Jalyn Holmes, 3T

@"MaroonBells" said: It's easy to forget about Holmes. I was surprised by the pick because, one, he was mostly a rotational player at OSU. How does a guy project to the NFL when he isn't even a fulltime starter on his college team? And two, I assumed Richardson and JJ would be our 3Ts and what we needed was nose and edge depth. Making the pick even more frustrating, standout NT Harrison Phillips was there for the taking before we traded out of the 3rd. 

However, it's all starting to come together. It's pretty clear now that the Vikings want JJ to be Joseph's backup at nose, and Holmes, who moved all over the field for the Buckeyes, will be staying put at 3T for the Vikings. 6-5, 285 with long arms, 4.8 speed and a FILTHY spin move. Needless to say, this pick is really growing on me...

Here he is turning Will Hernandez into a 2nd round pick...

https://twitter.com/PatDStat/status/956261678320111616

Here he is making Austin Corbett, who had a tremendous Senior Bowl otherwise, look pretty silly...

https://twitter.com/NCAAFNation247/status/957360841896153093

Here he drops Brandon Parker's stock on his way to dropping the Spider man... 

https://twitter.com/540Jason/status/957374367138271233

Maybe our new Alan "Spin Move" Page!! One can only hope

@"NorthernCalVike" said: Maybe our new Alan "Spin Move" Page!! One can only hope

Nice finds, Maroon.  I did a little looking into Holmes pre-draft since he seemed to fit the Zimmer mold for DE.  I'm surprised we are moving him to 3T so soon, but he looks pretty good inside against some good college offensive linemen.

This draft class could look pretty good in another year or two.

I actually like him better at LDE, but there is a logjam there so I understand.

@"Scoog" said:

@"NorthernCalVike" said: Maybe our new Alan "Spin Move" Page!! One can only hope

It's too much to hope that he's as good as HOFs like Page or Randle.  We'll be happy if he's the next Keith Millard.

@"Wetlander" said: Nice finds, Maroon.  I did a little looking into Holmes pre-draft since he seemed to fit the Zimmer mold for DE.  I'm surprised we are moving him to 3T so soon, but he looks pretty good inside against some good college offensive linemen.

This draft class could look pretty good in another year or two.

Hughes' best case scenario this year is beating out Alexander for the nickel back role and becoming the best kick returner we've had since Patterson. A healthy contribution, but not quite what you expect from a 1st rounder. His impact will be felt more next season. Same with O'Neill. I'd be surprised if O'Neill plays much at all his first season (except for maybe the "heavy" TE role Collins played last year), but he should be able to take over one of the tackles spots next year. 

It's the next three picks that I think will have the biggest impact in 2018. Holmes will likely provide pass rush breathers for Richardson, keeping him fresh. Conklin will probably be the "Trey Burton" in Flip's offense, and Carlson is a real weapon at kicker. He said he was making 75 yarders in Colorado. That's kicking from the opponent's 42 yard line. At the very least, field goal range at most elevations just went from the 35 to the 45.

By the way, I loved Spielman's stumble in the PA interview. Talking about Carlson he said something like "he has a good chance to come in and unsea...compete with Kai."

I would not put any stock into the actual Senior Bowl game.

The practices do show some things but it does not equal the total picture of the player.

Holmes may have beat Hernandez on one play but how would he hold up going up against him for four quarters?

Maybe by the 4th quarter he would be pretty tired of getting man handled by Hernandez?

It is interesting that they did not show many running plays because that is where Hernandez would own him.

Holmes has a long ways to go and I still cannot figure out why they chose him over Hurst if they wanted a 3T.

Must be the heart issue.

@"MarkSP18" said: Must be the heart issue.

I spoke to over 10 scouts, coaches and executives regarding Hurst. One, in a heated rant, labeled the selection “irresponsible” by the Raiders because of Hurst’s heart condition (which hasn’t been publicly shared) and hoped the talented defender would “never put a f—king helmet on again in his life.”
That sentiment was echoed many times over, with one head coach adding, “Only the Raiders would draft a guy who could literally die on the field from a known condition.”

@"MarkSP18" said: I would not put any stock into the actual Senior Bowl game.

The practices do show some things but it does not equal the total picture of the player.

Holmes may have beat Hernandez on one play but how would he hold up going up against him for four quarters?

Maybe by the 4th quarter he would be pretty tired of getting man handled by Hernandez?

It is interesting that they did not show many running plays because that is where Hernandez would own him.

Holmes has a long ways to go and I still cannot figure out why they chose him over Hurst if they wanted a 3T.

Must be the heart issue.

And as far as the Senior Bowl goes, the tape of Holmes beating Hernandez WAS a practice. That wasn't game film. Holmes and Hernandez were on the same team. What's more, yeah, Hernandez is going to win a lot of those battles too, especially in the run game. Bottom line is that Holmes went one on one against a highly regarded lineman and made him look silly. You don't have to take any more from it than that. 

@"Ponifan" said: I actually like him better at LDE, but there is a logjam there so I understand.

IMO the challenge for Holmes will be putting on some weight. At 283, he's another Tom Johnson, part-time player. If he adds some lower-body muscle and gets to about 295 - without losing quickness - he could become a good full-time 3T.

@"Jor-El" said:

@"Ponifan" said: I actually like him better at LDE, but there is a logjam there so I understand.

He's not what Zimmer and Patterson like at DE: <265 and fast as LBs.

IMO the challenge for Holmes will be putting on some weight. At 283, he's another Tom Johnson, part-time player. If he adds some lower-body muscle and gets to about 295 - without losing quickness - he could become a good full-time 3T.

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"Ponifan" said: I actually like him better at LDE, but there is a logjam there so I understand.

He's not what Zimmer and Patterson like at DE: <265 and fast as LBs.

IMO the challenge for Holmes will be putting on some weight. At 283, he's another Tom Johnson, part-time player. If he adds some lower-body muscle and gets to about 295 - without losing quickness - he could become a good full-time 3T.

He's the exact same size as Malik Jackson, the pro bowl DT for the Titans. Holmes 6-5, 283, 34 inch arms. Jackson 6-5, 284, 33 inch arms.

@"MaroonBells" said:

He's the exact same size as Malik Jackson, the pro bowl DT for the Titans. Holmes 6-5, 283, 34 inch arms. Jackson 6-5, 284, 33 inch arms.

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

He's the exact same size as Malik Jackson, the pro bowl DT for the Titans. Holmes 6-5, 283, 34 inch arms. Jackson 6-5, 284, 33 inch arms.

He's almost a physical/athletic clone of Datone Jones as well...  who the Vikings tried to convert to a 3T last offseason.  If he takes well to coaching and is a quick learner, he could earn some snaps as a pass rushing specialist in his rookie season.  There is a lot to like about this kid.

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

He's the exact same size as Malik Jackson, the pro bowl DT for the Titans. Holmes 6-5, 283, 34 inch arms. Jackson 6-5, 284, 33 inch arms.

He's almost a physical/athletic clone of Datone Jones as well...  who the Vikings tried to convert to a 3T last offseason.  If he takes well to coaching and is a quick learner, he could earn some snaps as a pass rushing specialist in his rookie season.  There is a lot to like about this kid.

Could've done without that comparison, Wetlander. Don't know what Jones problem was. He actually had several standout moments during his Senior Bowl week as well. Cautionary tale I guess. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"MarkSP18" said: I would not put any stock into the actual Senior Bowl game.

The practices do show some things but it does not equal the total picture of the player.

Holmes may have beat Hernandez on one play but how would he hold up going up against him for four quarters?

Maybe by the 4th quarter he would be pretty tired of getting man handled by Hernandez?

It is interesting that they did not show many running plays because that is where Hernandez would own him.

Holmes has a long ways to go and I still cannot figure out why they chose him over Hurst if they wanted a 3T.

Must be the heart issue.

Wha?? Of course it was the heart issue. That came out weeks before the draft.

And as far as the Senior Bowl goes, the tape of Holmes beating Hernandez WAS a practice. That wasn't game film. Holmes and Hernandez were on the same team. What's more, yeah, Hernandez is going to win a lot of those battles too, especially in the run game. Bottom line is that Holmes went one on one against a highly regarded lineman and made him look silly. You don't have to take any more from it than that. 

@"kmillard" said:

@"Scoog" said:

@"NorthernCalVike" said: Maybe our new Alan "Spin Move" Page!! One can only hope

It's too much to hope that he's as good as HOFs like Page or Randle.  We'll be happy if he's the next Keith Millard.

Let me know when Jayln Has 18 sacks and is NFL defensive MVP.

man that's got to be an awesome moment to go through