PHP's Early Mock Offseason
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PHP's Early Mock Offseason
PLEASE READ the reflections at the end to know where I was coming from in some of these decisions. This is meant to be fun. I always say, I'm not saying this is what's going to happen. Will it be correct, no. I have hit on a decent number of picks over the years (Daniel Carlson, Waynes, Patterson, Hodges, Harrison Smith, Floyd, Lee, etc.) but it's next to impossible to ever get these anywhere near correct but I know you guys enjoy the read. I look to assess our current needs as best as I can and keeping it as realistic as possible.
I will say, I do a lot of research on these guys and if you look at my previous mocks, many of the guys I have us selecting may not be making an impact for us but they are making a big impact elsewhere.
REMEMBER ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!!!
The Vikings finish 10-6 and receive the 25th pick in the 2020 NFL draft
2020 Vikings Free Agents/Cuts/Restructures/Trades
TRADES
***Vikings trade CB Xavier Rhodes and a 2020 6th round pick to the Houston Texans for DE Charles Omenihu and a 2020 5th round pick
-We met with Omenihu in the pre-draft process last year quite a bit actually so the trade makes sense. This also gives us another solid pass rusher on a rookie contract and doesnt force us into paying Weatherly.
TOTAL SAVINGS ~$7.5 million
EXTENSIONS
QB- Kirk Cousins- 1 year, saves $7 million
RB- Dalvin Cook- 4 years, $30 million (backloaded, first year is only counting for $5 million)
TOTAL SAVINGS ~$2 million
RESTRUCTURED
DE- Everson Griffen- Saves $8 million
S- Harrison Smith- Saves $4 million
TOTAL SAVINGS ~$12 million
CUTS
DT- Linval Joseph- Saves $10.5 million. This was a tough one for me. I was contemplating releasing Griffen instead but it came down to health for me and Griff has stayed much healthier than Joseph has and you can never have enough pass rushers. Wouldnt be surprised if we found a way to re-sign Joseph but I thought our run defense was excellent vs. Zeke with Jaleel in there. And when you have such a good run defender in Kendricks that makes the decision a little easier as well.
LT- Riley Reiff- Saves $8.8 million. I have a good plan here that you will see in FA. Better bang for our buck.
DT- Shamar Stephen- Saves $2.3 million Stephen’s contract is structured where there is a potential out in 2020, I say we pull the trigger there. Stephen is more suited for Linval’s position IMO but
TOTAL SAVINGS ~$21.6 million
All of this gives us roughly $33.7 million in cap space. The rest I’m not going to figure because 1.) My brain hurts and 2.) It’s too hard to figure those lower end contracts against the cap and what we could and couldnt pull off
Restricted Free Agents
FB- CJ Ham- re-signed, original round tender
LB- Eric Wilson- re-signed, original round tender
Unrestricted Free Agents
Re-Signed
S- Anthony Harris- 5 years
CB- Mackensie Alexander- 4 years
QB- Sean Mannion- 1 year (before anyone calls this one out, the reason I am doing it is because in this situation Cousins signs an extension so I dont believe we will look to draft a QB early until the following offseason)
K- Dan Bailey- 2 years
P- Britton Colquitt- 1 year
Let Walk
CB- Trae Waynes- I would love to keep him but just wont be able to afford it
DE- Stephen Weatherly- Would have liked to keep him but after trading for Omenihu, it’s easy to let him walk.
SS- Jayron Kearse- for whatever reason he’s been crying and acting like a diva on social media saying the “organization doesnt appreciate him and that he wont be back”. Yeah dude, lets play the “poor me” card when you’re the idiot that got busted for driving drunk.
SS- Andrew Sendejo- getting older and not as effective
G/C- Brett Jones- for whatever stupid reason we dont give the guy a chance so might as well let him walk
OG- Dakota Dozier- thought he filled in well but we will move to Samia in that backup role.
WR- Laquon Treadwell- never panned out. Thought about resigning him for cheap as a #4-5 WR but he must be on the coaches bad side again if he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs.
