The Vikings traded down, then up, to nab a pair of Louisiana State defenders, then took one of the best running backs in college football last season with their last pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
“We had a really good Day 3,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said.
After trading down from the 119th overall pick in Round 4, the Vikings used the 134th overall pick to select defensive back Jay Ward, then traded up to select LSU defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy in the fifth round.
Ward, 22, finished 2022 with 60 total tackles, one interception and a fumble recovery. In his college career, he intercepted six passes and broke up 17 while playing cornerback, safety and slot safety.
Adofo-Mensah said after evaluating Ward, scouts deemed he could start at cornerback, safety or slot safety.
“When people write that his best possible option is any of three positions, it’s likely he figures out one of them,” the GM said.
Ward is listed as 6-foot-1, 188 pounds and was part of the Tigers’ 2019 NCAA championship team as a freshman. He said he’s ready to play anywhere the Vikings might need him.
“The NFL judged me as a versatile player,” Ward said. “Most teams see me as a nickel corner or nickel safety. So, either way, I knew I would be playing two positions.”
Roy is a 6-3, 305-pound tackle who could help fill the void left by Dalvin Tomlinson, a starter when healthy who left as a free agent this spring. Roy began his LSU career as a 3-technique lineman but moved primarily to nose tackle for his junior season.
“Honestly, I can play anywhere from a zero up to a 4 (technique), whichever needs are going to be there,” Roy said. “I’m going to put my best foot forward and just be ready to get to work.”
With their last pick, 222nd overall in the seventh round, the Vikings selected Alabama-Birmingham running back DeWayne McBride, who led all FBS backs with a 7.4-yard average per carry.
McBride, 5-10, 209 pounds, set UAB single-season records with 1,713 rushing yards and 19 rushing scores. He was a third-team AP All-American and first-team all-conference honors by setting UAB single-season records with 1,713 yards, second in FBS, and 19 rushing scores in 11 games (nine starts).
Adofo-Mensah said the fact that McBride barely figured into UAB’s passing attack, as well as some ball security issues, might have kept him from being take earlier.
“We had him fairly high on our board,” he said. “Kind of a starter-grade (player).”
The Vikings signed Alexander Mattiston to a two-year, $7 million contract extension this spring and will bring back second-year running back/returner Kene Nwangwu in 2023. They also have starter Dalvin Cook on the books at $10.4 million but are debating whether to release him.
The fact that Cook and rush end Za’Darius Smith haven’t been traded by now indicates the Vikings’ options are to either keep them at their current salaries for another season or release them, which would incur dead cap space penalties.
“We’re keeping an open dialogue with both guys,” Adofo-Mensah said Saturday. “We’re working to find solutions for both them and us. The dialogue will remain open with them.”
Ward and Roy were teammates for three seasons, and Vikings defensive backs coach Deronte Jones was LSU’s defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2021.
“I played under him one year, and I love coach Jones,” Ward said. “It was always bigger than on the field with him, and we had a close relationship at LSU. We were tight, and I’m glad I can reunite with him and he can keep molding me to be a better player.”
Ward joins a secondary group that includes veteran corners Byron Murphy and Joejuan Williams, and safety Harrison Smith, but features a lot of young inexperienced players such as Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth, Lewis Cine, and now Blackmon and Ward.
The Vikings sent their fifth-round pick (No. 158) and a compensatory sixth-round pick (No. 211) to Indianapolis in order to move up to get Roy.
“He’s a player we’ve been on for a while, a player who has versatility within our scheme,” assistant director of player personnel Chisom Opara said. “The more versatile players you have, the more you can be the one calling the shots and keeping an offense guessing.”
As part of the deal to trade down from 119 to 134 in the fourth round, the Vikings picked up a 2024 fifth-round pick from Kansas City.
Briefly
The Vikings reached agreements with 15 undrafted free agents on Saturday: Alan Ali, OL, TCU; Calvin Avery, DT, Illinois; Abraham Beauplan, ILB, Marshall; Andre Carter II, OLB, Army; Jacky Chen, OL, Pace; C.J. Coldon, CB, Oklahoma; Wilson Huber, ILB, Cincinnati; Cephus Johnson, WR, Southeastern Louisiana; Malik Knowles, WR, Kansas State; Ivan Pace Jr., ILB, Cincinnati; Jack Podlesny, K, Georgia; Ben Sims, TE, Baylor; Thayer Thomas, WR, N.C. State; NaJee Thompson, CB, Georgia Southern; Jaylin Williams, CB, Indiana.
Vikings 2023 NFL Draft Picks
Round 1: 23rd, Jordan Addison, WR, USC
Round 3: 102nd, Mekhi Blackmon, CB, USC
Round 4: 134th, Jay Ward, CB, LSU; 141st
Round 5: 141st, Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU; 164th, Jaren Hall, QB, BYU
Round 7: 222nd, DeWayne McBride, RB, Alabama-Birmingham
