NFL Draft Talk
Thought we could make a general draft discussion thread with the Combine approaching. Just a few pre combine thoughts I had while digging in on some early evaluations;
- There could be as many as 7 cornerbacks going in the 1st round. While I don't see any elite, Patrick Surtain type's, the position is deep and talented. I'd be pretty upset if the Vikings took a cornerback, but there will be some talented corners still on the board when our pick comes up.
- I absolutely love this group of linebackers. Drew Sanders, Noah Sewell, and the Simpson kid from Clemson all look like really good prospects who offer some scheme flexibility. Hicks won't be back for us and they still have a decision to make on Kendricks. It's possible all 3 of these guys are still on the board at #23 and would be really good picks.
- I've got Jalin Hyatt as my #1 WR in this class. He would be an absolute home run pick for us and give us a deep threat dimension this offense is sorely lacking. I'm going to be very curious how teams separate Johnston, Addison, Zay Flowers, and Smith-Njigba after that.
- Not a great crop of defensive lineman. I think we can find some scheme specific bodies with our mid round picks but otherwise need to be active in free agency. We are going to continue running this crap 3-4 and IMO all three down lineman positions need to be upgraded. A couple guys I'll be watching at the combine are Ika the nose tackle from Baylor (LSU transfer), Gervon Baxter from Florida, and Keeanu Benton from Wisconsin. All bigger bodies that fit our scheme and to me defensive line is the biggest position of need on this roster.
- My early overrated list: Tyree Wilson, Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee, and Paris Johnson.
- I'd be shocked to see the Vikings draft a QB. If we trade down and add more picks, then taking someone like Hendon Hooker and stashing him away for a year makes a lot of sense. I think it's far more likely we add a Sam Darnold in free agency or trade for someone like Zac Wilson on the low end.
@"supafreak84" said: On Hyatt, the thing that separates him from the rest is the breakaway speed. He moves like everyone else on the field is playing in mud. It doesn't matter if its Alabama dudes or LSU dudes trying to defend him, he is blowing by you. Very similar to Jameson Williams last year although I think Williams was a little more dynamic in the open field. Hyatt's numbers he put up in the SEC were incredible and he is taller than Addison, Smith-Njigba, and Flowers. I understand the needs on defense, but there might not be a better pick for an offense (likely going to lose Thielen) then Hyatt and his speed to keep defenses honest from doubling Jefferson.Hyatt's deep speed is easily best in class. Is he Will Fuller? Not a fair comparison given Fuller's ridiculous penchant for injury, but someone mentioned that comp. I have to say Flowers is the one who jumped off the screen when I watched him. Not ready to put them in any kind of order yet, but I agree that if KOC wants a field stretcher, Hyatt's probably the guy.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"Knucklehead" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"StickyBun" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"Vikergirl" said: https://www.tankathon.com/nfl/mock_draftThey have us taking CB Kelee Ringo from Georgia
Be a lot of unhappy Viking fans if they take Ringo and Addison is still sitting there...
Almost every mock draft I have seen has the Vikings taking a corner and it's just because people think we are losing Patrick Peterson and combine that with the fact we are picking in that sweet spot where a lot of corners are projected to go. I think you have to hope Flores is able to develop these young guys we've invested in in Dantzler, Evans, and Booth. We need at least two of them to step up and become solid starters for us next season. In the last nine years we have taken four 1st round corners and invested several other early round picks at the position (2nd through 4th round). It's time to sink or swim with what we have, especially when we have so many other needs. These guys staying healthy and a change in scheme is perhaps all that's needed at that position..
Booth should factor in with Dantzler, and unless my eyes deceive me, the best corner on the roster might be Akayleb Evans. So while you can never have too many corners, I see DL and LB as bigger needs.
A guy like OLB Nolan Smith from Georgia might be just the ticket.
Makes me wonder if the team will bring back Z Smith. If not, then this pick almost has to be an OLB/edge like Nolan Smith. But same with Kendricks. If he's not back, then ILB probably moves up the hierarchy of needs.
I wonder if Z has told the team that he wants to be released & that's the reason that he's put his house on the market.
