Clemson DT DeMonte Capehart met with the Vikings at the Combine. The potential Day 3 pick could address Minnesota’s need for youth on the DL.
Much of the attention in the NFL draft goes towards the first round, but the best teams in the league hit on picks in the later rounds. While first-round picks dominate draft headlines, winning teams build their depth on Days 2 and 3.
The Minnesota Vikings have been linked to Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell in early mock drafts, but it was one of his teammates who confirmed contact with Minnesota this week at the Scouting Combine.
On Wednesday, Clemson defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart told reporters he had already interviewed with Minnesota, per Ryan Linkletter of Blitz Sports Media. Capehart said he had also met with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
Minnesota needs to get younger on the defensive line. Veteran free-agent acquisitions Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave were inconsistent in 2025 and are both over 30. Per FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz, the Vikings have had trade talks with other teams regarding Hargrave this offseason.
Capehart possesses impressive size, standing 6'5", 315 pounds, but he would be a later pick if the Vikings selected him. Currently, Capehart is PFF's 189th-ranked prospect in the draft and the 163rd overall player on the Consensus Big Board, which would likely land him around the fifth or sixth round. The Vikings own the 161st and 194th overall picks.
Despite playing the past six seasons at Clemson, Capehart didn't accumulate a ton of snaps. He only logged 892 career snaps, including a career-high 347 in 2025, which ranked 11th on Clemson's defense.
His 71.2 PFF grade ranked 247th among 913 interior defensive linemen during the 2025 season. Capehart's pass-rush production was average (61.9 grade, 5.2% pass-rush win rate), but he was great against the run.
He posted a 74.5 rush defense grade and an impressive 8.6% run-stop rate, which tied for 50th among all qualifying interior defensive linemen.
That could be enticing for a Vikings defense that sometimes struggled to stop the run in 2025. Per Next Gen Stats, Minnesota tied for 21st in EPA allowed per run this season, including six games in which they allowed at least 140 yards on the ground.
The Vikings were linked to Capehart before last year's draft as well. Before he was granted an additional year of eligibility, Capehart was linked to Minnesota with the 97th overall pick in a December 2024 mock draft by Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network.
That could make Capehart a potential Day 3 value. If he develops at the next level, he offers more upside than a typical late-round selection, especially for a player once viewed as a possible Day 2 candidate.
Of course, there is plenty of time to either improve or plummet his draft stock. But Capehart is a name for Vikings fans to monitor in the coming months.