Linval and Richardson...

[purplefaithful]

Lots of $$ tied-up in those 2 in 18. Didn't quite meet the Williams Wall standard did they?

[Guest]

No they didn't but they were on a different level. No matter what, Linval and Sheldon are a good pairing. I know some people think it's not good enough but there has been a difference with having them together. I really want them to continue to make things happen. I want Linval to get healthy. It's going to come down to the money though with Sheldon. He signed a one year deal to showcase himself.

[Guest]

As others have noted, I thought Richardson struggled in the running game. He and Joseph were both manhandled by the Bears and our run defense has been suspect all season. The sad reality is that this draft is loaded with defensive talent in the first round especially at Defensive Tackle. That would make the most sense to find a replacement for Richardson who I don't think we will be able to resign. The pressure will be to take an OLineman with the first pick but the talent pool is so thin I think it would be a major mistake to overreach. We should have taken Hernandez in the First Round when we had the chance but Flip didn't want him for the style of offense they wanted to run which we now know was a flawed strategy. Finesse offensive lineman like O'Neill and Elf don't work on the interior when you have an immobile pocket passer like Cousins. We were continually exposed by loops and stunts up the middle as Compton and Remmers showed their lack of strength, lunging, poor footwork, etc. that led to one of the worst offensive lines in football. The only interior lineman rated as a late first to mid second round grade is Dalton Risner of K-State. He will be a 24 year old rookie after a medical red shirt year for shoulder surgery in 2017. He would be an immediate upgrade, but outside of him, there is very little talent for OLineman in the early part of this draft that can fix our interior problems. 

[Guest]

I think we're better off reaching for OLine than we are taking any defender.  Zimmer could take chumps and give us a top 5 defense.  We just need talent on offensive line even if they're graded half a round worse.

[Guest]

So if a top 10 D talent drops to 18, you're all saying pass for a Guard? 

Right?  Cause our D was so good? 

[Guest]

@TBro said:
As others have noted, I thought Richardson struggled in the running game. He and Joseph were both manhandled by the Bears and our run defense has been suspect all season. The sad reality is that this draft is loaded with defensive talent in the first round especially at Defensive Tackle. That would make the most sense to find a replacement for Richardson who I don't think we will be able to resign. The pressure will be to take an OLineman with the first pick but the talent pool is so thin I think it would be a major mistake to overreach. We should have taken Hernandez in the First Round when we had the chance but Flip didn't want him for the style of offense they wanted to run which we now know was a flawed strategy. Finesse offensive lineman like O'Neill and Elf don't work on the interior when you have an immobile pocket passer like Cousins. We were continually exposed by loops and stunts up the middle as Compton and Remmers showed their lack of strength, lunging, poor footwork, etc. that led to one of the worst offensive lines in football. The only interior lineman rated as a late first to mid second round grade is Dalton Risner of K-State. He will be a 24 year old rookie after a medical red shirt year for shoulder surgery in 2017. He would be an immediate upgrade, but outside of him, there is very little talent for OLineman in the early part of this draft that can fix our interior problems. 

Says you. Jonah Williams. Greg Little. Jawaan Taylor. Yodny Cajuste. The aforementioned Dalton Risner. Most of these guys are going in the 1st Round.

Just because they played their last season in college at Tackle does not mean the NFL Scouts project them there.

And I'm tired of hearing about what the Vikings missed out on in the Draft. What exactly did Price or Ragnow do this year to justify getting picked so high?

Hernandez simply isn't a ZBS guy. Disagree with the scheme all you want. It's the one that fits Reiff, Elf & O'Neill best. Remmers and Compton sucking is an indictment on them, not the scheme.

Braden Smith was the real miss. And I'm not sure he's enough better than O'Neill to have justified taking him in  the 1st and going with a lesser defensive player in the 2nd vs. having both Hughes & O'Neill.

Bottom line is that while Jonah Williams will be long gone by 18 but most of the names I listed should still be there and are all perfectly capable of sliding inside to Guard for a year or two and possibly move to RT if O'Neil replaces Reiff.

