Draft in April

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Howlers
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Draft in April

Post by Howlers »

Hey guys, I'm an Irish Vikings fan and I was just wondering what you guys think the Vikes will do and what position they'll concentrate on in the draft in April? Personally, I think they need secondary help and maybe another WR. I also think Manti Te'o would be a great addition too but that might just be the Irish connection! :D What do you guys think? :smilevike:
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Re: Draft in April

Post by S197 »

Howlers wrote:Hey guys, I'm an Irish Vikings fan and I was just wondering what you guys think the Vikes will do and what position they'll concentrate on in the draft in April? Personally, I think they need secondary help and maybe another WR. I also think Manti Te'o would be a great addition too but that might just be the Irish connection! :D What do you guys think? :smilevike:
Too early to say but I like the Te'o pick (that might just be the Hawaii connection). :v):
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Re: Draft in April

Post by Mothman »

Howlers wrote:Hey guys, I'm an Irish Vikings fan and I was just wondering what you guys think the Vikes will do and what position they'll concentrate on in the draft in April? Personally, I think they need secondary help and maybe another WR. I also think Manti Te'o would be a great addition too but that might just be the Irish connection! :D What do you guys think? :smilevike:
Welcome to the board!

Te'o could be just what the doctor ordered for the Vikes defense. You might find it interesting that draft "guru" Scott wright has the Vikings selecting Te'o in his first mock draft for next year:

http://www.draftcountdown.com/sub/Mock-Draft-A.php

As S197 said, it's really too early to say what the Vikes will do but I suspect WR, MLB, CB and DT are all strong possibilities. They could be in the market for a new right tackle too if Phil Loadholt doesn't play more impressively this year.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by dead_poet »

Mothman wrote:They could be in the market for a new right tackle too if Phil Loadholt doesn't play more impressively this year.
Really, Jim? I haven't noticed Phil much at all this season, which is a nice change of pace. He's been solid in the run game and I haven't seen him overmatched in pass protection (yet). Clearly depth is an issue at tackle (particularly with the unknowns surrounding Love and Schwartz past this year) but depending on where they're drafting and who's available, I don't know if I see tackle being a priority early.

WR, NT, LB are the biggest priorities I see. Though CB, G and S have some question marks too. It's way too early. I usually don't start paying attention to this until December. Of course, depending on the Vikings record in November it could make for a nice distraction.
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Re: Draft in April

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dead_poet wrote:Really, Jim? I haven't noticed Phil much at all this season, which is a nice change of pace. He's been solid in the run game and I haven't seen him overmatched in pass protection (yet). Clearly depth is an issue at tackle (particularly with the unknowns surrounding Love and Schwartz past this year) but depending on where they're drafting and who's available, I don't know if I see tackle being a priority early.
It won't be if Loadholt is still here and they have enough holes to fill so I'm guessing they will re-sign him unless he's terrible. However, I didn't think he played well against Indy. Pelissero put it best:
This isn't the way for RT Phil Loadholt (70 snaps) to earn a new contract. He hemorrhaged eight QB pressures, was called for two penalties (illegal formation, holding) and didn't have his best day in the run phase either.
WR, NT, LB are the biggest priorities I see. Though CB, G and S have some question marks too. It's way too early. I usually don't start paying attention to this until December. Of course, depending on the Vikings record in November it could make for a nice distraction.
Let's hope it's not worth talking about until January. :)

It really is too early, although I honestly don't think Brinkley has enough upside to steer the Vikes away from a top notch inside LB if they have a shot at one.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by Eli »

Right now 5 wins is looking like a possibility. If they finish 6-10 they could still earn a top 10 pick. Which isn't half bad when you consider that only a couple of weeks ago people were talking about a playoff spot.

Wide receiver is still looking like the biggest need, assuming that an obvious QB prospect doesn't fall to them. I do see them taking a QB in the middle rounds, though. They can't go into next season with Webb and MBT as their only alternatives to another disastrous season from their starter.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by PurpleMustReign »

Eli wrote:Right now 5 wins is looking like a possibility. If they finish 6-10 they could still earn a top 10 pick. Which isn't half bad when you consider that only a couple of weeks ago people were talking about a playoff spot.

Wide receiver is still looking like the biggest need, assuming that an obvious QB prospect doesn't fall to them. I do see them taking a QB in the middle rounds, though. They can't go into next season with Webb and MBT as their only alternatives to another disastrous season from their starter.
Do yo have a list of QBs and WRs that will be draft eligible?
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Re: Draft in April

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PurpleMustReign wrote:Do yo have a list of QBs and WRs that will be draft eligible?
QB's: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/pros ... gs/2013/QB
WR's: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/pros ... gs/2013/WR
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Re: Draft in April

Post by PurpleMustReign »

Hmm... for QBs, I like Aaron Murray. For WRs, I like DeAndre Hopkins.

