Vikings Draft 2019: A second-round option for each position of need

Miles Sanders – RB (Penn State)

It’s hard not to love everything about Miles Sanders. He took over for Saquon Barkley last year and he actually looks and plays a lot like him with a powerful lower body and overall shiftiness.

When Sanders is carrying the ball, a play is never over until it’s whistled dead. He doesn’t go down easily and when it looks like he’s bottled up he’ll fight, spin and scrap and can turn a busted play into a big gainer.

Sanders has great vision, speed, and patience. He will wait for the hole to open and then hit it and with his speed be gone. Sanders also runs with great power and can lower his shoulder and get the extra yards. He can also be an effective pass catcher out of the backfield, though he didn’t do a ton of it in his career as a Nittany Lion.

Sanders game is similar to Dalvin Cook‘s and he wouldn’t be a change of pace like Latavius Murray was. If the Vikings take Sanders they’ll be giving teams a double dose of electric ball carriers who can take it to the house on any given play. That’s not a bad thing.

It makes all the sense in the world for Minnesota to take a running back in the 2019 draft. Cook has yet to put in a full season, and after him, the depth chart is rounded out with unproven Mike Boone and kick returner Ameer Abdullah.

The question is if Minnesota views the need at running back big enough that it’s worth investing a second-round choice on. If they do, Miles Sanders should be considered, as he’s the only back worthy of being taken with the 50th overall pick.