Minnesota Vikings: 5 possible late-round defensive targets

Darius Latham – DT – Indiana

If you’re looking for a true potential steal in the late rounds, Darius Latham might be your guy. Projected as a third-round talent by some evaluators, Latham has some character red flags that could push him down in the draft.

The 6-4, 311-pound Latham is intriguing largely because of his versatility. His best position is probably 3-tech but he’s large enough to play some nose. He was a very productive pass-rusher in college thanks to his above-average quickness and array of well-developed moves including a great spin. He also has good lower-body strength.

On the negative side, Latham is not a great run defender. He’s probably a little too beefy and might need to work harder on conditioning. In college he was suspended twice for violating team rules.

Latham to me has the potential to be a replacement for Tom Johnson down the road. If he can get into better shape he can be a player you move around the interior of the defensive line, playing at the 3-tech and sometimes as a pass-rushing nose.

The Vikings normally stay away from players with character red flags, however, if Latham drops into the late rounds they might be able to look past that and take a chance on him, hoping the locker room culture in Minnesota is strong enough to keep him in line. The Vikings reportedly met with Latham at Indiana pro day.