Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
With the Vikings annual “Top 30” event happening in the next couple of days, prospects are starting to show up around Winter Park.
One player the Vikings are hosting for a visit is LSU linebacker Lamin Barrow, who met with the team today according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Yahoo Sports.
Barrow, an inside linebacker, is projected to be a late round selection and is the 7th rated inside linebacker in the draft by CBS Sports.
Barrow had 86 tackles and 1.5 sacks his senior season as a Tiger. Barrow ran the 40 yard dash in 4.64 seconds and managed to bench press 22 reps at the Combine. Barrow also measured at 6-foot-one-inch, 237 pounds at the Combine.
It was thought that Barrow might have a breakout campaign his senior season after former LSU linebacker Kevin Minter left for the NFL, but Barrow actually recorded 18 fewer tackles as a senior than as a junior.
Barrow lacks proper tackling technique, and he is “a better athlete than football player,” according to CBS Sports.
In other words, he sounds exactly like the type of player Mike Zimmer could want. One of Zimmer’s stated emphases as a head coach will be “teaching” players, and Barrow sounds like exactly the kind of project Zimmer could try to improve.
The Vikings have plenty of other linebackers besides Barrow on their radar though, as soon top rated prospects Anthony Barr and Khalil Mack will be at Winter Park for the “Top 30” event. Mid round prospect Preston Brown, also an inside linebacker, in expected to be in attendance as well.
After spending much of free agency acquiring talent and depth for the defensive line, it seems the Vikings are heavily invested in upgrading their linebacking corps through the draft. It looks like the team is trying to bring in several bodies at the position, even after spending two picks on linebackers just last year.