Zone Coverage: Arif Hasan's 2024 Minnesota Vikings Trade-Down Mock Draft 1.0

The Vikings have a bevy of picks but not many in the Top 100. What happens if we maximize that?

Over at Zone Coverage, I wrote up a mock draft using a mock draft simulator in order to maximize the number of picks the Vikings have in the first two days of the draft, as opposed to the two picks they have early on and the chunk of picks they have late.

Check out the piece here

Round 3, Pick No. 78: DL Braden Fiske, Florida State

I didn’t want to ignore defensive tackle, either. Braden Fiske was impressive at the Senior Bowl. Most of what was written up about him concerns the game itself – he had to switch teams at the last minute to even out the numbers and performed spectacularly – but he was outstanding all week.

That’s one reason I selected him over choices like defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson, safety Javon Bullard, cornerback Mike Sainristil, and receiver Johnny Wilson.

I wouldn’t have minded adding a nose tackle at some point, but I have more confidence in Harrison Phillips than any other defensive lineman on the team. I wanted a pass-rusher, and Fiske is certainly that. While Braswell was leading edge rushers in the SEC in true pass set pressures, Fiske was leading interior defenders in the same.

Fiske is a bit of a tweener as a potential five-technique rusher in addition to his potential role as a three-technique, and that’s fine with me. Though their scouting reports aren’t alike, the usage pattern for Fiske could look much like that of Deatrich Wise Jr., who played both three-technique and five-technique for the Flores Patriots.

Wise and Fiske both share uncommon strength and incredible motor but share concerns about lateral agility. While Wise excellently leveraged his length, Fiske does a better job using his pad level, with a larger range of pass rush moves available to him. There’s room for him in this defense.

As a bonus to Wide Left Subscribers, I’ve also included a video below commenting on my thoughts throughout the process as I pick players in the simulator. Let me know if you like this idea.