Vikings Draft 2021: Four-round mock draft after big free agency signings

Fourth Round (No. 120 overall)

Ben Cleveland – OG (Georgia)

The Vikings have addressed needs like defensive tackle, linebacker, and cornerback in free agency but they have yet to upgrade the interior of their offensive line. That is actually quite shocking considering how bad this area was in 2020.

Minnesota found out the hard way that neither Dakota Dozier, Pat Elflein, or Dru Samia are starting material in the NFL. With Ezra Cleveland potentially moving to left tackle, this makes the guard position even worse than it was a season ago, as Kyle Hinton and Samia are currently topping the team’s depth chart.

The Vikings have to use a fairly early pick to find a starter here and one guy they could consider would be Georgia’s Ben Cleveland.

Cleveland plays as nasty as that mohawk looks on his head. This guy is ultra-competitive and he loves to battle with big beefy nose tackles. He knows how to use his big mitts to his advantage and he is fundamentally sound.

Cleveland will be limited by his athletic ability, but he makes up for it with his toughness, technique, and strength. He could probably come in and start for Minnesota very early in his career.

There is a solid chance the Vikings address the guard position earlier than this in the draft. But there weren’t many options on the board earlier and if they were able to find Cleveland in the fourth round, it would have to be considered a huge score.