What the Vikings can expect from their Day 3 draft picks in 2021

Jaylen Twyman – DL (Pittsburgh)

Jaylen Twyman is likely going to blow some people away in the summer and earn himself a spot on Minnesota’s final 2021 roster. He has a good chance of finding a spot in the team’s defensive line rotation as a pass-rushing 3-technique behind Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce. His production at Pitt offers a lot of hope for a Vikings team that needs to find a consistent pass rush.

Twyman will have to prove that his athletic testing was not an indictment of him as a player, which has to be a reason he fell so far in this draft. He was one of the best interior rushers in the nation in 2019, but he has not seen the field since. If Minnesota taps into his potential, then they got a steal this late in the draft.

He may not be an immediate impact player, but expect Twyman to crack the mix at some point in his rookie season. The Vikings simply need to get him in shape and up to speed before he is ready for the NFL.

Now, this isn’t to say he is going to light the league on fire and be some dominant force up the middle, but Twyman has a very real chance to become a starter for Minnesota within a few years. The best way to get that out of him is to get him on the field in the early days of his career.

Kicker among notable Vikings 2021 undrafted free-agent signings

Let's take a look at the undrafted free agents signed by the Minnesota Vikings after the 2021 NFL Draft and how they project to the next level.

If Twyman does not make the final roster and instead is placed on the practice squad, this would be shocking. That said, I am also very high on Twyman and had him projected to go in the fourth round of this draft, so expectations may be a little skewed.