Latest NFL Mock Draft has Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressing one of the Vikings' biggest needs in a huge way
One of the interesting things about the needs for the Minnesota Vikings is how well they have mitigated them so far this season. The two biggest needs are on the defensive line and at cornerback but it hasn't felt like the dire needs that they are. Overall, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has schemed around the […]
One of the interesting things about the needs for the Minnesota Vikings is how well they have mitigated them so far this season.
The two biggest needs are on the defensive line and at cornerback but it hasn't felt like the dire needs that they are. Overall, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has schemed around the deficiencies so far while maximizing their talents. The Vikings are currently second in the National Football League in run defense and the likes of Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard are the key players in that group.
Cornerback has also been mitigated somewhat by the scheme Flores runs, using creative ways to pressure the quarterback to ease the stress on them in coverage.
Vikings select DT Deone Walker in latest mock draft
How will general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah approach April's NFL Draft? That is a big question as we move forward, and it's going to be determined by how the Vikings attack free agency. Adofo-Mensah has a history of fortifying the roster ahead of the NFL Draft to let him go in a multitude of directions.
In the first mock draft of the cycle from Thor Nystrom of Matthew Berry's Fantasy Life, he has the Vikings selecting Kentucky Wildcats defensive tackle Deone Walker.
The Vikings are going to be looking to add at least one new starter on the interior defensive line this offseason, and perhaps even two. Walker is a ridiculous physical specimen at 6’6/345. He’s more athletic than T’Vondre Sweat, who went No. 38 overall to the Titans last process. A linebacker’s best-friend in the run game, Walker is also a much better pass-rusher than most 340-plus pounders. He piled up 15 sacks, 76 hurries, and 96 pressures over 965 pass-rush reps the past three years. Walker would take over the NT gig in Minnesota, kicking Harrison Phillips to DE in Minnesota’s 3-4 alignment.
Walker is an interesting player. He's a massive human being that has a ton of athletic ability, but his performance this season has raised multiple question marks. One of the biggest issues that he has is playing with too high of a pad level. He can get stood up a little too easily and that causes major issues.
However, when you look at his 2023 film at Kentucky, he was a menace, including dropping into coverage at nearly 350 lbs.
If you can harness that elite combination of size and athleticism on the defensive line, it could be a true game-changer for the Vikings' defense.
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