Minnesota Vikings: 5 possible late-round defensive targets

Stephen Weatherly – LB – Vanderbilt

The Vikings have reportedly visited with Weatherly, a 6-4, 267-pound linebacker. His workout numbers are as follows: 4.35 40, 23 bench reps, 31-inch vertical, 9-9 broad jump.

Weatherly showed some versatility as a pass-rusher at Vanderbilt, occasionally being used as an A-gap blitzer. Weatherly is very long and scouts think that with his frame he could add more muscle. He has shown the ability to effectively drop into coverage.

Overall, Weatherly comes across as a player with a lot of physical tools and a good body for the NFL who could find a spot one day. His versatile skill-set and good size are likely what caught the Vikings’ eye. This is a player you could see Minnesota taking a shot with in the late rounds.

What actual position Weatherly would end up playing is anybody’s guess. He played defensive end early on in college then shifted to OLB when Vanderbilt went to a 3-4. A lot of teams that run 4-3 defenses are looking at Weatherly possibly as a linebacker, and Tony Pauline mentioned that some scouts think he has enough ability to eventually be a three-down linebacker.

As the above video demonstrates, Weatherly has some playmaking ability on special teams. There’s a ton of interesting stuff in his personal bio including the fact that he plays six musical instruments. His grandmother went to Harvard and MIT and he lists chess and math as his interests.