3rd Round Pick: RB Alexander Mattison

[Pondering Her Percy]

Same here. I feel the same way with Smith. He's that atheltic, vertical threat TE we never had with Rudy. I've seen more than once where analysts had Smith rated ahead of Fant. Take it with a grain of salt but still. Bradbury and Samia both have that nastiness to them which this OL hasnt had in a very long time. Mattison is exactly what you said above. I would have never guessed we go 4 offensive guys in the first 4 picks and if someone told me we would, I dont think I'd agree with it, but it's hard not to agree with these first 4 picks. This team is going to pound the ball and with Cousins ability to throw the ball, Thielen, Diggs, Rudy, Smith and Cook and Mattison also catching out of the backfield, with a much improved OL, I love the looks of our offense right now. Third WR definitely lacks right now but I wonder how much we would utilize one. Thats where I would like to see someone step up like Mitchell, Beebe, etc.

Bradbury and Samia aren't the kind of players that will knock defenders off the ball, but both excel at reaching defenders with their quickness and athleticism, and then sealing blocks. I can't wait to see O'Neill or Reiff pulling out on lead blocks from the tackle position, and I can't wait to see Cousins bootleg off of that action and have an easy half field read where he can use what he does well to maximum effect.

I think athleticism is definitely one of their best traits but strength is another. Bradbury put up the 2nd most reps at the combine on the bench of any offense lineman. Samia was 7th. These guys are nasty and block until the whistle. They will pull and blow someone up if we're running outside and they will drive you into the ground in short yardage.

[VikingsVictorious]

Bradbury and Samia aren't the kind of players that will knock defenders off the ball, but both excel at reaching defenders with their quickness and athleticism, and then sealing blocks. I can't wait to see O'Neill or Reiff pulling out on lead blocks from the tackle position, and I can't wait to see Cousins bootleg off of that action and have an easy half field read where he can use what he does well to maximum effect.

I think athleticism is definitely one of their best traits but strength is another. Bradbury put up the 2nd most reps at the combine on the bench of any offense lineman. Samia was 7th. These guys are nasty and block until the whistle. They will pull and blow someone up if we're running outside and they will drive you into the ground in short yardage.

Bradbury is strong, but he has a huge advantage in the bench vs most of the other OL. He has shorter arms. Check out the arm length of the best benchers. They almost always have shorter arms. Bradbury is comparably a T-Rex at 31.75. I still love him.
Samia at 28 reps with 33 inch arms is pretty equivalent strength to Bradbury and the guys with the 35 arm length don't have much of a chance typically doing 20 reps or less.

[dead_poet]

Good thread on Mattison. Check it out.

https://twitter.com/FriesFootball/statu ... 14466?s=19

[VikingsVictorious]

Good thread on Mattison. Check it out.

https://twitter.com/FriesFootball/statu ... 14466?s=19

Despite liking Mattison he thought we should have taken Butler and Ozigbo later.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Good thread on Mattison. Check it out.

https://twitter.com/FriesFootball/statu ... 14466?s=19

Despite liking Mattison he thought we should have taken Butler and Ozigbo later.

Again, is Butler that big of a need when that's not the type of offense we're running? As for Ozigbo, I did like him coming out but at the same time he went undrafted, which isnt really a good sign.

[VikingsVictorious]

Despite liking Mattison he thought we should have taken Butler and Ozigbo later.

Again, is Butler that big of a need when that's not the type of offense we're running? As for Ozigbo, I did like him coming out but at the same time he went undrafted, which isnt really a good sign.

Butler is very intriguing. I get how many people are jacked up over him. A IMO much more sexy pick than Mattison. I'm going to go with Mattison/Mitchell over Butler/Ozigbo. It will be interesting to see if Ozigbo catches on with a team and does anything.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Again, is Butler that big of a need when that's not the type of offense we're running? As for Ozigbo, I did like him coming out but at the same time he went undrafted, which isnt really a good sign.

Butler is very intriguing. I get how many people are jacked up over him. A IMO much more sexy pick than Mattison. I'm going to go with Mattison/Mitchell over Butler/Ozigbo. It will be interesting to see if Ozigbo catches on with a team and does anything.

