5 prospects the Vikings could target on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft

Adetomiwa Adebawore - DL (Northwestern)

It's pretty shocking to see Adebawore still available as we get ready to enter the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was a popular choice as a dark horse candidate to sneak into round one after an excellent Combine performance that justified all the great things he's put on tape.

Adebawore destroyed the Combine with a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, a 37.5-inch vertical jump, and tossing up 225 pounds 27 times. That got his name on the map and made him a big-time mover up the draft boards.

His production also mirrors that impressive performance. He had 97 total tackles at Northwestern, with 24.5 of those coming for a loss and 12.5 sacks. The dude can flat-out ball, and it makes one wonder why he has yet to be selected.

Maybe there's a medical red flag that has yet to be revealed to the public, or maybe it's because teams just don't know how to use him. He's the definition of a 'tweener. He played defensive tackle in college but is too small to line up as a three-technique in the pros. He doesn't possess the size to play a five-technique in a three-man front either. He's also a little on the shorter side to be an edge rusher, so he's just a conundrum.

New Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores stressed how he wants versatile players, and there are plenty of ways to utilize the explosive elements of Adebawore's game. He's definitely worth a flyer in round 4 and could be a steal beyond that.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson - QB (UCLA)

The Vikings didn't land a quarterback in the draft's first three rounds but could find their man in the fourth round or later in UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

D.T.R. is a dual-threat quarterback who can be dangerous throwing the ball down the field, but can also take off and make plays with his legs. He's an exciting prospect who was ultra-productive in his tenure at UCLA. Thompson-Robinson lit up the stat sheets by throwing for 10,710 yards and 88 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,826 yards and scored 28 times on the ground.

While he's an exciting prospect with a large stat line, he does have plenty of concerns. His mechanics need some honing, and he doesn't always make the best decisions with the football, but those aren't anything out of the ordinary for quarterbacks transitioning from college to the pros.

D.T.R. has so much upside that he's worth a gamble in the fourth round. He can sit and learn from Kirk Cousins for a year while getting tutelage from Kevin O'Connell. The Vikings can hand him the reigns in 2024, and if he falls flat on his face, then the team can just look for his replacement in 2025 as a fourth-round pick, or later isn't that big of an investment.