Inside The Vikings

Vikings GM Rick Spielman Attends NDSU Pro Day to Watch Trey Lance and Dillon Radunz

Two key Vikings evaluators made the short trip to check out a couple top FCS prospects.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings GM Rick Spielman Attends NDSU Pro Day to Watch Trey Lance and Dillon Radunz
Vikings GM Rick Spielman Attends NDSU Pro Day to Watch Trey Lance and Dillon Radunz

A few days after attending Northwestern's pro day to watch a couple first-round prospects at positions of need, Vikings GM Rick Spielman was back on the road on Friday. Along with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and an area scout, Spielman made the 250-mile trek to Fargo, ND for the North Dakota State pro day. Teams are only allowed to have three staff members at each pro day this year.

Two top prospects on the offensive side of the ball were on display at NDSU: quarterback Trey Lance and offensive lineman Dillon Radunz.

Although Lance seems unlikely to end up in Minnesota, it makes sense for the Vikings to get a good look at a quarterback who could theoretically be on the board at No. 14 overall. With prototypical size, a cannon of arm, and elite rushing potential, Lance's upside is through the roof. His 2019 season, in which he put up 42 total touchdowns with one turnover, got him onto the NFL radar. Lance and NDSU only playing one game in 2020 complicates things, as he's now a QB prospect with only 17 career games in a run-heavy offense against FCS competition.

But man, that upside. If Lance puts it all together, his dual-threat traits give him a chance to be a perennial top 5 QB.

My guess is that one of the QB-needy teams with a pick from 2 to 9 in April's draft — the Jets, Dolphins, Falcons, Eagles, Lions, Panthers, and Broncos — will take a chance on Lance's upside. Even if that doesn't happen, Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers at 12 feels like the floor for a player with his ability.

Is there a chance Lance falls to 14? Anything can happen. He could end up being the fifth quarterback taken after Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones if the NFL is really as high on Jones as some are saying. But if the Vikings really want Lance, they'll probably have to move up — and that seems unlikely.

The Vikings are in a somewhat tricky quarterback situation right now. They have a veteran in Kirk Cousins who is a clear top 10-12 passer in the league and has games where he looks like a top five guy. But in order to thrive consistently, Cousins needs better play from the offensive line in front of him than what the Vikings have given him since he's been in Minnesota. In part due to the O-line and in part due to his own inconsistency as a decision-maker, Cousins has gotten off to a very slow start in each of the last two seasons and has sprinkled in some duds in big games. 

He's become one of the league's more polarizing QBs, and a big reason for that is his contract. Cousins signed a massive three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed deal in 2018 and signed a big extension last offseason. He has a cap hit of $31 million this season and $45 million in 2022, with a $35 million base salary for 2022 that becomes guaranteed on March 19th (one week from today). Even though Cousins provides stability and is underrated by the general public because of some unfair narratives surrounding his career, his deal does make it hard for the Vikings to build a contending team around him.

There's a very legitimate argument to be made that the Vikings should be looking for a succession plan from Cousins, who has led them to the playoffs once in three seasons. Drafting Lance would likely mean sitting him for a year behind Cousins and giving him the reins in 2022 after trading Cousins (which could be difficult but isn't impossible). This is an unfair comparison, but the idea offers reminders of the Chiefs trading up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017 when they already had Alex Smith.

But enough about Lance and Cousins. Let's talk about Radunz, who is the more likely of the two Bison prospects to end up wearing a Vikings uniform this fall. The 6'6" offensive lineman from Becker, MN also got on the NFL radar with a strong 2019 season in which he allowed zero sacks and dominated in the run game. Radunz is an explosive athlete with good technique and a mauler mentality. He shined at the Senior Bowl this year. He's very good.

However, concerns about his size (right around 300 pounds), play strength, and lack of pass-protecting snaps in college will likely make Radunz a Day 2 pick. He sounds a lot like recent Vikings OL draft picks Brian O'Neill and Ezra Cleveland, huh? If the Vikings go defense, receiver, or even QB in round one, Radunz could be someone they target on the second day. They might need to acquire a second-round pick or move up slightly in the third, as I'm not sure Radunz will make it to 78th overall.

Drafting Radunz would give the Vikings the flexibility of having three players who can play tackle, and they could put either him or Cleveland at one of the guard spots. With that trio and Garrett Bradbury, the athleticism would be absurd. But would that line continue to struggle in pass protection? I think it might, at least in 2021.

Other interesting Vikings targets to have pro days recently

Clemson WR Amari Rodgers

Texas OT Sam Cosmi

Texas EDGE Joseph Ossai and S Caden Sterns

Oklahoma EDGE Ronnie Perkins

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there. 

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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