Vikings Could Channel Aaron Donald, Warren Sapp Type in Draft
Dustin Baker
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Georgia’s Jordan Davis had a week.
The defensive tackle entering the NFL draft in April shredded the NFL combine last week, drawing attention from draft pundits, NFL teams, and the general population.
Why? Well, he’s 340 pounds, and he ran a faster 40-yard dash time than Patrick Mahomes. Of course, Mahomes isn’t a speed demon, but he also isn’t slow. And 340-pound men shouldn’t be faster than 227-pounds dudes like Mahomes.
Davis’ physical attributes shocked onlookers of the combine, plain and simple. He won the combine. Correspondingly, his draft stock will shoot up, creating the selection by a team who hopes to tap an Aaron Donald or Warren Sapp-type in the draft.
Here’s the full combine profile via numbers for Davis:
That is unholy. So is this:
He shouldn’t be able to get up like that, not according to physics. But he does.
Back in 2014, the Vikings were in the mix for Aaron Donald in the draft, infamously passing on the future Hall of Famer for Anthony Barr, a linebacker who stayed with the team for [at least] eight seasons. Barr was quite good with the Vikings, but he was not a game-changer like Donald. Why? Well, some consider Donald the best defensive player ever, let alone the top guy from the 2014 NFL Draft.
In retrospect, no team would’ve been unhappy choosing Donald when its roster need was, for example, wide receiver. Draft Donald and figure the other stuff out later.
Davis isn’t a shoo-in to become Donald or Sapp, yet the physical freakishness is there — and might just be worth the gamble.
Incidentally, Minnesota doesn’t need interior defensive linemen, as Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Armon Watts currently live on the depth chart. However, pivot back to the Donald-Sapp argument. A team mustn’t pass on a behemoth who moves like a ball carrier.
For Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, if Davis is available when the Vikings choose at #12, he’ll ponder the lifelong draft question — team need or best player available. Minnesota needs cornerbacks and EDGE rushers, not interior defensive linemen. But does that even matter if the ceiling is so damn high for a player like Davis? Nope. You choose the best football player on the board and take the “risk.”
Who knows, though. With Davis’ display at the combine, a franchise might leapfrog the Vikings, hoping to similarly tap into the quest for the next Aaron Donald.
If not, Davis is probably worth it at #12 no matter what Minnesota does in free agency.
And the neat part? Sapp was the 12th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. Donald went 13th in 2014. There is eerie precedent for this.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. 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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