Minnesota Vikings 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft: Building the trenches

Sensing a trend here in this draft? Depth at key positions with great athletic ability and movement skills. That continues with another sideline to sideline linebacker Zach McCloud. McCloud has a really nice ceiling if an NFL team can hone some of his athletic skills into a fundamentally sound football player. His range is already a major asset for any team from a coverage standpoint.

McCloud struggles mightily in the tackling department. He is not the biggest or strongest player, and he oftentimes takes poor angles when going in for a tackle. Luckily for the Minnesota Vikings, Mike Zimmer is a really fundamentally sound defensive mind and he along with his coaching staff can work with McCloud to refine those skills. At the very least, McCloud can contribute on special teams because of his movement skills.

It would be shocking to see Minnesota return the likes of Holton Hill and Mark Fields next season. Therefore depth to replace them is a must. Bootle is one of the most intriguing defensive backs in this class. He is silky smooth in the open field and has quick footwork to move around the turf. He is very twitchy and has a nose for attacking the football.

His frame will scare off a lot of teams, and so will his poor tackling ability. However, Bootle’s attitude and willingness to continuously attack the ball and receiver, even after being beaten is a great mindset to have for a defensive back.

He offers versatility and the ability to also play safety, although his poor tackling will scare some teams off from moving him away from the corner spot. Taking a shot at someone with the instincts and mindset of Bootle is definitely worth a sixth-round pick here for Minnesota.

This selection is just a luxury for Minnesota, wrapping up their 12 selection draft with a big vertical receiver in Austin Watkins from UAB. He has a really good catch radius and has a “go up and get it” mentality in contested catch situations. His lack of ability to separate from coverage will cause some teams to drop him on the board but getting him in the seventh is an absolute steal for the Vikings.

Watkins will enter an open competition for what would be the fourth spot on the depth chart at receiver alongside Bisi Johnson, Chad Beebe and veteran Tajae Sharpe (if Minnesota keeps him on the roster). Depth on the perimeter is never a bad thing to have and Watkins is worth a lot higher than a seventh-round pick. Great value for Minnesota to wrap up this 7 round mock draft.