One of the biggest needs in this year’s draft for the Vikings was the secondary and the team put a ton of draft capital into that position. They invested five total picks in the secondary throughout the draft, including pick No. 249 on Mississippi State safety Brian Cole II.
Cole is another safety that isn’t the greatest when it comes to attacking the ball when it’s in the air, which is weird considering he is a former wide receiver. He is another physical prospect that needs some work in pass coverage, but is more than willing to deliver the big hits.
He is able to bump down and cover running backs and tight ends in the slot and he has the size to match up well with bigger tight ends. Cole stands at 6-2, 213 pounds and runs a 4.52 40-yard dash.
In his 2019 season, Cole was a captain at Mississippi State. He registered 65 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception in his final collegiate season.
The Vikings clearly have a type when it comes to selecting safeties over the years. They like physical safeties that are willing to help out in the run game. The Vikings have done a good job over the years at finding similar safeties to Harrison Smith, who can work their way up the depth chart.
Anthony Harris was an undrafted free agent and Jayron Kearse was a seventh-round pick. Kearse never made it into a starting role before leaving for Detroit in free agency, but he did play a critical role in winning some football games in 2019.
If either of the two safeties want to make an impact for the Vikings in 2020, they will have to start by impressing on special teams. It is likely that they both could make the 53-man roster, given the Vikings have no depth behind Harris and Smith.
Cole certainly has the size and speed to contribute on kick coverage and it will be interesting to see if he is able to work his way up the depth chart by showing off his physicality on special teams.