A Mock Draft to Pass the Time
About 3 weeks until D-day which probably means its about time to see how the Vikings could approach their remaining needs post Free Agency *cough* *cough* no that isn't COVID, just the O-line. With that said I will try to complete a mock each of the next few weeks leading up to the draft. As always this isn't necessarily how the Vikings will approach the draft but it will lay out one of the many ways they could practically fill their needs by the end of the month.
1(14) - TRADE: The Vikings elect to trade back with the NYJ who move up to grab a top end CB ahead of the Patriots and Cardinals. The Vikings move back to pick 1(23) and pick up 3(66) and 4(104) to do so.
1(18) via MIA - Christian Darrisaw / OT - Virginia Tech: After moving back the Vikings elect to move up to jump a few O-line hungry teams. The Vikings trade 1(23) via the Jets and 3(90) to do so. The Vikings elect to go with a big OT in Darrisaw who fits their stretch zone offense extremely well. Although Darrisaw lacks the elite physical traits he is an efficient mover that consistently hits his spots. He also is a pro-ready pass blocker on day one. In the NFL he will need to develop a better knack for finishing his assignments but no collegiate lineman enters the league without flaws. Darrisaw and O'Neil compete for the two OT spots but both project as day one starters.
2(56) via SEA - Joe Tyron / DE - Washington: By trading back in the 1st round the Vikings nabbed a high enough 3rd round selection to move into the 2nd for a pass rusher. Seattle lacks draft picks and happily moves back from 2(56) and adds 7(250) for the Vikings 3(66), 4(119), and 5(157) selections. In Tyron the Vikings are getting a day one pass rush threat who can either line up on the LOS or on-top of it. He needs some coaching but his high-end athleticism projects very favorably. He likely rotates in to begin the season but possesses the upside to replace Stephen Weatherly opposite of Danielle Hunter by mid-season.
3(78) - Kyle Task / QB - Florida: Finally the Vikings stick in one of their original draft slots and surprise by taking a quarterback. If you connect the dots on the QBs in this year's class the Vikings have been doing plenty of work. More realistically they are targeting a backup/development QB in the mid-rounds. Although he has his flaws, Trask does a lot of what the Vikings do on offense well. He throws with great anticipation, plays within the offense, and lets his weapons do the talking. Although its debatable if Trask will become an NFL starter he serves as a high-end backup compared to Sean Mannion and buys the Vikings some major insurance.
4(104) via NYJ - Andre Cisco / S - Syracuse: The signing of Xavier Woods pushes safety down the list of needs for this season. Although the Vikings may keep Woods around in subsequent seasons they need to continue adding depth on the back-end of their secondary. Cisco likely would have gotten drafted in the late 2nd round if it were not for tearing his ACL this past season. Although he may not be ready for training camp or week 1, he should return this season to begin his development. With proper recovery he fits the mold of a ball-hawking FS.
4(125) - Kendrick Green / OG - Illinois: The Vikings could easily double up on the O-line earlier depending on the board. But in the mid-4th Green is a swing at hitting on a lottery ticket. After beginning his career on the defensive side of the ball, Green transitioned to the interior O-line. Playing both center and guard Green's athleticism and ability to play with leverage shined. Although there is plenty of technical refinement needed he has all the tools in his toolbox to be successful. Green can compete in camp but could be an eventual starter at guard or center.
4(134) - Jalen Twyman / DT - Pittsburgh: The 4th round marathon continues in the trenches with the selection of Twyman. In free agency the Vikings bolstered the D-line with Dalvin Tomlinson but still lack gap-shooters who can quickly pressure the QB. Twyman is exactly that, he just isn't very well-rounded and can get washed out in the run game. Twyman does not profile to be a 3-down NFL interior D-lineman but could have a long career in a Tom Johnson like pass rushing role. The Vikings offer the type of unique role he could find early success in.
4(143) - Benjamin St-Juste / CB - Minnesota: As much as the Vikings have improved the secondary they still lack long-term developmental pieces. Patrick Peterson is on a one year deal, Mike Hughes is in the final year of his contract, and Jeff Gladney... well isn't likely playing in week 1. St-Juste isn't likely going to start in week 1 but has the length and tools to develop into a #2 outside CB in the NFL if given the time. Having the luxury to be coached up will serve St-Juste well as he could be a valuable piece in the future. Good depth for now.
