Quote: @"Geoff Nichols" said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ twgerber said:
Elflein is going to be a good guard I think.
Here is another college scouting report that mentions how athletic he is https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/2/9/14551982/2017-nfl-draft-scouting-report-pat-elflein-ol-ohio-state
Quickness and Explosion to BoastAthleticism is not a concern with Elflein. He is a fluid athlete who can cover large tracts of field when moving to the second level of the perimeter, as well as play with short area quickness when executing combination blocks and the like. Elflein is explosive, too. He possesses great strength in his lower body and does a good job of unlocking his hips to explode into opposing defensive linemen. When being asked to recover from being beaten initially, Elflein often displays enough balance to remain upright and regain the advantage over his opponent. In every sense of the term, Elflein is an athlete.
That article was written before the combine, where Elflein posted a 5.32 forty and even worse jump and agility numbers. Numbers that, for a player of his size, are well below average. That sort of thing happens all the time. Amateur writers pen a glowing piece about a very good college player and make assumptions about traits that aren't objectively true. It's why they hold a combine in the 1st place. What you posted was not a scouting report. It was written by a kid.
From NFL.com: "One of the most technically advanced offensive lineman in this draft. He's not the best athlete in the world, but he's technically proficient. He's one of those guys that will play 10 years in the NFL. I love the fact that he can play center and both guards....Not a ballerina with his feet. Footwork can be a little labored at times for the center position....Feet become heavy and limited, allowing athletic opponents to work around his edge and into backfield."
It's OK to like Elflein, think of him as a technically sound player with very good leverage, exceptional work ethic, look forward to him starting at guard and making that position better...and also recognize that he's not the best athlete in the world. Really, it's OK.
There's so much "side taking" in internet communication that if you point out a weakness, you're a hater and if you point out a strength you're a fanboy. It's so fucking stupid.
He's a so-so athlete if that helps. He is faster on film than his testing times. When you watch on film he makes up for his pure athletic deficiencies by taking very good angles to the 2nd level or by getting a head start intellectually. Aside from how he pairs with Bradbury the bigger question is how much did health impact his 2018 season? Personally I don't think he was right all year since you never saw him regain much strength. His technique also regressed quite a bit which means he might have been balancing too many things at once (weight room / catching up on the field). Hopefully those issues resolve themselves with a healthy off-season.
The good news is that if the Viking do find themselves handcuffed at guard they have plenty of options who can slide in and compete: Samia, Jones, Dozier, Kline (can play both sides), and Collins who I think is a darkhorse to make a serious push for a starting spot.
But where? I believe he was tried at OG and pushing to start before he got hurt last year. But we now have more interior OL, so maybe he sticks to OT. If Collins seemed like a legit option at RT, would the Vikings move O'Neill to LT and move on from Riley Reiff??
Quote: @StickyBun said:
When did you need to be a super athlete to play OG? Its the easiest position on the offensive line. Bradbury is a much better player at center than Elflein, but Elf can be a decent guard in the NFL. Aviante Collins is going to be heard from before the final shuffling of the starters in that unit get set in early September. Samia might be a guy that gets 2-3 games at the end of the season at OG starting if he keeps working on strength and movement, he's got good upside.
I feel better about this line's potential, especially for the 2020 season and another Draft next year that includes an OL in the first 3 rounds.
Reminds me of the 96 questions by BRob about who was picked last in grade school.
Everyone selected Easton. But the best part was BRob's take at the end. "at the end of the day, he is in the NFL"
Quote: @greediron said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ greediron said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ twgerber said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@AIIBS
That's what I was thinking. Listened to PA yesterday talk about how athletic Elflein was and how great it was to now have great athletes like Brad, Elf and O'Niell playing next to each other.
Elflein is not athletic at all. It could even be argued that he doesn't even fit very well in this scheme. He struggles getting to the 2nd level, he struggles with reach blocks. Last year he struggled big time in calling out blocking assignments. Bradbury will be a huge upgrade from Elflein in all three areas.
The question then becomes who are the three best inside? And is Elflein even part of that? Is Collins an option?
I know there's more to it than just athleticism, but the most purely athletic line might be O'Neill, Collins, Brad, Samia and Udoh.
