The Minnesota Vikings are going to be fascinating when it comes to the NFL Draft. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can do a number of things with their first round pick and that will help shape the rest of the class.
How they go about that will likely be determined by the teams in front of them. All it takes is one player to fall and it can cause a multitude of things to change for the Vikings.
Vikings day three fit plays on both sides of the football
One of the interesting elements about the Vikings is how much they value versatility. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to have players who thrive in multiple spots, allowing him to be versatile with how he calls his defense.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus named the best day three fit for all 32 teams and he landed on Ole Miss defensive lineman J.J. Pegues, who also plays running back.
Versatility is Pegues’ calling card. He took snaps all over the defensive line, as well as in goal-line packages on offense, in college. The Ole Miss fan-favorite is a relentless, high-energy player, evidenced by his high-percentile grades as a run defender (87th) and pass rusher on true pass sets (84th). Given the creativity of Brian Flores and Kevin O’Connell, there’s no better landing spot to make full use of Pegues’ skill set.
We’ve seen defensive linemen in the past run the ball with success. Refrigerator Perry did so in the Super Bowl for the Chicago Bears and others have been used with varying degrees of success. Pegues is on a different level. He’s ran the ball 31 times for 100 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which came this past season.
Pegues started out at Auburn as a tight end, where he did catch seven passes for 57 yards, but his only touchdown receiving came after he transferred to Ole Miss as a defensive lineman.
As Cameron wrote above, he does offer some intrigue as a pass rusher and run defender. With the starting defensive line all being over the age of 30, it’s a no-brainer to bring in some youth.
