5 players the Vikings could’ve drafted instead of Jeff Gladney

Jeremy Chinn – S/LB

Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, there weren’t many sites that had Jeremy Chinn listed as a first-round talent. He was seen as a very good safety prospect, but he was deemed more a Day 2 type of player who would come off the board sometime in the second round.

So looking back on it, it isn’t shocking that the Vikings didn’t pull the trigger on Chinn at pick No. 31, even though they had a need at the safety position, but boy they should have.

Chinn went on to have a Defensive Rookie of the Year-caliber type of season and was robbed of that title when the awards were handed out. Minnesota got a first-hand look at the playmaker they could’ve selected when he came to U.S. Bank Stadium in 2020 and scored touchdowns on back-to-back defensive plays.

The dude is a versatile and aggressive defender who played both safety and linebacker for the Carolina Panthers a season ago. He would’ve been a tremendous chess piece for Mike Zimmer to utilize, but instead, the Vikings took Jeff Gladney, and now they are left with nothing.