Minnesota Vikings 2020 NFL Draft

Vikings Mock v4.13

Planet Theory

By Mark P Apr 13, 2020, 4:01pm CDT

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 01 Camping World Kickoff - Alabama v Louisville

Draft day is getting closer and closer and all is quiet on the free agency front. Trade rumors are all but dead too. I will assume no other free agents and no trades happen in this mock.

There is growing consensus among Vikings fans that interior offensive line is a huge problem. I do not share these concerns and thus, my mocks will not reflect that worry.

The interior line class in this draft is not that strong and I am not going to reach for a center that I would play guard. I think there are other positions with better value.

I do expect this will be Reiff’s last season here unless they do something with his contract next year. But even if they do that, how much longer will he have left?

I do not believe the Vikings will get an extension done for Harris but if they do that would be fine. I don’t think it is a good idea to have 2 safeties making close to or more than 10 mil per year but that is another argument.

So, let’s get to the mock ...

https://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=idnwwt

TRADES

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SENT: ROUND: 1 PICK: 22

RECEIVED: ROUND: 1 PICK: 28, ROUND: 3 PICK: 28

LA CHARGERS

SENT: ROUND: 5 PICK: 9, ROUND: 7 PICK: 39

RECEIVED: ROUND: 5 PICK: 5

25: R1P25 DL RAEKWON DAVIS ALABAMA

6061 311 5.12

NCAA Football: CFP National Championship Game-Alabama vs Georgia

This pick will be roundly criticized but Davis was ranked #25 on Dec 25, 2019 by drafttek and now has fallen even though all he played was a bowl game. It’s a mystery to me because after he had the 8 12 sacks in 2017 he was constantly and consistently double teamed in 2018 & 2019. He was the leader of the defensive line last year as the only upper classman. He also graduated which he called the best experience of his life. I like that in a young man and it shows his high character. I think people get caught up too much in the drop in his numbers without understanding how teams had to game plan against him.

This dude is 6’6” 311 lbs and there just is not that many people walking around the planet with that size that can also play football. I compare him to Chris Jones who now is on the franchise tag. Other comparisons are DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead.

I’m not sure why he is not getting more love but he is my favorite DT in this draft and already plays the run excellently. I think Coach Patterson can get even more out of him. He wont face nearly as many double teams with Hunter, Pierce, and Odengibo (or Griffen if they bring him back).

https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/sports/20191008/alabamas-raekwon-davis-seeing-improvement-despite-lack-of-numbers

https://247sports.com/college/alabama/Article/Alabama-Football-senior-DL-Raekwon-Davis-calls-earning-degree-best-experience-of-my-life-140974036/

28: R1P28 OT ISAIAH WILSON GEORGIA

6064 350 5.32

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 21 Notre Dame at Georgia

Wilson was ranked 47th on Dec 25, 2019 and is now at #55. There are rumors of some GMs who believe that he could go in the first round. They are right. There just are not that many people with his size walking around the planet that can also play football. Some think that he has the talent to play left tackle too and I agree.

https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=923

There are some detractors of Wilson who do not see him as a first round pick. Here what pff says about the first round talk for Wilson ...

Wilson earned an 84.6 pass-blocking grade during his final year for the SEC runner-up Bulldogs, and he allowed just nine total pressures against some elite competition. As a run-blocker, he’s graded out as a 78.5 and a 76.2 in two seasons, which is solid but not as dominant as you would want from a right tackle.

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2020-nfl-draft-investigating-the-recent-isaiah-wilson-hype-by-using-a-projection-based-approach

... there has been endless debates about the offensive line and whether or not the team should wait to get value in the next round. These debates revolve around waiting and seeing a run on the position and ending up with nothing. This has merit and was observed when the Vikings took Mike Hughes. Well, it is not happening here. I like Wilson more than Josj Jones and my boy, Austin Jackson. Wilson is only 20 or 21 years old as well.

The debate can be about another tackle but Wilson is put together really well and does not look like a tub of goo. He is a beast!

