The Minnesota Vikings used their 120th pick to select Michigan inside linebacker Ben Gedeon. Though probably best characterized as a reach given his ranking on the Consensus Big Board (he ranked 199th), the Vikings likely made this pick with the understanding that linebacker is one of the shallowest positions in the draft.
Gedeon will likely compete with Kentrell Brothers for a spot on the roster and a special teams slot, with the slim chance that he could secure an inside linebacker spot while splitting Eric Kendricks to the outside on base downs. In fact, he may be best characterized as a better, bigger Kentrell Brothers.
The Michigan alum has speed issues that will likely relegate him to those running downs, but he is an impressive run stopper between the tackles. Though he has issues spilling to the outside, players like Kendricks and Anthony Barr have enough athleticism to cover the edges while Gedeon mans the inside.
Gedeon plays with both size and length (despite his 6-foot-2 frame) and shocking agility inside limited space. He’s been a core special-teamer for Michigan the past several years and his understanding of both his run fits and special teams assignments makes him a valuable asset to operate as a special-teams captain or someone who can line up a defense. His football character has been marked as a strength and he should be valuable in the locker room.
His high-level of play strength and quick diagnosis should allow him to meet offensive linemen early in the play while squeezing running lanes and making life difficult for opposing running backs. His lower-body strength should allow him to explode through blocks and keep things messy.
That said, it’s difficult to see him as someone who would be consistently on the field in passing situations and he could be vulnerable to speedy receivers or tight ends on crossing routes and his upside is relatively limited.
There’s a good chance that the Vikings could have grabbed the guard they liked (perhaps Nico Siragusa) and waited on a linebacker until their final fourth-round pick, so it may not have been the best strategic move. On the other hand, several linebackers flew off the board afterwards in the forms of Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Samson Ebukam—though I’m not sure either of those qualify as sneaky steals either.
Still, they filled a need and got a good player, even if he is no longer as valuable as he would have been seven years ago.
