Minnesota Vikings Hit the Jackpot in 2015 NFL Draft

By Ben Ryan | May 3, 2015

On April 30, 2015, the 2015 NFL Draft began in Chicago, Illinois. The build up to this day was tearing everybody apart. From the moment that the 2014 NFL season ended to the moment each player declared for the draft, the analyzing and research to draft the player that will give you the best chance to compete, began.

With an incredible draft with depth filled with off-the-field issues, many teams walked away from on a positive note. Noticeable names were taken from round one to as far as round five. Players slid all over the place; Leonard Williams fell farther than expected and lets not forget about Randy Gregory, sliding all the way to the second round. Whether a team drafted on either best player available or team needs, it seemed as if everyone team turned out pretty well.

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For the Minnesota Vikings, they were spectacular this year. Obviously, only time will tell if most of the players will be successful and but as of now, it certainly seems like they will be.

In the first round, the Vikings drafted cornerback Trae Waynes out of Michigan State. An excellent pick for an excellent athlete. His athleticism is unreal and he will be on the field week one alongside Xavier Rhodes. These two will be a great tag-team of lockdown corners, and will help the secondary improve even more than they already have.

Waynes’ smooth hip movement and tight coverage will work well with the Vikings. He’s an overall competitor, leader, and winner.

Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Trae Waynes (Michigan State) poses for a photo with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number 11th overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Going into the second round, the Vikings had options to play with. Do they go with a wide receiver? Do they take an offensive lineman? Maybe a safety or linebacker? Well, linebacker it was. Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer probably debated for a little bit on which one to take. After a few minutes on the clock went by, they chose Eric Kendricks from UCLA.

Surprising to most people that he was still on the board at the moment, the Vikings picked up the hard-hitting linebacker. Another leader and physical player. Kendricks won the Butkus award his senior year as well as winning second-team AP All American Awards. Kendricks has his size issues, but his talent should cover that up. Leaving UCLA has the all-time leading tackler, he knows how to play.

Anthony Barr was his former, and now current teammate. This could give Kendricks more of a drive to play harder and better. The two will be a nice combination on the field.

In the third round with the 88th overall selection which they acquired from the Detroit Lions, the Vikings selected Danielle Hunter from LSU.

Hunter is pure raw talent. He has an insane combination of size and athleticism. 6’5″, 252 pounds, 34 and a quarter inch arms with a 4.57 40-yard dash time, if there’s one word to describe how physical he is, it’s beast.

Hunter will have to give it a season or two before he see’s everyday action on the field. He’s too raw but has tremendous upside. He didn’t have many sacks at LSU which his position tends to have a good amount of. His sloppy technique is another reason why he’ll have to learn first before going out and having fun on the field.

After three selections on defense, the Vikings went to the offensive side of the ball. In the fourth round they acquired a potential star in T.J. Clemmings. The offensive tackle out of Pittsburgh showed great reason to be picked higher than the fourth round. Clemmings has great strength and effectively uses his size to push defenders out of the way. He also has great instinct to pick up the delayed blitz. After all, he’s a force; he does this. Keep an eye on number 68 here.

Teams found that Clemmings had a stress fracture in his foot. Clemmings had no clue he even had it, though. He said he never felt it in practice, during games, and even post season. Regardless, this was sort of a red-flag to teams, causing them to pass on him, resulting in him sliding into the hands of the Vikings.

Protecting Bridgewater was a necessity, and the Vikings gambled a little bit with Clemmings, but if he can show that he’s versatile with several positions and can stay healthy, the Vikings ended up with a steal on this one.

For the Vikings’ first fifth round pick, they went with the man with the wonderful name; MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt is a prospect out of Southern Illinois University, which happens to be where Spielman played linebacker in college.

Pruitt has excellent hands and is aggressive when it comes to blocking. He’s athletic, strong, and a smooth route runner. In his four years as a starter, he was a work-horse. In 2014, he had the school record with 81 receptions and recorded 861 yards and 13 touchdowns with those receptions.

Being behind Kyle Rudolph and coming in for a few downs will be good for Pruitt as he plays under the Norv Turner offense.

