5 prospects the Vikings should target on Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft

Shaun Wade – DB (Ohio State)

The Vikings have had five choices so far in the 2021 NFL Draft and shockingly, they have yet to use one of them on a defensive back. This should end on Day 3 and one talented and versatile player who has yet to hear his name called is Ohio State’s Shaun Wade.

Wade is a big-bodied defensive back measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. He’s a first-rate athlete with great speed and he plays with a high football I.Q. Wade isn’t afraid to come up and lay a big hit, and he also showed some ball-hawking ability with six interceptions in his career.

Wade was once seen as a surefire top-15 draft pick and he might have been just that had he come out in 2020. But he returned to Ohio State and struggled. He was burnt badly in coverage time and time again and that is one of the reasons why he remains without a team.

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While Wade needs to improve his coverage skills, he has plenty of raw talent and ability. He’s someone who would benefit greatly from playing with Patrick Peterson and learning from Mike Zimmer. He can add depth at both cornerback and safety and if he takes to coaching can return to the 2019 form that had him so highly rated and coveted.