5(168) - Dazz Newsome / WR - North Carolina: Similar to guard in the 4th round, the Vikings could easily draft a WR as early as round 3 to improve their depth in the slot. In this mock the value doesn't make sense until the 5th where they can add Newsome to compete with Chad Beebe. Outside of being a slot receiver Newsome also is a lethal returns specialist which was sorely missing on the roster last season.
6(199) - Shaun Beyer / TE - Iowa: I get the feeling this might be one of those "it just makes sense" picks that is hard to top in future mocks. After moving on from Kyle Rudolph the Vikings have room to add depth a TE, especially with Tyler Conklin playing on the final year of his rookie deal. Beyer has a lot of the physical traits you look for as a pass catcher and natural ball skills. The Iowa offense had its own struggles in the passing game that hid what Beyer may be able to become in the NFL. A solid #3 TE for now who could eventually develop into a #2 who can play in-line.
7(250) via SEA - Isaiah McDuffie / LB - Boston College: To wrap up the draft the Vikings get to select in their favorite frame, the 7th. McDuffie is a player who faded during the 2020 NCAA season but was a likely mid-round pick as early as last fall. Featuring the size and coverage skills you look for in a LB, there is some untapped potential here. Although we likely aren't looking at a starting LB the Vikings could add depth and have gravitated towards players who can stick on the roster by playing STs. This is another attempt at that.
No kicker?
I'm good with Darrisaw. I think he's solid and a day 1 starter.
Love the Kyle Trask pick. I think he is being a little undervalued in this process and would be a really nice pick in the 3rd if he made it that far. Green, Twyman, and St Juste are just great scheme fits
This would be a really solid draft for us
I like this, although I wouldn't mind a kicker to compete with Joseph.
Well, that certainly fulfills needs...
Zimsu passing on a top corner? Only if they spike him with some really good drugs.
I would be very happy with this draft or something relatively close to it.
Dont like Trask at all. other than that, thumbs up. Beyer is a steal there. i may be biased though. lol
@"Waterboy" said: Dont like Trask at all. other than that, thumbs up. Beyer is a steal there. i may be biased though. lolI'm not a Trask fan, either.
Love it. I think Darrisaw is not only a good pick, it's the most likely. He's a good pass blocker and a great outside zone run blocker. He also has the longest arms of any of the top tackles in this draft. I know that's important to the Vikings. And I think we take Darrisaw over a player who might be a better overall offensive lineman in AVT. I think we do this because we want a tackle more than a guard.
You draft a guard here and you have more questions: Can Cleveland play LT? Do we still pursue OBJ or Fisher and move Cleveland back to guard? A Darrisaw pick answers all those questions and the starting OL is set. However, I agree with you that Darrisaw might actually be our RT.
Funny thing about Tryon. He's a perfect illustration of the big difference in draft analysts. Most media scouts had Tryon as a mid to late rounder going into the process. Then Jeremiah, Brandt and McGinn, guys known for their connections, rank him as a late 1st, early 2nd round pick. The smart media scouts (TDN, for example) adjust accordingly. The others are clueless and will be shocked and call him a reach when he goes top 40.
Not a Trask fan, but I'm not going to complain about a QB in the 3rd round. Like I've said before, developmental QBs are a myth. You gotta get lucky. I prefer Mond, but Trask is as good a shot as any.
Also agree that we'll take a guard to compete with Cole in the 3rd or 4th round. We'll also pull a pass rushing 3T from that area as well.
My only issue is that I would probably switch the safety with the LB. I like Cisco, but I think it's more likely we resign Woods in '22 than Barr. Plus, there are some nice LBs in the middle rounds.
I think Darrisaw is tailor made for what we do.
I like Tryon, but I think there is better value later. A guy like Collins might be there at 56
I'm not sure the franchise has the appetite to spend a Day 2 pick on a QB, but I wish they would. I've seen enough of Trask to quickly warm to the idea. A larger Cousins. Honestly, I'd take just about anything over Mannion.
@"MaroonBells" said: Love it. I think Darrisaw is not only a good pick, it's the most likely. He's a good pass blocker and a great outside zone run blocker. He also has the longest arms of any of the top tackles in this draft. I know that's important to the Vikings. And I think we take Darrisaw over a player who might be a better overall offensive lineman in AVT. I think we do this because we want a tackle more than a guard.You draft a guard here and you have more questions: Can Cleveland play LT? Do we still pursue OBJ or Fisher and move Cleveland back to guard? A Darrisaw pick answers all those questions and the starting OL is set. However, I agree with you that Darrisaw might actually be our RT.
