Four 2020 NFL Draft prospects for the Vikings to watch in Week 13

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 05: Jake Paulson #80 and Seth Green #17 of the Minnesota Gophers congratulate teammate Tyler Johnson #6 on a touchdown against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter of the game at TCF Bank Stadium on October 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Gophers defeated the Fighting Illini 40-17. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Darrell Taylor /

Darrell Taylor – Edge (Tennessee)

at Missouri

When: Saturday, November 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field in Columbia, MO
TV: SEC Network

Similar to Stanford, Tennessee has been disappointing lately, but defensive end Darrell Taylor has been a bright spot for the Vols over the last two seasons.

He recorded 8.0 sacks and 11.0 TFLs as a redshirt junior in 2018 and in 10 games this season, Taylor has 7.0 sacks and 8.0 TFLs. He has also added four pass deflections this year and even when he cannot get to the quarterback, he still finds a way to disrupt the play.

Taylor is a surprisingly good athlete for his size. Despite standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 247 pounds, Taylor uses great bend around the edge. He also swipes for the ball and does a good job of forcing turnovers (six-career forced fumbles).

The Vikings have some questions to answer at defensive end with Everson Griffen potentially becoming a free agent in 2020. Could Minnesota move on and get younger at the position next season? Perhaps they would want to still keep Griffen around to mentor young talent like he’s done with Danielle Hunter.

Taylor is not a premier talent in this class at the moment, but his upside is promising. He will likely be available at the end of Day 2 or during the early part of Day 3. The Vikings typically draft well in the later rounds and targeting Taylor would be a low-risk, high-reward scenario for them.

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