5 prospects no longer on the Vikings radar in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft

Keion White – EDGE (Georgia Tech)

Keion White is a fringe first-round type of prospect who could come off the board earlier than some expect or could tumble into the mid portions of round two. He’s a big man standing 6-foot-5 and weight 285 pounds. He’s got plenty of power and a nasty first step that helps him bypass blockers on his way to the quarterback.

He had a breakout 2022 campaign with 14 tackles for a loss and seven and a half sacks. He’s a nice prospect, but one the Vikings should take off their radar for a couple of reasons.

First of all, White has just that one year of production in the ACC. Prior to that, he had zero sacks in four games as a junior. He also had only one productive season when he played Old Dominion, and that was in 2019.

The issue with rolling the dice on a guy who has had inconsistent production is that there are likely going to be other edge prospects on the board who are much safer.

Nolan Smith could be on the board, same with Will McDonald IV, and Isaiah Foskey. There’s even a chance Myles Murphy or Lukas Van Ness slide to 23, so the Vikings don’t need to take any chances.

The other issue is that edge isn’t a top need for Minnesota. They have a bit of a logjam at the position with Danielle Hunter, ZaDarius Smith (for now), D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, and new face Marcus Davenport.

The Vikings have bigger needs to address with their first pick and should just forget about White for now, despite all the traits that make him so desirable.