LB- Kentrell Brothers- special teams guy that is expendable.
OT- Rashod Hill- I could see him looking to go start somewhere instead of being a backup
RB- Ameer Abdullah- thought he returned well at the end of the year but we will look to draft a guy later on or sign someone to take on returns
TE- David Morgan- sure he might be a good blocker but hasnt played in a while due to an injury more serious than we thought.
PR- Marcus Sherels- loved the guy at one point but I think it’s time for him to hang them up.
OT- Halapoulivaati Vaitai- 3 years. Big “V” is arguably the best backup tackle in the NFL. The Eagles are loaded at that spot with Peters, Lane Johnson and drafting Andre Dilliard last year. Vaitai has played a lot of RT recently but filled in for Peters in 2017 and was a huge part of that SB run. This gives us a much younger option than Reiff and probably cheaper. It also gives us the option to move O’Neill to LT if we want and start Vaitai at RT.
DT/NT- Mike Daniels- 2 years. I use to hate Daniels but he’s damn good. Might be on a slight decline but he can play either DT position. I think he still wants revenge on GB. He was hit with the injury bug this year and likely wont receive another big contract. This could be a huge under the radar signing for us. AND, like Vaitai above, this gives us options come draft day to select the BPA at either 1 tech or 3 tech
CB- Ronald Darby- 1 year. This is a big low risk, high reward type signing. The Eagles were only paying him $6.5 million a year and that was with him coming off a solid year. Given that he’s coming off a down year, we could get him for even cheaper. Darby has been an excellent corner for most of his career. His only down year for the most part was last year in Philly. However, Philly’s entire secondary was just atrocious last year and I just dont think they are well coached in that regard.
S- Darian Thompson- 1 year. Thompson gives us some much needed depth at the safety position.
WR- Tajae Sharpe- 1 year. Tennessee runs a very similar offense to the Vikings and Sharpe seems like a viable option at #3 WR.
OT/OG- Patrick Omameh- 1 year. Simply a depth signing like Dozier last year
KR/RB- JD McKissic- 1 year. McKissic will serve as our KR after letting Abdullah walk
Round 1 (25th)
DT- Javon Kinlaw- South Carolina
Kinlaw is an absolute beast of a DT with tremendous power. He’d be a great fit at 3 tech in this defense. He’s an immediate impact type player that will be a day 1 starter.
-------TRADE-------
Vikings trade their 2nd round pick (58th) and 5th round pick (154th) (via Houston) to the Dallas Cowboys for their 2nd round pick (51st)
Round 2 (51st) (via Dallas)
CB- Paulson Adebo- Stanford
-This CB class is deep so I can see a few falling a bit. Adebo is an absolute stud of a CB that is a natural ball hawk and shutdown type CB. His 2 year stat line…..8 INTs and 27 pass breakups. Cant ask for much better than that.
Round 3 (89th)
OG- Ben Bredeson- Michigan
Bredeson is arguably the best pass blocking guard in this draft. He was a mainstay at LG since his freshman year at Michigan and can do it all. He becomes an immediate upgrade over Elflein.
Round 4
WR- Bryan Edwards- South Carolina
-Edwards is a big body WR that showed well against higher level competition. He is a very polished WR that has been consistent throughout his college career and should make an impact sooner than later.
Round 4 (Compensatory- for Sheldon Richardson)
DE- Bradlee Anae- Utah
-Anae was an absolute beast this year recording 13 sacks however many are saying he will fall due to his skill set limitations. Spielman and Zim see too much potential here to pass up on.
Round 5 (via Houston)
NO SELECTION- Received in the Rhodes trade but then traded to Dallas to move up in round 2 to draft Adebo
Round 5
NO SELECTION- Traded away to Baltimore for Vedvik…..woof
-------TRADE-------
Vikings trade their 7th round pick (via Miami/Isidora trade) and a 2021 6th round pick to the New York Giants for their 6th round pick
Round 6 (via NY Giants)
QB- Jalen Hurts- Oklahoma
-We decide to move up almost an entire round to pull this one off. I wasnt planning on drafting a QB in this draft and waiting until next year but given the amount of late round picks we will have, why not take a shot on Hurts? This is simply a “potential” pick but this is where he is projected to go roughly. He isnt going to impress you as a passer but the success he had in college in hard to ignore.
