Grade the Pick: Vikings Select LB Ben Gedeon at No. 120
Austin Belisle
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With their second pick in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon. The former Wolverine was a tackling machine last season, finishing the year with 106 tackles (15.5 for loss).
With a little help from The Mountain (@ThorBjornsson_), we selected Ben Gedeon.#Skol
📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/2qsxJQoEZO
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 29, 2017
Like Kentrell Brothers before him, Gedeon projects as a middle linebacker with run-stuffing tendencies. Darren Wolfson reports Gedeon will “surely make an immediate impact on special teams,” which is something the Vikings seem to value in mid-round picks.
Lance Zierlein projected Gedeon in the fourth or fifth round, saying he has “ample size and athleticism” to become a backup middle linebacker in the NFL. One regional NFC Scout, according to Zierlein, thinks Gedeon could be given the opportunity to start with a team. If the Vikings did go that route, it’d open the possibility of Eric Kendricks sliding outside to replace Chad Greenway.
Our consensus big board had Gedeon at 238, making this a major reach for Mike Zimmer and the Vikings front office. Dane Brugler agrees, as he projected Gedeon to fall somewhere in the fifth or sixth round this afternoon.
What do you think? Cast your vote now!