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2018 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings select Jalyn Holmes

The Vikings get Day 3 started with a defensive lineman

NCAA Football: Cotton Bowl-Ohio State vs Southern California Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings have already made a selection in Round 4 of the 2018 NFL Draft, and they’ve taken a player to help out along the defensive line.

The Vikings have selected Jalyn Holmes, a defensive lineman from THE. . .dramatic pause. . .Ohio State University.

Holmes is a big guy for a defensive end, coming in at 6’5” and 283 pounds. He was also pretty impressive at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, putting up a 4.82-second 40-yard dash.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Holmes to current Indianapolis Colts defensive end Henry Anderson.

Holmes doesn’t rush well enough to be a 4-3 end and needs more strength to fit into 3-4 fronts. However, if he improves his hand usage and adds lower body strength, he has the potential to become an effective 3-4 end with the ability to push the pocket as an interior rusher in sub packages. Holmes lacks the explosiveness to be a starter who will fill up the stat sheet, but he has intriguing size/strength potential that could make him a better pro than college player.

Holmes’ scouting report, at least from what I see from Zierlein, is actually a bit reminiscent of Danielle Hunter. Many thought that Hunter “didn’t rush well enough” to be a 4-3 end, and he only collected 1.5 sacks in his last year of college, but Holmes obviously has the athletic gifts where the Vikings apparently think they can mold him into a similar player. For now, it appears that he’s going to provide depth at the defensive end spot for the Vikings.

As things stand now, the Vikings aren’t slated to pick again until #167 overall, so we’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of us barring a trade up.

Welcome to Minnesota, Jalyn Holmes!

Poll

Grade the Minnesota Vikings’ selection of Jalyn Holmes at #102 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft

This poll is closed

  • 7%
    A
    (98 votes)
  • 6%
    A-
    (87 votes)
  • 19%
    B+
    (268 votes)
  • 24%
    B
    (342 votes)
  • 11%
    B-
    (160 votes)
  • 8%
    C+
    (119 votes)
  • 9%
    C
    (134 votes)
  • 5%
    C-
    (71 votes)
  • 2%
    D+
    (33 votes)
  • 2%
    D
    (30 votes)
  • 3%
    D-
    (55 votes)
1397 votes total Vote Now