NFL Draft stuff

[gunnarthor]

Here's a few links to some of the prospects in the draft. This is PFF's big board. And this is the one from CBS sports. I don't know how often they get update and there are some differences, which you would expect, but both lists let you sort by position as well. Vikings currently have picks 24, 97, 139, and 187. At 24, the Vikings seem likely to be able to get a good prospect for the DL or the secondary. The draft seems to have a lot of depth at safety, so I could see us waiting until the 5th round to take one, since safeties tend to fall a bit. With the Mason trade, a RB isn't a necessity but there will be RBs available at all draft spots. 

[Mike Sixel]

CBS has a three round mock up....and they trade down with Vegas for a 2, 3, 6....and take a QB with pick 97? hahahahahaha, no. They are not taking a QB in that spot, imo. 

[Mike Sixel]

NFL.com big board

https://www.nfl.com/news/eric-edholm-s-top-100-prospects-1-0-ranking-the-best-players-in-the-2025-nfl-draft-class

 

[gunnarthor]

8 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

CBS has a three round mock up....and they trade down with Vegas for a 2, 3, 6....and take a QB with pick 97? hahahahahaha, no. They are not taking a QB in that spot, imo. 

It's a CB, not a QB, they didn't list the correct position. Zy Alexander is the only pick that I liked, actually. I don't mind the concept of the trade - drop 13 spots to get an additional couple picks in a deep draft, but I didn't like the picks they made for the Vikings.

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

It's a CB, not a QB, they didn't list the correct position. Zy Alexander is the only pick that I liked, actually. I don't mind the concept of the trade - drop 13 spots to get an additional couple picks in a deep draft, but I didn't like the picks they made for the Vikings.

ah, then I'm ok with a CB! (ya, didn't like those picks).

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

CBS has a three round mock up....and they trade down with Vegas for a 2, 3, 6....and take a QB with pick 97? hahahahahaha, no. They are not taking a QB in that spot, imo. 

I don't mind the value, don't like the pick.  Kenneth Grant, Kaleb Johnson, and Tyler Booker all there instead.  Hairston or Amos at CB too.  

It might be a trade we do, but we better walk away with better players if we do.

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I don't mind the value, don't like the pick.  Kenneth Grant, Kaleb Johnson, and Tyler Booker all there instead.  Hairston or Amos at CB too.  

It might be a trade we do, but we better walk away with better players if we do.

agreed, and that's actually a CB apparently at pick 97.

[TheLeviathan]

This draft is really hard to predict because the RB class is so good it might cause a lot of weirdness.  Post combine here are the guys I think are realistic targets that could be there:

DT Kenneth Grant - a dancing bear.  Dude is so good with his hands, he can move well.  He's a beast.  This is your zero or 1 tech nose tackle guy.

DT - Walter Nolen.  He's more likely to line up as your 5 tech or 3 tech in a pass rush.  But when you watch this guy, his drive is upfield.  He's got a motor on him and just pushes and pushes to collapse the pocket.

OL - Grey Zabel - Moves well.  Good base.  Good use of hands.  Not a dominant guy but he's feisty.  Can play anywhere but probably best as a guard.

DT - Derrick Harmon - Dude just beats people.  He reminds me of Ndamukong Suh.

CB - Maxwell Hairston - This dude is long and his burst/speed is stupid.  Great zone corner but also good in man2man because he's smart.  Willing tackler.

CB - Trey Amos - More of your man2man guy.  Not as wirey or athletic, but he's got some dog in him.  

I remaind a huge fan of Cam Skattebo.  RJ Harvey is another one I really like.  Kaleb Johnson is going to be good.  Damien Martinez is getting slept on by some rankings.

Personally, I'd prefer to take a safety later in the draft, not in the first.

I love the TEs in this draft.  Would be happy to snag one at that position group too.  Jason Taylor's kid and Luke Lachey are both nice players.

Some quality linebackers might fall in this draft too. Jay HIggins is nice.  Cody Lindenberg staying home would be awesome.  

