Arizona State linebacker Darien Butler was reportedly in town for a pre-draft visit with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The Vikings are expected to put most of their drafting efforts into fixing things on the defensive side of the ball with first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at the helm.
Butler is an interesting prospect considering he’s a bit undersized for his position, but he comes with a high motor and a rare toughness that can’t be denied. He’s a fireball that loves flying around the field and making plays.
Garafolo pointed out that Pro Football Focus gave Butler the highest coverage grade as a linebacker. So he clearly has a knack for making big plays.
The #Vikings hosted Arizona State LB Darien Butler on a pre-draft visit today. A captain for the Sun Devils for three years and a very good cover LB (the highest-rated in that department in the Pac-12 by @PFF). Possible Day 3 pick.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 4, 2022
The expectation is for Butler to be taken off the board in the later rounds. If he continues to play bigger than his body at the NFL level, he could be looked back on as one of the true steals in the 2022 NFL draft.
In his final season as a Sun Devil, he totaled 68 tackles, two sacks, 8.5 tackles for a loss and three interceptions.
