PurplePTSD: Vikings Draft Profile: Devin Lloyd Could Be A Long-Term LB Solution

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

Josh Frey

2022-02-17

There is at least a moderate chance that the Minnesota Vikings transition to a 3-4 defense in 2022. While there are many that hope for the Vikings to use their 12th overall pick on a cornerback this April, this latest development opens up the possibility for another linebacker being added to the defense through the Vikings draft class. Because of that, one player that should be under consideration in this NFL Draft is Utah’s Devin Lloyd.

Statistics

Strengths

If I’m being honest, this was one of my favorite film studies that I’ve done this winter. Devin Lloyd is a freakish athlete at the linebacker position, and this allows him to play sideline-to-sideline football with ease. This athleticism made him an extremely versatile player in high school where he played wide receiver, safety, and punter, emerging as a top college prospect.

Over the course of four years at Utah, Lloyd continuously improved in all aspects of his game. This culminated in a 2021 season where he was an extreme threat in pass coverage, pass rush, and run defense at the MIKE linebacker position. Here is where Lloyd ranked among PAC-12 defensive stats in 2021:

Safe to say Lloyd absolutely terrorized opposing offenses throughout the conference. But how did he turn into one of the top prospects in this draft class? Well, the answer to that largely has to do with ability to play on the line of scrimmage. Lloyd has become a savant at executing defensive strategies as a press man. He is slippery and able to slither out of blocks. His speed also allows him to be a faux-blitzer and recover fast enough to execute pass coverage.

Finally, his ball skills really put him over the top. Lloyd recorded four interceptions in 2021, and some of them are absolutely ridiculous to watch. Some of this has to do with his coverage ability against tight ends and running backs, but he has incredible anticipation even when helping pressure the quarterback. There were multiple occurrences where he batted passes down at the line of scrimmage, or this threat helped alter throws. Then there’s interceptions like this one that turn into six points:

Weaknesses

Devin Lloyd is one of the most highly touted NFL draft prospects of this spring for a reason. His athleticism and versatility should allow him to be an immediate fit on nearly every NFL roster. However, one of the biggest drawbacks with Lloyd is his consistent effort, especially against higher tier competition. One particular game where this became a problem in 2021 was against Oregon. Upon watching that game, there were multiple snaps where he exuded limited effort as a blitzer, and sometimes none at all. This is a concern especially for anyone planning on using him on the outside as a run stopper.

Additionally, he has some lapses in terms of consistent tackling. About 90% of the time, he is sure in this aspect of his game, but he is not without the occasional bad miss here or there. It’s something that will certainly need some improvement as he enters the NFL, and after these struggles throughout the 2021 season with their defense, it likely takes away some of his value as a top Vikings draft prospect.

Devin Lloyd’s Fit on the 2022 Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are about to undergo some major changes in the 2022 offseason, and one such change could be their defensive scheme. If they were to opt towards a 3-4 defense in 2022, this puts an emphasis on improving some limited depth in the linebacker position. The Minnesota Vikings have a top tier player in the middle with Eric Kendricks, but other than that, the position remains a question.

If the Vikings draft Lloyd and pair him with Kendricks, they open up a vault of unlimited defensive strategies. They could create so many creative blitzes and pass coverage schemes with these two, surely confusing opposing offenses to the maximum. He likely wouldn’t be the first choice for Minnesota, but he shouldn’t be too far down the list of prospects.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.