Yeah, I don't know what to make of that. Could just be a guy selling a house, but it does make you wonder.Given that he seems to be somewhat easily offended, and the fact that he made the Pro Bowl, but his salary still ranks 23rd among edges, I could see a scenario where he feels he took a prove-it deal, proved it, and now should get a long-term extension. Vikings probably want him to play under his current contract which, let's face it, is a bargain.
Z played well early this year but the Vikings probably feel Hunter is the younger, better player and more deserving of inclusion in their long-term plans.
I know Hunter put up good sack stats the past year, but Z (when healthy) is the more disruptive player imo.I would still like to have em both longer-term --- not sure thats in our future, which is a shame.
Ive read some on the Edge kid from Army; supposedly a very good player and at 6'7" might be another Ed Too Tall Jones kinda guy.
All of this is fine speculation until we see what happens in free agency. This team will surely look different in mid April and hopefully will be brafting BPA vs need positions
Pretty good thread here on the top 8-ish receivers in the draft. Haven't watched Downs or Tillman yet, but for now I think I'm higher on Johnston, Flowers and Boutte than consensus, and lower on Smith-Njigba.
These are 8 WRs you must know in the 2023 NFL Draft:
— SAL VETRI (@SalVetriDFS) February 21, 2023
@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty good thread here on the top 8-ish receivers in the draft. Haven't watched Downs or Tillman yet, but for now I think I'm higher on Johnston, Flowers and Boutte than consensus, and lower on Smith-Njigba.These are 8 WRs you must know in the 2023 NFL Draft:
— SAL VETRI (@SalVetriDFS) February 21, 2023
Boutte is a guy I think would fit our offense well. He could sit behind AT potentially, maybe earn a few targets, and eventually become a great running mate for JJ.
@"PurpleCrush" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty good thread here on the top 8-ish receivers in the draft. Haven't watched Downs or Tillman yet, but for now I think I'm higher on Johnston, Flowers and Boutte than consensus, and lower on Smith-Njigba.These are 8 WRs you must know in the 2023 NFL Draft:
— SAL VETRI (@SalVetriDFS) February 21, 2023
Boutte is a guy I think would fit our offense well. He could sit behind AT potentially, maybe earn a few targets, and eventually become a great running mate for JJ.
perhaps, but he is slotted in the late 2nd round, which if the team keeps AT, would be to high to be taking a WR with all the other existing holes the roster has. If AT is gone and they dont find a replacement in FA then I would be expecting a WR in day 1 or 2.
@"JimmyinSD" said:@"PurpleCrush" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty good thread here on the top 8-ish receivers in the draft. Haven't watched Downs or Tillman yet, but for now I think I'm higher on Johnston, Flowers and Boutte than consensus, and lower on Smith-Njigba.These are 8 WRs you must know in the 2023 NFL Draft:
— SAL VETRI (@SalVetriDFS) February 21, 2023
Boutte is a guy I think would fit our offense well. He could sit behind AT potentially, maybe earn a few targets, and eventually become a great running mate for JJ.
perhaps, but he is slotted in the late 2nd round, which if the team keeps AT, would be to high to be taking a WR with all the other existing holes the roster has. If AT is gone and they dont find a replacement in FA then I would be expecting a WR in day 1 or 2.
There's so many different scenarios that can play out. All just speculation for now. However, he's one of those guys that I can see sneak into the late 1st as I don't think his past season is indicative of the type of player he is.One thing for sure is, this is going to be quite the interesting offseason.
https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremiah-2023-nfl-mock-draft-2-0-tyree-wilson-goes-before-will-anderson-j
DJ just released his second mock draft. A lot of strange picks to me and I would lose it if that ended up being our pick with some of the other players on the board
@"purplefaithful" said:Ive read some on the Edge kid from Army; supposedly a very good player and at 6'7" might be another Ed Too Tall Jones kinda guy.
I saw a clip of Andre Carter try to get past Dawand Jones at a Senior Bowl practice. It wasn't pretty. Jones made Carter look like a small child. That is going to hurt Carter's draft position. Jones did the same to Foskey from ND. ... So maybe it's more Jones and less the Edge guys.
