2018 Vikings Off-Season Thread

[DocBauer]

Unless someone is sitting there at 30 the Vikings really like, my gut feeling is they will down a few spots for an early 2nd rounder and a bonus 4th. They have needs, but no overwhelming ones.

 

Price is definitely a guy I like and expect to slide a bit. Most interior OL do anyway. You solidify your interior and have 3 guys who can play center if need be. Ragnow is my second choice, but will probably be late 2nd round or a 3rd rounder. Would really like to see a guy like OT Alex Capps fall to us in the 5th, but not sure he makes it that far despite being a smaller school player. There is a ton of potential, but it would be my ideal for the 5th round.

 

I'd like to see...in my scenario of trading down...a DT, CB and maybe a DE in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. DE is not a need position when you look at overall depth, talent and potential. But it could change quickly by next season.

 

There appears to be so much RB talent that even a 6th round pick could yield a nice complimentary piece to replace McKinnon. And I'd be looking for the best overall talent available at OLB here as well, to develop and mold. But if you have real doubts about keeping Barr, it skews waiting this long. The other 6th rounder and the 7th? Best TE I can find and maybe a K.

[TheLeviathan]

You're spot-on about needing a RB, I had forgotten about that.  We have a healthy number of compensatory picks to work with to add late talents.

 

Alex Cappa is very interesting.  I'll have to watch more on him but that's a great name.

[caninatl04]

For a team that will be returning 19 + 2 starters, they have a lot of holes. The "+ 2" represents Cousins and Richardson. So, theoretically, they have only one starter to fill and that's either RG or RT.

 

That said, there are many, many holes. Perhaps even more surprisingly, there appear to be more holes on Defense than on Offense.

 

Unfortunately, some of these holes are due to complete whiffs on the two most recent first round picks. Which, by the way, I've advocated trading the 30th with the Chargers for their 2, 3 and 5th round picks. (Or, more complicated, our 1st, a 6th and a 7th for their 2nd, 3rd and 4th-- all around 20th pick per round).

 

So, under my scenario, zero Day 1 picks, 4 day 2 picks and, say, 3 (+ or - 1) day 3 picks:

 

Holes:

 

RB: maybe a 6th rounder who can return kicks.

WR: same as RB

TE: 3rd rounder

O-Line: 2nd rounder and a day 3 pick.

 

DT: day 2 pick

DE: day 2 pick

LB: ???

CB: day 2 pick

S: day 3 pick

 

Yes, the math does not add up as I have the Vikings need 5 day 2 picks (OL, TE, DT, DE, CB).

 

Thoughts?

[TheLeviathan]

I guess I don't see as many holes as you do.  It'd be nice to add a DE, a LB, a CB, a couple OL, RB, TE, and WR.

 

That's 8 and all of them save one are depth roles.  Most teams in the NFL could only dream of walking into a draft in that kind of shape.

[Mr. Brooks]

I guess I don't see as many holes as you do. It'd be nice to add a DE, a LB, a CB, a couple OL, RB, TE, and WR.

 

That's 8 and all of them save one are depth roles. Most teams in the NFL could only dream of walking into a draft in that kind of shape.

With Nickel basically being base defense these days, I'd consider CB a starter, not depth.

Though some might think more highly of Alexander than me.

[TheLeviathan]

Alexander is going to be a good test of the "CBs take a big step their third year with Zimmer" mantra I hear.

 

And he'll need to, he's been pretty bad to date.  So yeah, I'd agree another CB is important.

[Vanimal46]

With the draft less than a week away, there's a lot of helium about QB Josh Allen being the 1st pick.

 

Which is kind of fascinating... His stats were pedestrian in college. In a weak conference. With a great defense behind him.

 

But I guess he can throw the ball 90 yards down field... So yeah, take him 1st Cleveland.

[TheLeviathan]

Mayfield is the best of that bunch IMO.

 

I wouldn't touch Allen or Rosen with a ten foot pole.

[nicksaviking]

 

With the draft less than a week away, there's a lot of helium about QB Josh Allen being the 1st pick.

Which is kind of fascinating... His stats were pedestrian in college. In a weak conference. With a great defense behind him.

But I guess he can throw the ball 90 yards down field... So yeah, take him 1st Cleveland.

 

I'm bored with Cleveland being the butt of league jokes. I'm ready for it to be the Packers turn.

[Vanimal46]

Mayfield is the best of that bunch IMO.

 

I wouldn't touch Allen or Rosen with a ten foot pole.

Concur on Mayfield. I think he'll be the gem of this QB class.

 

I'm higher on Rosen than you. He's got the intangibles to be a good, even great QB.

 

I don't understand the hype for Darnold. He's got a strange throwing motion, and has Happy feet whenever he feels a little pressure... A la Christian Ponder.

 

Allen will be the biggest bust in the draft. I'm not sure how 'experts' can overlook all of his red flags and say he's worth the #1 overall pick.

[Mr. Brooks]

Yeah I don't get the Allen love, he'll bust, IMO.

 

I disagree with Levi on Rosen though, I think he'll be the best QB to come out of this draft.

[TheLeviathan]

Curious, what do you guys see in Rosen you like?

[Mr. Brooks]

Curious, what do you guys see in Rosen you like?

I think the trait that translates best from college to NFL is pocket presence, and being able to consistently make all the throws from the pocket.

