Jeremiah Mock Draft 2.0

Haha, they’re not completely off base...we do need to find a long-term replacement for Harrison Smith.

Josh Metellus is more of a Swiss-army-knife type who brings steady reliability, similar to Ben Leber, not flashy, but dependable.  What we’re still missing is that true field general at safety who can quarterback the defense the way Harry did.

tavike shared a trade simulator on another Vikings board, and I went down the rabbit hole with it yesterday.  You only get three free tries per day, but I managed to swing a deal sending Greenard and pick #18 to Tennessee for Simmons and the #4 pick, then grabbed Caleb Downs without hesitation.

If the Vikings could somehow land Downs in real life, that position could be locked down for years, maybe even decades, just like it was with Harry.

IceRatz16 wrote:
Haha, they’re not completely off base...we do need to find a long-term replacement for Harrison Smith.

Josh Metellus is more of a Swiss-army-knife type who brings steady reliability, similar to Ben Leber, not flashy, but dependable.  What we’re still missing is that true field general at safety who can quarterback the defense the way Harry did.

tavike shared a trade simulator on another Vikings board, and I went down the rabbit hole with it yesterday.  You only get three free tries per day, but I managed to swing a deal sending Greenard and pick #18 to Tennessee for Simmons and the #4 pick, then grabbed Caleb Downs without hesitation.

If the Vikings could somehow land Downs in real life, that position could be locked down for years, maybe even decades, just like it was with Harry.

I like Downs, but if we are trading up that high, I'd take Jeremiyah Love with zero hesitation. I like where you were going though with that trade up because it makes a lot of sense. This isn't a super loaded draft class, so if you identify a talent that ypu can move up for and it makes you substantially better, go get that player because it might not cost you as much to do so as it normally would.

I don't think the goal of a mock draft is to be original or contrarian. Vikings obviously need a safety and they have us taking a safety. This shouldn't cause anyone too much emotional distress. 

One thing I've discovered about the way the Vikings have drafted the last few years is that they're not a "next guy on the list" kind of team. They want their guys and their guys only. It might be an arrogant way of drafting, but I think "fit" is more important to them than it might be for other teams. For example, we needed a safety last year too. We were targeting to Xavier Watts in the 3rd round. Falcons traded up one pick ahead of us and took him. Instead of taking the next safety on the board, we didn't take one at all the rest of the draft.

When it is all said and done, I think the end of the 1st round will look very different.

MaroonBells wrote:
I don't think the goal of a mock draft is to be original or contrarian. Vikings obviously need a safety and they have us taking a safety. This shouldn't cause anyone too much emotional distress. 

One thing I've discovered about the way the Vikings have drafted the last few years is that they're not a "next guy on the list" kind of team. They want their guys and their guys only. It might be an arrogant way of drafting, but I think "fit" is more important to them than it might be for other teams. For example, we needed a safety last year too. We were targeting to Xavier Watts in the 3rd round. Falcons traded up one pick ahead of us and took him. Instead of taking the next safety on the board, we didn't take one at all the rest of the draft.

I'm still bummed we missed out on Watts.  Do you know for sure this was the next pick for the Vikings?  If so, how?

IceRatz16 wrote:

I'm still bummed we missed out on Watts.  Do you know for sure this was the next pick for the Vikings?  If so, how?

Nothing definitive, but I think the report originated from Darren Wolfson.

Reports from the 2025 Draft cycle indicate that the Vikings were targeting Watts in the third round as a potential long-term replacement for veteran Harrison Smith. The Atlanta Falcons traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles to select Watts with the No. 96 overall pick.
The Vikings' Reaction: Minnesota held a pick shortly after Atlanta's selection but chose to trade down once Watts was off the board.

supafreak84 wrote:

I like Downs, but if we are trading up that high, I'd take Jeremiyah Love with zero hesitation. I like where you were going though with that trade up because it makes a lot of sense. This isn't a super loaded draft class, so if you identify a talent that ypu can move up for and it makes you substantially better, go get that player because it might not cost you as much to do so as it normally would.

Would you rather have Breece Hall and Caleb Downs or Jeremiyah Love and some other S in the draft/FA?

I'd prefer Hall and Downs.  Downs is the ideal S and most likely have a longer career than any RB.  Hall would be an ideal RB for this offense, IMO.

IceRatz16 wrote:

Would you rather have Breece Hall and Caleb Downs or Jeremiyah Love and some other S in the draft/FA?

I'd prefer Hall and Downs.  Downs is the ideal S and most likely have a longer career than any RB.  Hall would be an ideal RB for this offense, IMO.

Hall might be the best fit vs a Walker from Seattle...

That said, Love in purple would be JJM's best friend (along with 100% Darrisaw)

IceRatz16 wrote:

Would you rather have Breece Hall and Caleb Downs or Jeremiyah Love and some other S in the draft/FA?

I'd prefer Hall and Downs.  Downs is the ideal S and most likely have a longer career than any RB.  Hall would be an ideal RB for this offense, IMO.

I'd take Love and some other safety. I like Downs, but he's not without his own questions, number one being will his lack of size effect him at the next level.

IceRatz16 wrote:

Would you rather have Breece Hall and Caleb Downs or Jeremiyah Love and some other S in the draft/FA?