 

[gunnarthor]

I really like what I've read about DL Deone Walker, 6'7", 340 pounds. That's 4 inches and nearly 40 pounds more than Harrison Phillips. Apparently he's incredibly strong, too, but conditioning might be somewhat poor. Sounds like he'll go in the second round or early third, so not likely to fall to us. But I want huge, big guys that are impossible to move and, ideally, can run over centers. But I have no idea who those guys are or who will fit into schemes that we want.

[TheLeviathan]

9 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

I really like what I've read about DL Deone Walker, 6'7", 340 pounds. That's 4 inches and nearly 40 pounds more than Harrison Phillips. Apparently he's incredibly strong, too, but conditioning might be somewhat poor. Sounds like he'll go in the second round or early third, so not likely to fall to us. But I want huge, big guys that are impossible to move and, ideally, can run over centers. But I have no idea who those guys are or who will fit into schemes that we want.

He has some technique to learn.  I liked him early but the tape says he is really raw.

But yeah....the measurables?  Gimme that.

[Parfigliano]

Still would like them to prioritize the O-line.  JJ needs protecting.

[TheLeviathan]

@Danchat who are you eyeballing my friend?

[Danchat]

I'll admit I haven't studied the draft as much as I usually do, so I will share what I can. So far this is probably the weakest draft I have covered, I'd say only 4 prospects in this class would be ranked in the top 10 last year, and barely 20 guys are clear 1st rounders in my book. However, the DL and edge classes are stacked and RB is really good.

As for your targets, @TheLeviathan, I like Nolen a lot. The only downside is the character concerns, so I'll leave that to the team scouts to figure out how big a problem like that is. I would take him at #24 if he clears that check. I'm not as high on Harmon but I need to do more work on him.

I like Zabel as a guard, maybe he can develop into a center. In this class, taking him in the late 1st round is fine.

The CBs in this range scare me, I feel that the bust potential is high with this group. Amos is my favorite of the bunch but I still think he's a 2nd rounder, Hairston scares me with his crazy athletic numbers covering up his poor play at Kentucky. I've found that there is a high correlation between low PFF grades in a player's last year in college and busting (notably, I've found little to no connection between high grades and players panning out). My favorite draftniks also aren't high on him. Az Thomas is also a no from me. Revel and Porter are two guys I like more, but need to develop and I don't see them as 1st rounders.

The RB class is fantastic, so many quality options to pick from. I like Skattebo in the 3rd round as a 1B option - change of pace and dangerous in the passing game. So many great options on Day 3 as well - Bhayshul Tuten, Brashard Smith, Kalel Mullings, Ollie Gordon.

I'm not as high on the TEs, but Fannin Jr is one of my favorite sleepers.

Oh, and if I haven't shared this before, you should try out my Mock Draft Simulator I built from scratch: https://supersimnfl.com/draft-sim (I recommend you use it on a tablet or PC)

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, Danchat said:

I'll admit I haven't studied the draft as much as I usually do, so I will share what I can. So far this is probably the weakest draft I have covered, I'd say only 4 prospects in this class would be ranked in the top 10 last year, and barely 20 guys are clear 1st rounders in my book. However, the DL and edge classes are stacked and RB is really good.

As for your targets, @TheLeviathan, I like Nolen a lot. The only downside is the character concerns, so I'll leave that to the team scouts to figure out how big a problem like that is. I would take him at #24 if he clears that check. I'm not as high on Harmon but I need to do more work on him.

I like Zabel as a guard, maybe he can develop into a center. In this class, taking him in the late 1st round is fine.

The CBs in this range scare me, I feel that the bust potential is high with this group. Amos is my favorite of the bunch but I still think he's a 2nd rounder, Hairston scares me with his crazy athletic numbers covering up his poor play at Kentucky. I've found that there is a high correlation between low PFF grades in a player's last year in college and busting (notably, I've found little to no connection between high grades and players panning out). My favorite draftniks also aren't high on him. Az Thomas is also a no from me. Revel and Porter are two guys I like more, but need to develop and I don't see them as 1st rounders.

