Jeffrey Becker USA Today Sports
Vikings 2020 Redraft
Everyone likes to give out draft day grades the day of the NFL draft, but those often don’t turn out to be accurate. The 2020 Minnesota Vikings draft class had a lot of highs but also a couple of busts. Let’s regrade every draft pick the Vikings made in 2020, and also take a look at where they are now.
Justin Jefferson 22nd Overall A+++
Justin Jefferson deserves the highest grade that he can receive and he might go down as the greatest draft pick in Vikings history. Right now we will let Randy Moss hold onto that title, but Jefferson is coming for that honor. No one has had more receiving yards in their first three NFL seasons than Justin Jefferson. This season he might be considered the best receiver in the league. Jefferson is a matchup nightmare and in redrafts would go now lower than five. The Vikings got themselves a steal in Jefferson.
Jeff Gladney 31st Overall
Out of respect for Jeff Gladney, we won’t give him a grade. Gladney had some legal issues while with the Vikings but as he tried to work his way back from that, he passed away tragically in a car accident.
Ezra Cleveland 58th Overall A+
If it wasn’t for Jefferson, Ezra Cleveland would be the best draft pick out of his class. Cleveland was an elite run blocker coming out of college and he’s only gotten better since coming to the NFL. his knock was with his pass blocking, but he’s also improved in that regard. There have been a lot of weak points for the Vikings offensive line in the last few years, but Cleveland hasn’t been that. Cleveland gets an A+ grade.
Cam Dantzler 89th Overall C
Cam Dantzler always showed some flashes of being a great cornerback, but it never actually worked out with the Vikings. Dantler had some great ball skills during his time with Minnesota, but he often would get lost in coverage, and during his third year, injuries really started to take their toll. Dantlzler is just another secondary pick in the Mike Zimmer era that didn’t work out for the team.
D.J. Wonnum 117th Overall B+
There will always be questions about how good D.J. Wonnum could be if he didn’t have guys like Danielle Hunter in front of him. During his second year in the league, Wonnum had eight sacks and 47 tackles. At times he has been just a depth guy, but that has been more about who is in front of him, not how good of a football player he is. If he would have played more in the last two seasons, he easily could be an A.
James Lynch 130th Overall D
Some expected the 2023 season to be one that James Lynch finally broke out, but a torn ACL during training camp has thrown that idea off the rails. Lynch has been used as a depth guy but has not lived up to what many believed was a steal when he was drafted 130th overall.
Troy Dye 132nd Overall C+
Troy Dye hasn’t made a big impact with the defense during his time with the Vikings, but he has been a key special teams player. With the 132nd overall pick, you would want someone who has a little more going with the defense, but his impact with the special teams allows him a C+ grade.
Harrison Hand 169th Overall D+
Harrison Hand seemed to get worse as his time with the Vikings went on. As a rookie, he played in 14 games and played pretty well, but after that, he started to struggle. Before his third season, he was let go by the Vikings. If it wasn’t for playing well his rookie season, this grade would have been an F.
K.J. Osborn 176th Overall A
K.J. Osborn could move his draft grade up to A+ depending on how he performs during the 2023 season. Osborn didn’t play at all as a rookie but he has been a very dependable receiver for Kirk Cousins. Last season he hauled in 60 catches for 650 yards and five touchdowns. He should be wide receiver two or wide receiver three in 2023 and those stats should go up even higher.
Blake Brandel 203rd Overall C
Blake Brandel was drafted as a project piece coming out of college, and although he might never be a full-time starter, he is a great depth piece for the team. During the 2022 season he started three games, and although he wasn’t great, he was good enough.
Josh Metellus 205th Overall A-
Josh Metellus has way overperformed his draft spot, and he has been a great leader. At times during the 2022 season, he even wore the captain on his chest. His leadership especially on special teams has been invaluable, given his draft position, this was a home run selection.
Kenny Willekes 225th Overall C+
Kenny Williekes has been an interesting case for the Vikings. When he has played for the Vikings, he has been quite impressive, but he has been hurt a lot of the time. If he would have been healthy more Williekes is a player that could be an A- or B+, but because he has been hurt so often, he gets a grade of a C+
Nate Stanley 244th Overall Grade F
Rick Spielman hoped that Nate Stanley would end up being a diamond in the rough, but he was anything but. The one big knock on Stanley was that he was inaccurate and that wasn’t something that he could kick during his time with the Vikings. Stanley was a wasted draft pick by the Vikings.
Brian Cole II 249th Overall Grade F
Brian Cole had a big senior year, and there was some hope that he could continue that as a safety for the Vikings. He didn’t even make it out of his first preseason as he was cut from the team in 2020. He never played a snap for the Vikings, and there is no other grade to give him but an F.
Kyle Hinton 253rd Overall Grade D+
Not often do seventh-round offensive lineman workout, and it’s really not a shock that Kyle Hinton didn’t have what it took with the Vikings. Even though he didn’t have a big impact, he did play 34 snaps in Week 18 in 2022. He was never more than a depth person for the team, and this grade reflects that. D+
