Inside The Vikings

Rick Spielman Watches Rashawn Slater, Greg Newsome at Northwestern's Pro Day

The Vikings' GM was in Evanston on Tuesday to watch a couple first-round prospects.

Will Ragatz

With no NFL Scouting Combine this year, pro days at college campuses across the country are going to be more important than ever. Vikings GM Rick Spielman said last week that he's going to be traveling to as many as possible, even while free agency is going on.

"We're going to be allowed to go out to pro days this year," Spielman said. "I'm actually starting next week, hitting the road, I think you'll see a lot of GMs out to all these pro days, just because most of us were not able to go out in the fall because of the testing protocol and being in the building all year with our teams. I think I'm scheduled for about ten to 15 pro days, as many as I can get to."

That process kicked off with Spielman attending Northwestern's pro day on Tuesday. The Wildcats haven't had a player selected in the first round since 2005, but that's going to change this year. Offensive lineman Rashawn Slater and cornerback Greg Newsome II are both expected to be first-rounders, and both would be great pickups for the Vikings at positions of need.

Slater is the more highly-rated prospect of the two, as he's a potential top-ten pick and the consensus No. 2 offensive lineman in the draft behind Oregon's Penei Sewell. However, there are a number of scouts who have Slater ranked ahead of Sewell, including NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah. Slater played right tackle for two years and switched to left tackle in 2019, where he was dominant, including a shutdown performance against Chase Young. He opted out of last season.

When it comes to technique, consistency, and Day 1 impact, Slater may well be the draft's best lineman. What puts Sewell ahead of him is his freakish athleticism and upside. Slater also has questions about whether he'll play tackle in the NFL or kick inside to guard due to his lack of elite size and length.

Here's how he measured and tested:

And here's video of Slater impressing in the 40 and on the bench.

He also posted a great three-cone time. Slater seems unlikely to make it to the Vikings at 14, although it's certainly possible. But if Spielman wants him, he may have to move up slightly to get past the OL-needy Chargers at 13. Slater would be a home run for the Vikings with his athleticism, polish, and positional versatility. He's a high-floor, high-ceiling type of player.

As for Newsome, he's a cornerback who has been rocketing up draft boards recently. As a Northwestern alum and fan, I've known how good he is for a while. But like with Slater, it took the NFL a while to catch on. Newsome probably cemented his first-round status with a strong pro day performance on Tuesday that featured a sub-4.4 40. He's an incredibly sticky corner with good size, athleticism, instincts, and ball skills. His tape is fun to watch.

The concern with Newsome is mostly based on his injury history. He only played 21 games in three seasons at NU, but when he was on the field, he was phenomenal. Don't let the one interception stat fool you; Newsome often saw very few passes come his way in a game because he was constantly in tight coverage. Last year, he allowed 12 catches on 34 targets for fewer than 100 total yards in six games, per PFF.

I think that might be Spielman in the background of the 40 video, but I'm not sure. The 4.31 number was unofficial, but Newsome's official time of 4.38 was pretty close. He can fly.

Newsome could be a target for the Vikings with a trade back, although it's not out of the question that he could be considered at 14 by the time the draft rolls around. Don't sleep on the Vikings taking another first-round corner this year. They have two second-year players to build around in Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney, but Mike Hughes can't be relied upon to stay healthy and the rest of the depth chart is unproven. You can never have too many good corners in the NFL.

Northwestern doesn't have any other prospects who are sure things to get drafted. Middle linebacker Paddy Fisher was a stud in college but might not have the athleticism to make it in the NFL. He could be a seventh-rounder or UDFA who starts out on special teams. QB Peyton Ramsey, S J.R. Pace, and WR Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman (a Minneapolis native) are also potential UDFAs.

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

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