Vikings Trade Back Into First Round, Select Safety Harrison Smith

Leslie Frazier is a man of his word…sort of. In an interview earlier Frazier said the Vikes would try to trade back into the first with the intention of taking a cornerback. They did trade back into the first, giving up their 35th and 98th overall picks to Baltimore for the 29th overall selection. But they didn’t take a cornerback, instead they selected Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith. So still a defensive back.

I have to believe the Vikings were hoping Dre Kirkpatrick would be here for them, but the Bengals made that discussion moot by taking him 17th overall (so much for him dropping). Nevertheless, the Vikings knew they needed secondary help and took the best defensive back left on the board. And they traded up a little to make sure they didn’t lose him.

Looking at their roster, it was pretty obvious they needed to get a safety. At least at cornerback they still have Chris Cook, Antoine Winfield, Chris Carr and Zackary Bowman. At safety they had, coming into the day, Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford. Terrifying. Smith gives them a guy who, though he doesn’t sport superstar talent, can do everything they want him to in their scheme. He’ll tackle some. He’ll cover some. He’ll play smart. He’s better than anything they’ve had at safety the last few years, it’s safe to say.

He’s not a ball-hawk, but hopefully he’ll know where to be and won’t take too many bad angles.

Like The Viking Age on Facebook.
Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.