Vikings Draft 2019: Seven-round dark horse mock draft

Round 1

Greedy Williams – CB (LSU)

I wouldn’t fault you if you slammed your computer, cell phone, or tablet to the ground upon opening this slide, but the reality of this potential selection is two-fold.

First, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer loves his cornerbacks to the point of it being a meme. Second, cornerback is a sneaky need for Minnesota heading into this year’s draft.

As of right now, Trae Waynes remains on the Vikings’ roster, but he is in the final year of his rookie contract. While the fifth-year Michigan State product is worthy of an extension, Minnesota will likely be short of the cap room needed to make such a deal happen in 2020 (somewhere, Rob Brzezinski calmly says, “Hold my beer,” but I digress).

Further complicating matters is Holton Hill’s recent suspension, which will cost him the first four games of the 2019 season and potentially more if he slips up again. This probably means that the Vikings will be reluctant to make a deal for Waynes unless they get a replacement.

Williams isn’t the prototypical big cornerback Zimmer has grown to love. But at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, he’s close enough to Waynes (listed at 6-foot-0, 190 pounds) and has the speed (4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash to Waynes’ 4.31 seconds) to be a suitable replacement.

This would not be a fan favorite pick. But since Minnesota still plays in a division with Aaron Rodgers, it would not be surprising to see them stick to their strengths and once again load up in the secondary.