Minnesota Vikings: Early 7-round 2019 mock draft

Honestly, if Bryce Love is still available towards the end of the third round, he’d be a steal. Despite the massive drop his stock has suffered this season, there’s no denying that the Stanford running back is as explosive a player as any when he’s fully healthy.

The problem is that, after a historic junior season, Love came back and crumpled under the pressure. Injuries have played a huge role in his decline, on top of teams loading the box in hopes of corralling him. It’s been a year to forget for the former Heisman runner-up, who was once considered a sure-fire first-round prospect.

So here’s the way I see it going down… Love joins the Vikings as the 1B to Dalvin Cook’s 1A. That takes pressure off of Cook to be a star of the show, while still allowing Love to use his talents for good in the NFL. By splitting the workload between the two injury-prone runners, Minnesota lessens the bumps and bruises they both endure.

More importantly, drafting Love gives the Vikings another legitimate homerun threat who can keep defenses on their toes. Seriously, when the Cardinal runner is healthy, he can turn any touch into six points. Just look at what he did in 2017 if you aren’t aware of his superhuman abilities.

Especially with Latavius Murray headed for free agency and no other proven threats behind Cook, it’s in the Vikings’ best interests to add another option at running back. Love is a pretty good one who shouldn’t cost any more than a third-round pick.