Minnesota Vikings: 7 options if they pass on WR in first
By Dan Zinski
3. Darron Lee – LB – Ohio State
I’m pretty much convinced the Minnesota Vikings won’t go linebacker in the first round under any circumstances, but just for the sake of argument, what if there’s a linebacker they really love and that guy happens to be there for them with the #23 overall pick?
If there’s one linebacker in this year’s draft who might be worth a look for Minnesota at #23, it’s Ohio State’s Darron Lee (6-1, 232). Though he’s a bit undersized, Lee has tremendous speed and athleticism and can range all over the field. He has very good cover skills for a linebacker and also has good blitzing ability.
With his pure athletic ability, range and versatility, Lee certainly sounds like the kind of player who would interest Mike Zimmer. However, I’m still not convinced he makes sense as a first-round selection. The Vikings did have Lee in for a visit during their top-30 event a couple weeks ago but I have to believe they would only have interest in him if he slides into the second round.
Yes, Lee would give the Vikings a very interesting young option at weakside linebacker but with Chad Greenway coming back and Emmanuel Lamur and Travis Lewis joining the team, Minnesota already has plenty of choices at that position.