Sports Illustrated grades the Minnesota Vikings on their 2020 NFL Draft class
I know, I know. The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone but even so, it’s always great to see what publications are saying about the Minnesota Vikings. Such is the case here with Sports Illustrated as they analyzed a whopping 15 player draft class by the Vikings to see if they filled some team needs and potential some diamonds in the rough.
Many publications gave the Vikings some passing grades for addressing major issues on offense after the shocking trade of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. They selected star wide receiver Justin Jefferson out of LSU who looks to be the real deal. Of course, it remains to be seen how he transitions into the NFL but the potential is there to be as good or even surpass the impact Diggs had on the gridiron.
The Vikings went on to bolster their defensive secondary using their second first-round draft pick on cornerback Jeff Gladney out of TCU. When it comes to their overall defense, the Vikings have a lot of question marks around it heading into the upcoming season. The Vikings invested nine of their 15 draft picks just on defense due to this as the infusion of new blood will be fun to see in 2020 even though they’ll probably be some growing pains at first.
The Minnesota Vikings earned an A for their 2020 NFL Draft class by Sports Illustrated
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In an article written by Rob Rang of Sports Illustrated, he did a phenomenal job breaking down the complete draft class of the Vikings including some of their key undrafted free agents. Rang gave the Vikings an “A” grade saying that Jefferson is the best player drafted by the franchise and projects him to do well being thrown right into their offense.
As the Vikings do their best to continue their winning ways in 2020, it’s an exciting time to see how all this young talent develops at the pro level. Head coach Mike Zimmer has a knack for being a defensive mastermind as all these new defensive players will hopefully fill the void that was evident last season.
If all these new players can help impact the overall pass rush of the Vikings and also improve their defensive secondary, they will truly be a force to reckon with. The strength of the team lies on offense and well, if everything comes together, this team will easily be a playoff contender once again with the potential to go the distance. The kind that has clear strengths on offense, defense, and special teams.
Overall, it’s hard to disagree with Sports Illustrated here since this draft class has a lot of very good players that are hungry and ready to prove their worth on the Vikings. Championships are built through the draft and if all these players can contribute early and often in 2020, the Vikings will be the team to watch in the NFC North on a consistent basis.