Sticking with their trend of taking linebackers in the seventh round, doing so for the seventh straight year, the Minnesota Vikings took Devante Downs out of California in their final scheduled pick of the draft.
Downs, an inside linebacker, finished his Golden Bears career with 211 tackles, eight sacks and five interceptions. Pro Football Focus ranked him in a tie for the fourth-best pass-rush productivity amongst linebackers last year.
The 22 year old had a great start to his senior season before suffering a season-ending knee injury after seven games. He also suffered a torn ACL in high school.
Downs is listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds.
The Vikings do not have much depth at linebacker beyond starters Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Ben Gedeon. Emmanuel Lamur departed in free agency, and Kentrell Brothers is suspended for the first four games of the season for PED use.
Stay tuned for further analysis on the Vikings’ third-day picks.