Elflein is incredibly athletic and one of his strengths is getting to the second level. How do you know he struggled calling assignments? Never heard that critique either. How Bradbury will be better at Center than Elf but to say he isn't athletic and can't get to the second level is just plain wrong.
From https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/football/4534868-vikings-center-elflein-hopes-offensive-line-making-former-position-coach
Maybe the most impressive play of the night came late in the first quarter when Cook took a screen pass 26 yards to pay dirt thanks in large part to a critical block from Elflein at the second level.
“It was a great call by (offensive coordinator John De Filippo),” Cook said Sunday. “Then (Elflein) got out there and got a great block on (linebacker Blake) Martinez.
“That’s one of my favorite plays,” Elflein added. “I know Dalvin is getting the ball, and if I can give him a little bit of air he’s going to take it to the house almost every time. It was dialed up against a good defense, and everyone did their job and it worked out.”
Those types of plays show why Sparano pushed the Vikings to select Elflein in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He boasts uncanny athleticism for a 6-foot-3, 300-pound center that manifests on plays like the screen pass to Cook.
From MileHigh site on Elf:
Elflein is one of the most pro-ready prospects on the offensive line in this year's draft class. He has valuable experience at right guard, left guard and center and would provide positional flexibility for the team and give Denver a long-term option at several positions. While his pass protection could use some improvement, he is an absolute road-grader in the running game and would boost the team's efficacy in this regard and give them a tenacious and fierce presence in their trenches
Man, if you think Elflein is "incredibly athletic," I'm really excited for you to see Bradbury. The notion that Elflein struggled with calling the assignments came from a Vikings podcast, but I've heard it elsewhere, too. There was a play against Green Bay where Cousins was destroyed due to a blown call by Elflein. Either way, you give him another year removed from injury I think he'll be fine. Especially now that he can focus on blocking and not making the calls.
And you wouldn't put any of the blame on the mess of an offense we ran and the fact that Elf got no live reps until the season had started?
Yes, I would. And I've said that. Repeatedly. Muscle memory tends to degrade when the muscles aren't in tune. I have no idea why so many think I hate Elflein. Is it because I liked Bradbury? That doesn't make any sense.
Didn't say you hated him. Or even didn't like him. Just think he was a bit better than you give him credit for.
We can split all the hairs we want in evaluations but we better hope the elflein of 2017 shows up and not the 18 elf cause he sucked.
Dru Samia on boosting his size and strength
Samia, whom the Vikings traded up to draft in the fourth round, told reporters that he wants to prove to Minnesota’s coaching staff that he was the right choice.
“I want to prove them right as far as the things they saw on film in college that were positive,” Samia said. “And I want to show that the things they saw that I need to work on, that I have been working on through the pre-draft process and during the offseason.”
One of the areas he specified was his size and strength, which Samia said he’s made a focus.
“I came into this minicamp at 311 as compared to 297 coming out,” Samia said. “I wanted to show them that I’ve been hitting the weight room, getting a little bigger for this game.”
https://www.vikings.com/news/6-vikings-picks-describe-their-games-connections-to-other-players
Quote: @Kentis said:
Dru Samia on boosting his size and strength
Samia, whom the Vikings traded up to draft in the fourth round, told reporters that he wants to prove to Minnesota’s coaching staff that he was the right choice.
“I want to prove them right as far as the things they saw on film in college that were positive,” Samia said. “And I want to show that the things they saw that I need to work on, that I have been working on through the pre-draft process and during the offseason.”
One of the areas he specified was his size and strength, which Samia said he’s made a focus.
“I came into this minicamp at 311 as compared to 297 coming out,” Samia said. “I wanted to show them that I’ve been hitting the weight room, getting a little bigger for this game.”
https://www.vikings.com/news/6-vikings-picks-describe-their-games-connections-to-other-players
That's a good start by Samia. The right attitude. Z noticed his increased size also and mentioned it. Samia is 6'5", so he can add muscle weight on that frame even more. Maybe he'll settle in at a good 315 lbs. at some point and it'll not affect any of the other positive attributes. He needs more bulk and strength and he's doing something about it already....
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