I'd prefer Hall and Downs.  Downs is the ideal S and most likely have a longer career than any RB.  Hall would be an ideal RB for this offense, IMO.

Agree that Hall would be a great fit for us. I hear the Jets may franchise him. IMO, that's the only way they'll keep him, because I really doubt if he has a choice, he's going to choose to return to a team that hasn't had a winning record in 10 years.

Yep, its always safety. Or corner. Perceived need + too lazy to look deeper = safety. Plus, Minnesota will be on ignore most of the offseason and preseason as their chances have been dismissed because JJM is a 'dumpster fire', so they aren't a team that will get more than a cursory review in mock drafts. Especially at the very BORING #18 spot.

Well, needless to say, these ideas are probably more pipe dreams than reality, but's fun to speculate.

We still need a safety in FA/draft and I would like to see us do the same with RB; despite how much I enjoy Jones, I see him being cut.

MaroonBells wrote:

Agree that Hall would be a great fit for us. I hear the Jets may franchise him. IMO, that's the only way they'll keep him, because I really doubt if he has a choice, he's going to choose to return to a team that hasn't had a winning record in 10 years.

Detroit: Gibbs/Montgomery
Packers: Jacobs/Wilson
Chicago: Swift/Monangai 
Vikings: ?/Mason

Vikings have to get themselves a stud RB b4 next season. 

And while I luv lots of the D talent potential, I cant help but wonder what they would do if they find themselves staring at that TE from Oregon if he's there at 18. 

I dont know what TJH has left in the tank after that injury.

purplefaithful wrote:

Detroit: Gibbs/Montgomery
Packers: Jacobs/Wilson
Chicago: Swift/Monangai 
Vikings: ?/Mason

Vikings have to get themselves a stud RB b4 next season. 

And while I luv lots of the D talent potential, I cant help but wonder what they would do if they find themselves staring at that TE from Oregon if he's there at 18. 

I dont know what TJH has left in the tank after that injury.

Sadiq is a stud and I would love him in MN.  His hands are pretty inconsistent and his blocking is just ok. I'll be curious to see if he gets past KC.  If Love is there at 9, KC will jump all over him, but otherwise, I could see them taking Sadiq or moving back in the first and grabbing him still.

Our newly named OL coach, Keith Carter, formerly held that same position with the NYJ in 2023 & 2024. Something or a series of somethings happened between him & Bryce Hall. I'm unable to find specifics, but an internet search will lead you to articles stating that Hall doesn't hold Carter in high regards. For that reason, I'm not counting on Hall signing with the Vikings.

Knucklehead wrote:
Our newly named OL coach, Keith Carter, formerly held that same position with the NYJ in 2023 & 2024. Something or a series of somethings happened between him & Bryce Hall. I'm unable to find specifics, but an internet search will lead you to articles stating that Hall doesn't hold Carter in high regards. For that reason, I'm not counting on Hall signing with the Vikings.

Well thats a buzz kill...

#18 is prime BPA territory. That probably won't be a fan favorite, but might be the best way to go.

They need to add young play makers on defense. Build up the front 7 with some youth and talent.

IceRatz16 wrote:

Well, needless to say, these ideas are probably more pipe dreams than reality, but's fun to speculate.

For sure. My guess is it'll be a more pragmatic draft than overly exciting for the Vikings, at least for fans. Just pull a few guys that can be meaningful to the roster, meat and potatoes please and thank you.

Knucklehead wrote:
Our newly named OL coach, Keith Carter, formerly held that same position with the NYJ in 2023 & 2024. Something or a series of somethings happened between him & Bryce Hall. I'm unable to find specifics, but an internet search will lead you to articles stating that Hall doesn't hold Carter in high regards. For that reason, I'm not counting on Hall signing with the Vikings.

And here I was just relishing the fact that Hall would choose Minnesota over the Jets if he hits the market. That is one of the benefits of a positive, winning culture and having a good reputation around the league. My question is this: if you spend so much time building and cultivating that culture to attract players, why do you hire a coach that has received so much criticism from players around the league? This is three players from three different teams saying the same thing about Carter. How long before we start hearing rumblings from Darrisaw and O'Neill? 
_________

Jets assistant Keith Carter may not be a popular man in Florham Park.

Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton and running back Breece Hall both engaged with a post ripping the Jets’ offensive line coach/run game coordinator, although neither referenced Carter by name.

Former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan first mentioned Carter in a post crediting fired Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel, whom he played for. “Loved him as a coach (except 2018) loved his coaching staff (besides Keith Carter) it was hard work but it was always worth it,” Lewan posted on Instagram.

Becton, a pending free agent, commented on the post before later deleting his remark. “Second paragraph ain’t nothing BUT FACTS ?,” Becton posted. Hall then quote tweeted a post from a Jets fan that highlighted the line from Lewan that praised Vrabel and criticized Carter

“?????,” Hall tweeted.

While there’s certainly the possibility that Becton and Hall both were simply engaging with the remarks about Vrabel, it doesn’t take an Aaron Rodgers-level conspiracy theorist to see that the two Jets may not be thrilled with a coach they work with on a daily basis.

Former Falcons fullback Patrick DiMarco, who was coached by Carter in Atlanta, agreed with Lewan by commenting on his post: “Keith Carter was nobody’s favorite coach and I can say that with a lot of confidence.”