Vikings Draft 2020: Seven-round dark horse mock draft

First Round (Pick No. 22)

Yetur Gross-Matos – DE (Penn State)

When searching across mock drafts, the consensus opinion is that the Vikings will take a cornerback and wide receiver with their two first-round picks. While that’s a worthy assumption considering they’re the biggest holes on the team, both positions are insanely deep in this class, meaning Minnesota could look to attack positions with less depth with their top two selections.

Here, the Vikings add another lineman to their depleted defensive line. With the pending departure of Everson Griffen and the confirmed departure of Stephen Weatherly, the Vikings will need another player on the edge even if Ifeadi Odenigbo breaks out as a full-time defensive end.

This opens the door for Yetur Gross-Matos, who has begun to pick up steam in the weeks leading into the draft. Gross-Matos collected 11 sacks in his junior season at Penn State and he has a long, wiry frame that can be built up to add some strength.

While he didn’t do any timed drills during this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, he did show well in the jumps with a 10-foot broad jump, ranking in the 79th percentile of defensive ends.

Perhaps the most encouraging analysis of Matos is that he hasn’t reached his full potential, but he has the tools to get there. Minnesota has made a living on drafting athletic defensive linemen in the later rounds and coaching them up. But if they choose to select one early, Gross-Matos could be one of their best projects yet.