Vikings Trade Back, Select Ultra-Athletic DT in New PFF Mock Draft

Don't count out defensive tackle as a potential direction the Vikings could go in the first round of this month's NFL draft. After losing Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency, Minnesota might want to find another disruptive player to pair with Harrison Phillips and Dean Lowry in the middle of its defensive line.

That's what happens in a new mock draft from Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus. The Vikings trade back with the Chiefs, who come up from the 31st overall pick to select offensive tackle Darnell Wright. And with the final pick of the first round for the second consecutive season, the Vikings select Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee.

The Vikings would be tempted by a receiver at this spot, and were I higher on Zay Flowers I might have made that move. They still badly need some interior impact on the defensive line, and the potential in Bryan Bresee is too much to overlook here. Last season, Bresee put up 24 pressures on 203 pass-rushing snaps, but his best football could easily be ahead of him, given the way his college career played out.

Bresee is a fascinating prospect. The former No. 1 overall recruit in the nation, he went to Clemson to follow in the footsteps of dominant DTs like Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins. As a freshman, he showed flashes of excellence with 4 sacks, 6.5 total TFL, two passes defended, and a forced fumble. Bresee was off to a strong start to his sophomore season when he suffered a torn ACL in the fourth game of the year. He bounced back with a solid junior campaign, but did miss four games due to a kidney infection.

There's little question about Bresee's athleticism and ability when he's healthy. He earned an elite 9.61 relative athletic score by running a 4.86 40 and posting great agility numbers at 6'5", 298 pounds. Bresee has impressive burst off the line of scrimmage and plays with a dangerous combination of violence and body control. He's strong at the point of attack with his hands and lower body leverage. The concerns that make him just a borderline first-rounder are his injury history and his relative inconsistency as a pass rusher. Bresee needs to keep improving his counters when his initial move is stopped.