Tai Felton

[Bunsen82]

This team will not go into its Super Bowl hopeful season with Jones, Mason and Chandler as its only backs. I just don't know what the plan is after missing on them in the draft. Can we draft a back next year? Of course. I'm sure we will. But the numbers don't even add up THIS year. 

I mean, look at the two teams in the Super Bowl last year. Eagles have Saquon Barkley, 2nd rounder AJ Dillon, last year's 4th rounder Will Shipley and FIVE other backs, including my sleeper Montrell Johnson Jr they just added. The Chiefs have Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, really good FA Elijah Mitchell, two other free agent backs, and they just drafted Brashard Smith, who we brought in for a top 30.

For a team that wants to run the ball, something's missing.

You just named 2 teams that have more talent than they have available spots.  You don't think Vikings could trade a late round draft pick or just pick off of waivers if they want one?   We are really solid for our #1 and #2 backs,  we are quibbling about our #3 back and our long term solutions.

[JimmyinSD]

You can find a running back at the 7-11! I think that's where Cam Akers is right now!

thats where I am at,  all this angst over the easiest position to find adequate players to fill holes.  We are talking about RB3 for next year, whats that look like on average 4-5 touches per game on O, and a contributor on special teams?

[JustInTime]

You just named 2 teams that have more talent than they have available spots.  You don't think Vikings could trade a late round draft pick or just pick off of waivers if they want one?   We are really solid for our #1 and #2 backs,  we are quibbling about our #3 back and our long term solutions.

Trade draft capital!? Are you fucking kidding? Blasphemy!

[JimmyinSD]

Trade draft capital!? Are you fucking kidding? Blasphemy!

late round pick,  no day 1 or 2 as you had suggested.   lets try and keep it real a bit here with your overblown reactions.

[JustInTime]

This team will not go into its Super Bowl hopeful season with Jones, Mason and Chandler as its only backs. I just don't know what the plan is after missing on them in the draft. Can we draft a back next year? Of course. I'm sure we will. But the numbers don't even add up THIS year. 

I mean, look at the two teams in the Super Bowl last year. Eagles have Saquon Barkley, 2nd rounder AJ Dillon, last year's 4th rounder Will Shipley and FIVE other backs, including my sleeper Montrell Johnson Jr they just added. The Chiefs have Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, really good FA Elijah Mitchell, two other free agent backs, and they just drafted Brashard Smith, who we brought in for a top 30.

For a team that wants to run the ball, something's missing.

It bears repeating. Eagles ran 600 times last year. Only team to run more than 50% of the time. 4 teams ran over 500 times last year, all made the playoffs. No one ran 500 times in 2023. 19 teams ran more than they did in 2023. 

Is that trend clear enough for everybody? Questions? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

Watershed year for RBs.

O moving towards more runs (or maybe KOC saying we now have the personnel to open the entire playbook means more 4 and 5 WR sets. Somehow I don’t think that’s the case   )

First year QB coming from a pro style run heavy offense in college.

And we’re a hamstring and turf toe away from heavy doses of Ty Chandler and a street FA. 

Oh, something is definitely missing.

---

late round pick,  no day 1 or 2 as you had suggested.   lets try and keep it real a bit here with your overblown reactions.

Never suggested day 1. Late day 2 early day 3. Comp pick range. Maybe you keep it real and don’t misquote me?  I guess obvious sarcasm exceeds your grasp?

[JimmyinSD]

It bears repeating. Eagles ran 600 times last year. Only team to run more than 50% of the time. 4 teams ran over 500 times last year, all made the playoffs. No one ran 500 times in 2023. 19 teams ran more than they did in 2023. 

Is that trend clear enough for everybody? Questions? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

Watershed year for RBs.

O moving towards more runs (or maybe KOC saying we now have the personnel to open the entire playbook means more 4 and 5 WR sets. Somehow I don’t think that’s the case   )

First year QB coming from a pro style run heavy offense in college.

And we’re a hamstring and turf toe away from heavy doses of Ty Chandler and a street FA. 

Oh, something is definitely missing.

and any RB that you drafted by moving up with next years 1st or 2nd rounders could blow out a knee in camp,  or get run off the road by a crazy drunk bitch in a fit of rage... the hypotheticals can go both ways.  we didnt have the draft capital this year to make the moves they wanted if they really wanted a RB,  so why the rush to hamstring the draft next year to take a player in the later rounds this year that they may not have liked as much?

[StickierBuns]

and any RB that you drafted by moving up with next years 1st or 2nd rounders could blow out a knee in camp,  or get run off the road by a crazy drunk bitch in a fit of rage... the hypotheticals can go both ways.  we didnt have the draft capital this year to make the moves they wanted if they really wanted a RB,  so why the rush to hamstring the draft next year to take a player in the later rounds this year that they may not have liked as much?

Yeah, I don't get the angst about a potential injury. That applies to any starter....or any draft pick they select. Injuries always are bad news, you just never know how it'll go down each year. 

2026 = more draft capital + more potential to move up possibly = getting a stud RB. Vikings obviously found much better value and higher rated players at various positions this year than RB. Doesn't seem that complicated JMO. I totally am on board for a stud RB to pair with JJM, just next year.

[purplefaithful]

thats where I am at,  all this angst over the easiest position to find adequate players to fill holes.  We are talking about RB3 for next year, whats that look like on average 4-5 touches per game on O, and a contributor on special teams?

I think they are looking for RB1 next year...

Jones will be really old by then and for all intensive purposes he signed a 1 year deal. 

Mason is a change of pace/fill in for a game guy

[comet52]

RB looney tunes is apparently here, queue the music!

RB's are a dime a dozen is all I've heard for years. The Vikings run game is a non-entity since Adrian Petersen left. (edit: Ok, Dalvin Cook in his prime). KOC doesn't run, he just talks about running. Etc. We finally built a real oline which is how you run unless you have a HOF RB, so what's the big worry?

But now, if we don't take a RB in the 6th round of the draft where let's face it, pretty much every guy at every position is just a step above a UDFA, then we're essentially fucked.

I mean, we did actually sign at least one UDFA RB that I know of. We already have like 4 of them on the roster right now, right? Is there some guy we could have drafted at that late stage of the draft who would make some impact, like say, DeWayne McBride? You know, a guy the draftniks pound the table for because oh baby, put the champagne on ice to celebrate the steal!

I say this with no disrespect to anyone, but I've been watching the NFL for over 50 years and listening to hot and heavy draft talk for the last 3 decades since it became a big thing and message boards came into being. And the hand-wringing over guys from the 4th-7th rounds just never ceases to amuse and amaze me. This is where a small % of drafted guys ever amount to anything. Roster depth? Fine. But whether or not we took a RB in the 6th the other day is not going to make or break the team.

Carry on.

[JustInTime]

I think they are looking for RB1 next year...

Jones will be really old by then and for all intensive purposes he signed a 1 year deal. 

Mason is a change of pace/fill in for a game guy

Yup. Definitely looking next year for a safety and RB. And every team that drafts behind us will know that.

Maybe addressing at least 1 of those ahead of the actual need might have been a good idea?