Redrafting the Minnesota Vikings 2023 rookie class

Seventh-Round Selection (222nd overall)

Original Selection: DeWayne McBride - RB (UAB)

Redraft Selection: McBride

DeWayne McBride falling toward the end of the seventh round is almost criminal. I had a late third-round to early fourth-round grade for the nation's second-leading rusher in 2022.

The Dalvin Cook saga seems to be moving toward Minnesota moving on from the running back and McBride has the talent to make fans quickly forget about the former Florida State Seminole.

McBride's game is predicated on breaking tackles, and he has a knack for it. He does not go down easily. When you have a back who runs like it's his last rush every single time he has the ball in his hands, it is something special, and that's what McBride does.

The most likely reason for the McBride fall is that he was not asked to catch the ball in college. In the pros, he won't be asked to catch the ball a ton in an offense that will likely have Alexander Mattison carrying the majority of the load (if Cook is gone). But you can teach a back to catch the ball, and it would be hard to believe if McBride struggled in that area.

McBride has the potential to be an every-down back for Kevin O'Connell in an offense that has Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Addison, and K.J. Osborn. So when you throw McBride into the mix, that could be a recipe for success very quickly.