3 defensive sleepers for the Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft
By Luke Parrish
Tony Fields II – LB (West Virginia)
We all witnessed what happened when the Vikings were down to their last resorts at linebacker in 2020. Alvin Kamara ran for six touchdowns and put a sour ending on the final stretch of the season.
Minnesota added Troy Dye in last year’s draft with hopes of improving their coverage ability in the second level of the defense, which was held down by Eric Wilson for the majority of the 2020 campaign. But Wilson is now a free agent and the Vikings cannot afford to bring him back at a high price.
Instead, they should look to replace him with Tony Fields II, a rangy linebacker out of West Virginia and another good overall athlete. With Anthony Barr hopefully returning, the Vikings should be fine at linebacker with him and Eric Kendricks. But there is a real question mark after them on the depth chart.
Tony Fields II was a reliable MIKE linebacker for West Virginia in his lone season with the Mountaineers after transferring from Arizona. He is efficient in space and he does a great job of getting into the backfield to take down opposing ball-carriers. With Dye being the coverage guy as a depth piece, Fields can be the run-stopping, weak side defender that backs up Barr.
It’s hard to pinpoint where Fields will land in the draft, but he is a player with a ton of upside as a gifted athlete. He racked up 375 career tackles in just four seasons, including 88 tackles in a nine-game 2020 season. He also recorded 21 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and three interceptions in his collegiate career.
Fields would be a great addition to special teams and the second-string defense if the Vikings decide to spend a draft pick on him.