The RB class is fantastic, so many quality options to pick from. I like Skattebo in the 3rd round as a 1B option - change of pace and dangerous in the passing game. So many great options on Day 3 as well - Bhayshul Tuten, Brashard Smith, Kalel Mullings, Ollie Gordon.

I'm not as high on the TEs, but Fannin Jr is one of my favorite sleepers.

Oh, and if I haven't shared this before, you should try out my Mock Draft Simulator I built from scratch: https://supersimnfl.com/draft-sim (I recommend you use it on a tablet or PC)

Dig the simulator, well done!

[gunnarthor]

21 hours ago, Danchat said:

I'll admit I haven't studied the draft as much as I usually do, so I will share what I can. So far this is probably the weakest draft I have covered, I'd say only 4 prospects in this class would be ranked in the top 10 last year, and barely 20 guys are clear 1st rounders in my book. However, the DL and edge classes are stacked and RB is really good.

 

I know this guy - not really a friend - who blames the portal for destroying college football. Says that with guys going from team to team, no one learns anything. It'll ruin college football, blah blah blah. In any event, he basically agrees that the draft is weaker but did say that it has a whole bunch of freak athletes who, in the right place, could be stars in the NFL. One name I remember him mentioning was LB Chris Paul. 

[Mike Sixel]

8 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

I know this guy - not really a friend - who blames the portal for destroying college football. Says that with guys going from team to team, no one learns anything. It'll ruin college football, blah blah blah. In any event, he basically agrees that the draft is weaker but did say that it has a whole bunch of freak athletes who, in the right place, could be stars in the NFL. One name I remember him mentioning was LB Chris Paul. 

Heaven forbid they have the right to change their minds and get paid. 

[gunnarthor]

6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Heaven forbid they have the right to change their minds and get paid. 

Agreed. Letting college athletes get paid is something we should be praising. But, for some, it ruins the game. Remember the stuff Lou Holtz said? Geez, he made a fortune on the backs of those kids and he still opposed them getting money. Jackass.

[Danchat]

9 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

I know this guy - not really a friend - who blames the portal for destroying college football. Says that with guys going from team to team, no one learns anything. It'll ruin college football, blah blah blah.

I thought there was a surprising amount of parity in college football despite the NIL concerns. It will keep some players a bit longer in the college ranks but they'll have to leave at some point. It might lead to older prospect ages but perhaps less raw players. 

[nicksaviking]

On 3/21/2025 at 2:46 PM, gunnarthor said:

Agreed. Letting college athletes get paid is something we should be praising. But, for some, it ruins the game. Remember the stuff Lou Holtz said? Geez, he made a fortune on the backs of those kids and he still opposed them getting money. Jackass.

Definitely the right thing to do.

It is going to kill the current system though. Just look at the NCAA tournament. The lowest seeded team left is a 10 seed? And it's Arkansas in the SEC with John Calipari as coach? Football and basketball will not be very competitive in five years. There will need to be one league with about the top 40, maybe 50 big spenders. Schools like the U of M are going to have to hook up with the lesser spenders.

Which sounds like saying they're cheap, so maybe I should instead say, schools and states that prioritize spending money on things that actually matter.

[Mike Sixel]

20 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Definitely the right thing to do.

It is going to kill the current system though. Just look at the NCAA tournament. The lowest seeded team left is a 10 seed? And it's Arkansas in the SEC with John Calipari as coach? Football and basketball will not be very competitive in five years. There will need to be one league with about the top 40, maybe 50 big spenders. Schools like the U of M are going to have to hook up with the lesser spenders.

Which sounds like saying their cheap, so maybe I should instead say, schools and states that prioritize spending money on things that actually matter.

I'm still rooting for college sports to die, and colleges to go back to education....