58: R2P26 WR MICHAEL PITTMAN JR. USC

6040 223 4.52

NCAA Football: UCLA at Southern California

Being able to get Pittmann at #58 is probably wishful thinking as there is a lot of buzz growing for him. As a huge USC homer, I can tell you he did not disappoint and was a consistent force when given the opportunities.

https://reignoftroy.com/2020/04/11/michael-pittman-nfl-draft-buzz-usc-football/

“Among those to creep up the PFF draft board is Pittman, who has played his way, in our opinions, to a first-round grade largely because of his near-perfect ball skills,” Anthony Treash wrote. “The 6-foot-4 Pittman has dropped just 2.8% of his career catchable targets, owns an insane catch radius and can adjust to any off-target throw to snag what would typically be an incomplete pass. His route-running is impressive for his size, too. Pittman’s Combine testing was just the icing on the cake — running a 1.51-second 10-yard split and 4.52-second 40-yard at 6-foot-4, 223 pounds is not too shabby.”

I expect that the Vikings would need to trade up to get my boy.

89: R3P25 G ROBERT HUNT LOUISIANA

6051 323

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 16 Louisiana at Texas A&M

Hunt is another large human that is versatile.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/robert-hunt?id=32194855-4e36-0894-8461-dd1b950e2536

He started all 13 games at left guard as a redshirt freshman, and then split time between left guard (nine starts) and left tackle (two starts) the following season. Hunt moved to right tackle for all 14 games in 2018, and Sun Belt coaches considered his play good enough to vote him second-team all-conference. He only started the first seven games of his senior season due to a groin injury but still was named first-team All-SBC for his play at right tackle.

https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/3/14/21178870/2020-nfl-draft-profile-louisiana-ol-robert-hunt

Hunt is considered by many to be a perfect candidate for the interior in the NFL but has that versatility to slide out to tackle in a pinch. I know people wanted to address the interior of the offensive line earlier but this is where it makes the most sense to me and bringing in more size is essential in my opinion. The Vikings need to stop bull rushes from being successful more often than not.

92: R3P28 DL JASON STROWBRIDGE NORTH CAROLINA

6042 275 4.89

Strowbridge has not getting much love since he blew up at the Senior Bowl and it is kind of interesting. I think that teams may not know where to put him. I think he is a base 4-3 DE all day long (shout out to Mayock). He has played on the interior at North Carolina and has proven to be effective there which is something that Zimmer could utilize in passing situations. I think that the Vikings would have Strowbridge stay between 265 and 275 lbs and develop him as a defensive end.

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/02/2020-nfl-draft-player-profiles-north-carolina-dl-jason-strowbridge/

105: R3P41 CB MICHAEL OJEMUDIA IOWA

6005 200 4.45

Ojemudia is an interesting evaluation. He has great size and length with 32 1/4” arms. He ran a 6.87 3-cone, 4.21 short shuttle, 36” vertical, and 10’2” broad jump. He had an excellent RAS score too.

https://relativeathleticscores.com/2020/02/11/michael-ojemudia-ras/

He graded out well at the Senior Bowl.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1220352989388472320?s=20

He is another Iowa corner being overlooked and is versatile enough where the Vikings could consider him at safety.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2020/02/29/nfl-draft-michael-ojemudia-iowa-football-defensive-backs/4903940002/

Ojemudia is very smart as well.

https://www.cover1.net/2020-nfl-draft-prospect-film-session-with-iowa-cornerback-michael-ojemudia/

132: R4P26 WR TYLER JOHNSON MINNESOTA

6013 206

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 01 Outback Bowl - Minnesota v Auburn

What can I say about Johnson that people here do not already know? He dominated Auburn in the bowl game although he did not face Javaris Davis or Noah Igbinoghene much in that game. That was not very smart of Auburn. PFF believe he could be the biggest steal in this draft which makes him being available here a bit perplexing no? Perhaps he should be the pick in round 2 instead of Pittman?

