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Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:59 am
by Banquo
Texas Vike wrote:
Ricker... nice!

Yeah, I'm with you-- his 40 time shouldn't be a big issue. But bad teams overemphasize it and it always seems to effect draft stock. Honestly, if he came in at 6'2", 195 and ran say a 4.58 and that all allowed the Vikings to nab him in the 2nd somewhere, I'd be stoked. However, if he's 6'3", 205 and runs a ~4.49 then I don't think that's realistic. And depending on the board, I'd be down to just take him in the 20's. I think OT and OL in general is definitely in play, but I wouldn't marry myself to it. Last time the bolts did that, they wound up drafting a sub-par RG at #11 overall.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:20 pm
by dead_poet
Banquo wrote: To you or anyone else, what are the general thoughts on the back end of the DL depth? I'm thinking of guys like Moore, Stephen, Crichton, and Ellis here.
I think the team likes Stephen. He impressed/flashed last season and it's too bad he was injured most of this season. Crichton was bypassed on the depth chart by Hunter but before that (at least in the preseason) he was showing signs of improving before his own injuries. I think he'll make the 53 next season and be a part of some kind of rotation. I have no idea about Ellis. He doesn't seem to be getting many snaps as it is and may be a one-year rental. I have no idea about Moore. Most likely a developmental guy that may be limited to special teams. Unlikely to have an impact.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:34 pm
by Banquo
dead_poet wrote:I think the team likes Stephen. He impressed/flashed last season and it's too bad he was injured most of this season. Crichton was bypassed on the depth chart by Hunter but before that (at least in the preseason) he was showing signs of improving before his own injuries. I think he'll make the 53 next season and be a part of some kind of rotation. I have no idea about Ellis. He doesn't seem to be getting many snaps as it is and may be a one-year rental. I have no idea about Moore. Most likely a developmental guy that may be limited to special teams. Unlikely to have an impact.
Thanks. Just looking at the roster, it would seem that if they keep Robison and like Crichton/Moore as developmental players, then DE is basically full. In which case you wouldn't expect anything more than later picks for competition. At DT, with Floyd, Joseph, and Johnson looking strong, if they like Stephen then that's another area where you wouldn't expect more than a later round pick. But it comes down to how much they really do like that depth. And, I suppose, to whether or not they're presented with value that's too good to pass on.

Tangentially, the progress that Hunter has made as a rookie is really a testament to the ability of this defensive staff. He was the definition of untapped potential coming out of LSU. The guy had 4.5 career sacks of three seasons of football. He tops that number in one season in the NFL. Impressive job out of the coaches.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:51 pm
by dead_poet
Banquo wrote:Thanks. Just looking at the roster, it would seem that if they keep Robison and like Crichton/Moore as developmental players, then DE is basically full. In which case you wouldn't expect anything more than later picks for competition. At DT, with Floyd, Joseph, and Johnson looking strong, if they like Stephen then that's another area where you wouldn't expect more than a later round pick. But it comes down to how much they really do like that depth. And, I suppose, to whether or not they're presented with value that's too good to pass on.
It'll be interesting what they do with Robison. He's only scheduled to make $3.75 million (base) with a $1 million signing bonus and $200k signing bonus ($5.1 million cap hit). He'll be 33. Ultimately I think Zimmer and the coaching staff likes him and he's still performing well enough to keep his roster spot (perhaps in more of a rotation with Hunter than he's seeing now). There's also $2 million in dead money if they release him. I think he lasts one more year (base salary in 2017 jumps to $5.1 million with only $1 million in dead money). That said, perhaps Rick looks to the future (depth) this year for 2017 when Robison may not be with the team. But there's a lot of priorities right now. It'll probably boil down to who's there when we're on the clock.
Tangentially, the progress that Hunter has made as a rookie is really a testament to the ability of this defensive staff. He was the definition of untapped potential coming out of LSU. The guy had 4.5 career sacks of three seasons of football. He tops that number in one season in the NFL. Impressive job out of the coaches.
I think that's absolutely true. He landed in probably the best spot he could have. What was fairly questionable at the time is looking like a great pick by Rick. If he continues to improve we could have a formidable pair of DEs for the next five years, which I'm sure won't be welcome news to Rodgers, Stafford and Cutler.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 1:18 pm
by Banquo
dead_poet wrote: It'll be interesting what they do with Robison. He's only scheduled to make $3.75 million (base) with a $1 million signing bonus and $200k signing bonus ($5.1 million cap hit). He'll be 33. Ultimately I think Zimmer and the coaching staff likes him and he's still performing well enough to keep his roster spot (perhaps in more of a rotation with Hunter than he's seeing now). There's also $2 million in dead money if they release him. I think he lasts one more year (base salary in 2017 jumps to $5.1 million with only $1 million in dead money). That said, perhaps Rick looks to the future (depth) this year for 2017 when Robison may not be with the team. But there's a lot of priorities right now. It'll probably boil down to who's there when we're on the clock.
Keeping Robison feels like a no brainer to me. I realize he's on the back end of his career at this point, but it wouldn't make any sense in my opinion to cut a solid, veteran DE for what, like 3M in net cap savings? I just can't see that. Keep him and get a good rotation going.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:56 pm
by dead_poet
Josh Norris (1/5): http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/5 ... version-10
27. Minnesota Vikings - Ohio State T Taylor Decker
Ohio State senior T Taylor Decker is working with LeCharles Bentley during the pre-draft process.

