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I've been saying all winter that I want us to draft a right tackle and move Remmers inside, and I would still prefer that option...if only there were one worth taking. Mike McGlinchey maybe, but he doesn't really excite me that much, even at 30. I go back and forth on Kolton Miller. Seems almost too tall at 6-9. Run blocks pretty well in spite of size. 4.9 forty, 24 reps is good for a tall skinny guy with long arms. Williams looks like a great athlete but has injury and work ethic concerns. Crosby, Brown and Christian are 2nd rounders. I think I like Geron Christian the most out of those guys. I think Crosby will be a better guard. Brown is Phil Loadholt Jr. O'Neill is overrated. Great athlete (4.8 forty). But his weight is fake (was a 255 TE just 2 years ago). No strength. I think he's a project. Speaking of which, Alex Cappa and Brandon Parker are day 3 projects I like more than O'Neill.
The more I look at this interior class, the more I like. Quenton Nelson sounds like the best guard prospect in a decade. Didn't even bother watching him. It doesn't really drop off much after him. Wynn, Hernandez are both worth consideration at 30. I think both are going to be exceptional guards in the NFL (Wynn could move to center), but for teams with different schemes. Wynn on a zone team and Hernandez on a gap team. But there is a group of very good options just after them as well. Daniels, Corbett, Ragnow, Price, Braden Smith. I think Corbett and Ragnow are two guys that are being seriously underrated by most draft sites I've been to. Corbett can run and pass block equally well and he's very consistent. Excellent trap and pull blocker. What's more, he can play anywhere on the line. Very high floor player. If Ragnow didn't miss half the season, he'd be a 1st rounder. I think he's better than both Price and Elflein. Price is a wild card. It's impossible to know just how much that pec injury is going to hurt his stock. Making matters worse, it's on the side of his snap hand. I sort of sense that he'll drop a little. Brad Bozeman is my day 3 sleeper.
Either way, whether we stay at 30 or trade down, we should be able to find an immediate starter.
Call me weird, but I get excited about drafting O-line. We used to have a dominant o-line. I miss those days.
the only thing I keep coming back to is this, with 5 guards already on the roster, how much of an upside is there over them in taking one at 30?
Easton, Isidora, Remmers, and the 2 we signed this offseason.
I think Easton could easily be improved upon, and we really dont know about the other 4, but even with the top level Guards that should be available at 30, is there going to be as much value there for the Vikings as there might be at other positions?
Actually, watching the Vikings struggle to replace Easton down the stretch makes me think he is pretty well locked in at LG. For all his unathletic look about him, he moves very well and was a big part of the downfield blocking.
And as BRob said when he was nominated as the guy picked last on the playground, at the end of the day, he is in the NFL...
Quote: @"greediron" said:
Actually, watching the Vikings struggle to replace Easton down the stretch makes me think he is pretty well locked in at LG. For all his unathletic look about him, he moves very well and was a big part of the downfield blocking.
And as BRob said when he was nominated as the guy picked last on the playground, at the end of the day, he is in the NFL...
yes, but he was also easily the weakest link IMO when our line was playing all 5 starters ( although Joe had some senior moments at times). I think losing Easton and then Sirles and having to move the right side to the left side is where we saw our biggest issues. 1 lineman down can be covered up, but we lost 2 interior linemen and thats almost impossible to overcome in a short period of time IMO. Nothing against Nick, but I think he is/was the weakest link and while he is serviceable, I would like to see some improvement on the left side of the line as well as the right if possible.
I still dont know about Remmers as a guard either. I havent watched him much as a guard prior to this year but what I saw was not really impressive. Yes he leave some room for improvement at RT, but I dont know about him kicking inside on a full time basis.
ive read that ragnow is a position blocker, that doesnt excite me. Wynn and Miller are my guys so far in the first as well but Miller is scary in the 1st. in spite of what Geoff says i still say plug in Hernandez if available and scheme around his limitations, hes a legit 1st rd stud
Quote: @"JimmyinSD" said:
the only thing I keep coming back to is this, with 5 guards already on the roster, how much of an upside is there over them in taking one at 30?
Easton, Isidora, Remmers, and the 2 we signed this offseason.
I think Easton could easily be improved upon, and we really dont know about the other 4, but even with the top level Guards that should be available at 30, is there going to be as much value there for the Vikings as there might be at other positions?
I think if the pick is a guard, then I would imagine Remmers stays at RT. I think Easton can be a solid starter. He and Elflein worked very well together early in the season. I'm more concerned about the other guard, where we only have Isadora and Compton. Isadora looked good early, but this is a 5th round draft choice who couldn't get much playing time despite all the injuries we had late, so I kinda question just how good he really was. That position can use an upgrade.
Quote: @"JimmyinSD" said:
the only thing I keep coming back to is this, with 5 guards already on the roster, how much of an upside is there over them in taking one at 30?
Easton, Isidora, Remmers, and the 2 we signed this offseason.
I think Easton could easily be improved upon, and we really dont know about the other 4, but even with the top level Guards that should be available at 30, is there going to be as much value there for the Vikings as there might be at other positions?
Although that seems like an adequate number I have to go back to the playoffs and how much that line struggled. I dont know enough to hazard a cure. But I have no doubt that until they fix the depth issues the Vikes are a strong candidate for one and done.
