The Minnesota Vikings have used a somewhat strict policy of creating workout thresholds for potential rookies at the combine and various pro days and might do so again. A number of teams do so to cut their board down from 300-plus players to 150 – the Patriots board is often 75 players – and though the Vikings have moved on from their old models, they may be implementing a new set of thresholds when selecting their players.
We don’t know the new set of thresholds the Vikings have implemented over the last two years, but we may be able to reasonably guess.
For Vikings defensive ends — their edge defenders — they typically look for ten-yard splits faster than 1.67 seconds and a broad jump greater than 9’7”. In the past, they’ve also looked for three cone scores faster than 7.30 seconds, though that has been less of an emphasis over the past two years. Every drafted player met all three metrics, but they seem to suspend one or two metrics for undrafted free agents.
Mike Zimmer defenses in the past have only gone after heavier defensive ends — 265 pounds and heavier for edge players in both Cincinnati and Minnesota — but they’ve expanded to include lighter ends, even going down to 246 pounds for camp invites and 252 for Danielle Hunter. For now, it may be safe to assume a 245-pound limit.
Check out which players at other positions have tested like Minnesota Vikings
Bradley Chubb, NC State
Chubb had a very poor three-cone, but if the Vikings have an opportunity to draft him, they may very well ignore that. His jump scores were pretty good and that might be enough to draft a pass rusher that many mock in the top 10.
Chubb has shown consistent improvement as a pass rusher at NC State, and his technical skill, athleticism and power have been on full display. He’s unlikely to be in range for the Vikings and they may engineer a trade instead of drafting him outright, but he’s definitely someone who is likely high on their board.
Harold Landry, Boston College
A more fluid athlete than Chubb with more flexibility, Landry suffers in comparison mostly because of Chubb’s superior strength at the point of attack. For many draft analysts, they are 1a and 1b as pass rushers, and Landry passes every athletic test the Vikings use.
In fact, he compares somewhat favorably to Danielle Hunter. At the same weight (252 pounds), Landry put up a nearly identical 10-yard split (0.01 seconds apart), bench press (1 rep apart), vertical lift (0.5” apart) and a better three cone (6.88 seconds to Hunter’s 6.95 seconds).
Marcus Davenport, UTSA
A player who popped up out of nowhere in the draft process, at least to big media, Davenport has been a darling in terms of draft coverage.
A tall, rangy, athletic defensive end who could end up going in the top half of the first round, Davenport also happens to be the kind of unknown that may end up in the third round. That kind of polarity makes for an intriguing prospect, but it can frustrate fans.
Naturally, Davenport tested like a great athlete, but as someone whose draft stock was built more on his freaky athleticism, the fact that he was merely “above average” for his position might disappoint some evaluators.
Third among edge defenders in broad jump, he “only” ranked 13th in the short shuttle, 11th in the vertical leap and tenth in the three-cone. None of that is bad in a vacuum, but it is a little underwhelming when one’s calling card is athleticism.
Nevertheless, Davenport was productive in college — the second-best pass-rusher productivity of any edge player in the draft class — and used his burst off the line of scrimmage and strength to bully himself into sacks.
That said, he needs to do a better job engaging offensive tackles, bending around the corner and generally keeping his pads low against contact. There’s a lot of technical work to do, but with coaching, he could end up as a top-tier defensive end.
Rasheem Green, USC
We mentioned Green as a potential defensive tackle convert and his current billing as a ‘tweener without a true position will hurt him. At USC, he played more of his snaps on the inside. For the Vikings, he cleared the thresholds for a three-technique tackle as well as an edge rusher. At 275 pounds, he plays at the old ideal weight for Zimmer defensive ends, but may need to lose weight to play on the outside if that’s how the Vikings see him.
That said, passing those thresholds at that weight might mean he’s got more speed and agility to unlock if he plays at the right weight. He needs to do a better job of playing the long game as a rusher as his moves can become predictable and his instincts don’t yet make up for it.
Regardless, his tools and technique make him an interesting prospect.
Josh Sweat, Florida State
Sweat was a potential linebacker convert as well, but that’s not likely his ideal role in the NFL. He not only passed the Vikings’ recently enforced threshold of the broad jump, he jumped through the roof in the vertical leap, accomplishing a 39.5” score while also the fastest ten-split among edge-rushing peers. He passed every explosion test with flying colors and demonstrated fluidity on tape. With one of the longest arms in the class, he also has the tools to make use of his athleticism.
He needs to expand his arsenal of pass-rushing moves and it wouldn’t hurt to add some weight, but there’s a good chance he passes every agility test come his pro day on March 20.
Kylie Fitts, Utah
Fitts is exactly in the mold of a mid-round Vikings pick at edge rusher. Often injured, he doesn’t have much film available, but what he has is pretty good.
