Maurice Jones-Drew Picks a Former Bruin for the Vikings in Round 1

Maurice Jones-Drew
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is not the end-all authority of draft sapience, but he does have some mock draft advice for the Minnesota Vikings two weeks before the event.

Jones-Drew released a set of predictions on Tuesday, a batch that notably sent quarterbacks Mac Jones to the New England Patriots (via trade-up) and Trey Lance to the Washington Football Team (also via trade-up). The Patriots bartered with the Detroit Lions for the 7th overall pick whereas the Football Team swapped with the Denver Broncos at #9.

For the Vikings, Jones-Drew chose EDGE rusher Jaelan Phillips — a UCLA-turned-Miami alumnus.

Phillips would presumably line up at the team’s starting right defensive end for 2021, outfitting a defensive front four bunch of: (LDE) Danielle Hunter, (NT) Michael Pierce, (3DT) Dalvin Tomlinson, (LDE) Jaelan Phillips.

Jones-Drew says of the move:

Mike Zimmer loves to draft Bruins (SEE: Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks). Next in line is Phillips, who finished his college career at Miami, but spent his first two seasons at UCLA. The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder gives the Vikings’ front an athletic pass rusher to help pressure NFC North QBs.

Phillips tallied eight sacks in ten games during 2020 for Miami — a season that ended with a 37-34 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Cheez-It Bowl. Yes, the Cheez-It Bowl.

Opinions vis-a-vis scouting reports are split on Phillips’ draft candidacy. Pro Football Focus calls the Miami pass rusher the 30th-best prospect in the draft — meaning that Minnesota splurging for him at #14 would be a fairly egregious reach.

PFF’s thoughts on Phillips for its Top 100 Draft Board:

Phillips put it all together down the stretch this past season for the Hurricanes, earning an 86.5 overall grade. The former five-star recruit has all the physical tools you could possibly want for the position.

Alex Barbour of PrimeTimeSportsTalk.com considers Phillips a comparable player to free agent Melvin Ingram — which is actually quite a compliment. But Barbour then assigns a 64/100 grade, relegates Phillips to the 2nd Round, and states:

Talk about a roller coaster. In short, the talent is more than there, but the concussions are scary. The talent flashes shown consistently throughout the tape demonstrate a player that is worth a top-10 selection if a team needs an edge rusher. That is not an exaggeration. He truly is an amazing prospect. Phillips will have a great career in the NFL for however long it lasts, let’s make that clear. His problem lies at the end of that sentence: “however long it lasts.” Concussions are no joke: they do not go away, and they cannot be fixed with surgery or any other methods. The best medical staff made him retire, yet Phillips’s love for football brought him back. Let’s hope that the concussion issue subsides and that the world gets to indulge in the amazing prospect that Phillips truly is. Overall, he is a top-12 talent, but he rests as a second-round grade when factoring in the concussions. The best ability is availability.

In terms of popular consensus, Phillips is indeed a stretch at the 14th hole. The Vikings could likely trade out of the 14th hole, accrue more draft capital — and still find a way to draft Phillips. And that’s if the general manager Rick Spielman even likes him at all.

Phillips’ addition to the team at #14 would imply the Vikings have an extremely favorable view of the Bruin-turned-Hurricane, one that forces the team to scoff at the draft community’s unanimity. But, hey, the Vikings have splurged in the past on players that they liked more so than the general public. See: Anthony Barr and/or Trae Waynes.

This would be similar to those selections, although the Phillips pick would be an extreme example.

Maybe the Vikings could just sign the aforementioned Melvin Ingram instead?

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