After sitting out the second round Friday night, he Vikings continued to beef up their front seven when they used the 72nd pick on Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton.
Crichton had 22.5 sacks in his three years at Oregon State, including nine in 2012 and 7.5 in 2013. He forced 10 fumbles during his Beavers career and racked up 51 tackles for a loss.
He joins Everson Griffen, Brian Robison and Corey Wooten in the defensive line rotation.
The 6-foot-3, 273-pound defensive end declared for the NFL draft after his redshirt junior year because he wanted to provide for his family immediately. His mother, Malama, works as a nurse at a retirement home and his father, Lucky, lost his leg but still works moving boxes at a warehouse.
"I love my family," Crichton said at the scouting combine. "I've taking this responsibility to take care of them. My mom works two jobs, and my dad is disabled and still works a job, too. They are getting old and I want them to retire and just stop working. I did this for my family."
The Vikings spent two of the first three picks of the Mike Zimmer era on pass rushers. They, of course, used their top pick on UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr.
The Vikings will be back on the clock later in the third round with the No. 96 pick.
