What are some of the most surprising moves and decisions made by the Minnesota Vikings during the 2021 NFL Draft?
The 2021 NFL Draft is sadly over. The Minnesota Vikings were able to fill some major holes on both sides of the football and they found plenty of quality players who could have an impact on the team’s 2021 season.
Guys like Christian Darrisaw, Wyatt Davis, and Patrick Jones II could all see plenty of action as rookies, and each is likely to start at least a few games for the Vikings in 2021.
Minnesota also found role players on special teams and they will have a heated competition when it comes to the kick and punt returner position.
The Vikings didn’t follow the same script they usually do during the draft this year and they actually made some moves that surprised many of their fans. Some of these were with the types of players they took, and others were just Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman bucking some trends of the past.
So what were the five biggest surprises made by the Vikings during this year’s NFL Draft?
Drafting a quarterback in the third round
One thing the Vikings never seem to do when it comes to the NFL Draft is take a quarterback in the middle rounds. In fact, the last time Minnesota chose a quarterback in the second or third round was back in 2006 when they drafted Tarvaris Jackson with the last pick of round two.
Under the Rick Spielman regime, the Vikings seem to either pull the trigger on a first-round quarterback, wait until the seventh round to add one, or sign an undrafted passer. This hasn’t exactly been a successful strategy for Minnesota, as they haven’t had a young quarterback on the roster with upside in years.
The Vikings changed their ways this year and surprised many when they actually pulled the trigger on a quarterback in the third round. Minnesota took Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, and he’ll be the backup in year one, and possibly year two, as he learns the position from Kirk Cousins before potentially replacing him.
Mond gives the Vikings something they haven’t had at the position in quite a while, and that is a quarterback who can make plays with his legs, scramble for a first down, and avoid pressure.
He’ll be a fun player to watch this preseason and he gives Minnesota hope that they may potentially have the future of the position on their roster.
Not drafting a cornerback
One of the bigger shockers of what the Vikings did in the 2021 NFL Draft was that the team didn’t draft a single cornerback.
While it could be argued that fourth-round pick Cam Bynum is a corner, when Rick Spielman announced the selection, he specifically said he was a safety, which obviously speaks volumes to how Minnesota plans on using him.
Under head coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings have taken a cornerback in every single draft. Zim loves collecting corners and he can never seem to have enough. Maybe Spielman locked Zimmer in a closet or found another way to appease him during this year’s draft. But the team didn’t take a single cornerback in the draft for the first time in Zimmer’s tenure.
This speaks to the current depth of the position. Minnesota went out and signed Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander in free agency this year, and even with Jeff Gladney’s future in jeopardy, the team has Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand, and potentially one more season with Mike Hughes.
There really wasn’t room for another rookie on the depth chart this season. That’ll be a different story in a year, unless the Vikings have plans to extend both Peterson and Alexander after the 2021 season.
Not trading down in the later rounds
Before the draft started, it was assumed the Vikings would be active movers, as they usually are. Rick Spielman has been known to wheel and deal, and he stuck true to that in the first round Minnesota moved down from pick No. 14 to No. 23 and acquired a couple of third-round picks in the process from the New York Jets, while also giving up a fourth of their own.
Many figured that would be the first of many trades by Spielman in this year’s draft, especially in the mid-rounds. He had traded down multiple times in the last few drafts, appearing to value quantity over quality. With the team not having a seventh-round pick this year due to a salary cap violation, a trade back seemed like a given.
Then something crazy happened. The Vikings stayed pat in the third round and made all of their picks at their normal spots. They did the same thing in the fourth round, and when it was all said and done, Minnesota made their final choice in the sixth round, and that was it for this year.
Spielman changed course from recent years and he actually kept his picks. He said after the draft that a big reason why was that they didn’t see a lot of value in the seventh round this time around.
While staying home and taking the best players on their board was the right move by Spielman and his staff, it was still very shocking to see it happen.
Drafting a linebacker in the third round
As the 2021 NFL Draft approached, the Vikings had a pretty long list of needs. At the top of those were guard, offensive tackle, safety, and defensive end. One that wasn’t universally seen as a major issue was linebacker, yet the team chose one in the third round anyway.
This was surprising considering the players Minnesota is getting back from injury this season. Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are both returning from injuries, and Troy Dye as well, who missed large periods of time last season with a variety of dings.
The Vikings also went out and signed free-agent Nick Vigil this year, and they already have Blake Lynch on the roster, who, despite being an undrafted free agent in 2020, played well in the limited opportunities he saw.
Despite all of this, the Vikings ignored their needs on the offensive line and at edge rusher and took linebacker Chazz Surratt with their second pick in the third round.
Perhaps it is just because Minnesota had a very high grade on this kid as he’s ultra-versatile and athletic. Mike Zimmer could utilize his skills in a variety of ways by lining him up all over his defense and make an opposing offense guess where he’ll be coming at them from.
Another reason is that maybe the Vikings coaching staff and front office just wanted to bolster their linebacking corps. This way, they will be a little more prepared if they are hit by injuries again next season, and they won’t have to go out and sign guys off the street.
Whatever the reason was, seeing Minnesota address a secondary need so early like linebacker was a bit of a shock.
Adequately addressing the offensive line
Heading into last year’s draft, the Vikings had a massive need at the guard position. They had two first-round picks, and they elected not to address the need early, though they came back in the second round and took Ezra Cleveland.
At the time, it was thought Cleveland would be the heir apparent at left tackle, but now it seems his future is at guard.
After the Cleveland pick, Minnesota didn’t take another offensive lineman until their very last choice of the draft. This year was a different story.
The Vikings surprised and not only took their left tackle of the future in the first round with Christian Darrisaw, but then they hit the offensive line again in the third round with massive Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis.
Minnesota’s offensive line looks vastly improved from where it was just a week ago. Darrisaw and Davis could both start on the left side next season, with Cleveland remaining at right guard. Garrett Bradbury and Brian O’Neill flesh it out and suddenly, this group looks to be the best offensive line the Vikings have fielded in about four years.
Rick Spielman’s five best NFL Draft picks from the last five years
Which picks made by Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman in the NFL Draft since 2016 have been the best for the team?
Kudos to Rick Spielman for shocking the fan base by actually attacking this need and giving Kirk Cousins the protection he hasn’t had since stepping foot in Minnesota.