The Minnesota Vikings struck pay dirt with rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the 2020 NFL draft. Can they do it again in 2021?
With 1,400 receiving yards on 88 catches, Jefferson averaged a massive 15.9 yards per catch in his rookie campaign. Add to that 58 first downs and seven touchdowns, and you get one of the best rookie Viking receivers since Randy Moss.
With the 14th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, the Vikings should have options both offensively and defensively.
NFLMockDraftDatabase has a great “Consensus Big Board” that mashes all the legit mock drafts into one pool, giving each player a metric that ranks them out and predicts a consensus draft order.
Minnesota Vikings Draft Kwity Paye
As of this writing, they mock Michigan EDGE rusher Kwity Paye to the Vikings.
Many consider Paye one of the draft’s top EDGE prospects. Adding him to a front 7 that already has Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr is lethal. Hunter and Paye would bookend a stout line, which head coach Mike Zimmer needs for his defense to work well.
Paye had 59 solo tackles and 11.5 sacks in his 28 games at Michigan. A player like that would flourish in the context of the Vikings current defensive talent – assuming they all stay healthy.
Minnesota Vikings Draft Gregory Rousseau
Our top pick for the Vikings, Rousseau is the top edge defender in the draft, according to many.
While Rousseau didn’t have the lengthy collegiate career Paye had, he maximized his 1 year. The big man brought 34 solo tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss to the Miami Hurricanes. He’s certainly another player that could shine in the context of surrounding talent.
Minnesota Vikings Draft Alijah Vera-Tucker
While offensive guards are one of the least sexy draft picks out there, 1st round guards are often a great investment. Having Vera-Tucker open holes for elite running back Dalvin Cook will do wonders for the Vikings offense. And, having that run game boost does wonders for last year’s rookie star Justin Jefferson since opposing defenses can’t double team Jefferson if they’re stacking the box to stop Cook.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins wore out his cleats running for his life last season behind a porous offensive line. Vera-Tucker immediately reduces the amount of busted pockets and increases Cousins’ time to find and hit an open receiver.
With no 2nd round pick, general manager Rick Spielman and the Vikings need to get the 1st pick right. While they do have 2-3rd rounders and 3-4th rounders, the 1st is their best shot adding an immediate contributor.
Thankfully, the Vikings have the draft and free agency to address the roster needs. They can use both to add offensive and defensive personnel. Should they go defense in the 1st round and offense later? Will they go offense heavy in free agency and focus on the D in the draft?
With NFL Free Agency starting on March 15th and the draft on April 29th, we won’t have long to wait.