If he passes the Vikings’ medical tests, he could end up being the kind of steal that Danielle Hunter was. Ten pounds heavier than Hunter, Fitts wins with agility rather than explosion, but like Hunter is at least above average in each category, if not elite.
Fitts ended up with the second-fastest three-cone at the event among his peers with a blazing 6.88-second performance. He paired that with a position-best performance in the short shuttle at 4.19 seconds. His broad jump and vertical scores beat his peers, though not quite to the elite level his agility scores did. With a 9’9” broad jump and 32.5” vertical at 263 pounds, he demonstrated that he’ll be difficult to stop if he can consistently keep his legs under him.
On the field, he needs to have a better plan once tackles get their hands on him and develop a set of counters to his rushes, but generally does a great job bending and completing the process of the arc — flattening at the top when he needs to.
He’s a very accomplished upfield, outside rusher who might be the best non-first round talent when it comes to the outside rush. He does have change-of-direction skills that should translate to an inside rush and his strength, though not great, is functional. If Fitts gets drafted in the middle rounds, there’s a good chance the Vikings selected him.
Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
We mentioned Carter as a potential position convert to off-ball linebacker for the Vikings because of his weight, but it’s not impossible that they keep him at edge rusher if they do end up acquiring him.
As one of the most efficient edge producers eligible for the 2018 draft, it makes sense to keep him on the edge even though he only weighs 250 pounds. His length, instincts and quickness make him ideal for an edge position, even though his frame is thin. He doesn’t offer much in run support on the edge and he doesn’t seem to finish his sacks very well, but he can add muscle in the offseason without losing too much quickness.
Carter had some of the best raw numbers at the combine — including a 10’10” broad jump that leads the pack — though we still don’t have the results of his three-cone and we’ll have to wait until March 21 when Georgia has its pro day.
Uchenna Nwosu, USC
Another potential linebacker convert, Nwosu has a lot of movement ability, with agility, acceleration and fluidity.
Despite his size, he does relish contact, but he doesn’t always do well once he hits an offensive lineman. He has trouble once he loses the initial battle for contact and can’t get free on second effort.
He doesn’t have great instincts as a player and doesn’t have a plan for the game, opting instead to play from snap to snap without creating tendencies to break them. Still, his change-of-direction for his size is worth investing in and he’s been productive at USC.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com is perhaps the last evaluator to sell anyone on Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, arguing that “Okoronkwo doesn’t possess the height, weight and length teams usually want on the edge and he doesn’t have the bend or athletic traits to supersede his deficiencies.”
But the Okoronkwo that showed up at the Senior Bowl looked like a different player than the one described above, frequently flattening at the top of his arc and demonstrating flexibility and bend when he gained an advantage. He has a good understanding of how he wants to attack opposing linemen and has solid technique and a gameplan in mind for how to approach the entire series of downs.
Though his size means he’ll get bullied in the run game, he does do a good job consistently disengaging from opposing tackles in order to pursue runners and corral them in. He has the tools to develop into a solid lineman and his explosion scores should sell him, at least in part, to the Vikings.
Leon Jacobs, Wisconsin
Jacobs is another edge rusher who comes in a little light, just above the cutoff for weight that we’ve imposed. His 7.14-second three-cone meets the Vikings threshold, but you’d like for lighter pass rushers to do better in those drills.
He does have some instinctive ability and can use his agility better than bigger defensive ends do, but he’d be a late-round developmental prospect at best.
Peter Kalambayi
More athlete than pass-rusher, Kalambayi was expected to test well and did.
His 7.13-second three-cone and 10’1” broad jump pass both Vikings thresholds and he demonstrates that flexibility and explosion on the field — paired with his length, he looks like a crafted pass rusher. His speed and strength are critical parts of his game and he gets off the ball with the best of them.
Unfortunately, Kalambayi hasn’t shown much technique, or capability to develop or instinct in his career as a pass-rusher. Because of that, his upside might be a fool’s gold and he’ll likely end up going late in the draft.
Ade Aruna, Tulane
With a staggering 38.5” vertical and fantastic broad jump of 10’8”, Aruna has established himself as one of the most explosive athletes in the draft.
Unfortunately, his 7.53-second three-cone and 4.48 short shuttle are nearly as unusual — in the wrong direction. It shows up on film, too, with poor ankle and hip flexion. He mostly needs to bull rush and work off of that, but hasn’t developed counter-moves, like the stab-and-grab, off of his bull-rush. Given that he often negates his power with a poor stance and high pads, he doesn’t use his best trait very well in the first place.
He will still be an interesting prospect to figure out, however, given how often he was forced to play inside instead of outside at Tulane. Should he get a dedicated position along the offensive line, he may develop better than he had in college.
