Kentrell Brothers heads to the Minnesota Vikings as a fifth-round pick in the draft.
The Vikings are set at two of the three linebacker spots, with Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks returning as starters, but are still trying to figure out who will start at the third linebacker spot and who will fill the backup positions.
On Saturday the Vikings added another linebacker to that already crowded mix, drafting Missouri’s Kentrell Brothers with their fifth-round selection, the 160th overall pick.
Brothers is a smallish linebacker at just 6-0, 245 pounds, and his athleticism is only considered to be average. Where Brothers excels is in pure football instinct. Scouts compare him to former TCU linebacker Paul Dawson, a player many folks had the Vikings targeting in the 2015 draft. Some scouts also compare Brothers to Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson.
Brothers was a highly productive player in college, leading the nation in tackles-per-game as a senior in 2015 with 12 tackles-for-loss and a pair of interceptions. A special teams ace, Brothers also blocked three kicks last season for Mizzou.
The numbers are impressive with Brothers but as a pro he may be limited to two-down duty. His skill-set indicates that he will be a good player against the run as an inside linebacker but will have to come off the field in passing situations. The Vikings had issues last year against the run so maybe Brothers is seen as a potential remedy for that.
Is it possible that Brothers could ultimately start inside for the Vikings, allowing Mike Zimmer to move Eric Kendricks to the Will?
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The Vikings have made a lot of moves at linebacker so far this offseason, picking up free agents Emmanuel Lamur and Travis Lewis, and bringing back Chad Greenway and Audie Cole. The Vikes also have Edmond Robinson coming back.
The competition for linebacker slots was already going to be pretty fierce, and things only got more crowded with the addition of Brothers.