NFLDG Mock Draft 2.0
Took a little longer than I had hoped, but here is mock 2.0. My hope is to publish an additional mock later this week with a final version by draft day. We will see what time allows for, but hope you enjoy! As always this is not exact and plays around with different names to allow all of you to learn about additional players in the draft class and who potential could fit the Vikings needs come draft day.
1(22) - TRADE: Instead of trading up in this mock the Vikings opt to trade back in the 1st round with Baltimore trading picks 1(22) & 6(201) for 1(28) & 3(92). Come draft day the 22nd pick may end up being a trade-up hot spot. If Jordan Love remains on the board team in the top of the 2nd may want to get ahead of both New Orleans & New England. Aside from Love this is also a spot for a LB ahead of two LB hungry teams. If the Vikings let the draft come to them I don't think it will be difficult to find a trade partner, which is half the battle in trading down.
1(25) - Josh Jones (OT / Houston): I am always a bit leery about non Power-5 OT's, but Jones has been the epitome of consistent for the Cougars and the Senior proved just that. Jones is a natural mover on the left side with the athleticism to get onto the second level without laboring. His technique will need some work and he'll be taken for a ride at times early in his career due to this. But he is a day 1 starter at LT which has tremendous value in round 1. If he can improve his technique his potential isn't far off from the top-tier of OTs this draft class offers.
1(28) via BAL - Jaylon Johnson (CB / Utah): Here is a guy who may surprise come draft day and have his name called in the late teens. After Henderson & Okudah the 2nd tier of CBs is a choose your flavor exercise and will be very scheme dependent. Johnson boasts great athleticism and the physicality to play press-man, bump & run, and play off coverage with enough contact to nag the receiver. He is a plug & play starter on the outside, which is an immediate need. He will need to adapt his game to the NFL level since he wants to bully receivers down the field. This will be his biggest battle since he occasionally panics when he loses his touch point on the receiver. The good news is that he gets his head around and can play without a visual on the receiver. He likely lacks elite CB1 upside but could end up being a 10 years starter in the league. The Vikings should feel comfortable his him & Hughes on the outside.
2(58) - K.J. Hamler (WR / Penn State): Unless one of the elite WR talents gets in range of pick 22 there will be multiple WRs available to the Vikings in the 2nd round. Depending on how the board falls, the 2nd tier of WRs may end up being suppressed since the tier is so wide. In this mock the Vikings opt to take Hamler. Over the past few years the Vikings have made it a point to draft very young players with high upside. Hamler fits that mold to a 'T'. Although he doesn't naturally track the ball and deal with drops, Hamler is electric with the ball in his hands. Although he likely won't be a natural boundary player he can extend the field vertically from the slot, which is a key in today's pass happy league. He also can take many of the manufactured touches Diggs is leaving from a season ago. To add value he also will be an elite kick & punt returner in the NFL which is an additional area of improvement for MN.
2(59) via SEA - Justin Madubuike (DT / Texas A&M): Another trade! This time the Vikings package their own 3rd round pick #89 along with #92 via BAL to move back into round 2. Although the Vikings were able to replace Linval Joseph with Michael Pierce in free agency they still lack a consistent interior pass rush. Madubuike brings high level twitch and straight line speed to get after the QB and push the pocket. Although undersized, his athleticism pops out on film. He will need to work on getting off the line a bit faster and how to use his hands. If he can do that, watch out. Although he won't immediately be a 3-down contributor he offers a nice compliment to Shamar Stephen who is much more stout.
3(105) - Isaiah Hodgins (WR / Oregon State): The Vikings will need to walk away from this draft class with more than a single receiver and can find value in later round 3 / early round 4. Hodgins is more of your 'X' receiver who you can line up on the outside. He has an outstanding catch radius and has the size to go up and come down with contested catches down the field and in the red zone. Although he is quick in & out of routes he won't win with speed vertically, which limits his high-end upside. But he definitely brings a different flavor to the Vikings WR room which now includes: Thielen, Hamler, Johnson, Hodgins, and Hollins.
What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.
The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.
If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
Just stay put and take Raekwon Davis who is just as good as Kinlaw in not better IMHO.Davis was pre-season All American on several lists. He was rated #25 by drafttek in late December.
He has fallen in the rankings despite only playing one bowl game.
Amazing what the pre-draft crapola does to internet big boards and thus, fan opinions.
Davis is a beast!
The dude returned to school to graduate and completed that task as the first in his family.
He was the only upperclassman on the defensive line last year and was their leader.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him go in the late first and then have folks say it was a reach.
@"pumpf" said: Do we need WR's that badly that we need to have one in the first 2 rounds? Having the kind of depth that exists at the position, what would happen if we went in another direction at #58... and waited to pick a WR later? Would the drop-off be that much?Stefon Diggs was Top 5 in 4 different categories regarding the passes that travelled over 20 Air Yards last year.
