Which defensive prospects should the Minnesota Vikings be watching at the 2021 Senior Bowl?
Senior Bowl practices are well underway down in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is always one of the most important pre-draft processes there is for the Minnesota Vikings and every other team in the NFL. But this year, it carries even more weight.
There was no East-West Shrine Game and the NFL Scouting Combine has also been shelved. This game, and the week of practices, will be the best chance for the Vikings and other teams to get up close and personal with some of the top talent in this year’s draft to help figure which players will fit the best in their respective schemes.
While Minnesota has to upgrade their offensive line and potentially add another playmaker or two at wide receiver, most of their focus should be on improving the defensive side of the football this offseason. The Vikings defense was horrible in 2020, which was an oddity because the unit has been the team’s heart and soul since Mike Zimmer took over in 2014.
There are a lot of good defensive players at this year’s Senior Bowl and a lot of them are at positions of need for Minnesota. Who are some of the defensive prospects the Vikings should have a close eye on at the Senior Bowl this week?
Marvin Wilson – DT (Florida State)
Arguably the Vikings’ biggest need on the defensive side of the football this year will be to find a disrupting, three-technique defensive tackle.
Mike Zimmer’s defense lives and dies on pressure created by his four defensive linemen, especially through the A-gap. Unfortunately, Minnesota hasn’t had a competent player at this position since Sheldon Richardson’s one-year stint with the club in 2018.
There has been some talk about the Vikings taking Alabama’s Christian Barmore with their first-round pick. He could be exactly what Minnesota needs, but the No. 14 selection might be a little too early in the draft to add him.
If the Vikings pass on Barmore in the first round and then wait until they are back on the clock in the third round, Florida State’s Marvin Wilson is someone they could consider.
Williams is a stoutly built defender who was one of the Nation’s top recruits before he came to Florida State. With those high accolades came high expectations, and while Wilson had a productive career at Florida State, many figured he’d be more dominant at the college level.
Wilson had 109 career tackles, with 15 of those coming for a loss. He also added 9.5 sacks in his career, but he only had one in a shortened 2020 season.
Wilson won’t be a starter right away but would be someone the Vikings could plug in on passing downs and let him push the pocket, create havoc, and disrupt the timing of the opposing offense.
Hamsah Nasirildeen – S (Florida State)
The Vikings have to find some safety help in this year’s draft. They are likely going to let Anthony Harris walk in free agency and Harrison Smith, while still an all-time great, is aging and approaching the twilight of his amazing career. Behind him, Minnesota’s safety depth is lacking and this is a major issue.
There are plenty of quality defensive backs at this year’s Senior Bowl and one the Vikings should take a keen interest in is Hamsah Nasirildeen from Florida State.
The biggest thing that sticks out about Nasirildeen is his size. He’s a long, lanky 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. He’s just a big intimidating presence on the field. He possesses above-average speed and he can close on a ball or a ball carrier in a hurry.
Nasirildeen is a versatile player who can be used up on the line of scrimmage to attack the run, blanket tight ends with his size, and use his solid coverage skills to hang with running backs or receivers who come his way.
The Vikings don’t have a second-round choice this year, but if Nasirildeen falls to the third or fourth round, they should definitely snap him up. Worst case, he would be a special teams standout in year one, with the potential to develop into a quality starter down the road.
Rashad Weaver – DE (Pitt)
The Vikings’ pass rush has to improve if the team is going to compete in 2021. They should get a huge boost with Danielle Hunter returning to the lineup after missing the entire 2020 season. But they still need more than just that.
Minnesota learned in 2020 that Ifeadi Odenigbo is not a starter in the NFL and he is much better off suited as a rotational pass rusher. That is what it is, but the Vikings also found out that their fourth-round rookie D.J. Wonnum can get to the passer. But making Wonnum a starter in year two could be a little much.
Minnesota needs to probably add a couple more pass rushers to their depth chart and one player who would be a great fit, who just happens to be down in Mobile this week, is Pittsburgh’s Rashad Weaver.
Weaver has ideal size at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, with arms that seem to go on forever. He doesn’t explode off the football the way some defensive ends do, but he is sneaky fast, and he can close in a hurry. He’s also able to use his large wingspan to bat passes down once they are thrown.
Weaver is a guy who could excel under the tutelage of Vikings defensive line coach Andre Patterson. He may need a year to acclimate to the NFL level, but he has all the necessary tools to be an excellent pass rusher in the league for a long period of time.
Divine Deablo – S (Virginia Tech)
The Vikings will be drafting at least two safeties in 2021 because of the reasons we stated earlier. There just isn’t any depth behind Harrison Smith right now.
The Senior Bowl is chock full of these guys and another player Minnesota should pay extra attention to this week is Virginia Tech safety Divine Deablo.
Deablo has decent size at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds. While he’s plenty big, he isn’t what one would define as a big hitter. But he’s got great tackling technique and he wraps opponents up well.
Deablo is very solid in coverage and he uses his great size to go up and high point the ball to knock it away from the intended receiver. Speaking of receiver, that is the position Deablo used to play, so he understands the nuances of route-running, which allows him to better anticipate what receivers are going to do in certain situations.
While being a converted receiver will help Deablo identify routes, it also means he is raw. So if the Vikings were to draft him, he’d need some developing, and he wouldn’t be much more than a depth piece or a special teamer as a rookie.
Deablo is probably destined to be a Day 3 pick, but he has a much higher ceiling than the average late-rounder. How he performs at the Senior Bowl this week should help the Vikings get a better sense of his skill-set and where he will ultimately come off the board in April.
Shaka Toney – DE (Penn State)
Like the safety position, the Vikings should also be drafting multiple pass rushers in 2021. Their depth behind Danielle Hunter is shaky at best and they should be having an open competition for their other starting defensive end spot.
One guy who should come off the board smack dab in the middle of this year’s NFL Draft is former Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney.
Toney is a little undersized at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, but that didn’t slow him down during his four-year career with the Nittany Lions.
Toney was the definition of “consistent” in college as he averaged five sacks per season. He does it with a non-stop motor and impressive quickness. Toney is tenacious and he never gives up on a play, going until the whistle blows or the quarterback is on the ground.
Toney would be a great fit on Minnesota’s defensive line and they could ease him in as a situational pass-rusher in 2021. His explosion and tenacity would be a breath of fresh air and it would be reminiscent of a similar-sized Everson Griffen during his prime years with the Vikings.
5 offensive prospects for the Vikings to watch at the 2021 Senior Bowl
When this year's crop of prospects take the field for the 2021 Senior Bowl, which offensive players should the Minnesota Vikings pay attention to?
Toney is probably a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick this year. Minnesota has plenty of selections in that area and they should watch this cat closely to see if he’s worth drafting.