2019 NFL Draft: Fixing one pick for each NFC North team

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Minnesota Vikings 2019 NFL Draft Picks:

Round 1 (18): Garrett Bradbury, C, NC State
Round 2 (50): Irv Smith, TE, Alabama
Round 3 (102): Alexander Mattison, RB, Boise State
Round 4 (114): Dru Samia, OL, Oklahoma
Round 5 (162): Cameron Smith, LB, USC
Round 6 (190): Armon Watts, DT, Arkansas
Round 6 (191): Marcus Epps, S, Wyoming
Round 6 (193): Oli Udoh, OT, Elon
Round 7 (217): Kris Boyd, CB, Texas
Round 7 (239): Dillon Mitchell, WR, Oregon
Round 7 (247): Olabisi Johnson, WR, Colorado State
Round 7 (250): Austin Cutting, LS, Air Force

Vikings select David Edwards, OT, Wisconsin instead of Cameron Smith

The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2019 NFL Draft with one glaring weakness that simply had to be addressed, their offensive line. The Vikings struggled mightily up front last season and had to make the position a priority this off season if they expect to be serious competitors.

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Minnesota did a nice job of addressing their offensive line needs in the 2019 NFL Draft. They took Garrett Bradbury in the first round, a prospect who most considered to be the best interior offensive lineman in the entire draft. In the fourth round, they added Oklahoma offensive lineman Dru Samia (a pick that I loved) and also added developmental offensive tackle Oli Udoh in the sixth.

The Vikings did well, I just wish they would have taken it just one step further.

In the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Vikings selected Cameron Smith, a solid, but unspectacular linebacker out of USC. Linebacker is not a major need for the Vikings and Smith’s limited speed and athleticism led me to not love this pick. Instead, I would have liked to see them take Wisconsin offensive tackle, David Edwards.

Edwards was a quarterback in high school and entered Wisconsin as a tight end. He was moved to the offensive line early in his college career and grew into one of the premier right tackles in all of college football. He is an extremely quick and mobile offensive lineman who moves well in the run game, making blocks on the second level with ease. He also shows an impressive ability to mirror in pass protection.

Edwards does lack some functional strength and needs to improve his overall technique if he is going to reach his full upside at the next level. That being said, he has the skill set to become a strong starting right tackle with proper development. Simply put, taking a shot on some offensive line upside would have made more sense than a slow linebacker for the Vikings.

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