Round 3, Pick #90 - DE Patrick Jones II

Big Board ranking: Jones was the 116th-ranked player on the Top 300 Big Board put together by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and the 105th-ranked player on the Consensus Big Board.

Introduction: Born in Japan, Patrick Jones grew up playing a number of sports, but primarily baseball. A member of a military family, he lived all over the world and was somewhat of a latecomer to football.

One of two edge-rusher prospects from Pitt — the other being Rashad Weaver — Jones (6-foot-4 and 261 pounds) is a classic-looking defensive end reminiscent of the ones Zimmer used to roster in Cincinnati. Jones enrolled early at Pitt and earned one degree and is on his way to earning another.

A captain in his final year, Jones is a player whose leadership coach Pat Narduzzi has raved about. Jones led the team in tackles for loss in 2019 and sacks in 2020 despite playing across from another highly touted player at the position, earning first-team All-ACC recognition in his redshirt senior season.

How he fits: The Vikings will ask him to compete with D.J. Wonnum and Stephen Weatherly to start opposite Danielle Hunter, but he should have a bit of a headstart given the third-round investment the Vikings made in him.

Second guess? The Vikings needed an edge rusher, so it made sense to go get one here, but Ronnie Perkins from Oklahoma — ranked 73rd on Brugler’s board and 64th on the Consensus Board — was still available and is generally thought of as a better prospect. Jones’ teammate, Weaver, is also generally more highly rated, so it was a bit of a curious pick.

Minnesota also might have been able to select a receiver here, as a number of highly regarded wideouts were available.

Rookie impact: Jones can play right away if he wins the camp competition against Weatherly and Wonnum, especially as neither of them did anything last year that should give them automatic consideration for the spot.

He has a low floor and a high ceiling, so it won’t be easy to project his immediate impact. His limited refinement and tendency to overrun plays could hurt him, but he has natural power and explosiveness that should give him an immediate set of tools.

Depth-chart impact: The Vikings will likely rotate their edge rushers opposite Hunter as they find solutions on the defense, but it makes sense to lightly pencil in Jones as the starter on the right side of the defense.

Fast evaluation: This is another solid move that could have been better and more interesting but also wasn’t particularly egregious. Jones is a solid player with upside and a decent history of production. His athleticism is above average for his position, and he certainly met the Vikings’ historical thresholds for the position, a strategy that has worked before on the defensive line.