One Vikings analyst champions an explosive Oregon safety, a rapidly rising prospect, as the perfect No. 18 pick to solidify Minnesota's secondary.
Reality is settling in for what players teams will pursue in the NFL draft. The reality might be shifting what we viewed as possible prior to the NFL combine and free agency.
As teams fill needs across the league, it is easier to identify clearest deficiencies for each team and who they might be eyeing to address what was not addressed prior to the draft.
For the Vikings, the team is forced to accept what will be available to them with the No. 18 pick in the draft if they are not able to trade up for their guy earlier in the draft rankings. For one analyst, a clear favorite might have emerged as someone he'd like Minnesota to select with the No. 18 pick.
Dustin Baker of Vikings Territory ranked his four draft frontrunners for the upcoming draft in late April. An Oregon safety, Dillon Thieneman, takes the top spot.
"If you’re a human, and you’re publishing an NFL mock draft right now, a mysterious force overtakes your hand, guiding the mouse to Thieneman’s name at the Vikings’ No. 18 spot. Those are the rules; the galaxy demands it.
That’s how frequent and fervent the Thieneman buzz is for the Vikings right now — every mainstream mock draft connects him to the purple team.
Thieneman fired up an NFL Combine for the ages, and he’s become a rapid riser, once on deck for Round 2 placement but now shoved into Round 1, usually at the Vikings’ spot. He ran a 4.35 forty in Indianapolis and nailed all the drills."
Oregon Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) intercepts a pass against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Husky Stadium. Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesA couple of things are of note. First, a forty-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds would be fast for a wide receiver. Thieneman plays safety, so that bodes well for keeping up in coverage in the secondary.
In addition, Thieneman also adds range in open field tackling. It adds up to the Oregon talent projecting to be a good replacement for veteran safety Harrison Smith after a long career of reliable play in the back end for the Vikings' secondary.
Conventional wisdom has the Vikings looking to improve on the defensive side after seeing plenty of talent depart due to free agency and roster cuts. And although there might be a bigger void at defensive tackle, the loss of Harrison Smith would make safety an area of need as well.
The Vikings did a lot to help fix the offense in adding free agent quarterback Kyler Murray. They can solidify the defense with a player like Thieneman if that's the route they choose to take.