2014 NFL Draft Discussion Thread - Round 1

[mefford76]

One note. Think of the type of prospect that Ponder was. Teddy is heads and shoulders above where he was. We got a deal. I was hoping for Carr, but all these guys are a role of the dice.

Also really pleased with the Barr pick. I think he's gonna be amazing.

Now just pray our DBs stay healthy. We maybe could scratch 6-10 this year.

[VikingPaul73]

7.....SEVEN.....1st round picks in the last 3 years!

Need to start CRANKING IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PurpleHalo]

we need some predictions for Round 2!

Morgan Moses
Joel Bitonio
Cyrus Kouandjio

Can any of these guys play LOG?????

They don't have a round 2 pick............

[KSViking]

I like the Teddy Pick. We didn't lose alot, and sounds like out of the guys left, Norv felt he had the best chance with him. I also like his strengths compared to the other guys. Carr has the bt/strongest arm out of everyone this year. But Bridgewater ran the offense in Louisville like a 7th year pro. Watching NFL games, it always shows when some QBs can read the defense. They go up to the line of scrimmage, call out adjustments, make changes, and normally outplay the defenses. Manning, Brees, Luck, to name just a few. While the Ponders of the league walk up to the line of scrimmage and no matter what they see, call cadence and the play goes on. I get the feeling watching Teddys games that he will be a guy who can walk up to the line and make those adjustments prior to the snap,

I still don't like the Barr pick at all. Even if ZImmer likes Thumbers at MLB, and rushers at OLB. Who is going to cover the TEs? Who helps in coverage? That is all I have ever seen this kid do. He is fast, Ill give him that. But I didn't see him shedding blocks when the ball is run at him. I didn't see him dropping into coverage, and if the speed move is failing, he doesn't have a very large bag of other tricks to get to the QB. So as it looks right now. Barr will be the "pass rushing" LB, we will find a "Thumper" at MLB, and usually the "thumpers" can't cover worth crap either.. and the 3rd guy is Greenway, who has lost quite a few steps when it comes to coverage. So unless Greenway is moved to MLB, we have squat when it comes to guys at LB that can defend the pass. Same problem we have had for as long as I can remember. And we wonder why we can't get off the field on 3rd down.

[PurpleKoolaid]

2 3rds, and a 5th. Lets get a few guards and a DB. We have 20 or so LBs so we should be set.

[S197]

We have quite a wait for the next pick but some of the guys that I'd like to see:

Martavis Bryant WR
Chris Borland ILB
David Yankey or Cyril Richardson G
Pierre Desir CB

They may all be gone by the time the 3rd rolls around but you never know.

[mondry]

Would love to see a Guard and a Safety with our two third round picks, I think those two positions need the most improvement now.

[S197]

Jean Baptiste and Joyner in the 3rd and I'll be the happiest person alive.

Jean-Baptise would be a very good fit but the way he seems to be flying up the analyst boards, I'm not so sure he will be around 40 picks from now.

[Mothman]

I don't get your line of thinking, if a player is rated at #20 on our board and it's the #22nd pick of the draft, you see no difference between drafting the guy at #22 compared to drafting him at #9?Cmon man, there are 13 players you scouted and rated HIGHER between then and now. The whole point is to take the players they spend so much time scouting and ranking and USE THAT INFORMATION TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS.

Okay, let's talk about good decisions. Sure, I see the difference between drafting a player at #22 and at #9 but that's not the only difference to consider. The draft shouldn't simply be about drafting the highest-ranked player on your board. Ultimately, it's a team-building process so addressing what your team needs has to be a consideration so, with a limited number of picks, the choice has to be about making the best move in terms of building a team that can win and sustain winning.

I understand the points you made but not all positions on a football team are equal and they shouldn't all be given the same weight. Quarterback is the most important position on a football team, is it not? It's the position that correlates most with winning and losing. That deserves a little extra weight, especially for a team that's been trying to find their "solution" at that position for a long, long time. If a team needs a future starter at the position like the Vikings did, it has to be a significant consideration. Furthermore, if you like a QB enough to spend a first round pick and the cost of another pick (in trade) on him, that better mean you truly believe he can become a quality starter for your team for years to come. If not, why are you paying that price?

So, logically, if QB is the most important position in football, if your team needs a QB and if there's a QB on your board you believe can fill that need and ultimately excel for your team for years, why screw around and risk not getting that player when he was right there for the taking?

Don't get me wrong here. I actually preferred Bridgewater to Manziel and I'm not upset with how this worked out at all. I'm enthused about the Barr pick and I'm enthused about the Bridgewater pick. I just think it's foolish to screw around with the most important position in football like that and to pass on a player you feel has "the right stuff" with the hope that you can trade up and get him later. Sometimes someone else offers a better deal in trade. Sometimes you can't make the trade to get your guy. You can't count on trades so unless you end up overpaying in trade (another draft day sin, correct?) you can only count on one pick per round. That means the players you had ranked at #10, #22 and all the picks in-between will likely be gone before you pick again. It means the first round is your window to get the one player you wanted in that round and if you want to be assured of getting him, you have to take him when your pick comes up. The Vikings must have felt Barr was that guy but IF reports that the Vikings tried to trade up to get Manziel are true, they missed out on the QB they considered the best bet to solve their long term QB issues.

Put simply, if you believe the solution to your team's biggest problem is sitting there, why not take him? Wouldn't that be a good decision?

