, Gregory Rousseau, Micah Parsons, and Greg Newsome.