New Vikings LB and Eric Kendricks could be an ‘extremely dynamic duo’
By Adam Patrick
Rookie linebacker Chazz Surratt will be looking to prove why the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
After selecting former Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond with their first pick in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings went ahead and used their next selection on a player from the defensive side of the ball.
However, it wasn’t a guy from a position group that some were expecting the Vikings to target. Minnesota ended up using their second pick in the third round on former North Carolina linebacker Chazz Surratt.
With most assuming the first defensive player selected by the Vikings this year would’ve been an edge rusher or someone to improve their secondary, the pick of Surratt certainly raised a few eyebrows.
Will Minnesota Vikings rookie linebacker Chazz Surratt prove to be a great draft selection?
Heading into the 2021 draft, the former North Carolina linebacker was actually projected by most to come off the board in the third round. So the round in which he was selected wasn’t really questioned by anyone, Minnesota just wasn’t one of the teams he was expected to land with.
But with Anthony Barr only having one year left on his current deal with the Vikings, there’s a possibility that Minnesota could be looking at Eric Kendricks and Surrat as their top two linebackers in 2022.
That might concern some Vikings fans who aren’t as familiar with Surratt, but NFL Draft Bible’s Zack Patraw is someone who believes Minnesota’s newest linebacker could add a lot to the team’s defense.
Patraw recently joined The Viking Age Podcast and he talked about Surratt’s big-time potential to make a name for himself with the Vikings (starts at the 20:48 mark).
To sum it up, Patraw believes Surratt has “so much potential,” and the combination of him and Kendricks could create an “extremely dynamic,” linebacker duo for Minnesota.
Part of the reason why he has these thoughts about the Vikings rookie linebacker is due to the fact that Surratt played quarterback when he first arrived to North Carolina before switching to defense.
His experience as a signal-caller gives him the unique skill to recognize what plays an opposing offense is about to run and potentially know where his opponent’s pass routes are going to take them before they even get to the final spot
According to MockDraftable.com, Surratt’s pre-draft testing numbers are comparable to a number of notable linebackers around the NFL including Kyle Van Noy and Kwon Alexander.
So while linebacker didn’t really feel like a need for Minnesota heading into this year’s draft, it could’ve turned into one in 2022 if Barr doesn’t re-sign. Now, instead of possibly having to scramble to find someone to replace Barr after next season, the Vikings might already have his replacement on the roster in Surrat.
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