Vikings raise eyebrows, draft QB in fifth round
The Minnesota Vikings raised some eyebrows across the NFL in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Vikings kicked off the round by nabbing DT Jaquelin Roy out of LSU with the 141st overall pick. Roy followed his college teammate S Jay Ward to Minnesota as the team selected LSU Tigers with back-to-back […]
The Minnesota Vikings raised some eyebrows across the NFL in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Vikings kicked off the round by nabbing DT Jaquelin Roy out of LSU with the 141st overall pick. Roy followed his college teammate S Jay Ward to Minnesota as the team selected LSU Tigers with back-to-back picks.
Roy is a behemoth at the defensive tackle position. At 6’5” 305lbs, Roy is a bonafide run-stuffer who has experience lining up over the center in the three-technique.
The Vikings ranked 20th in run defense last season, but Roy figures to play a rotational role in short-yardage and goal line situations. In 2022, Roy registered 49 tackles, including 24 solo stops, and 3.5 TFLs.
Minnesota went in a different direction with pick No. 164 as the team selected BYU QB Jaren Hall. He slipped in the draft due to medical concerns, but Hall will join Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens as the only three quarterbacks on the Vikings roster.
Hall, 25, took over for the injured Zach Wilson in 2019, though it was short-lived as Hall suffered two concussions in a span of three weeks. A hip injury he suffered while playing baseball at BYU forced sidelined him for the entirety of the 2020 season. He’s also dealt with broken ribs and a punctured lung in his time with the Cougars.
He started the last two seasons under center for BYU and put up some impressive numbers. Hall threw a total 51 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions from 2021-2022 while adding 657 rushing yards and six touchdowns in that same time frame.
With a big arm and a completion percentage of 65.2%, Hall has plenty of upside if he can stay healthy. The Vikings aren’t contractually tied to a quarterback beyond the 2023 season, so if Hall can develop quickly he could have a chance to compete in 2024.