Round 6
NO SELECTION- Traded away in the Rhodes trade.
-------TRADE-------
Vikings trade their 7th round pick to the Tennessee Titans for BOTH of their 7th round picks
Round 7 (via Tennessee #1)
OT- Charlie Heck- North Carolina
-Heck is a monster standing at 6’8 and has a solid bloodline. His father was an offensive line coach for the Chiefs so the technical part of his game is there. He will provide depth for us and possibly develop into something more.
Round 7 (via Tennessee #2)
S- Jaylinn Hawkins- California
-Similar to Anthony Harris, Hawkins is a true ball hawk (no pun intended) that will probably fall due to “limitations”. This provides some quality depth at the S position.
Round 7 (Compensatory- for Tom Compton)
CB- Jace Whittaker- Arizona
-Whittaker is another big body CB that will give us some more depth at the position.
Round 7 (Compensatory- for Trevor Siemian)
LB- John Houston Jr.- USC
-Houston was a tackling machine this year and gives us depth at the position as well a ST contributor.
Projected 2020 Roster
Bold is free agent signing
Underlined is rookie
Italics is trade
I have 60 players listed but I’m not going to predict who the final 53 are.
OFFENSE- 29
QB- Cousins/Mannion/ Hurts /Browning
RB- Cook/Mattison/Boone/ McKissic
FB- Ham
WR1a- Diggs/ Edwards
WR1b- Thielen/ Beebe
WR3- Sharpe / Johnson
TE- Rudolph/Smith Jr./Conklin
LT- Vaitai /Udoh
LG- Bredeson / Omameh
C- Bradbury/Elflein
RG- Kline/Samia
RT- O’Neill/ Heck /Collins
DEFENSE- 27
DE- Hunter/ Anae / Omenihu
DE- Griffen/Odenigbo
3 tech DT- Kinlaw / Watts/Mata’afa/Holmes
1 tech DT- Daniels/Johnson
SLB- Barr/Wilson
MLB- Kendricks / Houston
WLB- Gedeon/Smith
CB1- Adebo / Darby,
CB2- Hughes/ Hill / Whittaker
SCB- Alexander
FS- Smith/ Hawkins
SS- Harris/ Thompson
SPECIAL TEAMS- 4
K- Bailey
P- Colquitt
LS- Cutting
KR- McKissic
PR- McKissic
OVERALL: This mock was by far the most difficult I have done. Bryzinski is going to have his work cut out for him with these contracts. I simply weighed the options after a lot of back and forth thinking. Out of the potential cap cuts who is the most effective still between Griffen, Joseph, Rhodes, Reiff and Stephen. I think it’s Griffen by a mile. He’s a huge leader on this team, been with the organization his entire career, etc. I know most predict him to be cut but I have a hard time seeing it. PLUS you can NEVER have enough pass rushers on your team and he is still very, very effective at that. Rhodes was terrible all year, Joseph is starting to get hurt more often than not, Reiff is Reiff and Stephen just didnt fit the bill at 3 tech and has little pass rush.
OFFENSE reflection:
QB- If you dont like the Cousins extension, just try to move past it please. I wasnt 100% adamant about doing it but it did save us a much needed $7 million in cap space by doing it. And I also think next year will be the year we draft an early round QB. Resigning Mannion goes along with this. We have too many needs heading into the draft and I dont see QB as an immediate one nor do I think we will have a ton of options early on. I could be completely wrong about all of this but who really knows. Drafting Hurts like I mentioned is simply a low risk possible high reward selection.
