Vikings Have Defense on the Brain in Sporting News Mock Draft
The 2022 NFL Draft is four months away.
Because the NFL playoffs have not yet transpired, the event feels light-years away, but it is not. The distance between now and the NFL draft is essentially the timeframe between now and Week 1 of the 2021 season.
So, we’re getting close – even if it feels premature to speculate.
The Minnesota Vikings will likely hold a pick in the 10th to 18th range, depending on how the team fares against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in the next two weeks. At the moment, Minnesota would choose 12th if the draft occurred tonight.
And according to The Sporting News’ latest mock draft, general manager Rick Spielman – who will probably still be the Vikings bossman – could choose a defender to improve the 2022 Vikings.
His name is Devin Lloyd, and he’s a 6’3″ linebacker from the University of Utah. Per Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News, here’s the rationale for Lloyd to Minnesota:
“The Vikings will need to address the second level for Mike Zimmer with oft-injured aging Anthony Barr heading into free agency along with Nick Vigil. Lloyd is a strong rangy athlete who stands out making plays, with smarts and good instincts made for their zone scheme.”
This is on point. Why? The Vikings will have a linebacker problem relatively soon. Anthony Barr is unlikely to return to the Vikings, leaving the organization Barr-less for the first time since 2013. Barr will likely join another franchise this March. Nick Vigil isn’t a long-term or star-studded solution on the weakside of the linebacking corps. And then Eric Kendricks has performed well in 2021 – but not at his God-like level of 2019 or 2020. Currently, Kendricks unthinkably possesses a Pro Football Focus score of 59.0, designating the UCLA alumnus as the 30th-best linebacker in the NFL through 16 weeks. That’s not very Kendricksian.
No Barr. Vigil is ho-hum and not a Pro Bowler. Rookie Chazz Surratt might develop, but he’s another if. That leaves Kendricks, developmental guys – and nobody else.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”918086″ player=”26279″ title=”4%20ideal%20Russell%20Wilson%20trade%20destinations%20to%20help%20Seattle%20Seahawks%20rebuild” duration=”158″ description=”Let’s examine four trade destinations that would benefit Wilson and the Seahawks, including the three on his reported list.” uploaddate=”2021-12-09″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/917911_s_1639093227319.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/917911/917911.m3u8″]
Therefore, Spielman must explore free agency and the NFL draft to assemble an LB corps for 2022.
Per The Draft Network, the scouting report on Lloyd is as follows:
“He has also proven in 2021 that he can get home in pass-rush situations from various alignments. In the run game, he’s a thumper who plays downhill and physical. He has a heavy run lane anchor and has good tackling efficiency in the box. He’s a downhill player who is among the nations leader in TFLs. He uses his agility inside to defeat blockers and find the football. He has been productive in the box when he can quickly diagnose the run. On third downs, he has proven that he can remain on the field on passing downs and projects as a productive special teams player if necessary.”
Minnesota arguably carries three humongous needs in the 2022 offseason: linebacker, defensive end, and cornerback.
The selection of Lloyd – if his draft stock holds for four months – would check one box in April.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
You must be logged in to post a comment.