Minnesota Vikings Draft 2019: 3 prospects to watch for Day 3 – Part III

Sutton Smith – DE/OLB (Northern Illinois)

After the shocking re-signing of Anthony Barr when he was all but locked up going to the New York Jets, linebacker definitely moves down the Vikings’ current needs list.

Minnesota still requires depth at the position and they could also stand to upgrade over Ben Gedeon. The Vikings probably won’t look at a linebacker on Day 1 or 2 of the 2019 draft now unless someone falls into their laps. But a Day 3 linebacker is a real possibility.

Sutton Smith is an explosive edge rusher out Northern Illinois. He has a nice burst coming out of his stance and a great bend to get under would be blockers.

Smith flies to the quarterback and consistently gets pressure. He is very opportunistic and he seems to often come up with a loose football.

Smith was insanely productive as a Husky, racking up a very impressive 30 sacks and 58.5 tackles for a loss in his college career. He also showed a knack for blocking punts in college and he could be a great special teams player as a rookie.

There are a couple of things keeping Smith from being a first or second-day pick in this year’s draft. He doesn’t have great size (standing just 6 feet and weighing in at 233 pounds) and while he appears lightning quick on tape, his 4.69 40-yard dash time at the 2019 combine was disappointing.

There are plenty of edge rushers in this class who are bigger and faster. That all being said, the Vikings could look at playing Smith in a similar role as Anthony Barr, groom him to be his primary backup, and also get an excellent special teamer in the process.

(For more NFL Draft and Vikings-related content from Nik Edlund, head on over to SkolHole.com and check out his work.)