Todd McShay mock draft: Vikings take LB Darron Lee

Todd McShay has released his second mock draft of the year and has the Minnesota Vikings taking Ohio State LB Darron Lee with the 23rd overall pick.

Most Vikings-related draft prognostication has focused on the offensive line, wide receivers and defensive backfield, but Todd McShay has bucked this trend by mocking a linebacker to the Vikings in his latest effort.

Now might be a good time to familiarize ourselves with the linebacker in question, Darron Lee of Ohio State.

Perusal of various scouting reports yields the following picture of Lee as a player:

Very good natural football talent. Played quarterback in high school and safety at college before moving to linebacker.

A little on the small side for a linebacker.

Tremendous speed and athletic ability, just like current Vikings linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks.

Still a bit raw at the linebacker position, having played there for just two seasons.

Hard-hitter who explodes into his tackles.

Key for any player in a Mike Zimmer scheme: long arms.

Good coverage ability.

More from The Viking Age

Good character.

Needs to get stronger, needs to work on reining in his somewhat out-of-control game.

For what it’s worth, Rob Rang also recently mocked Lee to the Vikings at #23.

Some fans will naturally raise objections to the notion of drafting a linebacker in the first round after going linebacker early in both 2014 and 2015, the thinking being that the Vikings should focus on the offense this time around.

Another fair question: Does it make sense to draft another linebacker that high knowing that in today’s NFL you are in nickel a lot of the time anyway?

If you accept that Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are firmly entrenched as every-down linebackers and therefore the Vikings only need a two-down player to man the Will, then drafting a linebacker in the first might seem a bit of a dubious move.

However, I’m not sure we should assume that Kendricks is 100% locked-in as an every-down player in Mike Zimmer’s mind. Kendricks showed great ability in 2015 and has become a fan favorite but there are still holes in his game, particularly in the coverage area.

Next: Phil Loadholt: Cut or keep

Darron Lee has arguably better physical tools than Kendricks and is more versatile. A former safety, Lee sometimes covered slot receivers in college. He also is viewed as a good blitzer.

To me, Mike Zimmer’s agenda is to always get more athletic and more versatile on defense, so he can dream up more looks and bring pressure from more angles. In other words, though the idea of drafting Darron Lee at 23 may look like a stretch to some, I’m not sure it is that big of a reach if you consider Zimmer’s preferences.

(Note: This may drive some fans crazy but McShay has the Bengals taking Braxton Miller in the next pick after the Vikings).

Home/Minnesota Vikings Draft