On Monday, Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network released his latest mock draft, in which he helped the Vikings out by having them select Minnesota Gophers center, John Michael Schmitz.
“John Michael Schmitz was one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl and the Vikings desperately need a versatile interior offensive lineman to upgrade that position. The Vikings need to add an element of toughness to their offense to be able to impose their will running the football. Schmitz should help them do both things.”While not a splashy pick, this would definitely fill a need for the Vikings and give them stability at the center position for the next decade or more. Schmitz has incredible strength and is a technician with his hands and footwork. He should thrive wherever he is picked.
It’s also noteworthy that Schmitz’s agent is former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles.
@"purplefaithful" said: On Monday, Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network released his latest mock draft, in which he helped the Vikings out by having them select Minnesota Gophers center, John Michael Schmitz.“John Michael Schmitz was one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl and the Vikings desperately need a versatile interior offensive lineman to upgrade that position. The Vikings need to add an element of toughness to their offense to be able to impose their will running the football. Schmitz should help them do both things.”While not a splashy pick, this would definitely fill a need for the Vikings and give them stability at the center position for the next decade or more. Schmitz has incredible strength and is a technician with his hands and footwork. He should thrive wherever he is picked. It’s also noteworthy that Schmitz’s agent is former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles.
If the Vikings fix their defense in free agency, and Bradbury goes elsewhere, center could start to make a little sense. I like JMS but think 23 might be a little high for him. I like Steve Avila a little better right now. He's listed mostly at guard, but he played all three IOL positions at the Senior Bowl. And the kid is a box of bricks.
While I am not buying the in season hype on Bradbury, I will say it would make me a little ill to see us have to use another high draft pick on a center. A first in this draft would give us 3 stabs at the position in the last 6 years, eating 2 first round picks and a 3rd round pick. Ugh... but its not on this regime so I guess....just get it fixed. :s
" this would definitely fill a need for the Vikings and give them stability at the center position for the next decade or more."
As much as I would like to see this, they said the same thing about the last two highly drafted centers.
Most championship teams are pretty good on both sides of the ball. I think Kwesi will trade back and draft defense early. But if the best player available is offense, I wouldn't be disappointed.
I don't know anything about the various prospects yet, but I do think that fixing the OLine, however we do it, would have a greater impact than upgrading our skill position players on offense.
@"purplefaithful" said: On Monday, Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network released his latest mock draft, in which he helped the Vikings out by having them select Minnesota Gophers center, John Michael Schmitz.“John Michael Schmitz was one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl and the Vikings desperately need a versatile interior offensive lineman to upgrade that position. The Vikings need to add an element of toughness to their offense to be able to impose their will running the football. Schmitz should help them do both things.”While not a splashy pick, this would definitely fill a need for the Vikings and give them stability at the center position for the next decade or more. Schmitz has incredible strength and is a technician with his hands and footwork. He should thrive wherever he is picked. It’s also noteworthy that Schmitz’s agent is former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles.
I would really hate that pick. I will bet that the history of first round centers is bleak to awful. I wonder if anyone would like this pick if the player had not played his college ball in Minnesota. Nothing against Schmitz; I saw him at the Senior Bowl practices. He's very good. But he's a Center. Hard pass for me.
@"dadevike" said:@"purplefaithful" said: On Monday, Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network released his latest mock draft, in which he helped the Vikings out by having them select Minnesota Gophers center, John Michael Schmitz.“John Michael Schmitz was one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl and the Vikings desperately need a versatile interior offensive lineman to upgrade that position. The Vikings need to add an element of toughness to their offense to be able to impose their will running the football. Schmitz should help them do both things.”While not a splashy pick, this would definitely fill a need for the Vikings and give them stability at the center position for the next decade or more. Schmitz has incredible strength and is a technician with his hands and footwork. He should thrive wherever he is picked. It’s also noteworthy that Schmitz’s agent is former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles.