In other words, he was an Elite Deep Threat. And Cousins was very, very good when targeting Diggs deep.
Diggs was much more than just a deep threat. But just that facet alone is tremendously important to a team that wants to rely heavily on the run.
Thielen is great. Going deep is a capability he has. But that's not his best use. No one disagrees with that take. So where does the deep threat that is so needed to keep teams from loading the box and doubling Adam every single play come from?
Sharpe has never shown that trait in any consistent way. And he's a WR3 at best. Bisi actually looks to be very similar to Sharpe as a Player. And profiles as a WR4. So who's left?
I'm playing Devil's Advocate here. This Reciever Class is so deep you can probably find a guy to challenge the back end of the Defense into the 3rd Round. But it's hard to argue against someone saying it's a need that has to get filled earlier than that.
If this Offense walks into the next season with no option to legitimately, consistently take the top off of Defenses things will not go well unless they have an Elite O-Line.
@"pumpf" said: Do we need WR's that badly that we need to have one in the first 2 rounds? Having the kind of depth that exists at the position, what would happen if we went in another direction at #58... and waited to pick a WR later? Would the drop-off be that much?I think so. I think there is a misconception that this draft has 1st and 2nd round receivers running into the 4th and 5th round. I don't think that's the case.
This WR class is special because there will be a record number of them taken in the top, say, 75. After that, it's just like any other receiver class. Yeah, some good players will get pushed down as teams fill other needs, but to get the best value from this class, you really gotta tap into the top 15 to 20 receivers.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"pumpf" said: Do we need WR's that badly that we need to have one in the first 2 rounds? Having the kind of depth that exists at the position, what would happen if we went in another direction at #58... and waited to pick a WR later? Would the drop-off be that much? I think so. I think there is a misconception that this draft has 1st and 2nd round receivers running into the 4th and 5th round. I don't think that's the case.This WR class is special because there will be a record number of them taken in the top, say, 75. After that, it's just like any other receiver class. Yeah, some good players will get pushed down as teams fill other needs, but to get the best value from this class, you really gotta tap into the top 15 to 20 receivers.
Exactly. The excuse that "a draft class is deep so you can wait" is mind boggling to me.It is like going to see a bunch of models and some of them are super models and then saying you can pass on those and just get another one later.
Wait. Bad analogy.
I'd rather get one of the best ones early and that likely is in the first round.
Then, get another later just because.
@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
Just stay put and take Raekwon Davis who is just as good as Kinlaw in not better IMHO.Davis was pre-season All American on several lists. He was rated #25 by drafttek in late December.
He has fallen in the rankings despite only playing one bowl game.
Amazing what the pre-draft crapola does to internet big boards and thus, fan opinions.
Davis is a beast!
The dude returned to school to graduate and completed that task as the first in his family.
He was the only upperclassman on the defensive line last year and was their leader.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him go in the late first and then have folks say it was a reach.
I think that's a pretty bold take. I think the media has over-hyped Davis all the way back to when he was recruited. The stagnant/downward trajectory of his on-field performance is very concerning too. Has the size/length/measurable's you look for but hasn't been overly explosive and needs quite a bit of pass rush development. The concerning part about that is that Alabama is one of the better schools at developing that in guys, so why did that not turn out for him? It's a question he'll need to answer to get teams to buy in.I personally have him on a list of guys who could fall significantly. So I would be in the group saying he was a reach in late round 1. I don't even know if I would take him in round 2.
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
Just stay put and take Raekwon Davis who is just as good as Kinlaw in not better IMHO.Davis was pre-season All American on several lists. He was rated #25 by drafttek in late December.
He has fallen in the rankings despite only playing one bowl game.
Amazing what the pre-draft crapola does to internet big boards and thus, fan opinions.
Davis is a beast!
The dude returned to school to graduate and completed that task as the first in his family.
He was the only upperclassman on the defensive line last year and was their leader.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him go in the late first and then have folks say it was a reach.
I think that's a pretty bold take. I think the media has over-hyped Davis all the way back to when he was recruited. The stagnant/downward trajectory of his on-field performance is very concerning too. Has the size/length/measurable's you look for but hasn't been overly explosive and needs quite a bit of pass rush development. The concerning part about that is that Alabama is one of the better schools at developing that in guys, so why did that not turn out for him? It's a question he'll need to answer to get teams to buy in.I personally have him on a list of guys who could fall significantly. So I would be in the group saying he was a reach in late round 1. I don't even know if I would take him in round 2.
That is fair. However, how do you explain those 8.5 sacks in 2017? That is pretty dang good for a DT. Did he just luck into those?I think that showed he could get after the passer.
