Vikings Draft 2020: Seven-round dark horse mock draft
By Chris Schad
Seventh Round (Pick No. 219)
Derrek Tuszka – DE (North Dakota State)
When the Vikings get this deep into the draft, they start taking fliers on guys who are crazy athletic but don’t have the hype they should be getting. In the spirit of finding athletic pass-rushers and letting Andre Patterson coach them up, Tuszka should be on Minnesota’s radar late in this year’s draft.
When it comes to Tuszka’s profile, there are a couple of things that scouts will count against him immediately. With a 31 and 1/8-inch arm length (third percentile) and a 6-foot-4, 251-frame (sixth percentile) many feel he won’t have the length to get around NFL offensive tackles. But as Vontae Mack once said, watch the tape.
Tuszka was a menace at getting to the quarterback for the Bison, collecting 13.5 sacks in his senior season. In addition, his athletic profile is stellar and led MockDraftable to pull out comparisons to Derek Barnett, Shaq Lawson, and Joey Bosa.
At this point, it’s all about throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. For a prospect with college production (no matter what level) and an intriguing athletic profile, it would be interesting to see what the Vikings could do if they get their hands on him.