Antonio Gandy-Golden – WR (Liberty)
The Vikings need to get more depth in their wide receiving cupboard. They got so desperate for help in 2019, that they had to go out and bring back Laquon Treadwell who they’d previously cut, and Josh Doctson who was on the street looking for work after being a first-round bust.
They did find Bisi Johnson in the seventh round last year, and he looks to be a good one, but besides him and of course, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, the Vikings receiving corps is full of question marks.
This is a position the Vikings could look to address early in the draft. It’s unlikely they’d do it in the first round unless they had an unexpected player fall into their laps. The mid-rounds are where they are most likely to find help, and a small school standout like Antonio Gandy-Golden could be a guy that tickles their fancy.
Gandy-Golden has something the Vikings wide receiving corps currently lacks and that is size. He’s 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. He’s got nice long limbs and a thick upper body. He isn’t going to lose many jump ball situations, and if he doesn’t catch it at the high point, he has the strength to outwork the corner for the pigskin.
There are some concerns when it comes to Gandy-Golden. He isn’t a very good route runner and he doesn’t possess top-end speed. That’s fine for the Vikings though. If they take him, he can learn from two of the best route runners in the league in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Though his speed will always be an issue, the Vikings wouldn’t look for him to make plays down the field. They’d more likely use him as an option in the red zone or in jump ball situations.
He will likely come off the board on Day 3, but if he ends up in the right situation, like in Minnesota, he could produce right away in year one. The Vikings will be watching him closely and see how he holds up against the top competition that the Senior Bowl provides.