What happened the last two years is he was double teamed incessantly.
A few scouting reports even made a comment about him "wearing down" without any mention of getting doubled.
I think you are way off on Davis.
Kinlaw had 35 tackles (15 solo), 6 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks in 2019.
He had 38 tackles (21 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in 2018.
He had 20 tackles (12 solo), 2 tackles for loss, and 0 sacks in 2017.Davis had 47 tackles (18 solo), 3 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks in 2019.
He had 55 tackles (24 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 2018.
He had 69 tackles (24 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks in 2017.Davis already plays the run better and getting double teamed does have an effect on those counting stats.
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
Just stay put and take Raekwon Davis who is just as good as Kinlaw in not better IMHO.Davis was pre-season All American on several lists. He was rated #25 by drafttek in late December.
He has fallen in the rankings despite only playing one bowl game.
Amazing what the pre-draft crapola does to internet big boards and thus, fan opinions.
Davis is a beast!
The dude returned to school to graduate and completed that task as the first in his family.
He was the only upperclassman on the defensive line last year and was their leader.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him go in the late first and then have folks say it was a reach.
I think that's a pretty bold take. I think the media has over-hyped Davis all the way back to when he was recruited. The stagnant/downward trajectory of his on-field performance is very concerning too. Has the size/length/measurable's you look for but hasn't been overly explosive and needs quite a bit of pass rush development. The concerning part about that is that Alabama is one of the better schools at developing that in guys, so why did that not turn out for him? It's a question he'll need to answer to get teams to buy in.I personally have him on a list of guys who could fall significantly. So I would be in the group saying he was a reach in late round 1. I don't even know if I would take him in round 2.
Spot on regarding Davis, Geoff. Watched him weekly for years - personally would not take him until 4th or later, if then. Alabama defense as a whole underperformed, not sure how much of that was new DC Pete Golding. Constantly out of position to make plays. Will be interesting to see how a couple of the players pan out. McKinney , Lewis & Jennings all showed flashes of NFL quality. Not a fan of Davis or Diggs.
@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
Just stay put and take Raekwon Davis who is just as good as Kinlaw in not better IMHO.Davis was pre-season All American on several lists. He was rated #25 by drafttek in late December.
He has fallen in the rankings despite only playing one bowl game.
Amazing what the pre-draft crapola does to internet big boards and thus, fan opinions.
Davis is a beast!
The dude returned to school to graduate and completed that task as the first in his family.
He was the only upperclassman on the defensive line last year and was their leader.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him go in the late first and then have folks say it was a reach.
I think that's a pretty bold take. I think the media has over-hyped Davis all the way back to when he was recruited. The stagnant/downward trajectory of his on-field performance is very concerning too. Has the size/length/measurable's you look for but hasn't been overly explosive and needs quite a bit of pass rush development. The concerning part about that is that Alabama is one of the better schools at developing that in guys, so why did that not turn out for him? It's a question he'll need to answer to get teams to buy in.I personally have him on a list of guys who could fall significantly. So I would be in the group saying he was a reach in late round 1. I don't even know if I would take him in round 2.
That is fair. However, how do you explain those 8.5 sacks in 2017? That is pretty dang good for a DT. Did he just luck into those?I think that showed he could get after the passer.
What happened the last two years is he was double teamed incessantly.
A few scouting reports even made a comment about him "wearing down" without any mention of getting doubled.
I think you are way off on Davis.
Kinlaw had 35 tackles (15 solo), 6 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks in 2019.
He had 38 tackles (21 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in 2018.
He had 20 tackles (12 solo), 2 tackles for loss, and 0 sacks in 2017.Davis had 47 tackles (18 solo), 3 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks in 2019.
He had 55 tackles (24 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 2018.
He had 69 tackles (24 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks in 2017.Davis already plays the run better and getting double teamed does have an effect on those counting stats.
I think you need to look at the trajectory since that is very important. QB pressures are what truly matter, not TFLs or Sacks, but Davis is clearly on a downward trajectory. Kinlaw on the other hand has continued to grow. That is a very important aspect of the evaluation. Davis' 2017 shouldn't be taken for granted but he was put in a position to succeed for two reasons. 1) He was unproven and their wasn't tape on how to negate him. 2) He played next to Payne who ate up 3 blockers at times and strong edge rushers. So he was 1x1 and nobody knew how he wanted to attack the rush.2018 was supposed to be his breakout year and he was the focal point of a teams defensive strategy and they negated him. He opts to return and rebuild his draft stock only to fall further down the map when teams didn't consistently double him. He hasn't been able to overcome the fact that he has a limited move set, is a big target to block, and hasn't been able to develop a rush plan.