RB/FB- Not much changed. It’s one position we’re pretty much set at. We signed McKissic as a KR/PR
WR- Signing Sharpe and drafting Edwards gives us a much deeper WR corps
TE- no change
OT- Reiff very well could be on this team next year but I am just not a Reiff fan at all. Vaitai is much cheaper and a superior talent IMO. Added depth with Heck in the draft. We move Udoh to immediate backup. One thing we have to do this year is let those mid round draft picks take over as backups (Samia and Udoh)
OG- Bredeson is a huge get for us at LG. Elflein moves to backup center (cutting him doesnt save much), add cheap depth in FA like Omameh
C- As mentioned Elflein is now backup center
DEFENSE:
DE- Here is where it REALLY got tough. I think we have to find a way to keep Griff. He is still very effective where other cap cut players are not. We drafted Anae at DE and also land Omenihu in the Rhodes trade at DE. We now have 5 legitimate pass rushers at DE which is a very, very good thing.
DT- Drafting Kinlaw gives us an immediate presence in the middle. Joseph was cut. Daniels we end up getting for a little cheaper given he was hurt this year. Regardless, Johnson can handle the nose well (just look at the Dallas game). Between Kinlaw and who we have at DE, our pass rush is going to be extremely scary.
LB- Not much changed at all other than moving Smith to an immediate backup and drafting Houston late
CB- Another giant position of need. Signing Darby to a 1 year deal gives us a good fallback option. Adebo will probably sit behind Darby for a game or two but it shouldnt take long for him to take over. We add some depth late in the draft. We keep Alexander and let Waynes walk. Still might be the weakest area of the team, especially if guys like Hughes and Adebo dont develop but I’m keeping my fingers crossed
S- Simply added depth here and held onto Harris which was a must IMO.
ST- Only change is having a new return man
....Hope you guys enjoyed the read!!!
Last edited by Pondering Her Percy on Mon Jan 27, 2020 2:35 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Always worth waiting for.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Great read as always PHP. And thanks for doing this as always too. You put in a lot of great work in your analysis.
Couple of comments:
- LOVE the Kinlaw pick in round 1. Not sure he's going to last to #25, but if he does I think it would be a no-brainer to take him there. As scary as he is right now, he looks to me to have further room to grow and could be an absolute beast on the interior in another 2-3 years.
- Like it that you have the Vikes taking OL in Round 3 and the pick you have there is a good one too.
- Could see the Vikings taking OL in Round 1 and DL in Round 2 or 3 with CB potentially going in Round 4 given the depth of the class. For the most part this draft is lining up well with the needs the Vikings have. If Spielman plays his cards right he could end up drafting 4 guys with starter potential at positions where they might actually win those jobs.
- Not sure on the Cousins extension. I agree with you that the Vikings are not likely to have a shot at a legit starting QB prospect in this draft, so extending Cousins keeps the pressure to reach off. The extension has to give Spielman some flexibility, though. It can't be guaranteed.
- The cuts you made on defense are inevitable IMHO. The Vikings are paying top-dollar on defense and not getting top-dollar results. Lots of fat needs to be cut off that side of the ball, and it might go even deeper than what you're doing.
Couple of comments:
- LOVE the Kinlaw pick in round 1. Not sure he's going to last to #25, but if he does I think it would be a no-brainer to take him there. As scary as he is right now, he looks to me to have further room to grow and could be an absolute beast on the interior in another 2-3 years.
- Like it that you have the Vikes taking OL in Round 3 and the pick you have there is a good one too.
- Could see the Vikings taking OL in Round 1 and DL in Round 2 or 3 with CB potentially going in Round 4 given the depth of the class. For the most part this draft is lining up well with the needs the Vikings have. If Spielman plays his cards right he could end up drafting 4 guys with starter potential at positions where they might actually win those jobs.
- Not sure on the Cousins extension. I agree with you that the Vikings are not likely to have a shot at a legit starting QB prospect in this draft, so extending Cousins keeps the pressure to reach off. The extension has to give Spielman some flexibility, though. It can't be guaranteed.
- The cuts you made on defense are inevitable IMHO. The Vikings are paying top-dollar on defense and not getting top-dollar results. Lots of fat needs to be cut off that side of the ball, and it might go even deeper than what you're doing.
Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Thanks for your time and effort!
Not sure what to think about Gedeon making the 53. He went to IR due to multiple concussions last season.
His speed didn't impress me but I think Zimmer liked him.
Not sure what to think about Gedeon making the 53. He went to IR due to multiple concussions last season.
His speed didn't impress me but I think Zimmer liked him.
Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Thanks for the mock, PHP. It obviously took a lot of effort.
A few quick thoughts: the draft picks and free agent signings are intriguing. Vaitai, in particular could be a nice addition. Kinlaw could be a great addition but I'm not so sure he'll be on the board at #25.
You asked people to move past the Cousins extension if they don't like it so I won't comment about it except in the context of a larger point: I'd prefer not see the Vikes restructure Griffen and Smith or extend Cousins and Cook. I'd rather see them spend a year in cap hell and/or deal with the pain of making difficult cuts than push money further down the road or extend players when it may not be a good idea. Cook obviously played very well in 2019 but in my view, he's missed too much time to get a big payday this offseason. It might cost the Vikes more to keep him after 2020 but it may also turn out that they don't want to keep him.
I'm definitely opposed to resigning Mannion. I think he's an inadequate backup and if Cousins went down for the season early, I could see a repeat of the panic that ensued after Bridgewater's injury. They need to find a backup they believe can start for an extended period if Cousins goes down. Maybe they actually have that kind of faith in Mannion. He's certainly younger than Hill was in 2016 but I doubt he offers much upside beyond what he's already shown in the NFL. I think this team needs a change in QB philosophy asap!
Waynes is a tough call.
Thanks again!
A few quick thoughts: the draft picks and free agent signings are intriguing. Vaitai, in particular could be a nice addition. Kinlaw could be a great addition but I'm not so sure he'll be on the board at #25.
You asked people to move past the Cousins extension if they don't like it so I won't comment about it except in the context of a larger point: I'd prefer not see the Vikes restructure Griffen and Smith or extend Cousins and Cook. I'd rather see them spend a year in cap hell and/or deal with the pain of making difficult cuts than push money further down the road or extend players when it may not be a good idea. Cook obviously played very well in 2019 but in my view, he's missed too much time to get a big payday this offseason. It might cost the Vikes more to keep him after 2020 but it may also turn out that they don't want to keep him.
I'm definitely opposed to resigning Mannion. I think he's an inadequate backup and if Cousins went down for the season early, I could see a repeat of the panic that ensued after Bridgewater's injury. They need to find a backup they believe can start for an extended period if Cousins goes down. Maybe they actually have that kind of faith in Mannion. He's certainly younger than Hill was in 2016 but I doubt he offers much upside beyond what he's already shown in the NFL. I think this team needs a change in QB philosophy asap!
Waynes is a tough call.
Thanks again!
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
I would be very surprised to see Cook come to camp next season without an extension. He has to know he probably only has a couple of years left to make a big pay day, and risking those years for a couple of million doesn't make a lot of sense.Mothman wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:15 pm Thanks for the mock, PHP. It obviously took a lot of effort.
A few quick thoughts: the draft picks and free agent signings are intriguing. Vaitai, in particular could be a nice addition. Kinlaw could be a great addition but I'm not so sure he'll be on the board at #25.
You asked people to move past the Cousins extension if they don't like it so I won't comment about it except in the context of a larger point: I'd prefer not see the Vikes restructure Griffen and Smith or extend Cousins and Cook. I'd rather see them spend a year in cap hell and/or deal with the pain of making difficult cuts than push money further down the road or extend players when it may not be a good idea. Cook obviously played very well in 2019 but in my view, he's missed too much time to get a big payday this offseason. It might cost the Vikes more to keep him after 2020 but it may also turn out that they don't want to keep him.
I'm definitely opposed to resigning Mannion. I think he's an inadequate backup and if Cousins went down for the season early, I could see a repeat of the panic that ensued after Bridgewater's injury. They need to find a backup they believe can start for an extended period if Cousins goes down. Maybe they actually have that kind of faith in Mannion. He's certainly younger than Hill was in 2016 but I doubt he offers much upside beyond what he's already shown in the NFL. I think this team needs a change in QB philosophy asap!
