Vikings Draft 2021: Four-round all defense mock draft

Could the Minnesota Vikings go all-defense in the first four rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft?

If their Christmas day capitulation at the New Orleans Saints taught us anything, it’s that the Minnesota Vikings need to bring in some substantial reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has prided himself on tough defenses from the moment he took over in Minneapolis and the embarrassment by their lack of production was there for all to see in his post-game presser.

Minnesota likely won’t be big players in free agency in 2021. They are up against it from a salary-cap perspective with the financial sum available set to come down thanks to COVID-19 impact. So any quality added to the organization will obviously need to come from the 2021 NFL Draft.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has loaded up on picks – probably for this eventuality – even though the team no longer has a second-rounder to call upon after the disastrous Yannick Ngakoue trade.

Let’s take a look at what the Vikings might do if they go down the same route as the 2020 Carolina Panthers and pick a defensive player with each of their seven selections in this four-round 2021 mock draft.

Pick No. 1

Joseph Ossai – DE/LB (Texas)

Minnesota is hoping that Danielle Hunter can get back to full health in 2021, but with the future of Anthony Barr up in the air, gaining another outstanding young prospect who can rush off the edge is an area that the Vikings need to address early in the draft.

Joseph Ossai is a dynamic edge rusher that can operate either as a defensive end or an outside linebacker. The preference early on would be for the latter and the Texas star has the explosiveness needed to give offensive linemen at the next level a significant amount of problems.

Ossai is a little rough around the edges and areas such as pass coverage need to improve once he gets to the next level. But his ceiling is enormously high and well worth a first-round pick.