If he can't do that at Alabama with high end coaching, why would it be different in the NFL? Sure, the upside is there. But there is no inkling a change of scenery is going to spark him into superstardom.
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"MarkSP18" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: What would you think of selling out to move up to #9 to grab Kinlaw if he was available. Jags are another team looking to trade down.The impact of a legit 3T just cascades all throughout the defense. 3 new CBs are going to need all the help they can get, especially with no OTAs.
I wouldn't go all the way into the top 10 for Kinlaw. I actually don't like him nearly as much as the media. He'll be very good, but don't see the elite pass rushing upside.If you are going into the top 10 I think it would likely be Wirfs. He is one of the best O-lineman I've ever graded. He's not a finished product but if you look at his improvements between 2018 & 19 he is just scratching the surface and his film already wasn't an issue.
Just stay put and take Raekwon Davis who is just as good as Kinlaw in not better IMHO.Davis was pre-season All American on several lists. He was rated #25 by drafttek in late December.
He has fallen in the rankings despite only playing one bowl game.
Amazing what the pre-draft crapola does to internet big boards and thus, fan opinions.
Davis is a beast!
The dude returned to school to graduate and completed that task as the first in his family.
He was the only upperclassman on the defensive line last year and was their leader.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him go in the late first and then have folks say it was a reach.
I think that's a pretty bold take. I think the media has over-hyped Davis all the way back to when he was recruited. The stagnant/downward trajectory of his on-field performance is very concerning too. Has the size/length/measurable's you look for but hasn't been overly explosive and needs quite a bit of pass rush development. The concerning part about that is that Alabama is one of the better schools at developing that in guys, so why did that not turn out for him? It's a question he'll need to answer to get teams to buy in.I personally have him on a list of guys who could fall significantly. So I would be in the group saying he was a reach in late round 1. I don't even know if I would take him in round 2.
That is fair. However, how do you explain those 8.5 sacks in 2017? That is pretty dang good for a DT. Did he just luck into those?I think that showed he could get after the passer.
What happened the last two years is he was double teamed incessantly.
A few scouting reports even made a comment about him "wearing down" without any mention of getting doubled.
I think you are way off on Davis.
Kinlaw had 35 tackles (15 solo), 6 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks in 2019.
He had 38 tackles (21 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in 2018.
He had 20 tackles (12 solo), 2 tackles for loss, and 0 sacks in 2017.Davis had 47 tackles (18 solo), 3 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks in 2019.
He had 55 tackles (24 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 2018.
He had 69 tackles (24 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks in 2017.Davis already plays the run better and getting double teamed does have an effect on those counting stats.
I think you need to look at the trajectory since that is very important. QB pressures are what truly matter, not TFLs or Sacks, but Davis is clearly on a downward trajectory. Kinlaw on the other hand has continued to grow. That is a very important aspect of the evaluation. Davis' 2017 shouldn't be taken for granted but he was put in a position to succeed for two reasons. 1) He was unproven and their wasn't tape on how to negate him. 2) He played next to Payne who ate up 3 blockers at times and strong edge rushers. So he was 1x1 and nobody knew how he wanted to attack the rush.2018 was supposed to be his breakout year and he was the focal point of a teams defensive strategy and they negated him. He opts to return and rebuild his draft stock only to fall further down the map when teams didn't consistently double him. He hasn't been able to overcome the fact that he has a limited move set, is a big target to block, and hasn't been able to develop a rush plan.
If he can't do that at Alabama with high end coaching, why would it be different in the NFL? Sure, the upside is there. But there is no inkling a change of scenery is going to spark him into superstardom.
https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/sports/20191008/alabamas-raekwon-davis-seeing-improvement-despite-lack-of-numbers“He has been very good, he’s worked hard. Certainly tried to set a good example for some of the young guys that are playing around him,” UA coach Nick Saban said. “I’ve been pleased with his effort. He was banged up, he had a little shoulder (issue) there, didn’t miss any time. I think that bothered him a little bit in the last game but he should be healthy and ready to go. I think he has played a little more consistently this year than last year.”
Then he fights double teams for their benefit.
Double teams came at Davis early and often as a junior, and they’ve been present so far this season. Given time to reflect and approach a new season, he decided his double team technique needed work. He has graded himself on a brutal scale — and passed.I think that you are wrong about the times he was doubled teamed the last two seasons. Who else was going to get double teamed last year?
I think he returned to improve his draft stock (a bit) and to graduate. He did graduate.
It's all good though.
I have been wrong many many times before about players.
I'll take Davis and put him next to Pierce and Hunter or Odenigbo.
He may get a lot less double teams and might just play like he did in 2017 but a lot better because he has worked on his double-team technique.
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