Minnesota Vikings 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft: Vikings trade back

Round 1

Speilman is no stranger to trading during the draft and with top offensive tackles Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater off the board before the 14th pick, the Minnesota Vikings decide to trade down with Washington in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. While the Vikings miss out on their top two tackle prospects, they can still grab one of the best available linemen in the Draft.

The Vikings would be in a position to Draft their top choice at defensive end, but with no top prospect at the position and depth at the edge spot, the Vikings focus their attention on offensive line to begin their 2021 Draft. Alijah Vera-Tucker looks to be the top guard in the 2021 NFL Draft class and could be in a position to land with the Vikings after Minnesota decides to trade back five spots with Washington.

After redshirting his first year with the Trojans, Alijah Vera-Tucker broke into USC’s starting lineup as a guard in 2019 and earned All-Pac-12 honors on the way. Vera-Tucker outperformed former Trojan teammate and 2020 first-round pick, Austin Jackson, and successfully shifted to tackle for all six of USC’s 2020 games.

Vera-Tucker is one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the Draft and could be ranked as Speilman’s third favorite lineman in the Draft behind Sewell and Slater. Vera-Tucker would be expected to start immediately at guard, moving Cleveland back to left tackle, and has the skillset to move outside for the Vikings if needed.

Round 2

In addition to moving back in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and still grabbing one of the top offensive linemen available, the Minnesota Vikings are able to move back into the second round and add a defensive end. Minnesota struggled to pressure the quarterback last season and were unable to find value after burning a second-round pick on Yannick Ngakoue.

The Vikings just miss out on top edge prospects Kwity Paye, Jaelan Phillips, Gregory Rousseau, and Jayson Oweh but are still able to take advantage of the deep talent pool in this year’s edge group. Minnesota uses their newly acquired second-round pick on Oklahoma defensive end, Ronnie Perkins.

Perkins has good speed and is an effective pass rusher or inside rush threat, allowing Minnesota to develop another pass rusher opposite Hunter. Perkins has the athleticism and talent to grow into an effective NFL pass rusher and likely breaks into the lineup as a rookie, splitting time with D.J. Wonnum. Perkins is a dynamic edge player and accounted for 16.5 sacks and 32 tackles for loss in 32 games at Oklahoma.