It is a little surprising or frustrating to see all of the mocks leaning towards a majority of defensive picks. By many measurements the Vikes were the number one D last season. How much better do they need to get on that side of the ball? It seems obvious that some balance is needed.
The year after Moss came out the Packers drafted 4 corners to try to find some way to slow down the Vikes pass attack. The Vikes O line has been an issue for so long it wouldnt seem out of line to draft 3 more O lineman from this strong class to actually solve the problem. In now way do I actually expect that but two quality guys seems to be a minimum. Add in a big body, red zone Wr/TE threat and I would be comfortable heading into the season.
Adding 4th corner/LBer draft picks who will seldom see the field seems like they are setting us up for more of the same.
Quote: @"Poiple" said:
@"JimmyinSD" said:
the only thing I keep coming back to is this, with 5 guards already on the roster, how much of an upside is there over them in taking one at 30?
Easton, Isidora, Remmers, and the 2 we signed this offseason.
I think Easton could easily be improved upon, and we really dont know about the other 4, but even with the top level Guards that should be available at 30, is there going to be as much value there for the Vikings as there might be at other positions?
Although that seems like an adequate number I have to go back to the playoffs and how much that line struggled. I dont know enough to hazard a cure. But I have no doubt that until they fix the depth issues the Vikes are a strong candidate for one and done.
It is a little surprising or frustrating to see all of the mocks leaning towards a majority of defensive picks. By many measurements the Vikes were the number one D last season. How much better do they need to get on that side of the ball? It seems obvious that some balance is needed.
The year after Moss came out the Packers drafted 4 corners to try to find some way to slow down the Vikes pass attack. The Vikes O line has been an issue for so long it wouldnt seem out of line to draft 3 more O lineman from this strong class to actually solve the problem. In now way do I actually expect that but two quality guys seems to be a minimum. Add in a big body, red zone Wr/TE threat and I would be comfortable heading into the season.
Adding 4th corner/LBer draft picks who will seldom see the field seems like they are setting us up for more of the same.
I dont think it was a lack of depth as much as it was a numbers game. We lost Elf, that kicked Easton into C and Sirles to LG, Then Sirles went down which brought Isidora to LG, then IIRC Easton went down next which kicked Berger inside from RG to C which moved Remmers into RG from RT which then Hill stepped into play. So it wasnt so much that we needed better players, we just got burned in a bad way with both 2 of our 3 options for C, LG, and RG, having to play and our RT then having to be a back up. That was scary as we only had 1 starter left at a position they started the season at. I dont know that drafting better players at those positions would help that because a team is only going to carry so many OLinemen on the roster, although it seems after our last 2 years the Vikings maybe should look at carrying a few more.
Quote: @"JimmyinSD" said:
@"Poiple" said:
@"JimmyinSD" said:
the only thing I keep coming back to is this, with 5 guards already on the roster, how much of an upside is there over them in taking one at 30?
Easton, Isidora, Remmers, and the 2 we signed this offseason.
I think Easton could easily be improved upon, and we really dont know about the other 4, but even with the top level Guards that should be available at 30, is there going to be as much value there for the Vikings as there might be at other positions?
Although that seems like an adequate number I have to go back to the playoffs and how much that line struggled. I dont know enough to hazard a cure. But I have no doubt that until they fix the depth issues the Vikes are a strong candidate for one and done.
It is a little surprising or frustrating to see all of the mocks leaning towards a majority of defensive picks. By many measurements the Vikes were the number one D last season. How much better do they need to get on that side of the ball? It seems obvious that some balance is needed.
The year after Moss came out the Packers drafted 4 corners to try to find some way to slow down the Vikes pass attack. The Vikes O line has been an issue for so long it wouldnt seem out of line to draft 3 more O lineman from this strong class to actually solve the problem. In now way do I actually expect that but two quality guys seems to be a minimum. Add in a big body, red zone Wr/TE threat and I would be comfortable heading into the season.
Adding 4th corner/LBer draft picks who will seldom see the field seems like they are setting us up for more of the same.
I dont think it was a lack of depth as much as it was a numbers game. We lost Elf, that kicked Easton into C and Sirles to LG, Then Sirles went down which brought Isidora to LG, then IIRC Easton went down next which kicked Berger inside from RG to C which moved Remmers into RG from RT which then Hill stepped into play. So it wasnt so much that we needed better players, we just got burned in a bad way with both 2 of our 3 options for C, LG, and RG, having to play and our RT then having to be a back up. That was scary as we only had 1 starter left at a position they started the season at. I dont know that drafting better players at those positions would help that because a team is only going to carry so many OLinemen on the roster, although it seems after our last 2 years the Vikings maybe should look at carrying a few more.
Thanks Jimmy, The last two years they ran into that buzz saw. I dont have the recipe to fix it but until they figure it out I expect the same problems.
If you look back to each of the Vikings losses in NFCC games we came out so damaged that even if they had made it to the bowl there is little doubt they would be 0-5. The need to rotate more during the season has been discussed and Zimmer spoke to the same for the D line.
We like to think that their window is wide open and they have a foundation to compete for years to come. Until they figure it out, I see it as a recipe to try to limp into the playoffs year after year. I’m trying not to be negative about it but they have a long history of this. O and D line performance and depth seems to be a large part of the problem.
It seems strange for me to be advocating for lineman as I have always enjoyed the amazing skill players they find. Just call me Fing old.
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