The NFL Draft is over and the Vikings were all over the board on Saturday, using picks in rounds 4-7 to beef up the trenches, grab an athletic tight end, and surprisingly, draft a kicker.
Here’s one reason to be excited about each of them.
Round 4, Jalyn Holmes, DE, Ohio State
Holmes was selected by the Vikings 102nd overall but his ceiling might be a lot higher than that of a third rounder.
While at Ohio State, Holmes was productive despite playing on a loaded defensive that featured Joey Bosa, who is arguably the best defensive end in the NFL today, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Nick Bosa and Chase Young.
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Hubbard and Lewis were drafted ahead of Holmes and Nick Bosa and Young could be be top five draft picks in the next couple of years.
Round 5, Tyler Conklin, TE, Central Michigan
Minnesota like him so much that they traded the 167th and 225th picks to the Jets to move up and get Conklin with the 157th selection.
He’s a former basketball player (Northwood University) who racked up 83 receptions for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns at Central Michigan.
The Vikings say he was one of the most athletic tight ends at the NFL Combine, listed at 6-foot-3, 254 pounds with a 38-inch vertical jump.
Round 5, Daniel Carlson, K, Auburn
It was a bit of surprise to see the Vikings, who have Kai Forbath, take a kicker, but Carlson was considered the best kicker in the draft and the Vikings traded to sixth round picks to move up and take him.
Carlson made 13 field goals of 50+ yards in his career, and his arrival means Forbath, who missed five extra points and 11 kicks overall last season, might be on his way out.
Round 6, Colby Gossett, G, Appalachian State
He made the All-Conference first team in the Sun Belt League three times and was expected to be drafted in the fourth or fifth round, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
Round 6, Ade Aruna, DE, Tulane
Aruna, 6-foot-6, 262 pounds, is considered a work-in-progress as a defensive end, but his athletic ability can’t be questioned.
His 40-yard dash time of 4.80 seconds was the second fastest among defensive linemen at the NFL Combine, and he led all D-line players with a 38.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Aruna had 10 sacks as a junior but only three as a senior because he wasn’t a good fit in a new defensive scheme.
Round 7, Devante Downs, LB, California
Downs likely only fell to the seventh round because of a knee injury that ended his season early in 2017. But in seven games he was fantastic, racking up 65 tackles, 5 1/2 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions en route to a pair of Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards.
