Vikings' pick at No. 170: South Florida defensive back Mistral Raymond
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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- For the second time in as many rounds, the Minnesota Vikings added depth to their secondary on Saturday, selecting South Florida defensive back Mistral Raymond with the 170th overall pick in the sixth round.
Raymond (6-foot-1, 192 pounds) walked on in 2008 after one season at Ellsworth Community College. He ended up playing in 34 games (15 starts) at safety and cornerback, earning a scholarship and being named captain in 2010, when he earned second-team all-Big East Conference honors.
"I'm a guy that plays a lot off instincts," Raymond said. "I just have a great feel for the game, and I studied the game very much in-depth. I think it's something that helps me certainly on the field. Playing the cornerback position at my size and I think I bring something different, intangible, that guys aren't used to seeing a guy my size line up across the ball from them."
The Vikings, who have significant questions in the secondary, hosted Raymond for an official visit at their Top 30 event earlier this month. Raymond said in a conference call he primarily played cornerback as a senior, moving inside in nickel, and the Vikings told him they plan to use him at cornerback as well. However, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said they'll look at Raymond at safety first.
Over his final two seasons at South Florida, the Palmetto, Fla., native had two interceptions, seven pass break-ups and 96 tackles, including 6½ for loss.
The pick originally belonged to the Denver Broncos and was acquired on Saturday, along with the 178th overall selection, for the Vikings' fifth-round pick (No. 150).
The tape