Waynes is a tough call.
Thanks again!
Cousins doesn't get hurt and they can't afford to pay more than a backup of Mannion's quality to contribute nothing for 16 games. He wasn't THAT bad in week 17 with what he was working with and asked to do. The stats don't tell the whole story of that game.
If somehow Cousins goes down before the first game of the season, role with Mannion and draft Lawrence in 2021. If he is out for a game or two, Mannion can win with some help. He isn't completely hopeless.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Nice write up.
Your draft is solid and I really like your pick at 25. Are you sure you have mocked enough 7th rounders though?
I think you pretty much got who were are keeping of the free agents right, with the exception of Griffen. He can't be restructured, because his contract is void, but aside from that minor nitpick, I don't think he would take so little with how much edge rushers make in free agency. Someone is going to offer him a 4 year deal of around 50 million, and we can't afford that.
I think Reiff is back next year, but I agree that Joseph and Rhodes are likely gone. Joseph might be willing to take less and they keep him around.
Your draft is solid and I really like your pick at 25. Are you sure you have mocked enough 7th rounders though?
I think you pretty much got who were are keeping of the free agents right, with the exception of Griffen. He can't be restructured, because his contract is void, but aside from that minor nitpick, I don't think he would take so little with how much edge rushers make in free agency. Someone is going to offer him a 4 year deal of around 50 million, and we can't afford that.
I think Reiff is back next year, but I agree that Joseph and Rhodes are likely gone. Joseph might be willing to take less and they keep him around.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
I don't think you're quite correct on Griffen.StumpHunter wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:49 pm Nice write up.
Your draft is solid and I really like your pick at 25. Are you sure you have mocked enough 7th rounders though?
I think you pretty much got who were are keeping of the free agents right, with the exception of Griffen. He can't be restructured, because his contract is void, but aside from that minor nitpick, I don't think he would take so little with how much edge rushers make in free agency. Someone is going to offer him a 4 year deal of around 50 million, and we can't afford that.
I think Reiff is back next year, but I agree that Joseph and Rhodes are likely gone. Joseph might be willing to take less and they keep him around.
From what I understand, the years 2020-22 are void at Griffen's option. Granted, he could exercise that option and test free agency -- and if the market for him is as strong as you say, it might indeed be hard to keep him. However, he has said he loves Minnesota and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Vikings, so it's entirely possible that he could decline to void his contract with the understanding that he and the Vikings will renegotiate. Or he could exercise his option and sign an entirely new deal with the Vikings. Either would serve as a restructure.
The point being ... he's not a free agent until he declines his option.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
I always like your offseason mock, PHP. It's an incredible amount of work, and you are to be commended for it.
No way I can possibly comment on everything ... or even half of what you have here. A couple of points.
I hope you're right and Kinlaw is available at 25. That would be huge. I just have serious doubts he'll fall that far. The guy is a monster, with the potential to be a lot like Aaron Donald -- great against the run, and able to wreak havoc on the pass rush.
Cousins ... I think we're dealing with "a bird in the hand" here. Everybody who wants to move on from Cousins, I'll ask politely -- WHO? Who is going to replace him? Do you honestly believe Mike Zimmer is going to tank for Trevor Lawrence. Do you honestly believe Mike Zimmer would ever tank for anybody? So again, who replaces Cousins? You can say, "Blow it all up," but it still doesn't answer the question.
Without commenting on whether I think the Vikings SHOULD extend Cousins, I'll just say this ... I think they WILL extend Cousins. And PHP, you have done your mock with that assumption. I don't know whether your mock is a complete "this is what they SHOULD do," or if it's more "this is what they should do, along with what they're likely to do." I'm just saying ... it's likely that Cousins will be extended.
Same with Cook. The Vikings believe he's a rare talent, perhaps generational, and frankly so does the rest of the league.
