(The team’s fourth-round pick was traded to Philadelphia as part of the Sam Bradford trade in 2016, and the club’s seventh round pick was traded to the Seahawks for CB Tramaine Brock Sr. last September.)
Round 1, 30th Overall – Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Someone is going to fall in the laps of the Vikings on draft day, and after a “soft” senior season, McGlinchey could be that guy. Draft pundits are quick to criticize McGlinchey’s lack of quick feet and inability to be a dominant left tackle in the NFL. However, in a league that is now desperate for talented tackles on the right side as well, McGlinchey thrived as a right tackle during his early college years (similar to Jack Conklin in his time at Michigan State, who is now one of the league’s best young tackles for the Titans).
The addition of McGlinchey slides Mike Remmers over to left guard permanently, helping solidify and strengthen two positions with one pick. With Rashod Hill still in the picture as well, McGlinchey could also see himself at right guard his rookie year.
The more likely scenario is the Notre Dame rookie wins the right tackle spot outright, giving the team an outstanding young swing tackle and pristine depth at the position for the first time in over a decade, also helping turn the one-time worst offensive line in the league into a legitimate strength.
While Connor Williams and other tackles rank higher according to draft pundits, McGlinchey is my number one tackle in the draft because of how technically sound and safe he is on tape, so you can imagine how ecstatic I would be if this panned out on draft day. Let other teams take a huge risk on the injury-riddled prospects higher on the draft board with higher upside. Meanwhile, safe is sexy, as I feel confident five year from now McGlinchey will be the last one standing as a consistent full-time starter with all the NFL traits you want.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/970733129584410624
Round 2, 62nd Overall – Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford
A former Gatorade Player of the Year and high school wrestling champion, Phillips is a coach’s dream from a strength, effort, toughness and competitiveness standpoint. Phillips has battled a few injury bugs earlier in his career, missing the entire 2015 season. However, he has put together a great string of consistency over his final 26 games, during which Phillips strung together flashes of downright dominance with 14 sacks and an outrageous 27 tackles for loss.
Phillips won’t win the overall combine game and won’t ever be confused with the athletic type, but he did post a nearly record-breaking 42 bench reps, displaying his sheer power. With his wrestling background, Phillips has a natural knack for making plays equally in the run and passing game, thanks in large part to his natural strength, which helps him set the edge.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/969165553469394944
While its my keen sixth sense the Vikings coaching staff is high on last year’s rookie Jaleel Johnson, it’s still vital to stockpile the rotation with young, high upside trench players for Andre Patterson, who continues to develop and churn out some of the most productive defensive linemen in the league.
Having Phillips and Johnson rotating in with one another next to Linval Joseph assures a young, energetic interior for Mike Zimmer to build around, not to mention Shamar Stephen and Tom Johnson potentially being in the mix as well, who would add valuable versatility inside the scheme if they re-sign.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/969164232846729216
Round 3, 94th Overall – Lorenzo Carter, DE, Georgia
Carter certainly stole the show this week at the combine with some freaky numbers for a lineman with his size and strength. A key cog in the Georgia Bulldogs magical season, Carter was a nightmare to contain anywhere around the line of scrimmage thanks to his naturally long stature and explosive range.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/969330196292579328
With a springy body and great quickness/movement skills to complement, Carter has the things you just can’t teach. While they’re still one of the best on paper, there’s no denying the Vikings pass rush went cold near the end the season. With Brian Robison unlikely to play anymore than one more season at most, adding Carter to the mix behind Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen is an absolute must — yet another toy for the proven coach Patterson to mold.
In a copycat league, all of a sudden the Vikings have stolen a key page out of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl playbook by stockpiling the trenches with talent and, more importantly, depth through versatility along nearly every position.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/969330353411317760
Round 5, 167th Overall – Wyatt Teller, OG, Virginia Tech
A former no. 1 recruit, Teller looked the part of a superhero freshman when he first stepped onto campus with his monster size, strength and country-strong frame. You can’t build them any stronger than this kid with every weight room record you could think of to go with a fiery mean streak on the field.
Teller regressed his final season, however, in a big way. While it’s still uncertain what caused the dramatic dip, teams must be wary when getting their background info. Was he hurt? Was there a scheme change? Did he fall out of line with the coaching staff? These thing we may never know and, more importantly, can never change. But adding his brute strength and upside on Day 3 is well worth the risk while adding more beef up front to give the Vikings additional depth on the interior offensive line behind last year’s rookie Danny Isidora. Teller’s 30 bench reps was fifth best for any offensive lineman, reminding us all just how much punch he can pack.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/970540766861783042
Round 6, 204th Overall – Isaac Yiadom, CB, Boston College
Yiadom is a name to watch out for during the week in Indianapolis as he will wake some people up with his long arms and big frame at 6-foot-1 with over 32-inch arms. The same big body he used to knock receivers off their routes and swallow them whole inside the first five yards of the line of scrimmage is the feisty playing style I love from my cornerbacks.
Yiadom wasn’t a superstar and didn’t come up with as many splash plays as some of his peers. However, he’s a player that has every tool you look for and smells like a future full-time starter in the league that will have people scratching their heads as to how he slipped through the cracks.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/969329427510263810
Round 6, 213th Overall – Tegray Scales, OLB, Indiana
Don’t ask me how, but until the league wakes up on just how good this kid is I will continue to project him on Day 3. Scales was voted First Team All-Big Ten, and rightfully so, as he was a one-man wrecking crew for the Hoosiers, tallying up an insanely productive 216 tackles and 36 tackles for loss in his past two seasons. Combine week might help put him on the map after tying for second amongst all linebackers with 27 bench reps.
The Vikings used a fourth rounder on Ben Gedeon last season, which helped provide great depth and a starter in the team’s base run package. However, with both Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks set to become free agents in 2019, it’s imperative to add at least one more linebacker with starter qualities now in case one of them can’t be retained.
Round 6, 218th Overall – Simmie Cobbs, WR, Indiana
I love this kid’s big upside thanks to his even bigger body at 6-foot-4, giving him great catch-radius potential. Cobbs missed all of 2016 with an ankle injury that took him off scouts’ radars, but he picked up where he left off in 2015 this season, dominating the Big Ten and becoming one of the most productive wideouts in the conference with over 1,000 yards.
Cobbs is a one-on-one mismatch with the ability to stretch those long arms and go up and over defenders, specifically in the red zone where he consistently converted his eight touchdowns. A solid 40-yard dash time will be needed for Cobbs to prove to people he can separate at the next level, but if not, he will be a nice find in Round 6 for a team that can try and develop his skill set on the boundary as he starts off as a number-four receiver.
https://twitter.com/Luke_Spinman/status/970534511158030337
