Re-drafting the Minnesota Vikings 2019 rookie class

Original Pick:

Cameron Smith – LB (USC)

Re-draft:

Darius Slayton – WR (Auburn)

The Vikings got cute and traded down a few times in the fifth round last April. It cost them the opportunity to grab a couple of nice prospects in Blake Cashman and Charles Omenihu. They ended up with former USC linebacker Cameron Smith.

Smith was seen as a guy who could make the team as a quality special teamer as a rookie. After a sub-par preseason, Smith was waived on cut day.

He was signed to the practice squad and was called up from time to time throughout the year. Smith had just five tackles on the season for Minnesota and he will have to fight to remain on the roster in 2020.

If the Vikings could do things over, they would have been better off selecting their second receiver of the 2019 NFL Draft in Darius Slayton.

Out of Auburn, Slayton was a huge surprise as a rookie this year as he finished the season with amassed 48 receptions for 740 yards and eight touchdowns.

He proved to be a big play waiting to happen and he was one of the lone bright spots on a very bad New York Giants team. Slayton could’ve been a huge help to Minnesota’s receiving corps in 2019 with all the injuries the unit sustained.