Minnesota Vikings Draft: Who Is Your “Draft Crush?”

This draft season for Minnesota Vikings fans has been, to put it mildly, a little dull. Not having a first round selection will do that. Still, with eight picks in the last six rounds. . .and possibly more, if Rick Spielman decides he’s going to move around the board a bit. . .there are plenty of talented players that will find themselves in purple next season.

So, the question I have is this: Who is your “draft crush?” By that, I mean who is the one guy that, when the dust settles on draft weekend, you want to see in purple?

Now, I know we’d all love to see Myles Garrett in a Minnesota uniform next season, but barring the mother of all draft day deals, that’s not happening. I’m more focused on guys that could realistically find themselves drafted by our favorite football team.

For me, that guy is Ohio State offensive lineman Pat Elflein. The offensive line isn’t the sexiest position, by any means, but after last season we know how important it is. . .and just how far the Vikings have to go to fix theirs. While the Vikings made a couple of potential short-term fixes in free agency with tackles Mike Remmers and Riley Reiff, Elflein would represent a long-term fix on the interior of the line.

While Elflein played center for the Buckeyes this past season, he played the previous two years at right guard. Hey, the Vikings currently have an opening at right guard! (At least, according to Mike Zimmer they do.) Elflein would be the starting right guard as soon as his name was called from the podium, and with Joe Berger’s status being up in the air after the 2017 season, Elflein could easily slide over to center starting in 2018.

Elflein wouldn’t qualify as a “flashy” player or anything. Very few offensive lineman would fall under that heading. But he’s going to be a very solid offensive lineman in this league for someone for the next 10-12 years, whether it’s at center or at guard. If the Vikings want a solid foundation to build their offensive line on for the long term, I think Elflein would be a perfect player for that.

So, that’s why Pat Elflein is my “draft crush” for the Minnesota Vikings for this season. Who’s yours?