2021 NFL Draft Results: Minnesota Vikings select Ihmir Smith-Marsette

It took a while, but the Minnesota Vikings have finally gotten their hands on a wide receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Date of Birth: 29 August 1999 (22 years old)

College: University of Iowa

Drafted: Round 5, # 157 overall

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 180 pounds

Career accomplishments: Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2019, 2020)

Twitter handle: @_ihmirr_

With the #th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings have selected Ihmir Smith-Marsette, a wide receiver from the University of Iowa.

Smith-Marsette is a player that was selected as a two-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten as a receiver in each of the past two seasons. He came to the Hawkeyes as a cornerback but converted to wide receiver after getting to Kirk Ferentz and company.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Smith-Marsette as the #37 receiver in this year’s draft class. Here’s what Brugler has to say about Smith-Marsette:

Though he is mostly a linear route runner, Smith-Marsette has outstanding straight-line wheels that the defense must account for every time he takes a snap. His ball skills have room for improvement, especially when he is asked to work into traffic or out-muscle defenders. Overall, Smith-Marsette needs to develop better consistency as a finisher and separator, but he has dynamic speed with or without the ball. He projects as a back-end-of-the-roster receiver with home run ability and kick return value.

This might seem like a bit of a superfluous pick with the team taking Kene Ngwangu earlier in the day, as it seems like Smith-Marsette might have more of a future as a return guy than as a receiver. We’ll have to see how the Vikings make use of him.

Welcome to Minnesota, Ihmir Smith-Marsette!