With the first two days of the 2018 NFL draft in the books, we roll on to day three where Rick Spielman is usually a busy trader. After trading their third-round pick to Tampa Bay late on Friday, the Vikings began the final day of the draft with the following picks in hand:

• R4N02 (102nd overall) – Acquired from Tampa Bay
• R5N30 (167th overall)
• R6N06 (180th overall) – Acquired from Tampa Bay
• R6N30 (204th overall)
• R6N39 (213th overall) – Compensatory pick
• R6N44 (218th overall) – Compensatory pick
• R7N33 (225th overall) – Acquired from Denver

With the second pick of the fourth round, the Vikings selected Jalyn Holmes, defensive end from THE … [dramatic pause] … Ohio State University:

Holmes was a team captain in his true senior season of 2017 and made nine starts, garnering an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection by coaches and media.

The 6-foot-5 defensive end totaled 51 games during his Buckeyes career.

Holmes helped Lake Taylor High School win its first Virginia 4A state championship in 2012 by racking up 79 tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

The pick was announced in St. Paul by the U.S. Olympic Curling Team.

Holmes doesn’t rush well enough to be a 4-3 end and needs more strength to fit into 3-4 fronts. However, if he improves his hand usage and adds lower body strength, he has the potential to become an effective 3-4 end with the ability to push the pocket as an interior rusher in sub packages. Holmes lacks the explosiveness to be a starter who will fill up the stat sheet, but he has intriguing size/strength potential that could make him a better pro than college player.

That last paragraph is quoted from an NFL.com pre-draft evaluation.

During the fifth round, the Vikings traded up from the 30th to the 20th pick, giving the New York Jets their 30th (167th overall) and the seventh round pick they received from Denver in the Trevor Siemian trade. With the 157th pick, they selected tight end Tyler Conklin from the University of Central Michigan:

Player Bio

It seems that every year more former basketball players are moving to the gridiron. Conklin signed with Northwood University in Michigan to play hoops but after playing sparingly for one season decided to transfer somewhere to play football. After one season on the scout team adding weight, he played in 13 games as a reserve, catching six passes for 95 yards. Conklin earned the starting job in 11 of 13 games as a junior, using his athleticism and soft hands to become a top short-yardage and red zone target for the Chippewas with 42 receptions for 560 yards and six scores. His production was down slightly in 2017, but the team captain still proved athletic enough to earn a third-team All-MAC selection after grabbing 35 passes for 504 yards and five touchdowns.

Overview

Conklin requires tape study from both 2016 and 2017 as his preseason foot injury appeared to create some limitations for him athletically. He’s a capable receiver, but he isn’t going to make a living as a pass-catching tight end. Conklin shows the aptitude and attitude to handle blocking duties inline or as a move tight end, but his draft stock could depend on his medicals and how he tests at the Combine.

After giving up the 167th pick in the last trade, they got it back again (along with the seventh round pick traded earlier) by swapping two of their sixth round picks (180th and 204th) in order to select kicker Daniel Carlson from Auburn University (current Vikings kicker Kai Forbath hung up on a reporter asking for his reaction to Carlson being drafted):

Player Bio

Carlson had a chance to one of the few specialists with the skills to leave college early to lock up a top-100 slot in the NFL Draft. He was the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selection in 2016 and 2017, and league’s leading scorer in both seasons. He garnered Lou Groza Award finalist honors for the third straight year after converting 23-of-31 field goal attempts in 2017 (4-of-8 from 50-plus yards, three blocked) and all 57 extra point tries. He made 28-of-32 field goal attempts (4-of-7 from 50-plus yards) in 2016 and all 44 point-afters. Carlson made 23-of-27 attempts (four of 50-plus yards, with a 56-yarder in their bowl game) as a sophomore second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC pick in 2015 and went 18-for-24 as a redshirt freshman. He went 5-for-5 against Alabama that season, but missed two against Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl to help the Badgers get the victory in overtime. He punted in 2014, as well, averaging 42 yards a kick. Over his career, Carlson has converted all 141 extra point attempts and sent 156-of-222 kickoffs for touchbacks. He was a second-team Academic All-American as a junior. Daniel’s brother, Anders, signed with the Tigers for the 2017 season; he’ll get his chance next year.

Overview

Kicker with good size and a strong leg for both field goal and kickoff duties. Carlson put together two very strong efforts in 2015 and 2016, but struggled with his accuracy in 2017. He has the talent and mechanics to be taken on the third day of the draft and become an early contributor as long as his ball striking and confidence are where they need to be.

With the 213th pick in the sixth round, the Vikings selected guard Colby Gossett from Appalachian State:

Player Bio

Versatile and strong, Gossett is one of the top prospects from App State on NFL scouts’ radar. The first-team All-Sun Belt pick in 2017 led the Mountaineers to a strong 9-4 season, starting all 13 games at right guard. As a junior, he was also a first-team All-Conference pick after standing up well against Tennessee and Miami, as well as conference foes, starting 11 games at right guard and two at right tackle. Gossett was a reliable member of the line as a sophomore, starting the first seven games at right guard and the final six at right tackle. He was scheduled to start in 2014, but a preseason injury forced him to sit out the first four games of the year; he played in eight games, starting seven, at right guard that season. As a two-star recruit from Cumming, Georgia, Gossett redshirted in 2013.

Overview

Gossett had trouble sustaining blocks against talented competition from Georgia and is unlikely to be ready to face off against NFL competitors. Gossett’s NFL-ready frame will appeal to power teams who may look to stash him on a practice squad early on while they work on his technique to unleash more power at the point of attack.

With the last pick of the sixth round, the Vikings chose defensive end Ade Aruna from Tulane University:

Player Bio

Aruna came to the United State from Nigeria to attend high school and play basketball. A coach at La Lumiere High School in Indiana saw Aruna’s build and convinced him to play football in his senior season. He received a three-star rating despite only playing one season of football, and Tulane signed him to a scholarship offer. Aruna redshirted in 2013 and played in eight games the following year, making seven tackles with one sack. He gained enough experience in those seasons to start 11 of 12 games as a sophomore, totaling 32 stops, five for loss, three sacks, and two pass breakups. Aruna had his best year in 2016, starting all 12 games, posting 43 tackles, 10 for loss and five sacks. He could only manage 25 tackles and three sacks in 11 starts (12 games played) in 2017.

Overview

Aruna’s height, weight, length and athleticism are almost sure to get him targeted by teams looking to mine a diamond from his traits. He appears to be a ways away from becoming a factor on the pro level, but he did show interesting flashes as a 3-4 end this season. Aruna flashes as a rusher, but may not have the ability to get after the quarterback as often as teams would like from a traits-based prospect. Aruna is a developmental prospect, but after putting together a huge combine, he will be drafted early than where the tape would dictate.

With their final pick of the 2018 NFL draft (225th overall), the Vikings selected linebacker Devante Downs from California-Berkeley: