The Minnesota Vikings have been mocked a myriad of different players, 50 to be exact. While most of them have been at quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback, there have been a few outside of the box picks.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has the Vikings going a much different route in Arkansas LB Drew Sanders. They also traded down to 27 with the Buffalo Bills which makes the selection a little more palatable.
Sanders spent one season at inside linebacker and absolutely filled up the stat sheet at Arkansas. He’s big and a solid athlete; he can be a capable pass rusher for Minnesota to deploy when needed.
This is a much different direction than we have seen in some time. Sanders is an Alabama transfer that thrived playing MIKE linebacker for the Razorbacks this season. His best comparison is Anthony Barr and that should tell you all you need to know about his versatility.
This is a really good player, but it is the right value for the Vikings? I don’t believe that it is, but it’s hard to say no to a good football player.