The Vikings selected California's Devante Downs in the seventh round to address the linebacker position.
The Vikings needed to address the linebacker position and used their final selection of the draft to fill the hole. Minnesota picked California linebacker Devante Downs with the No. 225 pick.
He tallied 65 tackles (5.5 for loss) with three sacks in seven games before missing the final stretch of the season due to injury. There are no workout numbers for Downs, but analysts have watched his tape. I have not watched any film on Downs yet, but will analyze him very soon. Overall, there is a very low volume of snaps and tape for him.
According to Draft Analyst:
Explosive and athletic linebacker whose progress was halted by injury last season. Breaks down well, displays excellent range and covers a lot of area. Instinctive, plays heads-up football and effectively makes the defensive calls. Fierce, chases the action hard and quickly gets to the flanks in pursuit. Physical and works hard to make plays. Aggressive and looks to finish off opponents. Strong open-field tackler.
The Vikings evidently were impressed with his workouts and testing. With access to the numbers, Downs must have fit the profile of athletic, rangy, linebackers the Vikings are constantly searching for.
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