And from everything I've read, Rosen is the head of the class in that regard.

 

His accuracy also looks a lot better when you consider his receivers had 31 drops last year.

 

He's also very confident in the pocket, trusts his blocking, and doesn't get happy feet. He was among the national leaders (might have been #1) in completion % when blitzed.

 

From everything I've read, he's also very smart, in fact, his intelligence has even been pointed to as a possible negative, as in he's hard to coach because he questions everything.

I'll take that in my QB any day.

 

Give me a QB who is poised, smart, and confident in the pocket, has good enough arm strength, good mechanics and delivery, and is an accurate passer, and I'll let the coaches handle the rest.

 

I get the durability issues, but I'd take that risk.

[Vanimal46]

Curious, what do you guys see in Rosen you like?

Concur with a lot of what Mr. Brooks said. I was going to mention his stats are a bit depressed because his receivers dropped a ton of passes.

 

Overall I think he has a good head on his shoulders. His parents are doctors so the intelligence is there. I like his throwing motion and he's played in a pro style offense at UCLA.

[TheLeviathan]

I think durability should be more of a concern.  He's gotten hurt a lot and he will take a much harsher beating in the NFL.  

 

I look at him as a future Alex Smith best case scenario and that's only if he stays healthy. I don't consider that the kind of upside I'd use a top 10 pick on.

[Mr. Brooks]

I think durability should be more of a concern. He's gotten hurt a lot and he will take a much harsher beating in the NFL.

 

I look at him as a future Alex Smith best case scenario and that's only if he stays healthy. I don't consider that the kind of upside I'd use a top 10 pick on.

I think he's Matt Ryan, if he stays healthy.

[Vanimal46]

Draft day! My prediction is Minnesota trading out of the first round tonight and acquiring an early 2nd round pick plus other stuff in return.

[TheLeviathan]

I predict they take a CB, S, or DL that unexpectedly falls due to the QB rush with the first pick.

 

Then they take one of the many solid OL still available later.

 

(But I very much prefer they trade back)

[Mike Sixel]

I predict a trade back, and they keep passing on good OL early. We have years of data showing they, wrongly, think they can pick OL late and have an OL.

[TheLeviathan]

Personally, I like the choice.  This kid plays CB the way I like to see it played - physical, feisty, tenacious, etc.

 

And he's a sick athlete.

[Mike Sixel]

Good luck Kirk....

[TheLeviathan]

Reaching for need is always a mistake.

 

I like Hughes a lot.

[Vanimal46]

Good luck Kirk....

Have no fear... Slick Rick is fielding calls from teams looking to move up, move down, sideways, and even staying in the same draft slot.

 

No stone will go unturned before selecting a guard in the 5th round! And you know what, that guard in the 5th round is incredible value! Ironically he was the top person on Rick's draft board too.

[Vanimal46]

Personally, I like the choice. This kid plays CB the way I like to see it played - physical, feisty, tenacious, etc.

 

And he's a sick athlete.

From what I read, ball skills isn't his strong suit. It sure would be nice to find a CB with a track record of INTs.

[TheLeviathan]

From what I read, ball skills isn't his strong suit. It sure would be nice to find a CB with a track record of INTs.

Depends who you read, but it’s hard to get picks when people are afraid to throw at you. IMO, interception totals are a severely overrated stat to care about.

 

We took a very good OL in the third last year, plenty of time to add one. Though I would love to see Lorenzo Carter or Dallas Goedert as the next pick too.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Reaching for need is always a mistake.

I like Hughes a lot.

 

BPA is not some exact science....weird how OL seem to get drafted in round 1 and 2 by other teams, like, maybe, I don't know, they value OL play.....they must all be wrong though.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Depends who you read, but it’s hard to get picks when people are afraid to throw at you. IMO, interception totals are a severely overrated stat to care about.

We took a very good OL in the third last year, plenty of time to add one. Though I would love to see Lorenzo Carter or Dallas Goedert as the next pick too.

 

I'd argue decent to good OL last year, not very good....that's one. Out of five.....in all the years he's drafted OL, how many good ones do they have on the roster right now that he's drafted?

[nicksaviking]

 

Good luck Kirk....

 

The line did fine with Keenum last year and it's no worse than what Cousins had last year in Washington. I think typically good QBs make linemen look good, not the other way around. 

 

I wasn't looking for a CB because they take too long to develop in Zimmer's system, but I wouldn't pretend to know which one's are better than the others for this specific defense. It seems to be that ballhawk types aren't a fit for this scheme, the corners don't seem to be allowed to jump routes except rarely on 5 yard outs when there's safety help.

[TheLeviathan]

BPA is not some exact science....weird how OL seem to get drafted in round 1 and 2 by other teams, like, maybe, I don't know, they value OL play.....they must all be wrong though.

Have you actually looked at the data on that? You commonly have this complaint but it feels unfounded. Plenty of good teams have built their lines without first rounders, including the Patriots.

 

And that’s to say nothing of how easy/hard it is relative to other positions. What’s more common.....good OG in the NFL drafted 4th or later or CB?

 

And I haven’t even mentioned the growing issues many GMs have with how unprepared lineman are for the NFL due to air raid schemes and other issues.

[TheLeviathan]

That said, If they do go line, I think Crosby from Oregon is a great zone-scheme fit.