5 players the Vikings will regret passing on in the 2020 NFL Draft

Shane Lemieux – G (Oregon)

Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, the guard position skyrocketed to the top of the Vikings’ list of needs. They cut right guard Josh Kline who was their second-best offensive lineman and they didn’t bring in any new faces to replace him.

Many figured guard would be a position Minnesota would address before Day 3 of this year’s draft, but that didn’t happen.

The Vikings took another cornerback with their first third-round selection and then with their other pick in the round, they traded out in exchange for the rest of the New Orleans Saints draft picks.

In the fourth round, Minnesota went heavy on the defensive side of the ball. They took defensive end D.J. Wonnum, defensive tackle James Lynch, and linebacker Troy Dye. While two of these picks filled major need areas, taking a linebacker wasn’t a huge need, but Dye was the best player on the board.

It’s worth wondering if one of these fourth-round choices would’ve been better spent taking a guard like Shane Lemieux.

Lemieux was on the board for each of the Vikings’ picks in the fourth round. He’s a big, mean, physical blocker who was a four-year starter at Oregon. He really excels at pass blocking and he was a guy Minnesota could’ve added in the fourth round who would’ve come in and been a favorite to start on their offensive line in 2020.

While the Vikings were universally lauded for their picks in the fourth round, not taking a guy who could’ve filled a major hole on their offensive line could come back to bite them in their purple butts.