6 linebackers the Vikings could select in the 2020 NFL Draft

Troy Dye (Oregon)

Measurements:

• Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 230 pounds

2019 Stats:

• 84 total tackles (9.5 for a loss)
• 4 pass breakups
• 2.5 sacks
• 2 interceptions
• 2 forced fumbles

Troy Dye is a slender linebacker who looks more like a safety on the field. He’s got great sideline-to-sideline speed and he uses his long arms to engulf ball carriers. Dye is a high energy player who fires up his teammates with his infectious attitude.

He is quick to diagnose plays and he also shows plenty of confidence when dropping into coverage. Dye is quick off the ball and he doesn’t hesitate to attack the line of scrimmage.

The biggest knocks on him are his overall strength and his lack of size. If a team can’t beef him up, it’s worth wondering if they’d attempt to convert him into a safety.

Dye was extremely productive during all four of his years as an Oregon Duck. He totaled 391 career tackles with 13 sacks and five interceptions. He is made to be a weakside linebacker in the NFL and he would challenge Ben Gedeon to be Eric Wilson’s backup in Minnesota.

Dye is probably going to come off the board somewhere in the mid-third to the early fourth-round range. If the Vikings deem improving their linebacker depth worthy of a mid-round selection, they could take this energetic player. At worst, they would be getting a solid special teamer right out of the gate.