Wont it be interesting to look back on this in 36 mos?

Just remember, we are all Vikings fans here and there are very few times that don't hurt when we look back.

For better or for worse this will be one of those defining drafts that we'll talk about for years probably.

Now we wait....the odds of hitting on a 1st round QB is 46%. It goes up only 3 percentage points in the top 10, at least according to one source. Is JJ McCarthy the future of the franchise? Or will be in the market again in 3 years?  Flip a coin.

MaroonBells wrote:
Now we wait....the odds of hitting on a 1st round QB is 46%. It goes up only 3 percentage points in the top 10, at least according to one source. Is JJ McCarthy the future of the franchise? Or will be in the market again in 3 years?  Flip a coin.

My thinking on this has evolved over time.

Still a crapshoot? Yah, sure it is - but why?

Do most of em just suck?  I'll bet  the % would go up considerably with the proper up-bringing and surround. NFL teams dont do well with the nurture.

StickierBuns wrote:
Don't deny yourself hope as a fan. Just like stocks, past results (or lack thereof) are no indicator of future performance. You're only a 'cursed' franchise until you aren't anymore. Just have to kick that Eeyore mentality in the ass each September until shown otherwise.

This draft could be the catalyst to a future SB run. 

You gotta believe, or I guess dont. 

I'm getting older and choose hope. MY whole reason for starting this thread. Turner and McCarthy could be cornerstone franchise players.

I think it would be a pretty stupid plan, for any team, to not have a contingency plan for if their rookie QB doesn’t work out, given that they bust at a high rate. We absolutely should be thinking about what our next option is if JJM fails to materialize into what we hope he’ll be.

That’s why I’m a fan of frequently drafting QBs that have that potential when they are available to you.

I do agree that JJM will have a significantly better chance of developing into a good QB here rather than at Washington or New England, but sometimes all the nurturing in the world isn’t enough. My gut feeling is pretty positive with JJM. He looks like the guy to me.

When Jim Harbaugh left the Bears and went to The Colts he looked like a totally different player on the field. He definitely had more confidence on the Colts.

medaille wrote:
I think it would be a pretty stupid plan, for any team, to not have a contingency plan for if their rookie QB doesn’t work out, given that they bust at a high rate.  We absolutely should be thinking about what our next option is if JJM fails to materialize into what we hope he’ll be.

That’s why I’m a fan of frequently drafting QBs that have that potential when they are available to you.

I do agree that JJM will have a significantly better chance of developing into a good QB here rather than at Washington or New England, but sometimes all the nurturing in the world isn’t enough.  My gut feeling is pretty positive with JJM.  He looks like the guy to me.

I have a feeling Sam Darnold is going to outplay his $10M contract and get a low-end starter deal at end of the year from a team who thinks he'll be able to continue that elsewhere. But if he doesn't; if he's hit and miss and doesn't draw a starter deal, I'd love to have him as a long-term backup to JJ at around $10M per.

Also curious to see if Jaren Hall improves this summer.

MaroonBells wrote:

I have a feeling Sam Darnold is going to outplay his $10M contract and get a low-end starter deal at end of the year from a team who thinks he'll be able to continue that elsewhere. But if he doesn't; if he's hit and miss and doesn't draw a starter deal, I'd love to have him as a long-term backup to JJ at around $10M per.

Also curious to see if Jaren Hall improves this summer.

My gut feeling is that JJM hits the ground running and Darnold doesn't get to see the field that much.  I think we'll either get a Russell Wilson situation where he's just the surprise starter week 1 or week 4-5 he's starting because he's looking good more than Darnold is looking bad.  I wouldn't be surprised to see us start the season with Darnold, McCarthy, and Mullens on the roster and Hall on the practice squad and quickly cutting Mullens to bring Hall onto active roster once Darnold settles into the primary backup role.

StickierBuns wrote:
https://twitter.com/TPPSkol/status/1787823999432417763

"I had to think twice because I had him pegged as a volume guy when it came to draft picks," said an AFC executive whose team had correspondence with the Vikings on draft week. "It looks like he's shifted his thinking to where, the reality is it's hard to win without players you can build around."

Why does it have to mean he's shifted his thinking? Isn't it also possible that when it makes sense to trade down, he'll trade down and when it makes sense to trade up, he'll trade up? I think those decisions are made based on where the value is in each particular draft, and not on some overriding philosophy. At least I would hope so.

MaroonBells wrote:

"I had to think twice because I had him pegged as a volume guy when it came to draft picks," said an AFC executive whose team had correspondence with the Vikings on draft week. "It looks like he's shifted his thinking to where, the reality is it's hard to win without players you can build around."

Why does it have to mean he's shifted his thinking? Isn't it also possible that when it makes sense to trade down, he'll trade down and when it makes sense to trade up, he'll trade up? I think those decisions are made based on where the value is in each particular draft, and not on some overriding philosophy. At least I would hope so.

I think the reality is he got his ego spanked trying to get cutesy with his first draft when none of the trade backs or players he selected worked out for him (or us) and based on that, he has adjusted how he operates. I hope we can just chalk that first draft up as a learning experience never to be replicated again. Doesn't mean you don't trade up or down, but just be smart about it. Much happier with this latest draft and he does seem to be improving

supafreak84 wrote:

I think the reality is he got his ego spanked trying to get cutesy with his first draft when none of the trade backs or players he selected worked out for him (or us) and based on that, he has adjusted how he operates. I hope we can just chalk that first draft up as a learning experience never to be replicated again. Doesn't mean you don't trade up or down, but just be smart about it. Much happier with this latest draft and he does seem to be improving

Ego, spanked and cutesy are not words I would use. He traded up this year because it made sense to. The mistake in 2022 wasn't the trade down itself, it was the players he took, and what he got in return for the 1st move down. And yes, hopefully he's learned from that. The '23 draft was a big improvement in terms of the players we selected. But let's not forget, he tried to trade up last year too. We don't know anything about '24 yet, but I will say any time the best defensive player in the draft falls all the way to 17 and you can move a couple middle rounders to put him on your roster, you do that...every single time.

StickierBuns wrote:

Yeah, I don't get how some fans have KAM egotistical and 'cutesy', lol. He's drafted his QB and he's got a ton of cap money next year, that will be KAM's legacy for better or worse. He had to dig out of cap hell first.

And then there's this:
https://twitter.com/TPPSkol/status/1787967169730331071?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1787967169730331071%7Ctwgr%5E92cabc61ecdcc4a5ccfa8d1d259d2f2818e54b19%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2F1cmr01g%2F%3Fresponsive%3Dtrueis_nightmode%3Dfalse

I said that in reference to his first draft where he got "cutesy" with the trade downs. I hated the value, the players we drafted, and the fact that we traded down with division rivals. I think we've seen gradual progress though with his learning curve which gives me some hope moving forward

My KAM grades
2022 draft - "F-" only because I can't grade him lower.
2023 draft - "B" Addison and Blackmon were good picks.
2024 FA - "A-" Aaron Jones, Van Ginkel, Cashman,
2024 FA - "F" letting Hunter go without compensation.
2024 FA - "A+" Getting rid of Cousins.
2024 draft - "A+" Getting JJ without losing 23 and 2025 1, & preventing Denver from jumping us. Dallas Turner.

StickierBuns wrote:

I wouldn't even argue with this at all. The 2022 Draft today looks fucking brutal. 

I think Supa mentions it and I think even his detractors would agree KAM has gotten better. He faded a lot of heat from some a few months ago but things needed to play out a bit before he really could be evaluated....and it has. Next year will be another CRUCIAL Draft (at least the 1st round selection) and especially FA period. KAM can come out of this as the hero if JJM hits and he nails the 2025 offseason. So important to use that rookie QB salary window.

KAM had a great draft this year, even if some in the media didn't like us giving up a bunch of mid round picks.  JJM and Turner have elite upside IMO and getting both after losing Hunter and Cousins in FA made us younger, cheaper, and hopefully as good (or better) in 2025.  A+ draft in my opinion.  Hopefully it's an A+ 3 years from now.

Like Supa, I hated his first draft.  At the time, I said if we were going Safety with our first pick, we had a chance to draft another Golden Domer who while not the "fastest" guy...  he was a playmaker and just looked like a guy who was gonna be a stud (like another Golden Domer we drafted who's been an All-Pro S).  But we traded back, and not just with anyone, but with a division rival, AND we didn't get a future first.  Ingram is a solid guard, but that's the only pick that has panned out at all unless you count Evans.  Two mediocre, replacement level players out of how many picks?  Yeesh.

Loved the Hock trade and he got Addison, Pace, and Blackmon in 2023.  Much better draft, even though it's early we already have two impact players in Addison and Pace and Blackmon has chance to be a starter this year. Thought he played well last year as a rookie. Much better than Evans and Booth from the 2022 draft.

If KAM gets JJ signed and Darrisaw locked up next year AND JJM and Turner become our franchise QB and star edge, I'll eat some crow on KAM for ripping him in 2022 and early 2023.  At this point, he's to trending up so hopefully this year's picks pan out and we're back on a trajectory to compete for a Super Bowl in 2025 and beyond.

I havent been this excited about rookies since 98....The whispers came out early and often how #18 was a man among boys at OTA's, TC etc..

I'm hoping for more of that lol!

purplefaithful wrote:
I havent been this excited about rookies since 98....The whispers came out early and often how #18 was a man among boys at OTA's, TC etc..

I'm hoping for more of that lol!

I remember in an intra-squad game with the Saints in training camp, Moss supposedly scored 6 TDs.

Predictions L-R
Falls off his wallet and breaks both ankles
Coaxes an 85 passer rating out of Darnold
Looks great holding an iPad for 15 games
7 sacks in rotational duty, lotsa pressures
Starts a side gig called Mensah’s Mensas
Sprains both ankles catching Zyggie.