For the Vikings second pick in the fifth round, the Vikings selected Stefon Diggs, from the University of Maryland.

Diggs is an tremendous slot receiver, but lacks the strength to be on the left or right side of the field against top-notch cornerbacks. He’s someone you don’t want to have the ball, he makes plays happen. Being dangerous from catching the ball from a quarterback to being dangerous from kick off/punt returns; Diggs can do it all.

Oct 18, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

He’s 6’0″ so he has solid size for a receiver, and has great speed with a 4.46 40-yard dash. He’s quick, explosive, smooth, great body control, and an overall gifted athlete. Diggs adjusts to the ball very well when it’s in the air, and with an impressive 35-inch vertical, he can jump up and snag some balls away from the defenders.

The Vikings will use him a great amount in his first year; battling for the slot position, and probably taking a okay-amount of the returns throughout the season. The Vikings made a nice selection on this one.

In the sixth round of the draft, the Vikings went for offense and defense. They used their first pick in the round on Tyrus Thompson, from Oklahoma.

Thompson is another big man with great length, weighing in at 324 pounds and being 6’5″ with 34-7/8-inch arms, he’s going to be hard to move. At Oklahoma, he played both right and left tackle, so he proved that he’s flexible. The Vikings will more than likely try to use him either at one of the tackle positions or an inside guard.

At the combine, he put up the bench press 29 times. He’s strong, and with his length he effectively uses his reach to grab defenders. He moves very smooth laterally, which is something a lot of lineman fail to do. He was also a First-Team All Big 12 in 2014.

The Vikings made yet another smart selection with Thompson. Again filling a need to work on protecting Bridgewater.

Their second selection in the sixth round, they selected B.J. Dubose, from Louisville.

Dubose is a defensive end and a former teammate of Bridgewater, always good to see old teammates joining each-other again. Dubose is a strong player, and uses his hips to leverage players in the run game. Very versatile just like the other selections. In three years at Louisville he totaled for 73 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

However, Dubose gets too tall off the snap and can easily be pushed around and redirected. He’s fairly strong but won’t be too effective in run or pass defense. He lacks the talent but has strength to make up for it. He has a lot to learn before he ends up seeing the field. If he doesn’t develop properly, Dubose might not ever see it.

Coach Zimmer will have to do a lot of work with Dubose, he’s known for getting the best out of defenders, though, so there is hope for him.

With the final selection for the Vikings in the 2015 draft, they selected Austin Shepherd from the University of Alabama.

Right when you see the team Alabama, you almost automatically think he’s going to be a first or second round player. Well, Shepherd obviously was not. That doesn’t mean Shepherd isn’t better than a seventh round selection though.

Even if it’s unlikely that a good amount of sixth and seventh round picks end up making the team, they got drafted, and they’re getting a chance to play.

Shepherd, an offensive tackle, is an extremely hard worker, but like Dubose, lacks the talent. He’s not the strongest, he’s not the most athletic or talented, but he works hard and he’s big. Shepherd, however, does everything right. He has nice technique and fluid lateral movement. He also times his strike very well for the most part, getting great angles at defenders.

Shepherd is a little stiff at times, as well as just lacking overall strenght; but will do everything in his power to fix his problems.

Oct 26, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive tackle B.J. Dubose (11) work out prior to the game against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Shepherd may actually have a decent shot at making the roster for the Vikings, he’ll prove he’s a hard worker and deserves to be there. That’s all a coach can really ask for.

Overall, the Vikings had a spectacular 2015 NFL Draft. From the minute they selected Waynes with the eleventh pick in the first round to Shepherd with their last selection. They filled every need going into the draft, they added new weapons for Bridgewater to play with, they added protection for him, and three great defenders in the first three round.

Whether they’re raw or not, Zimmer will get the best out of them. After such a fantastic draft for the Vikings, they can already be jumping around getting excited for the season to start. The Vikings showed that they’re no longer 5-10 or 7-9, they’re here to play and that they’re not messing around anymore. When it all comes down to it, the Vikings ended up winners in this years draft.

Next: Vikings add Weapons for Bridgewater

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