The Vikings have 5 picks going into this draft: Rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Our 4th went to Philly for Bradford and 7th went to Seattle for Brock.
Quote: @dadevike said:
The Vikings have 5 picks going into this draft: Rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Our 4th went to Philly for Bradford and 7th went to Seattle for Brock.
I saw that during our bye week when I was looking into draft stuff... kind of sobering. It honestly wouldn't surprise me to see Spielman trade out of the 1st round to get back a 4th round pick. As Guru and others have pointed out, the Vikings don't have a glaring weakness to address... so it would make sense to drop back, get an extra pick in the middle rounds and keep building depth at certain positions to bolster a playoff roster.
Short term memory loss? Reiff blows out a knee and its Remmers and his questionable health at RT again. Or Collins, whom I think has upside but isn't ready yet.
Get another Tackle early. Period. Nothing will reck this team's chances next year like another matador situation at RT. And while Hill is the Heir Apparent at LT what is the future at RT?
Jaleel better be the answer at 3T. We forget he was the 3rd player the team took last year. Cook and Elf ahead of him have been awesome and Gedeon behind him as certainly been serviceable.
Guru, how does the team view Weatherly and Bowers? Potential rotational DEs or just fringe guys? My gut says they both contribute next year and DE is not a priority.
Yes on replacing Newman. Not sold on Mac. Should probably look into an FSU CB. They usually turn out to be pretty good  .
As much as I love Price as maybe a better player than Elf, the interior should be fine with both Remmers and Isidora competing for Berger's spot and maybe Easton's too. Sirles is still in the mix too. I like him best as a swing backup but who's to say he doesn't roll into TC and flat out earn a Starting gig at OG?
My needs rankings are 1. OT. 2. CB. 3. TE. 4. RB. 5. LB (hedge against not being able to resign Barr) 6. NT.
Quote: @Wetlander said:
@ dadevike said:
The Vikings have 5 picks going into this draft: Rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Our 4th went to Philly for Bradford and 7th went to Seattle for Brock.
I saw that during our bye week when I was looking into draft stuff... kind of sobering. It honestly wouldn't surprise me to see Spielman trade out of the 1st round to get back a 4th round pick. As Guru and others have pointed out, the Vikings don't have a glaring weakness to address... so it would make sense to drop back, get an extra pick in the middle rounds and keep building depth at certain positions to bolster a playoff roster.
The Vikings should actually end up with 7 draft picks. 1,2,3,4, 6, 6 (comp), 6 (comp).
Quote: @"Geoff Nichols" said:
We'll see how the early off-season shakes out, but there aren't a ton of glaring weaknesses on the roster. Even after you work on resigning core contributors there is money left to dip into the UFA market and grab a guy. The QB position shaking out will help shape needs early in the draft.
But as of now there are a few pressure areas on offense/defense that could become round 1-3 needs.
Interior D-Line: I am going to expand beyond 3-tech since depth behind Linval could also be used. Right now the only two players scheduled to be on the roster in 2018 are Linval and Jaleel Johnson. My best guess is they try to bring back Tom Johnson on a 2-yr deal, move on from Stephen (more replaceable), and target a player to develop through the draft.
Defensive End: We'll see what B Rob ends up doing after this season. But you need to start looking at replacement for both him as the 3rd DE and Everson Griffen (age 30). Depending on what's available I wouldn't be surprised to see a DE earlier than most would expect.
Corner: Regardless, of Terence Newman's situation this will be an early draft need. The Vikings will likely pick up Waynes 5th year option and have X locked down long-term. Mac has developed in the slot but there is still a lack of depth and room for improvement at the position as a whole. A corner could definitely be a round 1 target.
O-Line: Generally the Vikings have some flexibility to draft either a tackle or guard with Remmers being a flex piece. Assuming that Berger retires you have Reiff/Easton/Elflein/Remmers/Hill as an O-line. That is a decent group but there is a lot of value leaving Hill as your 3rd O-lineman. Also, don't sleep on Danny Isiadora developing and sliding into that RG spot. The Vikings seem to like him.