Funny thing about Tryon. He's a perfect illustration of the big difference in draft analysts. Most media scouts had Tryon as a mid to late rounder going into the process. Then Jeremiah, Brandt and McGinn, guys known for their connections, rank him as a late 1st, early 2nd round pick. The smart media scouts (TDN, for example) adjust accordingly. The others are clueless and will be shocked and call him a reach when he goes top 40.
Not a Trask fan, but I'm not going to complain about a QB in the 3rd round. Like I've said before, developmental QBs are a myth. You gotta get lucky. I prefer Mond, but Trask is as good a shot as any.
Also agree that we'll take a guard to compete with Cole in the 3rd or 4th round. We'll also pull a pass rushing 3T from that area as well.
My only issue is that I would probably switch the safety with the LB. I like Cisco, but I think it's more likely we resign Woods in '22 than Barr. Plus, there are some nice LBs in the middle rounds.
I didn't believe the Tyron hype until I got time to watch the tape myself, yeah... he is going to be a good one.
The next mock one of my notes was too swap S for LB on the list of priorities so that is a good call-out. I think Xavier Woods could easily earn himself the FS job with a strong season. At the end of last year I also picked up on them liking Josh Metelleus quite a bit as well. He just isn't ready yet.
Overall I think the first round argument is OT or DE with the opposite coming in round 2/3. I also think its very possibly they move up in the 1st if the opportunity presents itself, a rare move for the Vikings. But we can play around with that one later.
@"BarrNone55" said: I think Darrisaw is tailor made for what we do.I like Tryon, but I think there is better value later. A guy like Collins might be there at 56
I'm not sure the franchise has the appetite to spend a Day 2 pick on a QB, but I wish they would. I've seen enough of Trask to quickly warm to the idea. A larger Cousins. Honestly, I'd take just about anything over Mannion.
The Vikings have done too much work on QBs to not consider one fairly early this year. That could easily be rounds 2/3 with Mond/Trask but could be a 4th or 5th on someone like Jamie Newman. So although drafting QBs hasn't been their M.O. I am very confident that is about the change.
14, 3rd, 5th for Brown and 27# (Tyron, Rousseau or Phillips)
Leave day one with a LT for a decade and a potential stud DE. Anything else is icing on the cake
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: I think Darrisaw is tailor made for what we do.I like Tryon, but I think there is better value later. A guy like Collins might be there at 56
I'm not sure the franchise has the appetite to spend a Day 2 pick on a QB, but I wish they would. I've seen enough of Trask to quickly warm to the idea. A larger Cousins. Honestly, I'd take just about anything over Mannion.
The Vikings have done too much work on QBs to not consider one fairly early this year. That could easily be rounds 2/3 with Mond/Trask but could be a 4th or 5th on someone like Jamie Newman. So although drafting QBs hasn't been their M.O. I am very confident that is about the change.
I know in your mock that you explain why you have the Vikings taking Trask, but what about the other options like Mond and Mills? Could you see them as being better fits or was it just the way your mock fell that Trask was available?
If we trade down and get Darrisaw I’d be thrilled. I think it’s more likely that we stay put and draft him at 14, but we’ll see.
Would be a huge fan of this draft overall. OL is the biggest need by far, then DL. I also really hope you’re right about the Vikings getting serious about drafting a QB. Even as a backup it’s worth a shot at maybe catching lightning in a bottle. This franchise is due for that kind of luck!
@"pattersaur" said: If we trade down and get Darrisaw I’d be thrilled. I think it’s more likely that we stay put and draft him at 14, but we’ll see.Would be a huge fan of this draft overall. OL is the biggest need by far, then DL. I also really hope you’re right about the Vikings getting serious about drafting a QB. Even as a backup it’s worth a shot at maybe catching lightning in a bottle. This franchise is due for that kind of luck!
OL is the biggest need, but if the argument is which provides the biggest impact, I think it's more debatable between OL and DE. Then I think it comes down to which of those positions they like more in round 3. Because that could be a factor in where they go in round 1.
