Zierlein- Ranking the Drafts Position Groups

[supafreak84]

https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-strongest-position-group-weakest

I thought this was a good read. Lines up the position groups about as expected. Corner group not a great crop and no on a safety. Really hope the Vikings stick to taking the best player on their board and don't reach for a perceived need. Defensive line and running back are certainly the goods this year.

[JR44]

After the two DL signings and the trade for Mason, the deepest positions are no longer top needs.  Unless someone of great value falls, think the move would be to trade down as long as we get more than a box of Twinkies for it 

[supafreak84]

After the two DL signings and the trade for Mason, the deepest positions are no longer top needs.  Unless someone of great value falls, think the move would be to trade down as long as we get more than a box of Twinkies for it 

I think there's a good chance if we stick at #24, we are going to have our choice of some really upper echelon talents along the defensive line and it puts us in the wheelhouse of having our choice of those impact running back talents. It's still a safe bet we trade down and other teams know if there is a prospect they want to move up for, Minnesota is the team to call with only 4 draft picks. To me, this is the most interesting draft of the Kwesi era because we have no damn clue how this plays out. We usually have some sense of direction and this year we have none.

[StickierBuns]

I think there's a good chance if we stick at #24, we are going to have our choice of some really upper echelon talents along the defensive line and it puts us in the wheelhouse of having our choice of those impact running back talents. It's still a safe bet we trade down and other teams know if there is a prospect they want to move up for, Minnesota is the team to call with only 4 draft picks. To me, this is the most interesting draft of the Kwesi era because we have no damn clue how this plays out. We usually have some sense of direction and this year we have none.

I agree. We could really transform the defense in one offseason. Shemar Stewart is a total enigma, but he's super talented in the Danielle Hunter mold but with more lead in his ass. The more I look at this guy, the more I like. Every time I watch video on him. 

There's just several ways to go, its a good spot for Minnesota.

[supafreak84]

I agree. We could really transform the defense in one offseason. Shemar Stewart is a total enigma, but he's super talented in the Danielle Hunter mold but with more lead in his ass. The more I look at this guy, the more I like. Every time I watch video on him. 

There's just several ways to go, its a good spot for Minnesota.

Stewart is an interesting cat. Looks like Tarzan, stats look like Jane. For such a physically talented kid you really have to wonder why the lack of production, especially playing on an A&M line that's going to be sending a few other guys to the league. Maybe he is a Hunter who can benefit from NFL coaching and be a better pro than college player? He really looks like his best fit would be as a base 4-3 DE. If he landed in Minnesota, I think we'd want to add some weight to play him as a 5-technique. I don't see him as an OLB, which is our strongest position group anyways. I'd be okay gambling on his upside

[StickierBuns]

Stewart is an interesting cat. Looks like Tarzan, stats look like Jane. For such a physically talented kid you really have to wonder why the lack of production, especially playing on an A&M line that's going to be sending a few other guys to the league. Maybe he is a Hunter who can benefit from NFL coaching and be a better pro than college player? He really looks like his best fit would be as a base 4-3 DE. If he landed in Minnesota, I think we'd want to add some weight to play him as a 5-technique. I don't see him as an OLB, which is our strongest position group anyways. I'd be okay gambling on his upside

No doubt Minnesota might want to select something more secure and less risky than Stewart. 'Stick and pick' for a starter somewhere would be exciting considering the offseason.

[MaroonBells]

https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-strongest-position-group-weakest

I thought this was a good read. Lines up the position groups about as expected. Corner group not a great crop and no on a safety. Really hope the Vikings stick to taking the best player on their board and don't reach for a perceived need. Defensive line and running back are certainly the goods this year.

I think the ranking you link argues the opposite of what you think it argues. 

These positional rankings are mostly about the depth at each position. A they're right, after Emmanwori and Starks, it drops off quickly at Safety. That's not the case at DL or RB. Those two positions run deep into day two and three. In fact, because of the lack of depth at safety, if you need one, it makes more sense to draft one of the top two. IOW, you can't wait on that position like you can at RB.

[supafreak84]

I think the ranking you link argues the opposite of what you think it argues. 

"These positional rankings are mostly about the depth at each position. A they're right, after Emmanwori and Starks, it drops off quickly at Safety. That's not the case at DL or RB. Those two positions run deep into day two and three. In fact, because of the lack of depth at safety, if you need one, it makes more sense to draft one of the top two. IOW, you can't wait on that position like you can at RB."

You could look at it that way, but it's not rated on just position depth;

"Before we dive into my ranking of the 11 position groups in the 2025 draft, it's important for you to understand the criteria I used. In assessing each position, I identified star-caliber players, future starters and overall depth. Generally speaking, I concentrated on prospects who are most likely to be drafted in Rounds 1 through 5. I weighed star players and future starters twice as heavily as overall depth, and my ranking scale ranged from 10 to 30 points. A score of 20 points or higher for a position group is considered strong."

It's all subjective but I concur that the overall depth and star potential in the secondary for draft isn't as good as prior drafts. I'd feel better dipping into the talent pool at positions of strength. For example, Harmon could be a top 10 pick in a lot of drafts, but the Vikings might only have a shot at him because of the quality depth in this draft at certain positions.