Love the Bredeson pick in the third round. I honestly don't know much about Michigan this year, but I've actually heard Bredeson's name mentioned in some mocks, which must mean he's pretty good. Michigan linemen tend to be pretty good.
Not sure about Vaitai. You're obviously of the belief that he's better than Reiff, or at least more cost effective. I guess I'll just have to trust you on this one because I honestly don't know.
Not sure about Darby either. Numbers aren't bad, but he's hurt a lot. He's only played 28 games the past three years. I think I'd rather have Waynes.
Again, great work, interesting read. I'll be anxious to see how all this plays out.
No way I can possibly comment on everything ... or even half of what you have here. A couple of points.
I hope you're right and Kinlaw is available at 25. That would be huge. I just have serious doubts he'll fall that far. The guy is a monster, with the potential to be a lot like Aaron Donald -- great against the run, and able to wreak havoc on the pass rush.
Cousins ... I think we're dealing with "a bird in the hand" here. Everybody who wants to move on from Cousins, I'll ask politely -- WHO? Who is going to replace him? Do you honestly believe Mike Zimmer is going to tank for Trevor Lawrence. Do you honestly believe Mike Zimmer would ever tank for anybody? So again, who replaces Cousins? You can say, "Blow it all up," but it still doesn't answer the question.
Without commenting on whether I think the Vikings SHOULD extend Cousins, I'll just say this ... I think they WILL extend Cousins. And PHP, you have done your mock with that assumption. I don't know whether your mock is a complete "this is what they SHOULD do," or if it's more "this is what they should do, along with what they're likely to do." I'm just saying ... it's likely that Cousins will be extended.
Same with Cook. The Vikings believe he's a rare talent, perhaps generational, and frankly so does the rest of the league.
Love the Bredeson pick in the third round. I honestly don't know much about Michigan this year, but I've actually heard Bredeson's name mentioned in some mocks, which must mean he's pretty good. Michigan linemen tend to be pretty good.
Not sure about Vaitai. You're obviously of the belief that he's better than Reiff, or at least more cost effective. I guess I'll just have to trust you on this one because I honestly don't know.
Not sure about Darby either. Numbers aren't bad, but he's hurt a lot. He's only played 28 games the past three years. I think I'd rather have Waynes.
Again, great work, interesting read. I'll be anxious to see how all this plays out.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
I don't think it makes sense to extend him this offseason either. If he chooses to hold out with a second-year back as talented as Mattison on the roster, it may not go well for him. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Maybe the Vikes will extend him despite the amount of time he's missed.StumpHunter wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:31 pmI would be very surprised to see Cook come to camp next season without an extension. He has to know he probably only has a couple of years left to make a big pay day, and risking those years for a couple of million doesn't make a lot of sense.
I'll put it this way then: they should seriously try to do better.Cousins doesn't get hurt and they can't afford to pay more than a backup of Mannion's quality to contribute nothing for 16 games. He wasn't THAT bad in week 17 with what he was working with and asked to do. The stats don't tell the whole story of that game.
If somehow Cousins goes down before the first game of the season, role with Mannion and draft Lawrence in 2021. If he is out for a game or two, Mannion can win with some help. He isn't completely hopeless.
- Maelstrom88
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Fun read.
I'm only opposed to bringing Mannion back. Just a wasted roster spot imo. I think Rick will find a way to acquire a 5th round pick.
I'm only opposed to bringing Mannion back. Just a wasted roster spot imo. I think Rick will find a way to acquire a 5th round pick.
mael·strom
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.
Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
It's not an easy question to answer but there are always options. He's not irreplaceable. One possibility: there will be QBs available to the Vikings in this draft. They could draft one and begin working with him now rather than waiting until 2020. I don't expect that to happen but it IS an option.J. Kapp 11 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2020 5:30 pmCousins ... I think we're dealing with "a bird in the hand" here. Everybody who wants to move on from Cousins, I'll ask politely -- WHO? Who is going to replace him? Do you honestly believe Mike Zimmer is going to tank for Trevor Lawrence. Do you honestly believe Mike Zimmer would ever tank for anybody? So again, who replaces Cousins? You can say, "Blow it all up," but it still doesn't answer the question.