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-why-tyler-johnson-could-end-up-the-biggest-steal-in-the-2020-nfl-draft

151: R5P5 S K’VON WALLACE CLEMSON

5110 206 4.53

College Football Playoff National Championship - Clemson v LSU

Wallace is really a slot corner. Last year, he had 63 snaps at te free safety position (deep), 208 snaps in the box (up at the LOS), 396 snaps at the slot corner position, 7 at cornerback, and 40 up on the defensive line. He ran a 6.76 3-cone which shows his outstanding agility.

Here is what PFFs draft guide says ...

Wallace’s change of direction and explosive testing numbers were superb. That’s exactly the type of profile you want to see in either a safety or a slot corner

... I see Wallace as a slot corner for the Vikings.

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/03/2020-nfl-draft-player-profiles-clemson-ss-kvon-wallace/

https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2020/03/29/2020-nfl-draft-kvon-wallace-scouting-report/

https://lastwordonprofootball.com/2020/04/06/kvon-wallace-2020-nfl-draft-profile/

201: R6P22 S TANNER MUSE CLEMSON

6027 227 4.42

Taking another excellent defender from the Clemson Championship level team just makes a ton of sense to me. That experience in high pressure games cannot be discounted. Muse had an excellent combine. He is a player that many do not see as a deep safety but he somehow managed to continue starting for Clemson. He has that tweener in his game where the Vikings may want to use him at LB. But I see Kearse and Sendejo in his game and that is how I expect the Vikings would utilize him. At the very worse, he would be an excellent special team player.

https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=999

https://247sports.com/Article/Tanner-Muse-former-Clemson-Tiger-says-do-not-sleep-NFL-Scouting-Combine-Draft-2020-Trayvon-Mullen-144502454/

205: R6P26 LB JUSTIN STRNAD WAKE FOREST

6033 238 4.74

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 22 Birmingham Bowl - Memphis v Wake Forest

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/justin-strnad?id=32195354-5252-7447-7939-62e0ed643953

Strnad (pronounced stir-NAD) pulled off a strange double as a sophomore with the Demon Deacons. He led the team with three interceptions and also with 10 special teams tackles; he did not start any of the 13 games he played, but still managed 51 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and the three picks. Wake coaches got him into the starting lineup in 2018, and he led the team with 105 stops (8.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, five pass breakups in 13 games) on his way to honorable mention All-ACC honors. He was off to a strong start in his senior year but had surgery on his torn right biceps in October; in eight games (seven starts) he recorded 69 tackles, 5.5 for loss, two sacks, an interception, and four pass breakups to earn honorable mention All-ACC honors.

https://fullpresscoverage.com/2020/01/13/2020-raiders-draft-prospect-lb-justin-strnad/

219: R7P5 TE STEPHEN SULLIVAN LSU

6047 248 4.66

Sullivan is a total upside prospect. He tested very well at the combine. He has 35 1/2” arms, 10 1/8” hands, did a 36.5” vertical and 10’3” broad jump. At this point in the draft you want to find players with the athletic traits you can develop.

https://lastwordonprofootball.com/2020/04/06/stephen-sullivan-2020-nfl-draft-profile/

https://www.bigblueview.com/2020/2/27/21155218/2020-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-stephen-sullivan-te-lsu-scouting-report-ny-giants

https://www.hogshaven.com/2020/4/2/21203685/is-stephen-sullivans-best-football-ahead-of-him-redskins-nfl-draft

249: R7P35 CB MADRE HARPER SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

6016 196 4.43

I had to pick someone else in the link to this draft because the big board did not have Harper.

Harper is a sleeper pick. He has 33 7/8 arms as a corner! He ran a 4.43, did 14 reps on the bench with those long arms, had a 40” vertical, 11’02” broad, 4.25 short shuttle, and 6.88 3-cone!

Harper was dismissed from Oklahoma State for unspecified reasons (probably said something about Gundy’s mullet) before transferring to Southern Illinois where he teamed up with Jeremy Chinn.

https://thetouchdown.co.uk/small-school-pro-day-standouts/

Summary ...