Redrafting the Minnesota Vikings 2021 rookie class
By Nik Edlund
Fifth-Round Pick No. 1
Original Pick: Ihmir Smith-Marsette – WR (Iowa)
Redraft Pick: Smith-Marsette
The Vikings took Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the fifth round to add some depth and talent to their receiving corps and likely would stick with that pick after year one. Smith-Marsette was a smooth route-runner with good wheels, and despite being buried on the depth chart, was still able to produce.
He got some run early in the season as a returner but was slowly worked into the offense and saw a bigger role when Adam Thielen went down with an injury.
Smith-Marsette finished with five receptions on the season for 116 yards and two touchdowns. With Adam Thielen’s future up in the air, he could take on a bigger role in 2022. But even if Thielen is back, there’s a good chance new head coach Kevin O’Connell figures out a way to get this playmaker involved in the offense.
Fifth-Round Pick No. 2
Original Pick: Zach Davidson – TE (Central Missouri)
Redraft Pick: Garret Wallow – LB (TCU)
The Vikings went for some major upside with their second fifth-round choice. Zach Davidson is a beast of a man standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in at nearly 250 pounds. He was a jack of all trades at Central Missouri and even took some snaps as their punter.
The Vikings never got to see much of this versatility or his ability to play tight end because Davidson was very slow to catch on to the NFL game.
He constantly ran the wrong routes in the preseason and showed stone-like hands. He ended up on the practice squad and will need to make an astronomical leap in progress to make the team this season.
The Vikings would’ve been better off bolstering their linebacking corps with TCU’s Garret Wallow. He was snapped up by the Texans and while he didn’t set the world on fire, he did produce well for a late fifth-round choice.
He had 23 tackles on the season, two tackles for a loss, and a sack. He was active for all 17 games and started two of those. The Vikings linebacking depth is an issue and a player like Wallow would’ve been a welcome addition.