The Vikings had two elite pass rushers under contract heading into the 2020 season. By the end of the year, neither of those players were on the field for the team, and the pass rush struggled as a result.
Defensive end Danielle Hunter’s offseason injury turned out to be season-ending, while Yannick Ngakoue was traded to the Ravens after a 1-5 start.
Minnesota has to make sure its pass rush isn’t as bad as it was in 2020. An easy way to help with that would be to take a top defensive end prospect in the first round of the NFL draft.
At least, that’s what our friends at Draft Wire think the Vikings should do. Luke Easterling, who writes for Draft Wire, tabbed Minnesota to take Miami DE Gregory Rousseau in the 2021 draft.
Rousseau had 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in 2019. In 2020, he opted out, but the potential he showed in his collegiate career before that helped him remain a top prospect. If the Vikings take him and the defensive end pairing is Hunter and Rousseau, the pass rush most likely will have gotten a lot better.