5 underrated first-round options for the Vikings at the 2020 NFL Draft

Laviska Shenault Jr. – WR (Colorado)

Wide receiver definitely isn’t a top need or a glaring need for the Vikings this year. They have arguably the best duo in the NFL with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. They also have a promising second-year man to be in Bisi Johnson who came out of nowhere to become the team’s No. 3 option in 2019.

The depth behind this trio is where the concern is for Minnesota. There is a chance the players who fill out the No. 4 and No. 5 wide receiver spots on the 2020 Vikings aren’t currently on the roster.

Minnesota does need to add some receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft. They’d prefer to not have to do it in the first round, but there is a chance the best player on the board is a pass catcher. If that’s the case, the guy who could be staring them in the face is Laviska Shenault Jr. from Colorado.

Shenault looks like a running back playing receiver. He’s 6-foot-2, 220 pounds and he has a compact muscular frame. When he catches the ball, that running back frame comes in handy as corners often bounce right off of him when they attempt to make a tackle.

He’s a little bit like former Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, as he’s lined up all over the place as a pass-catcher and he occasionally came out of the backfield.

Shenault is extremely explosive and he has a reliable set of hands on him. He does need some work on his route tree, but Minnesota offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak surely could find creative ways to use this kid if the Vikings took him with pick No. 25.