It's all water under the bridge now. Fortunately, the Vikes were able to pull off a trade to get Bridgewater and hopefully, that will turn out to be a great move. Hopefully, drafting Barr will too. I think they both have great potential.

[Webbfann]

You're assuming that they thought our need for a QB is as great as you think our need is for a QB. The way they picked in makes perfect sense to me, because I think our need to draft a QB this year was less immediate because we have Cassel to hold us over and he might do more than that while none of this year's QBs are guaranteed successes. I just don't think they were that worried about losing TB (or JM). It would be quite illogical to pick him higher based on your perception of need instead of their own.

Okay, let's talk about good decisions. Sure, I see the difference between drafting a player at #22 and at #9 but that's not the only difference to consider. The draft shouldn't simply be about drafting the highest-ranked player on your board. Ultimately, it's a team-building process so addressing what your team needs has to be a consideration so, with a limited number of picks, the choice has to be about making the best move in terms of building a team that can win and sustain winning.

I understand the points you made but not all positions on a football team are equal and they shouldn't all be given the same weight. Quarterback is the most important position on a football team, is it not? It's the position that correlates most with winning and losing. That deserves a little extra weight, especially for a team that's been trying to find their "solution" at that position for a long, long time. If a team needs a future starter at the position like the Vikings did, it has to be a significant consideration. Furthermore, if you like a QB enough to spend a first round pick and the cost of another pick (in trade) on him, that better mean you truly believe he can become a quality starter for your team for years to come. If not, why are you paying that price?

So, logically, if QB is the most important position in football, if your team needs a QB and if there's a QB on your board you believe can fill that need and ultimately excel for your team for years, why screw around and risk not getting that player when he was right there for the taking?

Don't get me wrong here. I actually preferred Bridgewater to Manziel and I'm not upset with how this worked out at all. I'm enthused about the Barr pick and I'm enthused about the Bridgewater pick. I just think it's foolish to screw around with the most important position in football like that and to pass on a player you feel has "the right stuff" with the hope that you can trade up and get him later. Sometimes someone else offers a better deal in trade. Sometimes you can't make the trade to get your guy. You can't count on trades so unless you end up overpaying in trade (another draft day sin, correct?) you can only count on one pick per round. That means the players you had ranked at #10, #22 and all the picks in-between will likely be gone before you pick again. It means the first round is your window to get the one player you wanted in that round and if you want to be assured of getting him, you have to take him when your pick comes up. The Vikings must have felt Barr was that guy but IF reports that the Vikings tried to trade up to get Manziel are true, they missed out on the QB they considered the best bet to solve their long term QB issues.

Put simply, if you believe the solution to your team's biggest problem is sitting there, why not take him? Wouldn't that be a good decision?

It's all water under the bridge now. Fortunately, the Vikes were able to pull off a trade to get Bridgewater and hopefully, that will turn out to be a great move. Hopefully, drafting Barr will too. I think they both have great potential.

[Mothman]

You're assuming that they thought our need for a QB is as great as you think our need is for a QB. The way they picked in makes perfect sense to me, because I think our need to draft a QB this year was less immediate because we have Cassel to hold us over and he might do more than that while none of this year's QBs are guaranteed successes. I just don't think they were that worried about losing TB (or JM). It would be quite illogical to pick him higher based on your perception of need instead of their own.

My comments aren't based on how I view their need at QB. I'm drawing conclusions based on the obvious significance of the position in the NFL and on the Vikings actions. Spielman, Zimmer and Turner all said the team needed a young QB. They made it clear they would take a QB in this draft. They heavily scouted the QBs in this draft. Their reported effort to trade up, if true, is further evidence that they considered their need for a QB significant. Their actual trade up to select Bridgewater pretty much closes the case on how important they felt it was to get a QB yesterday. It removes any doubt and none of that has anything to do with me.

They obviously felt they could draft Barr and still get Manziel or Bridgewater and they were obviously okay with either one. All of that is fine. I'm simply saying if the team felt QB was a priority (and they clearly did) and if there was a QB they believed was the best choice at the position for them in this draft, I believe they should have made sure to get that player. YMMV and that's fine too.

[VikingPaul73]

They don't have a round 2 pick............

Well I posted this before the trade to #32, so................

[Pondering Her Percy]

2 3rds, and a 5th. Lets get a few guards and a DB. We have 20 or so LBs so we should be set.

A few guards? We only need 1 to play LG. We have solid depth outside of that.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Jean Baptiste and Joyner in the 3rd and I'll be the happiest person alive.

You read my mind. That's exactly who I would be targeting. I wouldn't mind Pierre Desir either. I think our next pick will be a safety or CB no doubt.

[Webbfann]

My comments aren't based on how I view their need at QB. I'm drawing conclusions based on the obvious significance of the position in the NFL and on the Vikings actions. Spielman, Zimmer and Turner all said the team needed a young QB. They made it clear they would take a QB in this draft. They heavily scouted the QBs in this draft. Their reported effort to trade up, if true, is further evidence that they considered their need for a QB significant. Their actual trade up to select Bridgewater pretty much closes the case on how important they felt it was to get a QB yesterday. It removes any doubt and none of that has anything to do with me.

They obviously felt they could draft Barr and still get Manziel or Bridgewater and they were obviously okay with either one. All of that is fine. I'm simply saying if the team felt QB was a priority (and they clearly did) and if there was a QB they believed was the best choice at the position for them in this draft, I believe they should have made sure to get that player. YMMV and that's fine too.

You don't think defense was a higher priority than a QB in a class with no sure QBs?