Ozigbo was signed as an UDFA by New Orleans. Not sure if he will be seeing the field much with Kamara and Murray there.

[CharVike]

There isn't a team out there that will trade for a slug TE. He needs to take a huge CAP drop or get cut. That's throwing CAP away on garbage.

Well who is out there that we could bring in with the savings right now that would replace what he gave us last year?

64 receptions

634 yards

9.9 ypc

44 long

4 tds

Not bad production for a slug.

Conklin.Give the kid a shot.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Well who is out there that we could bring in with the savings right now that would replace what he gave us last year?

64 receptions

634 yards

9.9 ypc

44 long

4 tds

Not bad production for a slug.

Conklin.Give the kid a shot.

Rudolph is past his prime but he's far from a slug. If he was a slug, teams wouldnt be calling Spielman to trade for him. The guy is still a reliable target with excellent hands. And it now gives us 2 different style TEs that we can use in this offense. Rudolph was the #2 TE in the entire NFL in catch rate.

I always find it funny when guys are like, "use Conklin" or "give Sloter a shot" and so on. Based off what?! You say that and then you'll be the first to call everyone on this coaching staff an idiot because the guy didnt work out. The guy had 5 catches last year. Sloter has never thrown a ball in a meaningful game. Sure they show a little promise in preseason but those guys are for emergency situations only IMO.

[CharVike]

Conklin.Give the kid a shot.

Rudolph is past his prime but he's far from a slug. If he was a slug, teams wouldnt be calling Spielman to trade for him. The guy is still a reliable target with excellent hands. And it now gives us 2 different style TEs that we can use in this offense. Rudolph was the #2 TE in the entire NFL in catch rate.

I always find it funny when guys are like, "use Conklin" or "give Sloter a shot" and so on. Based off what?! You say that and then you'll be the first to call everyone on this coaching staff an idiot because the guy didnt work out. The guy had 5 catches last year. Sloter has never thrown a ball in a meaningful game. Sure they show a little promise in preseason but those guys are for emergency situations only IMO.

All these teams are calling and Speilman said no. What was the offer? If a team offered a 2nd and he said no then he should be fired. They might have offered a 7th and we pay half the CAP. Again what was the offer. IMO you are talking two different position TE vs QB. IMO QBs take longer to develop. Maybe that isn't true anymore. Plus Sloter hardly played in college and is a 3 year project minimum before he can take a snap if everything works perfectly. Whats the chance of that. Conklin played 3 years in college and put up some stats. Played some last year. I liked the pick. But he probably sucks and that's why he lasted until round 5. But I do like him and wouldn't mind if he played. You act like I said use Bradon Dillion. He shouldn't be on a roster and was just there to fill a slot. I find your comparison funny because it's a guy that won't see the field for years vs a guy who has already seen the field and caught a few passes. Nothing great but it's a start and nobody was expecting him to tear it up year one. I think he will improve this year. I know what Rudy is. I've seen it for long enough.

[Maelstrom88]

Well who is out there that we could bring in with the savings right now that would replace what he gave us last year?

64 receptions

634 yards

9.9 ypc

44 long

4 tds

Not bad production for a slug.

Conklin.Give the kid a shot.

We don't need to bring in Conklin because he's already on the team. Who out there right now could they bring in with the savings from cutting him that would add more to the team than the combination of his production, veteran leadership, and what he means to the chemistry?

[CharVike]

Conklin.Give the kid a shot.

We don't need to bring in Conklin because he's already on the team. Who out there right now could they bring in with the savings from cutting him that would add more to the team than the combination of his production, veteran leadership, and what he means to the chemistry?

I know he's on the team and I never said bring him in. How about Suh? We need help at DT. Is he the greatest in the world no. But he can still play great at times. How about Ezekiel Ansah as a situational pass rusher. You never have enough of them. Crabtree to play the slot. I could go on but there are guys out there. No super stars because they get signed right off the bat. That's when it should have been done. Could have kept Richardson. But Rudy isn't going anywhere. He's here until he packs it in. He's a favorite for some reason.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Rudolph is past his prime but he's far from a slug. If he was a slug, teams wouldnt be calling Spielman to trade for him. The guy is still a reliable target with excellent hands. And it now gives us 2 different style TEs that we can use in this offense. Rudolph was the #2 TE in the entire NFL in catch rate.

I always find it funny when guys are like, "use Conklin" or "give Sloter a shot" and so on. Based off what?! You say that and then you'll be the first to call everyone on this coaching staff an idiot because the guy didnt work out. The guy had 5 catches last year. Sloter has never thrown a ball in a meaningful game. Sure they show a little promise in preseason but those guys are for emergency situations only IMO.

All these teams are calling and Speilman said no. What was the offer? If a team offered a 2nd and he said no then he should be fired. They might have offered a 7th and we pay half the CAP. Again what was the offer. IMO you are talking two different position TE vs QB. IMO QBs take longer to develop. Maybe that isn't true anymore. Plus Sloter hardly played in college and is a 3 year project minimum before he can take a snap if everything works perfectly. Whats the chance of that. Conklin played 3 years in college and put up some stats. Played some last year. I liked the pick. But he probably sucks and that's why he lasted until round 5. But I do like him and wouldn't mind if he played. You act like I said use Bradon Dillion. He shouldn't be on a roster and was just there to fill a slot. I find your comparison funny because it's a guy that won't see the field for years vs a guy who has already seen the field and caught a few passes. Nothing great but it's a start and nobody was expecting him to tear it up year one. I think he will improve this year. I know what Rudy is. I've seen it for long enough.

Again, nobody knows how they are going to utilize Rudy and Smith. If there were better options on the roster, then maybe they would trade him but maybe they dont have much faith in Conklin. Rudy is one of the most reliable pass catchers out there. He still brings value to this team. I think he should take a pay cut but I dont think we should release him outright. Why not get him to take a cut and THEN sign someone at another position. Then you keep a reliable TE plus sign a flier at another position.

[fiestavike]

All these teams are calling and Speilman said no. What was the offer? If a team offered a 2nd and he said no then he should be fired. They might have offered a 7th and we pay half the CAP. Again what was the offer. IMO you are talking two different position TE vs QB. IMO QBs take longer to develop. Maybe that isn't true anymore. Plus Sloter hardly played in college and is a 3 year project minimum before he can take a snap if everything works perfectly. Whats the chance of that. Conklin played 3 years in college and put up some stats. Played some last year. I liked the pick. But he probably sucks and that's why he lasted until round 5. But I do like him and wouldn't mind if he played. You act like I said use Bradon Dillion. He shouldn't be on a roster and was just there to fill a slot. I find your comparison funny because it's a guy that won't see the field for years vs a guy who has already seen the field and caught a few passes. Nothing great but it's a start and nobody was expecting him to tear it up year one. I think he will improve this year. I know what Rudy is. I've seen it for long enough.

Again, nobody knows how they are going to utilize Rudy and Smith. If there were better options on the roster, then maybe they would trade him but maybe they dont have much faith in Conklin. Rudy is one of the most reliable pass catchers out there. He still brings value to this team. I think he should take a pay cut but I dont think we should release him outright. Why not get him to take a cut and THEN sign someone at another position. Then you keep a reliable TE plus sign a flier at another position.

Morgan. The last time this team ran the ball well Morgan was integral to that success. He is also our best route runner at TE and solid after the catch. Hopefully he recovers fully from his knee injury.

[Maelstrom88]

We don't need to bring in Conklin because he's already on the team. Who out there right now could they bring in with the savings from cutting him that would add more to the team than the combination of his production, veteran leadership, and what he means to the chemistry?

I know he's on the team and I never said bring him in. How about Suh? We need help at DT. Is he the greatest in the world no. But he can still play great at times. How about Ezekiel Ansah as a situational pass rusher. You never have enough of them. Crabtree to play the slot. I could go on but there are guys out there. No super stars because they get signed right off the bat. That's when it should have been done. Could have kept Richardson. But Rudy isn't going anywhere. He's here until he packs it in. He's a favorite for some reason.

I would say that all of the guys listed are just as "washed up" as Rudy and I'd prefer what he brings over them. I thought Richardson was overrated as well and wasn't upset that he got away.