PART TWO: Players the Vikings Should Target in the Draft
Micah Tweeten
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In a continuation from part one, I’m trying to nail down a mix of players that I believe the Vikings should target in the draft that have the perfect blend of athleticism, technique, and fit for our offensive and defensive schemes (based on what we’ve looked for in recent years and who we were rumored to target this offseason in free agency and the draft). So, without further ado, here is part two of this article with five players on day two that I believe would be great picks for the Vikings during the 2018 NFL Draft.
Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan
Consensus Big Board: 69.9
My Grade: 7.02 (Early Round 2), #32 OVR (#3 OT)
NFL Player Comp: Ronnie Stanley
Meetings with Vikings: None.
Right now, Okorafor is projected as a late second or early third round prospect, but I have an early second round grade on him. One of the knocks on Okorafor, and why he may slide a bit in the draft, is that there are not many blocking schemes that would work exceptionally well for him, but a zone blocking scheme is the one scheme that would best utilize his athletic ability, and lucky for us, that’s the scheme we use on our offensive line.
He is a big yet nimble tackle and has great balance with natural power, with an incredible anchor in pass protection. Very rarely does he give up ground at the point of attack, as he is very aggressive in contact and does not allow opponents to spin off of contact often. His footwork is exceptionally fast, although he does occasionally give up a little ground to a defender with his outside foot placement, but has great recovery abilities. He has a great blend of mobility and absolute power as a mauler in the run game and would excel on zone runs. His hands are powerful and he plays with a good pop, but he can be late in landing hand strikes and getting into position at times. He needs work with stunts and blitzes as he occasionally appears lost, but understands angles well enough that he can be aggressive blocking down the field. He has the potential to play either left or right tackle, although I think with a few of his shortcomings in pass protection, he would be better served playing on the right side of the line to start. I’ve seen some put first round grades on him, which speaks to his ability and potential.
Nathan Shepherd, DT, Fort Hays State
Consensus Big Board: 85.4
My Grade: 6.78 (Mid Round 2), #43 OVR (#5 DT)
NFL Player Comp: Muhammed Wilkerson
Meetings with Vikings: Private Workout (Official 30)
When you look at his size, Shepherd appears to be a nose tackle in the NFL – he stands 6’5” tall and weighs 315 pounds (Linval is 6’4” and 320). He’s too big to be effective as a traditional 3-tech in the NFL, right? Wrong. He actually has the athleticism to play DE in a 3-4 scheme if he wanted to (he almost ran a sub-5 40 yard dash at the combine and his broad jump was on par with an average linebacker’s broad jump at the combine). He has an explosive first step with powerful and clean hand technique in his pass rush and has solid strength to push through gaps. He’s incredibly flexible in redirecting into the backfield and has a surprising athletic ability to change direction to pursue the ball carrier. He is competitive with a high motor and shows urgency and power in his moves, although he frequently struggles with pad height and occasionally doesn’t trust his reads.
Shepherd is a raw athlete, and the concern of competition at Fort Hays State is obvious, but he looks like an ideal 3-tech in the NFL. He did prove himself against better competition at the Senior Bowl by consistently beating potential first round pick Will Hernandez during live drills. He fits exactly what the Vikings need for the future in an explosively athletic, pass-rushing defensive tackle and he would benefit sitting behind Richardson as a role-player for a year to adjust to the level of competition before being given the chance to be the starter next year.
