Predicting which Vikings players will make the 2020 practice squad
By Nik Edlund
Kenny Willekes – DE
Kenny Willekes is a guy who could actually make the Vikings’ final 53-man roster. The road did get much tougher for him though, as Jalyn Holmes has recently converted back to his college position of defensive end and he has usurped the seventh-round pick on the depth chart.
Another obstacle in the way of Willekes making the roster is the play of Eddie Yarbrough so far in training camp. Yarbrough has been impressive and if he keeps it up, it’ll be hard for Minnesota to not keep him on their active roster this season.
Willekes isn’t a great overall athlete, but he has one of the best motors on the team. He is an extremely hard worker and he overcomes his limited athletic ability with hard work and determination.
The biggest fear for the Vikings, if they do cut this kid at the end of camp, is the possibility of another team coming in and signing him before he can be added to the practice squad.
That’s a risk Minnesota may have to take, as the team might only keep four defensive ends just as they have in years past.
Myles Dorn – S
Myles Dorn is another player who, when training camp began, many figured had a very strong shot to make the regular-season roster.
He’s a much more accomplished and complete safety than the ones the Vikings drafted this year. He’s more experienced than Brian Cole II and he is much better in coverage than Josh Metellus.
The concern so far is that Dorn has been extremely quiet in camp. There hasn’t been much news coming out about how he’s performing so far and that is slightly concerning. Metellus has gotten some good buzz and he seems to have a better chance at making the team at this point.
Minnesota also went out and signed a veteran safety in Steven Parker recently. If he can show some of the ball skills in practice that he did during his time with the Miami Dolphins last year, the team could opt to keep him over Dorn due to his experience.
This would likely send Dorn to the practice squad, where could learn from Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith for a year like Cole.