5 prospects the Vikings could miss out on without a second-round pick

Daviyon Nixon – DT (Iowa)

The Vikings have three major need areas this offseason. They need to find a new starting safety, they have to upgrade at guard, and they need to land an interior pass rusher.

It would be nice for Minnesota to be able to address at least two of these needs in the first couple of rounds of this year’s NFL Draft. But barring a trade, that likely won’t be happening. The Vikings will have to wait and that wait will cost them a chance at a talented interior disruptor like Daviyon Nixon out of Iowa.

Nixon is a guy who is rising up this year’s draft boards and he could even sneak his way into the back end of the first round. He’s a very well-proportioned 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds. He doesn’t have a big old gut like some defensive tackles and he possesses high-end athletic ability.

Nixon is explosive off the football and he has surprisingly good speed. He can beat blockers with his quickness, but he also has the power to push them into the backfield.

Nixon had 8.5 career sacks at Iowa and 5.5 of them came in Iowa’s eight games in 2020. This guy would be an excellent fit as that penetrating three-technique in the Vikings’ scheme. Plugging him in next to Michael Pierce with Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum on the ends would be a huge improvement over what Minnesota’s defensive line looked like a year ago.

That sounds like a pipe dream though unless the Vikings can get back into the second round to draft Nixon.