Donte Jackson, CB, LSU
Consensus Big Board: 61.8
My Grade: 6.53 (Early Round 3), #57 OVR (#6 CB)
NFL Player Comp: Tracy Porter
Meetings with Vikings: None
Jackson is regarded as the best pure nickel corner in this draft. He is an incredibly quick and fluid corner with the ability to start at corner in day one. He has some flaws with his game, mostly due to his size (or lack thereof) that could be worked on with Zimmer. His thin frame is not ideal for physicality and as a result, he struggles with proper tackling and may lack the punch needed in press coverage to succeed in press coverage in the NFL. But what he lacks in physicality, he makes up in athleticism and technique. Jackson has incredibly smooth footwork and reads the ball well in the air (although his hands need work). His speed (a 4.32 at the combine) allows him to recover quickly if he does get beat on a route. His man coverage is exceptional, and his zone coverage is good and shows potential, although he does get caught anticipating routes or reading the ball too much at times, which allows him to get beat deep.
Jackson fits well for the Vikings for several reasons – his weaknesses play into the strengths of our defense and his ability on special teams. Jackson does have some experience returning kicks, and his speed and burst show his potential as an explosive returner. In terms of how he fits on the defense, Jackson struggles most with deep zone, and with the quality safety play of Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo the last few years, Zimmer can scheme help for Jackson deep when needed. I don’t believe that Jackson will ever be a star in the NFL, but I do believe he can step in from day one and soon become a dependable role player and nice asset to have in the secondary.
Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State
Consensus Big Board: 100.7
My Grade: 6.65 (Late Round 2), #50 OVR (#4 OT)
NFL Player Comp: Duane Brown
Meetings with Vikings: None.
Jones is a guy that we should be able to get in round 3, although we might have to move up a bit to grab him. He’s an offensive tackle who has the ability to play on either side of the line, and excels at pass coverage. His footwork in pass sets is exceptional and he shows the functional athleticism needed for deeper drops. He mirrors the pass rush well with a good anchor and punch needed to allow for enough space in the pocket. He compliments that pass protection skill set with a solid run blocking technique. He lacks significant strength in run blocking (he’s not a mauler…) but he shows the technique, hand placement, and punch to amount to average functional strength in blocking. He works his hips and feet really well in zone runs and does well getting to the second level. He’s quick out of his stance, and with his long arms, that means he is usually getting his hands on the defender first before a move can be made. He’s polished and disciplined, although he struggles with balance at times, when he gets too eager to block the defender, which is when he got beat most often.
Jones can play in a variety of blocking schemes, but the best fit is a zone blocking scheme. He’s a tackle that would be able to step in to the offensive line on day one because of his experience at tackle with the ability to become a high-end starter at right tackle in a few years while also having the versatility to play left tackle well if there was an injury to Reiff.
Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
Consensus Big Board: 63.3
My Grade: 6.57 (Early Round 3), #51 OVR (#3 TE)
NFL Player Comp: Coby Fleener
Meetings with Vikings: None.
Andrews is an athletic play-making tight end who shows the ability to be a quality receiving tight end in the NFL. He has separation skills when covered by either linebackers or safeties and can keep a defense honest in his ability to work anywhere on the field. He struggles at times with drops, which stems from looking up field too quickly, but has otherwise reliable hands with a great catch radius, especially in contested situations. He has more shiftiness than you would expect from a tight end and has the ability to create some yards after the catch. I think the best way to describe Andrews’ play is how NFL.com put it when they say that he “plays with a receiver’s mentality in a tight end’s body.” He excels at blocking in the second level, but needs more experience and work to block well in-line.
Andrews is an athletic tight end with some size that would fit what the Vikings have been looking to pair with Rudolph recently (based on our rumors of wanting Trey Burton and who we’ve been interviewing with the draft). It’s also possible that Andrews could replace Rudolph after the 2019 season if his contract is too expensive (or possibly even after this year as Rudolph doesn’t have any dead cap after 2018). He would give the Vikings another weapon on offense, and a quality safety blanket for Cousins (who likes to throw a lot to his tight ends).
Day Two Fits Honorable Mentions (in order of grade):
Josh Sweat, EDGE, Florida State
James Daniels, iOL, Iowa
Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
Lorenzo Carter, EDGE, Georgia
Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
Tyrell Carter, OT, Oregon
For previous or future parts of the series, use the links below: