24+ Hours Out

There could be defensive end value late ThursdayLike the group of cornerbacks a year ago, there’s little consensus as to how to rank the top pass rushers this year. For some, Kwity Paye is the top prospect. For others, it’s Azeez Ojulari or Gregory Rousseau or Jaelan Phillips.
When there’s such little consensus on how to rank the players, there’s a chance that the Vikings could find value at the end of the first round or even the start of the second round. This draft centers around the trenches for the Vikings. I’d be shocked if their first two picks weren’t an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman. It’s rare that you can be so confident in what position a team will take. But that’s the spot the Vikings are in.
So if the Vikings do trade back in the first round, I think there could be some attractive options at defensive end for them.

1. Trevon Moehrig, Texas Christian (6-foot-0½, 202, 4.51, Round 1 or 2): TCU’s MVP on special teams as a freshman before starting at free safety in 2019 and ’20.
“I don’t remember the last safety that could both tackle and cover,” said one scout. “That conference (Big 12) probably is the best passing conference in football, and he was really good. He covered the slot most of the time. There are very few safeties that can actually cover. I’d try him at corner just to see if he could play out there.”
Played cornerback and wide receiver in high school at Spring Branch, Texas.
“I didn’t see special, but I saw a lot of good,” said a second scout. “I appreciate the way he played. He can play in the middle of the field and he can play down. He’s one of the few guys who is fully interchangeable. I’m not saying he’s great covering the slot, but he knows how to play within himself.
“I like the angles he plays with in the run game. He’s tough. He’s got the size. His speed is fine.”
Finished with 125 tackles (4½ for loss), seven picks and 28 PBUs.
“He’s more of a post player than a consistent physical player,” a third scout said. “I think he’s unanimous (as the No. 1 safety). He’ll be on the brink of (making the Pro Bowl).”
Arms were just 30⅝ inches. A fourth scout remained unimpressed.
“I don’t see anything to him,” he said. “You can see he knows how to play … but he’s not really fast, he’s not really athletic, he’s not a knock-you-out tackler or anything. He’s just OK.”
2. Jevon Holland, Oregon (6-foot-0½, 207, 4.46, Round 2): Here’s another player with a light resume. He started two of 13 games as a freshman in 2018 and all 14 in ’19 before opting out in ’20.
“He’s a rookie starter,” said one scout. “I was at his workout. He worked out really well. He can play down in the box but is also athletic enough to play on the deep end. You can do a lot of things (with him). He ran a 4.46 (40) and had ball skills.”
Finished with nine interceptions, leading the Ducks in 2018 and ’19.
“He has put on a lot of weight since he last played (listed at 196 in ’20), but he ran well with it,” a second scout said. “He can play nickel, but I see him more as a free (safety). Good player, really smart. He’s going to have some issues with quicker guys, but against certain guys, you’ll be able to get away with him. I think he’s a starter.”
The Pleasanton, Calif., native also made 110 tackles (4½ for loss) and broke up 19 passes.
“He’s a ‘tweener,” a third scout said. “Not a corner athlete. (Doesn’t have ideal) safety strength and toughness. Didn’t see a lot of twitch or change of direction.”

• JA'MARR CHASEWR, COLLEGE PLAYER
  ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports the Lions tried to trade up to the fourth pick in the NFL Draft in pursuit of LSU's Ja'Marr Chase. RELATED: 

  • Detroit Lions
  • , Cincinnati Bengals

  SOURCE: LionsWire.comApr 28, 2021, 11:07 AM ET

  Never pictured Chase as a kneecap biter.

@"BarrNone55" said: This might be too on the nose, but I got to think the Broncos are a painfully obvious trade partner should Sewell slide.

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said: This might be too on the nose, but I got to think the Broncos are a painfully obvious trade partner should Sewell slide.

I would agree, but only if all 5 QBs are gone. I think Paton wants his QB. So moving from 14 to 9 would cost our first 3rd and our first 4th. Not too terribly expensive. I would do that if it were for Sewell or Slater. 

"As much as the 49ers love Mac Jones, and they do, I believe that the gap between Mac Jones and the other QBs like Trey Lance has been narrowed considerably ... I can tell you over the weekend they did not know who they were going to take."

—@AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/DzTOoxKV8F

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 28, 2021

Bizarre to me that we're 24 hours away from the draft and Jax is still comparing QBs and Shanahan is apparently undecided. At least publicly. 

