5 prospects the Vikings could miss out on without a second-round pick
By Nik Edlund
Richie Grant – S (UCF)
Safety is one of the Vikings’ bigger needs as they approach the 2021 offseason. Anthony Harris is expected to leave in free agency this and all Minnesota has left on their roster to replace him is a 2020 sixth-round choice who rarely played this past season and an undrafted free agent who sat out the year with an injury.
Not only do the Vikings likely need to find a new starting safety for 2021, but they also need to acquire depth.
One player Minnesota probably won’t get an opportunity to draft this year is Central Florida safety Richie Grant. Grant is an impressive player measuring in at 6-feet and 194 pounds with a nice, thick upper body.
He is extremely instinctive, he reads plays well, and he knows exactly when to break on the football. Grant is a very good blitzer and has deceptive closing speed. This guy clearly loves playing the game and he plays with a ton of hustle and endless effort.
His stats at UCF are impressive with 290 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and an eye-popping 10 interceptions. The guy is exactly what the Vikings need to pair next to Harrison Smith and he would assuredly be a starter for the team in 2021.
It is all for naught though. There’s a very slim chance Grant slides out of the second round and to the middle of the third round where Minnesota will be picking.
The Vikings might as well chalk this guy down as a free-agent signee down the road because they aren’t going to land him unless they either move down in the first round or trade up from the third.