That wouldn't surprise me at all.Without commenting on whether I think the Vikings SHOULD extend Cousins, I'll just say this ... I think they WILL extend Cousins.
Cook is obviously talented but he's had one excellent season in 3 years. He finished 2019 10th in rushing and 7th in total yards from scrimmage. Those are excellent results but thus far, his career doesn't suggest the rarefied air of players like Barry Sanders or (to get closer to the Vikings) Adrian Peterson. Maybe he'll prove to be that good but in Cook's best season thus far, 9 RBs gained more rushing yards and 6 players gained more yards (presumably, they aren't all generational talents).Same with Cook. The Vikings believe he's a rare talent, perhaps generational, and frankly so does the rest of the league.
The Vikings would be wise to pause and think about Sidney Rice before giving Cook a lucrative deal. He missed quite a bit of time in his first 2 seasons, had a huge year in 2009 and then played 5 games in 2010, his last season with the Vikings. Hopefully, things will work out better with Cook.
Of course, Robert Smith missed a lot of time early in his Vikings career and eventually went on to have some huge seasons. You never know how these things will go but Cook is under contract. They don't need to sign him to a new contract yet, even if he wants one.
- Husker Vike
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Thank you for the read ,you always put a lot of effort into it! My thoughts are that there is no way Zimmer get's rid of both Stephan and Joseph, but I agree with a lot of your points.I also think trading Rhodes will be a tall order.
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Yeah that final depth chart is 60 players. I think I put a note at the top the depth chart saying I wasn’t going to determine the final 53. It’s too tough to do IMO. With Gedeon, I definitely hear what you’re saying but I feel like I always here that Zim loves Gedeon because he is rarely in the wrong spot. He doesn’t make any flashy plays but doesn’t mess up kind of thing.
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent and the choices you make will shape your life forever.
-Chazz Palminteri
-Chazz Palminteri
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Re: PHP's Early Mock Offseason
Thanks and yes regarding the 7th rounders. We have 2 currently. Our own plus one in the early 7th from Miami for the Isidora trade. Compensatory picks haven’t been confirmed yet but we are also projected to get 2 more. One for Compton and one for Siemian. So a total of 4. I traded one away in this situation to the giants to get Hurts so that knocks it down to 3. Then I traded another one away to tenneseee (knocks us down to two) for both of Tennessee’s 7th (back up to having 4).StumpHunter wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:49 pm Nice write up.
Your draft is solid and I really like your pick at 25. Are you sure you have mocked enough 7th rounders though?
I think you pretty much got who were are keeping of the free agents right, with the exception of Griffen. He can't be restructured, because his contract is void, but aside from that minor nitpick, I don't think he would take so little with how much edge rushers make in free agency. Someone is going to offer him a 4 year deal of around 50 million, and we can't afford that.
I think Reiff is back next year, but I agree that Joseph and Rhodes are likely gone. Joseph might be willing to take less and they keep him around.
As someone else mentioned yeah I think it’s griffens can choose to stay if he wants and then restructure.
As for Reiff, yeah I have a feeling he will stay but I can’t bring myself to keeping him. Just not a fan and like Vaitai as a better cheaper option.
As for Joseph, this is as one player I was stuck on along with griffen. I think I switched them both back and forth 3 times on who is going to stay. Bottom line is it came down to who is more productive And even health and that’s griffen. I was listening to the locked on Vikings podcast with Luke Braun this morning and he discussed cap issues with a guy from the over the cap website. Definitely recommend the listen. He explains things that many don’t know and understand about the cap. I definitely learned a lot from it. But Luke Braun made a good point, it’s not about clearing the most cap you can, it’s building the best roster you can. And IMO, griffen is far the superior player so that’s why I chose him instead of Joseph
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent and the choices you make will shape your life forever.
-Chazz Palminteri
-Chazz Palminteri