6 safeties the Vikings could select in the 2020 NFL Draft

Terrell Burgess (Utah)

Measurements:

• Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 202 pounds

2019 Stats:

• 81 tackles (7.5 tackles for a loss)
• 5 pass breakups, 1 interception, 0.5 sacks

Another safety prospect the Vikings could consider on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft is Terrell Burgess from Utah. Burgess isn’t the biggest safety around, standing just 5-foot-11, but he’s sticky in coverage with quick feet. The reason why he could fall to Day 3 of the draft is that he just lacks experience.

Burgess has just 15 career starts at safety. He was a two-way player for a while, playing receiver on offense in addition to his role on defense. He became a full-time safety in 2019 and was named an All Pac 12 honorable mention for his play last season.

With the lack of experience, Burgess doesn’t have very impressive stats over the course of his career as he had just 116 tackles and one interception. But the upside is that 81 of those tackles came last season.

The biggest positive about him, other than his coverage skills, is that he’s very patient. He won’t guess or jump a route, he will stay patient and then attack the intended target, knocking the ball away or making the tackle.

Burgess does have some position flexibility as he has experience playing slot corner. That would be especially attractive to the Vikings, who also need to flesh out their cornerback depth and a guy who could provide depth at both would be considered extra valuable.

Burgess is a bit of a sleeper pick at this point, but he did have a nice week at the Senior Bowl and got his name on some teams’ lists. He could surprise and come off the board earlier than some expect.

If Minnesota can land him in the fourth or fifth round, they will be getting a special teams standout, a potential nickel corner, and they would vastly improve their safety depth.