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

Darnell Savage – S (Maryland)

The Vikings will definitely be looking for a safety in the 2019 NFL Draft as they currently only have three on the roster. They have the starters in Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris with just lanky Jayron Kearse as the lone backup. It’s a good thing for Minnesota that this draft is loaded with talented safeties, and the second round alone could see half a dozen come off the board.

Savage isn’t the typical type of safety Mike Zimmer likes. He prefers big safeties and the ones on the roster right now all are 6-foot-1 or taller. Savage is 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds, but he plays much bigger. He shoots like a laser when flying in to make a tackle on a running back, and can make some teeth-rattling hits.

Savage also is excellent in pass coverage. He sticks to his man like glue and he is fast enough to not get burned deep. Savage also showed playmaking ability with eight interceptions and two touchdowns in his career at Maryland. He could end up being a dynamic, game-changing safety in the league.

It’s easy to see the Vikings drafting Savage and using him as a special teams ace early in his career. Zimmer could also create certain blitz packages for him that will allow him to use his top-end spend to attack quarterbacks and ball carriers.

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