Tight End: Kyle Rudolph has been good this season but the Vikings really need another receiving threat. David Morgan makes a play from time to time, but the FO seems to have their eyes on a more flexible TE to compliment Rudy/Morgan. There are some options in this draft class to fill the need, but I could see Burton making a ton of sense in FA.
Running Back: To round things out I wouldn't be surprised to see the Vikings go RB early again. That may sound crazy, but there isn't a good chance of Cook/Murray/Jet all being on the roster in 2018. The FO will need to make a decision between Murray/Jet before UFA and I would presume they try and retain McKinnon for his leadership. That leaves an opening for another power back and this is a loaded RB class once again.
Well thought out post, but curious on RBs ?
I see Jet getting a big pay day elsewhere but why wouldn't Cook be the man ?
Quote: @Maple Surple said:
@"Geoff Nichols" said:
We'll see how the early off-season shakes out, but there aren't a ton of glaring weaknesses on the roster. Even after you work on resigning core contributors there is money left to dip into the UFA market and grab a guy. The QB position shaking out will help shape needs early in the draft.
But as of now there are a few pressure areas on offense/defense that could become round 1-3 needs.
Interior D-Line: I am going to expand beyond 3-tech since depth behind Linval could also be used. Right now the only two players scheduled to be on the roster in 2018 are Linval and Jaleel Johnson. My best guess is they try to bring back Tom Johnson on a 2-yr deal, move on from Stephen (more replaceable), and target a player to develop through the draft.
Defensive End: We'll see what B Rob ends up doing after this season. But you need to start looking at replacement for both him as the 3rd DE and Everson Griffen (age 30). Depending on what's available I wouldn't be surprised to see a DE earlier than most would expect.
Corner: Regardless, of Terence Newman's situation this will be an early draft need. The Vikings will likely pick up Waynes 5th year option and have X locked down long-term. Mac has developed in the slot but there is still a lack of depth and room for improvement at the position as a whole. A corner could definitely be a round 1 target.
O-Line: Generally the Vikings have some flexibility to draft either a tackle or guard with Remmers being a flex piece. Assuming that Berger retires you have Reiff/Easton/Elflein/Remmers/Hill as an O-line. That is a decent group but there is a lot of value leaving Hill as your 3rd O-lineman. Also, don't sleep on Danny Isiadora developing and sliding into that RG spot. The Vikings seem to like him.
Tight End: Kyle Rudolph has been good this season but the Vikings really need another receiving threat. David Morgan makes a play from time to time, but the FO seems to have their eyes on a more flexible TE to compliment Rudy/Morgan. There are some options in this draft class to fill the need, but I could see Burton making a ton of sense in FA.
Running Back: To round things out I wouldn't be surprised to see the Vikings go RB early again. That may sound crazy, but there isn't a good chance of Cook/Murray/Jet all being on the roster in 2018. The FO will need to make a decision between Murray/Jet before UFA and I would presume they try and retain McKinnon for his leadership. That leaves an opening for another power back and this is a loaded RB class once again.
Well thought out post, but curious on RBs ?
I see Jet getting a big pay day elsewhere but why wouldn't Cook be the man ?
He would be, but they are not going to rely on a RB coming off an ACL injury to carry it 200+ times alone. Latavius was brought in as insurance if they didn't find a back in the draft. They did but the injury opened up a lot of playing time. Having a specialized scat back like Jet has a lot of value in addition to a workhorse.
The Latavious signing was all part of this improbable and unplanned formula of success
This could be one of the most amazing Superbowl team transition s of all time, offensively, next year
I really see Jet gone & maybe fresh legs would be the way to go until Cook picks up where he left off
Quote: @"Geoff Nichols" said:
We'll see how the early off-season shakes out, but there aren't a ton of glaring weaknesses on the roster. Even after you work on resigning core contributors there is money left to dip into the UFA market and grab a guy. The QB position shaking out will help shape needs early in the draft.
But as of now there are a few pressure areas on offense/defense that could become round 1-3 needs.
