Minnesota Vikings: Grades and analysis for the 2019 NFL Draft
By Adam Carlson
Round 7 – Pick 217 overall
Kris Boyd, cornerback – Texas
Honestly, Chris Boyd should have been Minnesota’s pick in the 6th round over Epps. Boyd may not stand over 6′ tall, but there is something to be said fora cornerback who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He’s scrappy and tough, with the speed to recover from mistakes and the football smarts not to make too many of those kinds of errors.
Boyd will need to work on fundamentals. He’s got an odd backpedal that will need to be adjusted and can play too physical at times. Working with Mike Zimmer and the coaches will help him immensely. Considering he was CBS Sports’ 114th best prospect and NFL.com had him at a fourth-round value, this could be the steal of the draft.
Grade: A
Round 7 – Pick 239 overall
Dillon Mitchell, wide receiver – Oregon
In some respects, Mitchell can be considered a bit of an underdog. He didn’t really get going until his junior year at Oregon, but he proved himself as a big play receiver. At 6’1 with a nice acceleration, he can get separation and change direction quickly, allowing him to gain yards after the catch.
The downside is that Mitchell only played 29 total games in college and it’s hard to judge him by that body of work. He needs to get better with his toughness, especially when pressed and needs to run tighter routes. However, if he can accomplish those things and prove his 2018 production wasn’t a fluke, there could be a role for him in Minnesota.
Mitchell was projected to be a sixth-round pick by NFL.com and CBS Sports had him as their 169th best prospect, making his selection here a big value.