The Minnesota Vikings have drafted Stanford Cardinal guard David Yankey with the 145th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
NFL Draft results 2014: David Yankey selected by Minnesota Vikings
Yankey fell farther than expected, but the Vikings finally took the Stanford guard in the fourth.
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Yankey was ranked No. 87 on SB Nation's top 200 big board and No. 6 among all guard prospects. He trailed the likes of Xavier Su'a-Filo and Gabe Jackson in the rankings, but came in ahead of Cyril Richardson.
Yankey was a consensus All-American in both 2012 and 2013, and was a first-team All-Pac-12 player in both of those years. He helped Stanford to the Pac-12 championship in 2013. He started all but one game over the past three seasons, and would have started all of his freshman year as well if he did not sustain an injury.
He’s played at both left tackle and left guard, but most agree he’s best suited as an interior lineman, specifically on the left side. Whether that ends up being his actual position in the NFL is anybody’s guess, but his body control, footwork and lateral movement definitely contribute to that spot more so than on the right side.
Jake Blanchat from Rule of Tree, SB Nation’s Stanford blog, praises Yankey’s play and says he should be above average at the pro level:
Yankey is a solid value across the board -- he's not as physically incredible as some prospects in the draft, but as a guard he's pretty close to a plug-and-play player. He's probably a second- or third-round pick in total, but whoever drafts him will definitely be happy with his smarts and skill. He may have some trouble handing those beastly 3-techniques like Geno Atkins, but pretty much everybody struggles against freaks like that.
Combine results
Height: 6’6
Weight: 315 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.48 seconds
Bench press: 22 reps
Vertical jump: 28.5”
Broad jump: 8’7
20-yard shuttle: 4.86 seconds
3-cone drill: 7.81 seconds
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