Interior D-Line: I am going to expand beyond 3-tech since depth behind Linval could also be used. Right now the only two players scheduled to be on the roster in 2018 are Linval and Jaleel Johnson. My best guess is they try to bring back Tom Johnson on a 2-yr deal, move on from Stephen (more replaceable), and target a player to develop through the draft.
Defensive End: We'll see what B Rob ends up doing after this season. But you need to start looking at replacement for both him as the 3rd DE and Everson Griffen (age 30). Depending on what's available I wouldn't be surprised to see a DE earlier than most would expect.
Corner: Regardless, of Terence Newman's situation this will be an early draft need. The Vikings will likely pick up Waynes 5th year option and have X locked down long-term. Mac has developed in the slot but there is still a lack of depth and room for improvement at the position as a whole. A corner could definitely be a round 1 target.
O-Line: Generally the Vikings have some flexibility to draft either a tackle or guard with Remmers being a flex piece. Assuming that Berger retires you have Reiff/Easton/Elflein/Remmers/Hill as an O-line. That is a decent group but there is a lot of value leaving Hill as your 3rd O-lineman. Also, don't sleep on Danny Isiadora developing and sliding into that RG spot. The Vikings seem to like him.
Tight End: Kyle Rudolph has been good this season but the Vikings really need another receiving threat. David Morgan makes a play from time to time, but the FO seems to have their eyes on a more flexible TE to compliment Rudy/Morgan. There are some options in this draft class to fill the need, but I could see Burton making a ton of sense in FA.
Running Back: To round things out I wouldn't be surprised to see the Vikings go RB early again. That may sound crazy, but there isn't a good chance of Cook/Murray/Jet all being on the roster in 2018. The FO will need to make a decision between Murray/Jet before UFA and I would presume they try and retain McKinnon for his leadership. That leaves an opening for another power back and this is a loaded RB class once again.
- DT seems like on of our biggest needs. Losing Floyd really hurts, Jaleel Johnson has been extremely quiet so far, and I really think that a DT who can generate quick pressure up the middle would be a boon for the defense. I agree that NT depth is also a need.
- We've had good success drafting DEs in the 3rd or 4th rounds, but I know we can't always rely on finding good DE talent in the mid rounds. I do feel like our pass rush has slowed down as the season wore on (matchups didn't help either) and getting another pass rusher in the mix is important.
- CB will be an interesting position to track this off-season. Not sure if I'd want to spend a 1st on a 4th CB, but with Newman getting older and Brock not showing much, we'll need to find 2 capable CBs from somewhere.
- Our OL was better this year, but I think Keenum's mobility hid some struggles. I think that continued investment is needed and if we can add a starting OG or RT early, then I would be very tempted to do it.
- Rudolph was playing very well until he got hurt, but since then, we've been missing the ability to attack the seams. Would be really nice to find an athletic TE to mix in. I was really high on Bucky Hodges, but I'm not sure what went wrong there.
- It will be interesting to see what happens at RB. Having insurance there saved our season. Murray has been a nice back. Always moves forward, very good in short yardage/goal line situations, and breaks some bigger runs than you'd expect. Very solid player to have around. Jet is a pretty good role player, he can put together some monster games, but then seems to be quiet for a few weeks. Not as explosive in the passing game as someone like Kamara, but if they did opt to keep Murray, I wonder if they could find more of a true receiving threat to mix in as a role player?
I sure hope the Vikings select Da'Ron Payne if this mock were to play out. He is exactly what they need. Two free agent defensive tackles and one who will turn 34 on Aug 30th. Cant mess around with this defense. Need to keep it very strong.
They might need a tackle but I think guard may be more important. They have Remmers and Hill plus they like Aviante Collins a lot and he has been active all year although he may not have dressed for every game.
At guard they likely will extend Easton and maybe Sirles plus they have Isidora.
Considering they spent big money on the offensive line last off season it would be interesting if they spent again in free agency. I would love to snag Andrew Norwell from the Panthers but he is going to get 11 mil. Maybe they can sign a Josh Kline from the Titans? I doubt they do anything in terms of big spending in free agency on the offensive line.
In this mock, they have Frank Ragnow going early who is interesting.
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