I would really hate that pick. I will bet that the history of first round centers is bleak to awful. I wonder if anyone would like this pick if the player had not played his college ball in Minnesota. Nothing against Schmitz; I saw him at the Senior Bowl practices. He's very good. But he's a Center. Hard pass for me.
He's got a lot in common with Bradbury. Both outside zone centers, identical in size, reach blocking specialists. But this is what I call the "green grass" period, where every draft pick and everyone else's free agents are better than the ones we've already got.To me there are some pretty easy decisions to make on the roster, but Bradbury isn't one of them. This one's all about the money. I don't want to spend a ton of money on him and I absolutely don't want to commit to him long-term. But the LAST thing we need is a downgrade at the position, which is pretty easy to do if we're not careful.
@"dadevike" said:@"purplefaithful" said: On Monday, Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network released his latest mock draft, in which he helped the Vikings out by having them select Minnesota Gophers center, John Michael Schmitz.“John Michael Schmitz was one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl and the Vikings desperately need a versatile interior offensive lineman to upgrade that position. The Vikings need to add an element of toughness to their offense to be able to impose their will running the football. Schmitz should help them do both things.”While not a splashy pick, this would definitely fill a need for the Vikings and give them stability at the center position for the next decade or more. Schmitz has incredible strength and is a technician with his hands and footwork. He should thrive wherever he is picked. It’s also noteworthy that Schmitz’s agent is former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles.
I would really hate that pick. I will bet that the history of first round centers is bleak to awful. I wonder if anyone would like this pick if the player had not played his college ball in Minnesota. Nothing against Schmitz; I saw him at the Senior Bowl practices. He's very good. But he's a Center. Hard pass for me.
If you are keeping Cousins around you better fix the OL or its just pissing 35 million down your leg. Even if you decide to move on from him after this year we need to improve our IOL, although a non statue QB would make them look better, but still a liability in obvious running situations.
I agree that the Bradbury situation is a tricky one to navigate. He may have reached his ceiling play wise and the $/terms will be the deciding factor. Plus some other team may just decide he's the cats meow and give him a deal he cant refuse.
Either way, we are all in agreement the Vikings need to get "stouter" in the trenches for both their lines.
Am very much looking forward to the next 5/6 weeks.
@"purplefaithful" said: I agree that the Bradbury situation is a tricky one to navigate. He may have reached his ceiling play wise and the $/terms will be the deciding factor. Plus some other team may just decide he's the cats meow and give him a deal he cant refuse.Either way, we are all in agreement the Vikings need to get "stouter" in the trenches for both their lines.
Am very much looking forward to the next 5/6 weeks.
Theres nothing tricky with GB, hes hasn't shown to have the strength and anchor to be a starting center, especially for a pocket QB. If he went somewhere with a QB that can move and avoid the rush, he will probably have a decent career, but there is still the matter of him not being able to move anybody.
@"JimmyinSD" said:@"purplefaithful" said: I agree that the Bradbury situation is a tricky one to navigate. He may have reached his ceiling play wise and the $/terms will be the deciding factor. Plus some other team may just decide he's the cats meow and give him a deal he cant refuse.Either way, we are all in agreement the Vikings need to get "stouter" in the trenches for both their lines.
Am very much looking forward to the next 5/6 weeks.
Theres nothing tricky with GB, hes hasn't shown to have the strength and anchor to be a starting center, especially for a pocket QB. If he went somewhere with a QB that can move and avoid the rush, he will probably have a decent career, but there is still the matter of him not being able to move anybody.
I don't disagree, but you do need to give him credit cerebrally since he is good at managing the protections. There was a notable drop-off when Schlottman took over. Bradbury is also one of the best centers in space in the NFL. So it kind of boils down to him being a flawed player.If you want to play in space he is exceptional. But there are just going to be matchups against larger NT/DT tackles where he is just going to have a tough afternoon. However, he did show signs of improvement prior to his injury. Nothing extraordinary, but progress.
Ultimately comes down to price point. He's worth keeping around since it just eliminates a new need. But if he wants high-end center money similar to Eric McCoy & Ryan Kelly ($12M/yr) I would pass. Hard part is that former high-end prospects always get overpaid if they reach FA so he may get it.
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