Vikings 7-Round 2024 Mock Draft: Minnesota waits until Day 2 to pick a QB

Sixth-Round Pick No. 1 (177th overall)

Tommy Eichenberg - LB (Ohio State)

This pick is another depth replenishment for the Vikings, as their current linebacking room is thin outside of Jordan Hicks and Ivan Pace Jr. when it comes to their off-ball linebackers.

Tommy Eichenberg, a four-year starter at Ohio State, was a two-year captain for the Buckeyes, and he was one of the team's leading tacklers after he took over the role in the middle of the school's defense.

Eichenberg is surprisingly efficient in coverage but can also come downhill and wallop opposing running backs. If Hicks returns in 2024, Eichenberg can come in as a player who can sit and develop before taking on a much larger role in Minnesota's defense.

Eichenberg had the green dot at Ohio State, so he has experience calling the defensive plays that are relayed to him, which could become valuable if Pace or another middle linebacker were to get hurt.

Eichenberg is a very smart linebacker, as he very rarely takes bad angles and he very rarely has bad form in his tackling, which is always by the book.

Linebacker speed is an issue for him. He's not the fastest linebacker in the world, and he can get lost in coverage at times, but that can be improved with more reps and practice.

This would be an immediate depth pick for the Vikings, but he could end up being a diamond in the rough selection, similar to signing Pace as an undrafted free agent immediately after the 2023 draft.