5 late-round picks from 2020 that could impact the Vikings in 2021
By Nik Edlund
Myles Dorn – S
The Vikings’ safety depth chart is an interesting one. Last year, the team chose to keep just two safeties in Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith, but that came back to bite them in the butt when Smith was tossed out of the Week 4 game against the Houston Texans.
It’s doubtful Minnesota will duplicate this strategy with their safeties in 2021. But how many they will keep is the big question.
Clearly, the Vikings will head into the season with Harrison Smith and Xavier Woods as the starters. How the depth chart shapes out after that will be determined in training camp.
Minnesota used a fourth-round draft pick on Cameron Bynum this year, and while he can play corner too, Rick Spielman introduced him as a safety when announcing the selection. So unless Bynum completely flops during practices this summer, he’s basically a lock to make the team.
If the Vikings keep four safeties this year, there will be a competition for the fourth spot between Josh Metellus and an undrafted free agent from 2020, Myles Dorn.
It was a bit surprising to see Dorn not get selected in last year’s draft. He had 131 career tackles at North Carolina with six interceptions. The dude has great size at 6-foot-2 and he is definitely an intimidating presence in the back end of the secondary.
Minnesota made sure to place him on injured reserve when he got hurt last year, which shows they think he’s got a future in the NFL. If he comes back ready to roll this summer, he could earn a spot on the roster if the Vikings end up keeping four safeties for the upcoming season.