Vikings Mock Draft Fallout after 49ers-Dolphins Trade

Justin Fields
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings rumors from early February that sent quarterback Kirk Cousins to San Francisco – are formally dead.

The 49ers traded up nine spots in the 2021 NFL Draft on Friday, placing themselves in the third overall spot for late April. The price was colossal and close to unprecedented. General Manager John Lynch sent the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, a 3rd-Rounder from 2021, and two 1st-Round picks from 2022 and 2023 to the Miami Dolphins.

This can be classified as a Godfather deal. The 49ers want a quarterback of the future. Period.

Of course, the trade has leaguewide reverberations. For the Vikings, here is the immediate fallout.

NFL.com: Alijah Vera-Tucker (OL), USC

This mock draft was posted with the 49ers-Dolphins trade in mind. Minnesota stuck with offensive line help per NFL.com’s Chad Reuter. He noted:

“The Vikings released starting left tackle Riley Reiff before free agency began, so finding a new blind-side blocker for Kirk Cousins appears to be on the draft menu. Vera-Tucker’s arm length (32 1/8 inches) might force teams to rate him as a guard, but Indianapolis right tackle Braden Smith has showed arm length isn’t everything — he measured 32 1/4 inches at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, and he has since established himself as a successful member of one of the NFL’s top O-lines. Even if Vera-Tucker has to slide inside eventually, the Vikings could really use help there. If the Vikings find value in another tackle later in the draft (as I project in Round 4 of this exercise), they could push Vera-Tucker inside right away and play the team’s best five linemen.”

The Vikings may still need two starting offensive linemen, depending on future plans of Mason Cole – a center that Minnesota traded for on Thursday from the Arizona Cardinals.

Vera-Tucker would start on day one and move the Vikings closer to a decent version of the offensive trenches.

Minnesota native Trey Lance wound up in San Francisco in Reuter’s predictions.

CBS Sports: Gregory Rousseau (EDGE), Miami (FL)

Conversely, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards theorizes the Vikings fortifying the defense – offensive line be damned. He wrote briefly about the Rousseau pick:

“Minnesota adds length to its defense and fills a big need for additional pass rush help opposite Danielle Hunter.”

Rousseau’s stock has fluctuated amid the last few months. Early on, many mock drafts sent him to the Vikings at #14. More recently, though, Rousseau slides to the 20s-range of the 1st Round.

Last month, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon detailed Rousseau to the Vikings:

“Without Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen and with only a cameo from Yannick Ngakoue, the Minnesota Vikings defense ranked in the bottom five in terms of sacks and pressure rate in 2020. Hunter might be back from a herniated disk in 2021, but for the defense to get back on track, another pass-rushing weapon might be necessary. The Vikings will likely be too cap-strapped to add one in free agency, but they’re lucky to have Rousseau still on the board. The converted wide receiver and safety has a smaller-than-ideal frame at 265 pounds, but his ceiling is extremely high because of his length and explosiveness, and he put up 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in 2019 before opting out in 2020. Rousseau could need a little time to get acclimated, but that’s what makes this a good spot. Hunter and Ifeadi Odenigbo can take a lot of pressure off of him early on.”

In this one, the 49ers select Ohio State quarterback, Justin Fields.

Walter Football: Jaelan Phillips (EDGE), MIA (FL)

Ironically, Rousseau was the player mocked to Minnesota in Walter Football’s early 2021 mock drafts. Now, Phillips and Rousseau flip. Charlie Campbell affirms:

“The Vikings need as much defensive help as possible. They have to bolster their defensive line to replace some recent departures, including Yannick Ngakoue, who was traded during the 2020 season. Jaelan Phillips had a monster year in replacing the opted-out Gregory Rousseau.”

All in all, the “types” of personnel mocked to the Vikings have not changed much because of Friday’s trade – yet. Unless a keynote free-agent acquisition makes news, Minnesota desperately needs offensive line help. And if that is not the consensus, yes, a defensive end is a coherent strategy to pair with Danielle Hunter.

Oh, and in the Walter Football mock draft, Minnesotan Trey Lance is the guy for the 49ers.

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