The Minnesota Vikings added plenty of talent on the final day of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The typical Minnesota Vikings performance during the NFL Draft features a handful of picks in the seventh round, which was not the case in 2021. Still, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman made several selections on the final day of the draft, adding six players to the roster on Saturday afternoon.
Minnesota added players on both sides of the ball and even found some potential help for their special teams, a unit that was a major letdown last season. Given the state of the roster at the moment, there is a good chance that multiple Day 3 picks crack a spot on the final 53-man roster this year.
Early expectations may not be as high as the earlier selections in this class, but I have a very good feeling about the group that was acquired on Saturday. Offensively, the Vikings found a lot of athleticism that can bring some extra life to the group.
Not everyone that is drafted is going to make an impact or even make the final roster. Some guys will find their way to the practice squad, while others will probably get some sort of injury designation that keeps them out of the 2021 campaign.
So what can the Vikings expect from their Day 3 selections in the 2021 NFL Draft?
Kene Nwangwu – RB (Iowa State)
This was a bit of a surprise to kick off the final day of the draft, but the Vikings sought out their new kick returner and Mike Boone replacement. With Boone out of town, Minnesota needed some extra depth at running back, and they made a splash with Iowa State’s Kene Nwangwu.
Nwangwu was one of the freakiest athletes in this year’s draft class, testing at an elite level. His size and speed combination is rare for a running back as he stands just over 6-foot and he posted a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. He did not have much production in college, but his raw athleticism gives the Vikings something to work with.
The immediate expectation should be for Nwangwu to be the primary return man with little impact on offense. He was dynamic in the return game for Iowa State, racking up 2,470 kickoff return yards over the course of his career.
Minnesota had a disastrous year on special teams last year, but Nwangwu is here to change that as much as he can. His speed and burst in the open field will bring a level of excitement that the team hasn’t seen since Cordarrelle Patterson left.
On offense, he brings some insurance in case Dalvin Cook misses time as he has the speed to fill into that role in a similar manner to Boone. Nwangwu probably won’t carry the ball much in the early stages of his career, though. He was drafted to bring speed to the special teams.
Camryn Bynum – S (California)
I was a big fan of Camryn Bynum as a cornerback at Cal but, he is apparently joining the Vikings as a safety. This does seem to fit his skill-set quite a bit better as he is a zone-coverage corner with a knack for tackling. So sliding him to strong safety is not a bad move.
With Xavier Woods signed to only a one-year deal, Minnesota needs to find a potential long-term answer next to Harrison Smith. For 2021, expect Bynum to be a special teamer as a gunner on kickoffs and punts with some depth insurance on defense.
His versatility will be helpful given how injuries impacted this team a year ago. Bynum can work out as a safety and be the third safety on the depth chart while also having enough experience to be a plug-in-play cornerback if someone goes down.
It appears as if the starting defense is pretty much set in stone at this point, so Bynum will not be forced into early action. If he can be a solid contributor on special teams and show his willingness to tackle on punt returns, he will slowly earn his stripes for this team.
If he is playing defensively in 2021, something probably went wrong for the Vikings. But him getting snaps on the defense still shouldn’t cause too many worries. Bynum was a four-year starter at Cal at cornerback and one would like to assume that experience will help him transition to the NFL.
However, him changing positions will probably urge Minnesota to keep him off the field until he is up to speed at safety.
Janarius Robinson – DE (Florida State)
The Vikings worked hard to find someone to play opposite Danielle Hunter on the defensive line. With Patrick Jones coming their way in the third round, they kept the train rolling by selecting Janarius Robinson at the end of the fourth.
There is a bit of a log jam at defensive end now with a bunch of young guys fighting for a spot on the roster. Jones and Robinson will battle it out with Kenny Willekes, D.J. Wonnum, and Hercules Mata’afa for the depth spots.
Willekes missed last season with an injury and Stephen Weatherly was also brought back this offseason after a year away with the Carolina Panthers.
Don’t be surprised if we do not see Robinson at all in 2021. But at the same time, he also has the size to be the backup plan for Hunter. At 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds, Robinson measures similarly to Hunter and Weatherly, fitting the mold that Minnesota likes on the edge.
Whether he winds up on the practice squad or at the bottom of the roster next season, early expectations should be tame for Robinson. He will benefit from sitting and learning from co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson and Hunter in his rookie year.
This is the range of the draft where teams find a lot of draft-and-stash players, and Robinson is likely one of these guys. For better or worse, he gives the Vikings another body to compete for an opening on the defensive line, and a strong camp could drastically change the outlook of his first season.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette – WR (Iowa)
This is another big-time playmaker with a lot of athleticism, similar to what the Vikings got in Kene Nwangwu. Ihmir Smith-Marsette has a very good chance to win the No. 3 receiver job in camp this summer, but he will certainly have to take it from Chad Beebe. With Beebe on a cheap deal, nothing is keeping Minnesota from moving on if they find a better option.
Smith-Marsette would also be a strong candidate to be a return man, but the addition of Nwangwu likely takes away that necessity, which can allow him to focus solely on making the team primarily as a wide receiver. He is a superb athlete with deep-threat potential in an offense that needs someone to take the top off of defenses.
The Vikings do not need Smith-Marsette to be a high-volume option in the passing game, but rather a third receiver in the slot that can make plays with his speed both vertically and horizontally.
He is a much better athlete than any receiver currently in the hunt to be Minnesota’s third receiver and that should help him make the roster. Expect Smith-Marsette to be part of the final 2021 roster and have an impact in the passing game once he settles into the speed of the NFL.
If the Vikings do want to throw him out there as a punt returner, that should not be a problem. He was a kick returner at Iowa with no punt return experience, but he was explosive in the kicking game, so there’s something to work with. Admittedly, he needs to get reps in camp and work on fair catches, something that has harmed Minnesota far too often lately.
Zach Davidson – TE (Central Missouri)
The Vikings moved on from Kyle Rudolph this year as they shift to a future of Tyler Conklin and Irv Smith Jr. at tight end. Those two have the top of the depth chart locked up, but there are questions behind them.
Zach Davidson was a solid developmental pick that likely winds up on the practice squad this season, but he is worth keeping around for the future.
Brandon Dillon is currently the only other tight end on Minnesota’s roster behind Conklin and Smith, so there will definitely be an ongoing competition. Davidson is a massive receiving threat that can be a solid addition to the passing game down the road. At 6-foot-7, Davidson brings size and athleticism to the bottom of the tight end depth chart, which seems to be a trend for the Vikings.
Don’t expect Davidson to hit the field in 2021. But if reports come out that he is shining in training camp this summer, that also would not be a surprise. He did not play in 2020 after his season was canceled. Mix this with a jump from Division II to the NFL and Davidson probably has a long way to go before he is ready for the NFL.
And although Davidson was a punter at Central Missouri, it seems safe to assume there is no shot he punts for the Vikings at any point in the future. 2021 should be a redshirt year for the promising tight end as Minnesota explores the future at the position.
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.
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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.