For Vikings, Get Familiar with Wolverines Pass Rusher
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings are doing a lot of new things – adding a general manager, head coach, and maybe even quarterback if Kirk Cousins is traded.
The newness of these Vikings may not stop there – the team could draft an EDGE rusher in the 1st Round of the draft for the first time since 2005. It’s been 17 years since Minnesota invested 1st-Round draft capital in a pass rusher, if that can be believed.
His name was Erasmus James, and his career never really took off for the Vikings – or anywhere in the NFL. Thankfully for the franchise, star-studded players like Jared Allen, Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, and Brian Robison have commendably masked Minnesota’s reluctance to draft pass rushers early in the draft.
But now, the Vikings might “get with the times” and select an EDGE rusher in Round 1, according to ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He authored his latest edition of a mock draft, choosing the University of Michigan’s David Ojabo at #12 for Minnesota.
Reid explained the choice of sending Ojabo to the Vikings:
Under the previous front-office regime, the Vikings relied heavily on their ability to develop Day 2 and Day 3 players at defensive end, which left the team’s depth razor-thin at the position outside of Danielle Hunter. If new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah uses the same model as the Browns, where he was the past few years, Minnesota could value the age of prospects (22 and younger) and their college production, physical traits and potential upside. Ojabo’s combination of potential and youth make him a clear target for the Vikings at a position of need. They haven’t selected an edge rusher in the first two rounds since Erasmus James in 2005.
Jordan Reid | ESPN
Hunter is a wildcard to return in 2022. His contract needs attention, but Hunter and the Vikings can relatively easily make a deal work if both parties are in lock-step. However, if Hunter does not want to play for the Vikings (or vice versa), well Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings would be in rough shape for the defensive trenches. Everson Griffen may be at the end of the line for his NFL career, D.J. Wonnum is a decent up-and-coming defender – and then that’s it. The rest of the Vikings pass rushers are either projects or not startable.
So, choosing Ojabo checks out, even if Hunter returns to the Vikings. A Hunter and Ojabo pairing is deadly on paper, and Minnesota will seek to rebuild its defense this offseason. The only names to build around “for sure” heading into 2022 are Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Cameron Dantzler, and probably Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson. While those men are a promising nucleus, about 5-6 more defenders are necessary to navigate a post-Zimmer defense.
Finding 5-6 starting defensive players on a condensed budget – like the Vikings currently have – is a tall order for new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Yet, per Reid, the acquisition of Ojabo is a sensible start. He’d be affordable and potentially dominant for five years on a rookie deal.
Ojabo’s old teammate from 2020, Kwity Paye, performed well in his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts, tallying four sacks and a 69.6 grade from Pro Football Focus – while playing 66% of all defensive snaps.
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).
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