Minnesota Vikings Draft 2019: Four-round mock draft – 2.0
By Matt Falk
Third Round
Gerald Willis – DT (Miami)
Minnesota has more questions than answers at defensive tackle heading into the 2019 offseason. With Sheldon Richardson about to command some serious dollars in free agency and Tom Johnson a free-agent as well, there could be some big holes to fill in the middle of the defense.
Luckily for the Vikings, this year’s draft class is absolutely stacked on along the defensive line.
Willis is the type of prospect that has all the tools to be great, the only issue is he just hasn’t been able to put it all together yet. The 6-foot-4, 285 pound big man was a highly recruited prospect who started his college career at Florida before transferring to to Miami after some suspensions.
What I really like about Willis’ fit with Minnesota is his ability to penetrate opposing offensive backfields and his ability to stop the run.
He is very athletic for a defensive tackle and he has the quickness that isn’t easy to come by. When he is on his game, he can be a game changer. The Vikings playing him alongside Linval Joseph should offer up plenty of opportunities for Willis to get into the offensive backfield to cause some ruckus.
When all is said and done, if Willis can address his off-the-field issues and give teams confidence there won’t be issues moving forward, he could be a guy who teams feel has enough promise to be worth a second or third-round pick in 2019.
No question he will be a boom or bust player and Mike Zimmer may need to light a fire under him and keep it going.