[nicksaviking]

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm still rooting for college sports to die, and colleges to go back to education....

That would be nice, but it won't die, it will just morph into a reflection of our society. There will be oligarch teams that have all the money and take all the good players, and the blue collar schools whose student athletes will totally get screwed over when the big schools take all the TV money, attendance drops at their games and school leadership decides that the sport doesn't make the school enough money so they just start cutting the programs. The smaller, more obscure programs first, like swimming and soccer and dance teams. You know, the ones that had nothing to do with this mess and don't deserve it.

[TheLeviathan]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm still rooting for college sports to die, and colleges to go back to education....

Man I wish that was feasible.  That we could just have clubs or rec leagues, but we're so far past that we can never unring that bell.

I hate it, and rooting along with you, but we'd be better off just considering college semi-pro at this point.

[Mike Sixel]

6 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

That would be nice, but it won't die, it will just morph into a reflection of our society. There will be oligarch teams that have all the money and take all the good players, and the blue collar schools whose student athletes will totally get screwed over when the big schools take all the TV money, attendance drops at their games and school leadership decides that the sport doesn't make the school enough money so they just cutting the programs. The smaller, more obscure programs first, like swimming and soccer and dance teams. You know, the ones that had nothing to do with this mess and don't deserve it.

Agreed

[Mike Sixel]

5 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

Man I wish that was feasible.  That we could just have clubs or rec leagues, but we're so far past that we can never unring that bell.

I hate it, and rooting along with you, but we'd be better off just considering college semi-pro at this point.

Yup

[Parfigliano]

6 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

Man I wish that was feasible.  That we could just have clubs or rec leagues, but we're so far past that we can never unring that bell.

I hate it, and rooting along with you, but we'd be better off just considering college semi-pro at this point.

The amount of money involved is only going to grow and grow.

[gunnarthor]

Here's the current list of the prospects the Vikings have brought in for top-30 visits. 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2025-nfl-draft-top-30-visits-tracker-full-list-of-every-prospect-all-32-teams-are-bringing-in-for-meetings/

Of these, DL Harmon could be available at 24, RB Smith could be available at 97, C Bayer could be a 5th rounder. The other RB could go in the 5th but I've seen reports as him being an undrafted free agent. Obviously, this doesn't really tell us anything. I'm sure the Vikes are doing due diligence on DL/CB that might fall to 24 but at least we have an idea of what they are looking at.

Here's a nice write up on Harmon. "The film shows Harmon thriving as a 3-technique in an attacking front where he can fire off the ball and use his explosive first step." I have no idea how much our interior DL play in the 3-technique as opposed to more as nose tackles but this sounds good.

[nicksaviking]

Wow, what an underwhelming group. Where are you getting those draft rankings? Yeah, Harmon might be an option for an early pick, but the other three look like they are being scouted as UDFAs. 

And bringing UDFA prospects in for looks makes more sense than bringing guys you actually think you'll draft in the middle or late rounds for looks. Showing other teams your hands for rounds 3-6 or so is a big disadvantage.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Wow, what an underwhelming group. Where are you getting those draft rankings? Yeah, Harmon might be an option for an early pick, but the other three look like they are being scouted as UDFAs. 

And bringing UDFA prospects in for looks makes more sense than bringing guys you actually think you'll draft in the middle or late rounds for looks. Showing other teams your hands for rounds 3-6 or so is a big disadvantage.

I mean, they have no picks.... So late round guys make sense to bring in. 

[gunnarthor]

11 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Wow, what an underwhelming group. Where are you getting those draft rankings?

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/

I think rankings, especially if you're trying to rank 500 players, go all over the place the further down you go. And I'm not sure which rankings have updated post-combine.

[TheLeviathan]

The visits have a lot of gamesmanship to them as well.  No team brings in their 30 favorite guys, there is a method to it beyond that.

To be honest, that whole part of the process seems silly to me.  I don't get why they have those restrictions other than to be merciful on the prospects maybe?