It’s time to debunk a few of the myths surrounding the Minnesota Vikings and their plans for the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 2021 NFL Draft is almost here and all the days, weeks, and months of speculating will soon be over. During that span of time, many myths about what the Minnesota Vikings will do, won’t do, or must do with their selections have emerged, and some have become almost gospel.
The Vikings‘ moves in free agency this offseason have certainly created some of these myths, as have various draft experts’ opinions and the overall consensus of mock drafts shared throughout the media. While some of these myths could come to fruition, there are plenty that will be proven to be false.
Minnesota definitely has needs to address and holes to fill heading into this year’s draft. Currently, they have 10 picks to help solve their problems. Luckily, the Vikings aren’t pigeonholed into doing one thing first or addressing certain positions early in the draft process.
Let’s take a look at some myths about what Minnesota might do during the 2021 NFL Draft and throw some cold water on them, dousing out their flames.
Minnesota won’t use an early pick on a quarterback
There’s been plenty of chatter about how the Vikings won’t use an early-round pick on a quarterback this year. That thought simply needs to go out the window.
Minnesota has yet to sign a backup this offseason, and while Sean Mannion will be available well into August, the team is definitely open to seeing what happens in the draft before they go back to their old faithful.
The Vikings could definitely use their first third-round pick on a quarterback this year. Players like Kellen Mond, Davis Mills, and Kyle Trask are some of the young passers who could still be available in the third round.
All of these guys are an upgrade in talent over Mannion and all of them can learn behind Kirk Cousins for a few seasons before competing to take over the job in 2023.
A popular myth floating around Vikings land is that they definitely won’t use their first-round pick on a quarterback. The reason for this is that Minnesota has to win now and they need that first-rounder to be someone who can contribute right away. This makes sense, but it isn’t true.
The Vikings have already vastly improved their defense this offseason. They brought in Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Mackensie Alexander in free agency, and they will be getting Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce back on the field. These moves should result in a huge improvement for the defense.
Minnesota’s offensive line was terrible a season ago and the team still had one of the top offenses in the NFL. They can easily afford to go with a quarterback in the first round and let him learn behind Cousins.
So if, for some reason, Trey Lance or Justin Fields falls to the Vikings in the first round of this year’s draft, they shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
Minnesota has to take an offensive lineman with their top pick
The common consensus among Vikings fans is that they have to take an offensive lineman with their first-round pick this year.
This makes sense as Minnesota used free agency to upgrade the defense and they basically ignored their offensive line. The only move they made to improve the offensive line was to trade for an interior blocker who hasn’t performed any better than their current starters.
While the offensive line does look worse than it was last year, the Vikings don’t have to use their first-round pick on a guard or tackle.
Minnesota definitely doesn’t need the tackle because they potentially have their future left tackle on the roster in Ezra Cleveland. They drafted Cleveland in the second round to be their left tackle of the future last year, and with Riley Reiff gone, now is the time to implement that decision.
This makes guard the only offensive line position the Vikings need to upgrade. While they could certainly go that route with their first-round pick and use it on a prospect like Alijah Vera-Tucker or, better yet, Rashawn Slater, they don’t need to.
Quality guards can be found later on in the draft. Two of the better guards from the 2020 class were found well after the first round concluded as the Seattle Seahawks were able to grab Damien Lewis in the third round and the New England Patriots landed Michael Onwenu in the fifth round.
Minnesota has six picks in rounds three and four, so they can find quality starters at guard with two of those choices. This should allow them to leave their first-round selection open for getting the best player left on the board, whether it’s a wide receiver, defensive end, cornerback, or linebacker.
Rashawn Slater will be available at pick No. 14
A common myth, or perhaps hope, is that Rashawn Slater will be available to the Vikings when they are on the clock at pick No. 14 in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
While one always needs to have hope and root for a player to fall to Minnesota when the draft is going on, hoping it is Slater is a pipe dream that simply isn’t going to come true.
There are just too many teams picking ahead of the Vikings who also need help on the offensive line and they would certainly choose Slater. The Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers all need to improve their pass protection this year, and they will all be interested in Slater.
That’s seven teams in need, and only two prospects to fill it. The demand is much greater than the supply and Slater could be off the board well before Minnesota goes on the clock.
While there is a glimmer of hope that Slater’s short arms could cause him to slide, the only true hope the Vikings have is if there are many trades in the top 10 picks that shake up the draft order and where these prospects go off the board. If that doesn’t happen, there’s no chance that Slater makes it to the 14th overall pick.
Minnesota’s top pick will be a DE or an OL
This was touched on earlier, but it’s time to expand on this myth a little bit. While many assume the Vikings will take an offensive lineman with their first-round pick, the second part of this myth is if they don’t, then they will take an edge rusher.
Most mocks have Minnesota addressing their two biggest needs, and that makes sense. The Vikings still have to complete the overhaul of their offensive line and they need to find a starting-caliber pass-rusher opposite Danielle Hunter. They could definitely choose to go this route with their top pick, but the team could also choose to take the best player on the board.
The best player available when Minnesota’s on the clock could be a wide receiver, linebacker, or even a cornerback. While those aren’t immediate needs for the team, they are secondary needs.
The Vikings need to upgrade at wide receiver No. 3 and they need to get Adam Thielen’s future replacement on the roster. Anthony Barr could be gone after next season, making linebacker a bigger need than at first glance. Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander are signed to just one-year deals, and Jeff Gladney’s future is in doubt, which makes corner a more pressing issue than first believed.
So if DeVonta Smith, Micah Parsons, or Patrick Surtain II are still available when Minnesota goes on the clock in the first round, they should grab one. These three are some of the best players in this year’s class and all of them can help address needs that will be bigger issues a year from now for the Vikings.
Minnesota won’t draft a kicker
A common myth when it comes to the Vikings and the draft this year is that they won’t take a kicker as long as Rick Spielman is making the picks.
The reasoning behind this seems to be due to the Daniel Carlson fiasco from 2018. If Minnesota is going to learn anything from history, it’s not that they should avoid drafting a kicker, it’s that they need to be more patient with the young kicker they take.
Spielman took the right kicker, the team just handled it the wrong way. After the Vikings cut Carlson, he eventually signed on with the Las Vegas Raiders and became one of the better and more consistent kickers in the AFC.
Minnesota went with Dan Bailey as his replacement and the team and their fans held their breath every time he lined up for a kick.
So while the way the Carlson situation ended up definitely left a bad taste in Spielman’s mouth, and perhaps it still lingers, it shouldn’t stop the Vikings from drafting a kicker this year.
Minnesota currently has Greg Joseph on their roster, and he’s no sure thing. It wouldn’t hurt to bring in some competition in the form of a rookie.
Minnesota Vikings 5-round 2021 mock draft: Post-Pro Day
Pro days have finished up and now is a good time to see how the picks could unfold for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Vikings do have 10 choices in this year’s draft and after they address all of their needs, they could have a leftover pick that they can use on a kicker. Some options for Minnesota could be Jose Borregales, Evan Mcpherson, or Riley Patterson.