TJ Clemmings Is Huge Draft Steal for Vikings After Foot Injury Causes Free Fall

Thanks to a recently discovered injury that caused one of the draft's deepest slides down the board, the Minnesota Vikings were provided the opportunity in the fourth round to take a fringe first-round prospect in Pittsburgh tackle T.J. Clemmings. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Clemmings' previously unknown injury on April 24. During a team visit, the 6'5" Clemmings was found to have a stress fracture in his foot—which likely precipitated his fall from Day 1 pick to the No. 110 overall selection on Saturday. 

The Vikings were fine taking the medical risk on a player with huge upside. 

Many believed Clemmings would be one of the first offensive tackles off the board, with a first- or second-round grade and the potential to one day become a bookend starter on either the left or right side. 

He is still a work in a progress as a player. 

After wasting away as a backup defensive end for his first three years at Pitt, Clemmings made the transition over to the offensive side. His first season at right tackle was often a struggle, but the huge strides he took as a senior made evaluators salivate about his development potential. 

Some scouts loved him as a player. 

"He's really powerful," one scout told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I've got no negatives at all. He's got excellent strength, power, aggressiveness, tenacity. Good pass-block technician."

A second scout called him a "great kid" who needs "some technique work." The same scout believed he would put in the work to get better at his new position. And few question his athleticism. 

Clemmings was a prep basketball star and played only two years of high school football. He turned down Division I basketball offers to play football at Pitt. 

There's no doubting he is raw, with limited football exposure and even fewer reps at offensive tackle. But the NFL generally loves the opportunity to mold high-ceiling players like Clemmings, even if he is a little rough around the edges. 

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranked Clemmings as his No. 6 overall offensive tackle. His NFL comparison was Lane Johnson, the fourth overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. 

"A major work in progress, Clemmings has the athletic traits to be a very good player—and that's how Lane Johnson (a former quarterback) was viewed coming out of Oklahoma," Miller wrote. 

Miller thinks Clemmings has the "agility and balance" to play left tackle but also noted that he is a "big boom-or-bust prospect."

His foot injury only heightens the potential of a bust. Issues with the feet can be career-wreckers for big men like Clemmings, but the Vikings mitigated most of the risk in the pick by taking him in the fourth round. 

One NFL offensive line coach told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that his team would have taken him in the second round, likely before the injury was discovered. 

"He's got tools but he needs a lot of work on technique," the coach said. "He's tough on the field, but it looks like things can get into his head. I would take him in the second round." 

Zierlein compared Clemmings to Duane Brown of the Houston Texans. Both players transitioned from basketball star to offensive tackle. The Texans' first-round pick in 2008, Brown has gone on to start 106 games over seven seasons in Houston. 

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Like most analysts, Zierlein loves his upside but worries about his performance at the Senior Bowl. 

"Clemmings should continue to learn the position and improve," Zierlein wrote. "He has the physical traits to become a Pro Bowl tackle, but the Senior Bowl practices exposed how green he still is."

The next step for the Vikings is developing the talent and managing the injury. Minnesota has Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt in place as 2015 starters, which allows time for the potential to be realized without being on the field. And the injury is something the Vikings can consistently monitor, with hopes that Clemmings can play without pain and surgery can be avoided. 

If everything goes right, the Vikings might have found a long-term starter at either left or right tackle in the fourth round. It may one day look like an incredible value—a fringe first-rounder with massive upside falling way down the board because of injury. 

The bust potential was worth the risk for the Vikings. All the pieces need to come together, but Clemmings may end up as one of the biggest steals of the 2015 draft. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2