@"BarrNone55" said: https://twitter.com/i/status/1387404020864671748

About the last 6 or so mocks I've seen have us taking AVT @ #14.

Hill I'll die on: Rousseau at #27 is a far better value. Send the Ravens the #14 and a third, come away with their two 1s. 

Rousseau and Jenkins/Moehrig/WR

@"BarrNone55" said:

Andrew Mason

@MaseDenver

· 29m

.@PFN365’s @TonyPauline says on a media conference call that he thinks the Dolphins would be willing to move down and make a deal with Denver to go from 6 to 9. Pauline notes that the Dolphins don’t want to move down that far; they want to stay in the top 12.

@"MaroonBells" said: Bizarre to me that we're 24 hours away from the draft and Jax is still comparing QBs and Shanahan is apparently undecided. At least publicly. 

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Bizarre to me that we're 24 hours away from the draft and Jax is still comparing QBs and Shanahan is apparently undecided. At least publicly. 

I don't believe that they are undecided. They are trying to generate stories.

@"BarrNone55" said:

@"Vikergirl" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Bizarre to me that we're 24 hours away from the draft and Jax is still comparing QBs and Shanahan is apparently undecided. At least publicly. 

I don't believe that they are undecided. They are trying to generate stories.

I dunno. I think Shanny real wants Jones and Lynch wants Lance. If Shanny is a Cousins fan boi, isn't Mac the younger version of his unrequited love?

Be like Russ...trade up...

@"BarrNone55" said:

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What I’m hearing about the Minnesota Vikings on the eve of the 2021 NFL Draft

By Chad Graff 2h ago@2x.png" style="max-width:100%"> 15 @2x.png" style="max-width:100%">

The long and drawn-out process that leads up to the NFL Draft finally culminates Thursday when the first picks are made. But if the few months of speculation leading to the draft feel elongated, the week before the draft can seem especially extended. In these last few days and hours, conversations pick up around the league, but it can be hard to decipher what is real and what are smokescreens either from scouts trying to hide what their team is doing or from agents trying to stir up the demand for their players. With all of that said, let’s empty the digital notebook on the eve of the draft with a look at what I’m hearing about the Vikings. The Vikings love Rashawn Slater …And to be honest, who doesn’t? In the last month, there has been increased chatter that some around the league actually view the Northwestern offensive tackle as the top player at his position ahead of Oregon’s Penei Sewell, the presumptive top tackle for the last year. While I’m not sure if the Vikings are one of the teams that have Slater graded ahead of Sewell, they really like Slater. This is an important point to keep in mind when viewing any prospect through the lens of what the Vikings might think: Rick Spielman loves to see how a prospect fares against his toughest collegiate competition. That’s part of why the Vikings drafted Garrett Bradbury, who played very well against Clemson, and, as Spielman noted in our story earlier this week, why he always had a high grade for Justin Jefferson. And when thinking about that aspect, Slater checks the box in a major way. Slater opted out for the 2020 season but had his best 2019 performance against Ohio State’s Chase Young, the NFL’s 2020 defensive rookie of the year, when they faced off in college. Young managed one sack that game and only two tackles. But that’s not the only reason the Vikings are high on Slater. He’s athletic enough to play in their zone-rushing scheme and powerful enough to manage against some of the elite edge rushers the Vikings play twice a year in the NFC North. There’s a reason some teams have Slater ahead of Sewell on their boards. Spielman attended Slater’s pro day, something he tried to do with prospects he’s considering who sat out the 2020 season.

I think the 49'ers know exactly who they're taking. It's just drama unfolding, exactly how the NFL wants it. With it widely known that Jax is taking Lawrence and the Jets going with Wilson, I bet the league made sure teams don't make their intentions known.

Maybe it's not fair, but Justin Fields makes me nervous due to the poor track record of Ohio State QBs in the NFL. I know he should be viewed as his own person, but is there any reason to believe he's different than their previous highly touted QBs who were busts in the NFL? I don't mind the idea of drafting a QB, but I was hoping for someone in the 3rd and 4th round, which maybe isn't reasonable since QB prospects often seem to get bumped up a round or more.

@"PurpleCrush" said: I think the 49'ers know exactly who they're taking. It's just drama unfolding, exactly how the NFL wants it. With it widely known that Jax is taking Lawrence and the Jets going with Wilson, I bet the league made sure teams don't make their intentions known.