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After going offense with their first two selections, the Minnesota Vikings have moved to the defensive side of the ball with the second of their four third-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chazz Surratt
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Date of Birth: 16 February 1997 (24 years old)
College: University of North Carolina
Drafted: Round 3, #78 overall
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 230 pounds
Career accomplishments: First-Team All-ACC (2019, 2020)
Twitter handle: @Chazz_Surratt12
With the 78th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings have selected Chazz Surratt, a linebacker from the University of North Carolina.
Surratt came to North Carolina as a quarterback, spending his first two years with the Tarheels at that position before switching to linebacker before the 2019 season. It appears the transition was a good idea, considering that he played two years at linebacker and was named to the All-ACC First Team twice. That’s a solid ratio.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Surratt as the #8 linebacker in this year’s class and the #97 player overall on his Big Board. Here’s what Brugler has to say about Surratt:
Surratt is field fast and moves really well at the position to cover, blitz or chase down the run, showing the smarts to consistently be around the football. However, his take-on skills and finishing ability aren’t yet strengths to his game, and he sticks to blocks and often arrives too hot as a tackler. Overall, Surratt must improve his run fits and develop in several areas, but he has the athleticism, instincts and competitive toughness to be a high-volume tackler and run-around weakside linebacker in the NFL.
With Anthony Barr set to hit free agency after this season, it appears that the Vikings may be looking to the future with this selection. Seems like a solid pick for Minnesota.
Welcome to Minnesota, Chazz Surratt!