Minnesota Vikings: Grading each day of the 2020 NFL Draft

Vikings Day 2 Grade for 2020 NFL Draft

Entering the draft with a dozen selections, the Minnesota Vikings went into Day 2 and rounds two and three with a total of three picks. The Vikings held the No. 58 overall pick in the second round, while also containing the No. 89 pick and No. 105 selection of the third round.

With the first pick of Day 2, Minnesota ultimately went with its next biggest position of need behind wide receiver and cornerback which it addressed in Day 1, taking a talented offensive lineman at the end of the second round.

With pick No. 58, the Vikings selected offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland out of Boise State, a player who has starter potential and could be an option immediately for the purple and gold in 2020.

In that pick, Minnesota drafted their tackle of the future in Cleveland while it now ponders the idea of what to do with current left tackle Riley Reiff and if it moves him to another position within the front line. Cleveland fits the Vikings’ athletic mold for Gary Kubiak‘s zone-blocking scheme.

In the third round, the Vikings used their first pick of the round at No. 89 overall to select another cornerback to help build up their defensive back group, taking Mississippi State’s Cameron Dantzler.

Dantzler is a physical player with a lot of length to allow him the ability to lock up opposing wide receivers on the outside of the field. He could come in and fight for a spot right out of the gate during his rookie season in 2020 with the Vikings.

As the No. 105 pick approached, Minnesota ended up trading that pick away to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for four draft picks on Day 3 of this year’s draft. That set up a final day consisting of a large number of picks during Rounds 4-7.

The Day 2 selections by the Vikings might not have been as flashy as the first-round selections, but Minnesota gets a grade of A- for its picks during rounds two and three on Friday night.