Bentley is a former NFL center whose career was derailed by injuries. In the past few years he has worked with a number of NFL players and prospects, and fixing a number of their problems in the process. Decker has been mocked as a first-round pick by some and will attend the Senior Bowl.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:34 pm
by Texas Vike
dead_poet wrote:Josh Norris (1/5): http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/5 ... version-10
Ohio State senior T Taylor Decker is working with LeCharles Bentley during the pre-draft process.

Bentley is a former NFL center whose career was derailed by injuries. In the past few years he has worked with a number of NFL players and prospects, and fixing a number of their problems in the process. Decker has been mocked as a first-round pick by some and will attend the Senior Bowl.

I noticed that this mock has a QB from NDSU (North Dakota State U) at #26. That's completely insane. A QB from NDSU? Kiper and McShay had him as a mid-rounder but he's moving up their boards... I don't know, that just blows my mind.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 7:09 pm
by dead_poet
Texas Vike wrote:
I noticed that this mock has a QB from NDSU (North Dakota State U) at #26. That's completely insane. A QB from NDSU? Kiper and McShay had him as a mid-rounder but he's moving up their boards... I don't know, that just blows my mind.
He recently cracked McShay's first round. Gil Brandt says he has "tremendous upside."

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 6:57 pm
by fiestavike
Banquo wrote: Keeping Robison feels like a no brainer to me. I realize he's on the back end of his career at this point, but it wouldn't make any sense in my opinion to cut a solid, veteran DE for what, like 3M in net cap savings? I just can't see that. Keep him and get a good rotation going.
His leadership is his biggest asset to the team. I'd love to see them renegotiate with him.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:02 am
by Mothman
Texas Vike wrote:
I noticed that this mock has a QB from NDSU (North Dakota State U) at #26. That's completely insane. A QB from NDSU? Kiper and McShay had him as a mid-rounder but he's moving up their boards... I don't know, that just blows my mind.
There's a brief article about him at NFL.com:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... ound-grade

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:56 pm
by S197
My pick. 2nd rounder right now.


Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 9:05 pm
by PurpleKoolaid
I really like Fuller too. Watched a lot of him this year. Dont think he's worth the #23 overall. Be nice to see what Rick could come up with. This would really upgrade the offense. Wallace, Fuller and Diggs on the field at the same time, talk about speed.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:31 am
by dead_poet
Minnesota Vikings: Leontee Carroo, WR, Rutgers

Just as was the case in Mock Draft 1.0, the Vikings look to aid in QB Teddy Bridgewater’s development by adding Carroo who is adept at getting open on vertical routes. He averaged 4.11 yards per route this season while grading at +15.0 in only eight games.
PFF has Docton and Treadwell going top-10.

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 11:49 am
by dead_poet
Josh Norris mock 2.0: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/5 ... version-20
23. Minnesota Vikings - Ohio State OL Taylor Decker - Decker recently pulled out of the Senior Bowl. The Vikings need an infusion of aggressiveness and nastiness, and Decker plays until the whistle and sometimes beyond. He is working with LeCharles Bentley pre-draft, which has helped a number of prospects and players

Re: 2016 mock drafts

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:55 pm
by Bigwehrm
Texas Vike wrote:
I noticed that this mock has a QB from NDSU (North Dakota State U) at #26. That's completely insane. A QB from NDSU? Kiper and McShay had him as a mid-rounder but he's moving up their boards... I don't know, that just blows my mind.
I guess you better believe it. If a guy can play it doesn't matter what level he comes from. If you got talent they will find you. He will struggle some to the NFL but what QB doesn't. Ponder came from a D1 school and he sucked. Flacco FCS and he turned out ok.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/ ... vp-BBourNa little piece on Carson Wentz