Minnesota Vikings 5-round 2021 mock draft: Post-Pro Day

Paulson Adebo – CB, Stanford

Cornerback isn’t a huge need for the Vikings even after the unfortunate news and uncertain future of Jeff Gladney. They signed Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander and have impressive Cameron Dantzler returning for his second season. They also have Kris Boyd and Harrison Hand on the depth chart, so they could actually ignore this need all together and be just fine in 2021.

However, if the team is sitting there in round four and the best player on the board happens to be a cornerback they could very well pull the trigger. Alexander and Peterson were only signed to one-year deals and their futures with the club beyond this season are up in the air. Factor in that Mike Zimmer loves collecting corners, and the team bringing one in seems almost like a lock.

One player who would make sense would be Stanford’s Paulson Adebo. A year ago, this guy was seen as a late first-round choice but has since fallen down the board, where he’s viewed as a mid-round option. While he’s fallen a bit mostly due to concerns about his recovery speed and the fact he didn’t play in 2020, Adebo possesses a lot of traits that Mike Zimmer loves. He’s got great size at 6’1 and has long lanky arms. He’s also very instinctive, has a high football I.Q, and has shown great ball skills with eight career interceptions.

Adebo would be a solid choice as he wouldn’t need to be rushed onto the field in year one and can be a sponge that absorbs everything Mike Zimmer is teaching him as well as future hall of farmer Patrick Peterson.