And there's also Starting Talent available in the 2nd as well. 3 kids from Wisconsin. 2 from Oklahoma. 1 from Clemson and Bama.

This Draft is deep enough that depending on what happens in FA Minnesota might even be able to take a DT like the Clemson kids or Simmons from Miss State at 18 and grab a Starting Guard in the 2nd.

[Guest]

I think most Viking fans would jump at the chance at another Hughes/O'Neil kind of draft. That D truly regressed this year and there are some BIG NAMES part of that regression (who's best years may be behind them). 

[Guest]

I am wondering about Rhodes a bit and how he will come back next year. It does feel like they are going to make some changes on the defense.

[Guest]

I'm one of those who thinks that Richardson's only value is as a pass-rusher.  That's too much money for a situational player.  Also, from what I've seen, teams have been able to double-team our DT's... leaving our LBs free to make plays- and they aren't making them.  So, I think our problems (stopping the run) are alot deeper than just blaming Richardson.

[Guest]

@FSUVike said:

@TBro said:
As others have noted, I thought Richardson struggled in the running game. He and Joseph were both manhandled by the Bears and our run defense has been suspect all season. The sad reality is that this draft is loaded with defensive talent in the first round especially at Defensive Tackle. That would make the most sense to find a replacement for Richardson who I don't think we will be able to resign. The pressure will be to take an OLineman with the first pick but the talent pool is so thin I think it would be a major mistake to overreach. We should have taken Hernandez in the First Round when we had the chance but Flip didn't want him for the style of offense they wanted to run which we now know was a flawed strategy. Finesse offensive lineman like O'Neill and Elf don't work on the interior when you have an immobile pocket passer like Cousins. We were continually exposed by loops and stunts up the middle as Compton and Remmers showed their lack of strength, lunging, poor footwork, etc. that led to one of the worst offensive lines in football. The only interior lineman rated as a late first to mid second round grade is Dalton Risner of K-State. He will be a 24 year old rookie after a medical red shirt year for shoulder surgery in 2017. He would be an immediate upgrade, but outside of him, there is very little talent for OLineman in the early part of this draft that can fix our interior problems. 

Says you. Jonah Williams. Greg Little. Jawaan Taylor. Yodny Cajuste. The aforementioned Dalton Risner. Most of these guys are going in the 1st Round.

Just because they played their last season in college at Tackle does not mean the NFL Scouts project them there.

And I'm tired of hearing about what the Vikings missed out on in the Draft. What exactly did Price or Ragnow do this year to justify getting picked so high?

Hernandez simply isn't a ZBS guy. Disagree with the scheme all you want. It's the one that fits Reiff, Elf & O'Neill best. Remmers and Compton sucking is an indictment on them, not the scheme.

Braden Smith was the real miss. And I'm not sure he's enough better than O'Neill to have justified taking him in  the 1st and going with a lesser defensive player in the 2nd vs. having both Hughes & O'Neill.

Bottom line is that while Jonah Williams will be long gone by 18 but most of the names I listed should still be there and are all perfectly capable of sliding inside to Guard for a year or two and possibly move to RT if O'Neil replaces Reiff.

And there's also Starting Talent available in the 2nd as well. 3 kids from Wisconsin. 2 from Oklahoma. 1 from Clemson and Bama.

This Draft is deep enough that depending on what happens in FA Minnesota might even be able to take a DT like the Clemson kids or Simmons from Miss State at 18 and grab a Starting Guard in the 2nd.

Says a lot of draft experts. This is a weak offensive line class compared to last year and everyone knows it. Outside of Jonoah Williams, the rest of the Olineman in this class are 2nd-3rd round talents being pushed up draft boards because teams are desperate. Moving tackles to guards has worked so well for the Vikings who tried to convince everyone that Remmers was better on the inside. Price and Ragnow were selected before us so I'm not sure what your point is. By the way, Shurmur ran various forms of the ZBS in Minnesota and also does in New York and had no problem drafting Hernandez who had a solid rookie year for the Giants. I agree with you that the value for OLineman in this draft will not be in the First Round, but 2 and 3 were we can hopefully find some capable starters.