Minnesota Vikings 7-round 2021 mock draft: Extremely early edition

Round 6 Pick 1: Ali Fayad, LB – Western Michigan

Ali Fayad likely wouldn’t be a starter for Minnesota, but he could provide some depth and be a contributor on special teams as he adjusts to the NFL level. The Vikings will likely bring back some combination of their backups, especially if they can’t bring back Eric Wilson.

A defensive end in college, Fayad pops at times on film much like Anthony Barr did before Minnesota drafted him. He is a rush specialist and caught 35.5 players behind the line of scrimmage in his 67 games plays, with 16.5 of those being sacks.

Round 6 Pick 1: Blake Lynch, K – Kansas State

Will the Vikings really draft a kicker again? Things didn’t work out too well for Minnesota when they took Daniel Carlson in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the team would be doing a disservice if they didn’t bring in some competition for Dan Bailey this season.

Lynch isn’t without his issues. In 2020, he was 11 for 13 on kicks from 40 yards or less but only made one of his four tries from outside that range. Still, Minnesota needs a player who can be consistent and his first two seasons at Kansas State saw him drill 33 out of 37 of his field goal tries.

Round 7 Pick 1: Zach Davidson, TE – Central Missouri

Odds are that the Vikings will try to find a way to wiggle out of the big contract that Kyle Rudolph signed during the last offseason. If they can accomplish that, they will be seeking another young tight end to join Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin.

Davidson is a big target that could be great in the red zone. Standing six-foot-seven and weighing 245 pounds, he is a streaky receiver that seems to get his statistics in bunches while disappearing at other times. If he can find some consistency, he could be a steal in the draft.

Grading every Minnesota Vikings position group from the 2020 season

What grade did each position group for the Minnesota Vikings earn for their play during the 2020 NFL season? And which groups received failing grades?

What do you think of this mock draft? Are there some picks that you would have made differently? And what other positions need to be addressed other than the ones in this mock? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.