The Vikings entered Friday night with four picks in the third round of the NFL draft. Here's how they used them.
66th pick: Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
He improved his draft stock with a MVP performance at the Senior Bowl, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to play in front of scouts during the pre-draft process. Mond comes to the Vikings as Kirk Cousins' backup initially, but will get a chance to develop in a QB-friendly offense under Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko.
He brings more mobility to the position than the Vikings have had with Cousins, and impressed the Vikings with his tenacity in the pre-draft process as they worked on quarterback options to develop behind Cousins, who turns 33 in August and has two years left on his contract.
Mond has been more productive on shorter throws, and will have to improve both his deep-ball accuracy and confidence working downfield in the NFL. But he'll get time to learn behind Cousins as the Vikings consider what the future could look like for them at the position.
78th pick: Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
The linebacker — whose brother Sage played wide receiver at Wake Forest and will likely be selected in the middle rounds of the draft — is the Vikings' highest-selected player at the position since Eric Kendricks came to the team in the second round in 2015. He's got plenty of speed and lateral quickness, though he'll have to show he can hold up at the NFL level after measuring only 6-foot-2 and 229 pounds.
Surratt likely begins his career as a weak-side linebacker alongside Kendricks and Anthony Barr, who can opt out of his contract after this season. He'll continue to develop his ability to read offenses and make plays in the NFL, while likely working to add weight to his frame as part of the Vikings' strength program.
The Vikings entered Friday night with four picks in the third round of the NFL draft. Here's how they used them.
86th pick: Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State
The Buckeyes have been a familiar pipeline of interior offensive line talent for NFL teams, producing players like Corey Linsley in recent years. After the Packers selected former Ohio State center Josh Myers to replace Linsley in the second round, the Vikings took Davis to play the left guard position they'd plan to give to Pat Elflein last season.
Davis could compete for a starting job with Dakota Dozier, who struggled in pass protection last season and brings plenty of fierceness to the position for a team that coach Mike Zimmer said was looking for toughness up front. Davis will need to improve his footwork in the NFL, but will get the chance to claim a job as part of a Vikings line that could feature five players the team drafted in the top three rounds.
90th pick: Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh
The Vikings had looked for pass-rushing help before the draft, doing plenty of work on players like Miami's Jaelan Phillips and Michigan's Kwity Paye. They've never drafted a defensive end before the third round in the Zimmer era, though, and they closed out their four-pick third round with Jones on Friday night.
Jones stands 6-4 and weighs 261 pounds, earning second-team All-America honors last season after posting 11 sacks at Pitt. The Vikings will need him to develop a more detailed set of pass-rushing moves in the NFL, but he's got the length and quick first step they look for at the position. He'll join D.J. Wonnum among the young pass rushers the Vikings hope to develop under Andre Patterson's teaching.