As much as I want the tackle, a defensive line of Hunter, Pierce, Tomlinson and (1st round DE) is damned tempting. I think there's a couple of guys who work in Eagan who might agree. Trade for OBJ and maybe we can have our cake and eat it too.
@"PurpleCrush" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"BarrNone55" said: I think Darrisaw is tailor made for what we do.I like Tryon, but I think there is better value later. A guy like Collins might be there at 56
I'm not sure the franchise has the appetite to spend a Day 2 pick on a QB, but I wish they would. I've seen enough of Trask to quickly warm to the idea. A larger Cousins. Honestly, I'd take just about anything over Mannion.
The Vikings have done too much work on QBs to not consider one fairly early this year. That could easily be rounds 2/3 with Mond/Trask but could be a 4th or 5th on someone like Jamie Newman. So although drafting QBs hasn't been their M.O. I am very confident that is about the change.
I know in your mock that you explain why you have the Vikings taking Trask, but what about the other options like Mond and Mills? Could you see them as being better fits or was it just the way your mock fell that Trask was available?
Personally I think you could get Mond to fit their current offensive system so he would be a consideration. I don't want to say that history is going to strike twice but Mond has a lot of Dak Prescott to him. For that matter he is a pretty universal scheme fit.Mills I am not as high on. He has a lot of what you look for but durability is a concern and he just never flashed enough to make you think his HS pedigree was accurate. He's kind of a guy riding the coat tails of his RIVALS ranking. Not to say that he doesn't have potential but I just don't want to buy into the idea he is this unearthed gem. He fits the offense but would put him as a distant 3rd behind Mond/Trask.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"pattersaur" said: If we trade down and get Darrisaw I’d be thrilled. I think it’s more likely that we stay put and draft him at 14, but we’ll see.Would be a huge fan of this draft overall. OL is the biggest need by far, then DL. I also really hope you’re right about the Vikings getting serious about drafting a QB. Even as a backup it’s worth a shot at maybe catching lightning in a bottle. This franchise is due for that kind of luck!
OL is the biggest need, but if the argument is which provides the biggest impact, I think it's more debatable between OL and DE. Then I think it comes down to which of those positions they like more in round 3. Because that could be a factor in where they go in round 1.As much as I want the tackle, a defensive line of Hunter, Pierce, Tomlinson and (1st round DE) is damned tempting. I think there's a couple of guys who work in Eagan who might agree. Trade for OBJ and maybe we can have our cake and eat it too.
The piece that never came out in the media last year is that when the Vikings were approaching #22 they were probably going to take K'Lavon Chaisson instead of Jefferson and then either trade up a few spots from #25 or sit there to grab who was left between Jefferson and Aiyuk.Reason I bring it up is that they've continued to try and find a pass rusher opposite of Hunter and are willing to spend quite a bit to do so. So I wouldn't sleep on DE being their first pick at all.
Personally, if we protect Cousins, it doesn't matter what the D does. 5-1 when Cousins pressured 30% or less with a historically bad D last year. I'll die on that hill.
@"Geoff Nichols" said:Seems to me they had that guy on the roster, then traded him...@"MaroonBells" said:@"pattersaur" said: If we trade down and get Darrisaw I’d be thrilled. I think it’s more likely that we stay put and draft him at 14, but we’ll see.Would be a huge fan of this draft overall. OL is the biggest need by far, then DL. I also really hope you’re right about the Vikings getting serious about drafting a QB. Even as a backup it’s worth a shot at maybe catching lightning in a bottle. This franchise is due for that kind of luck!
OL is the biggest need, but if the argument is which provides the biggest impact, I think it's more debatable between OL and DE. Then I think it comes down to which of those positions they like more in round 3. Because that could be a factor in where they go in round 1.As much as I want the tackle, a defensive line of Hunter, Pierce, Tomlinson and (1st round DE) is damned tempting. I think there's a couple of guys who work in Eagan who might agree. Trade for OBJ and maybe we can have our cake and eat it too.
The piece that never came out in the media last year is that when the Vikings were approaching #22 they were probably going to take K'Lavon Chaisson instead of Jefferson and then either trade up a few spots from #25 or sit there to grab who was left between Jefferson and Aiyuk.Reason I bring it up is that they've continued to try and find a pass rusher opposite of Hunter and are willing to spend quite a bit to do so. So I wouldn't sleep on DE being their first pick at all.
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