2021 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears trade up for QB in two-round mock draft

The Minnesota Vikings once, not so long ago, had a very dominant defense. Lately? Not so much. They still have Danielle Hunter and a couple of other solid pieces, but a Yannick Ngakoue experiment failed, leaving a hole on the other side of the defensive line.

Kwity Paye is as good as any to fill that void left by Ngakoue and formerly Everson Griffen. Paye is an outstanding athlete with great burst around the edge. He has desirable bend for an edge rusher and can line up in multiple spots on the front. He can stand up and drop back in coverage if need be, play a true 4-3 defensive end or even bump inside and bang against interior offensive linemen.

Paye impresses me as a polished pass rusher. He has a vast arsenal of pass rush moves and counter moves to get him to the quarterback. Spins, swims, clubs, rips… he does it all.

He could be a bit more powerful when setting the edge in the run game and taking on blockers, but he is effective at slashing through the line and avoiding blocks to get to the ball carrier.

With Danielle Hunter on the other side, Paye should see a lot of one-on-one matchups. Getting a more consistent rush up front should help the entire defense. Minnesota still has a long way to go, but they have the pieces to get it all together.