Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Draft and develop
The Vikings have run a 4-3 defensive front for years, even beyond Head Coach Mike Zimmer's hire in 2014. The addition of assistant Dom Capers, who has had a high level of success by using a 3-4 front, has prompted some questions about the possibility of blending a 4-3 and 3-4.
Bercich explained a significant difference is the way a team approaches defending the run.
"As a 3-4 [edge rusher], you're going to be rushing and then dropping probably 50 percent of the time. With an odd front, that's what they do," Bercich said. "You don't know what side – it usually ends up being a four-man pass rush, and they send one of the two linebackers, and the other one drops into coverage. So you're going to find guys that are a little bit more linebacker-sized, that are going to be dropping a lot more. Most of the time, they're in a 2-point stance.
"Whereas, a defensive end is going to be probably a 3-point stance type of guy, which does matter quite a bit. How it matters is about how you play the run. Defensive end is going to be inside of the tight end most of the time, having to play that block between the tackle and the tight end, whereas if you're an outside linebacker, you're usually almost always outside of the tight end – you just keep containment."
While some mock drafts have projected that the Vikings will look to replace Griffen as early as the first round, Bercich pointed out the team's success at developing later-round picks.
Hunter was a third-round pick in 2015 who became a starter in 2017, and Griffen was a fourth-round selection in 2010 who became a starter in 2014. Weatherly and Odenigbo were seventh rounders in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
"One of the things that you look at with this franchise and with this defense is their ability to develop defensive linemen," Bercich said. "You don't have a first-round pick up and down this defensive line, so I think it gives you some flexibility later on in the draft to pick up a defensive lineman who eventually will fill that position.
"Hunter is obviously going to be the premiere defensive end. Now, whether or not he'll move maybe over to the right side and you need a new pass rusher from the left side, which, it does kind of matter because teams are more right-handed, quarterbacks are right-handed, teams run the football more. So your left defensive end needs to be a little bit better against the run. But I have confidence that the organization will find somebody and develop them and get them out on the outside."
Bercich provided a take on a couple of players below who have shown up as predictive picks in multiple mock drafts. Vikings 2020 Mock Draft Tracker: Version 7.0 posted on April 14.