Which NFL Draft prospects should the Minnesota Vikings target in April’s draft?
The Minnesota Vikings still have plenty of question marks regarding the roster next season and beyond. This year’s NFL Draft should present the Vikings with opportunities to fill holes by trading back and adding more picks to their collection.
For now, let’s see what they can do by staying put. Here is a four-round mock draft to get us through the winter, using The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator.
First Round (Pick No. 14)
Gregory Rousseau – EDGE (Miami)
Minnesota has several needs on the defensive side of the ball, but their pass rush might be the most glaring of them all.
The Vikings’ pass rush was one of the worst in the NFL last season after losing Danielle Hunter due to injury and letting Everson Griffen explore options elsewhere. Minnesota could not get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and their young cornerbacks struggled as a result.
Gregory Rousseau is a long rusher with a lot of time to still develop. He only played one season of college ball before opting out and he was a stud rusher in his redshirt freshman season. At 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, Rousseau lit up the ACC in 2019 for 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss while also forcing two fumbles.
Pairing his length and size with Hunter would give the Vikings two intimidating pass rushers that can win with power and speed. Not to mention he would be working with Andre Patterson in Minnesota, one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL.
The Vikings develop pass rushers as well as anyone, so taking one in the first round may be a bit of a reach. However, Rousseau is one of the top players in this class. He brings an exciting element to a Minnesota defense that could not get into the offensive backfield last season.
While cornerback also makes sense in the first round for the Vikings this year, improving the pass rush will make the job of the secondary much easier next season. This selection of Rousseau would knock out two birds with one stone.