Otherwise, I haven't heard much about the WR class. Has anyone else heard anything?
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Re: Draft in April

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Howlers wrote:Hey guys, I'm an Irish Vikings fan and I was just wondering what you guys think the Vikes will do and what position they'll concentrate on in the draft in April? Personally, I think they need secondary help and maybe another WR. I also think Manti Te'o would be a great addition too but that might just be the Irish connection! :D What do you guys think? :smilevike:
I'll say the obvious: Expect a DT, a DB, a linebacker, one wide receiver, and an offensive lineman for sure and probably not in that order. It's not a deep draft for top flight quarterbacks. Barkley is the only obvious franchise guy, but I'm sure there will be two or three taken after him. The Vikings will NOT get Matt Barkley. He will be taken in the top five, the Vikings probably couldn't even lose every game for the rest of the year and get him. There are a couple decent running backs.

Te'o is having an amazing season, I get the feeling that he's going in the top 7 as a lock. I kinda expect the Vikes to get another win or two, which would put them probably picking around 8th or 9th. John Hankins, Star Lotulelei, maybe John Jenkins will be the guy they pick to anchor their line. It seems like there's something seriously not right with their interior right now, and it's causing them to lose games badly to teams that shouldn't be that good. They seem like they need a guy who can legitimately and consistently stuff the run. I don't have a lot of faith in Latroy Guion at all at this point and he really seems like the weak link there. Williams seems like he's showing his age as well. But having a great middle linebacker makes that defensive interior so much better, it's not even funny...so they might take a linebacker and if Te'o dropped to them, that would be a huge win.

I also have a little bias, but I'd be happy if they took Markus Wheaton in the 4th or 5th round. Oregon State isn't an awesome team, but they've gotten themselves a pretty nice record and beat a few tough teams, and their quarterbacks aren't going to be drafted...but that guy is an NFL caliber receiver and a high character player, averaged over a hundred yards receiving per game. I'm biased because I hear about him constantly here. Beaver fans seem to be even crazier about him than they were about Chad Johnson. If they beat Stanford this next weekend, people will be turning their heads. He might go earlier, but scouts kind of ignore Oregon State in favor of Oregon, and that might mean he could slip under the radar. He kind of does what Percy does (yeah, they already drafted a guy like that last year), but he's a little taller and he's really more of a possession receiver, makes big catches.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by dead_poet »

PurpleMustReign wrote: Hmm... for QBs, I like Aaron Murray. For WRs, I like DeAndre Hopkins.

Otherwise, I haven't heard much about the WR class. Has anyone else heard anything?
Top WR prospects are Keenan Allen (Cal), Justin Hunter (Tennessee), Robert Woods (USC), Terrance Williams (Baylor) and DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson). Allen Hunter and Woods have been the Top 3 on most of the boards I've seen.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by Rus »

Sorry to dig up this thread, but it's pretty apparent that the Vikings aren't in line for a Super Bowl this year.

I'm kinda liking Walter Football's current mock draft: http://walterfootball.com/draft2013.php

And before anyone says anything, no, there aren't any quarterbacks in this draft that are worth drafting in the first three rounds. Unless you want Jimmy Claussen-caliber guys to compete with Ponder. That would be really sad and hard to watch. If Zygi wants a solution to the quarterback position, it means he's going to throw the cap at one of the free agents available. (The free agent crop isn't all that good...T-Jack is considered one of the best available next year so that says something.)

I really like the idea of Alec Ogletree in the middle. That basically gives the Vikings their own Urlacher. When I read someone dismiss the value of having good linebackers, it clearly tells me they have no idea what they're talking about. Good linebackers are critical to pretty much any defensive scheme you put on the field, and they're always useful as special teamers. And probably the fifth best DT in the draft in the second round is pretty sweet.

Is wide receiver a bigger need than the interior of the Vikings defense? Maybe. However, there's a mess of good wide receivers in the next draft...it's going to be pretty good pickings left in the third and fourth rounds.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by dead_poet »

Rus wrote:Is wide receiver a bigger need than the interior of the Vikings defense? Maybe. However, there's a mess of good wide receivers in the next draft...it's going to be pretty good pickings left in the third and fourth rounds.
Here's my thought: Brinkley hasn't been as awful at LB as our WRs have been. We might be able to "make due" with Brinkley if needed but we cannot absolutely cannot go into next season with the same (or similar) caliber of wide outs. I'd classify both positions are in need of talent upgrades (DT too). It might (and probably should) come down to BPA between WR, DT and possibly LB in the first round at least.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by Mothman »

Rus wrote:Sorry to dig up this thread, but it's pretty apparent that the Vikings aren't in line for a Super Bowl this year.

I'm kinda liking Walter Football's current mock draft: http://walterfootball.com/draft2013.php

And before anyone says anything, no, there aren't any quarterbacks in this draft that are worth drafting in the first three rounds.
That's a little hard to believe, unless you just mean you're none of these QBs have "franchise QB" written all over them.
I really like the idea of Alec Ogletree in the middle. That basically gives the Vikings their own Urlacher. When I read someone dismiss the value of having good linebackers, it clearly tells me they have no idea what they're talking about. Good linebackers are critical to pretty much any defensive scheme you put on the field, and they're always useful as special teamers. And probably the fifth best DT in the draft in the second round is pretty sweet.

Is wide receiver a bigger need than the interior of the Vikings defense? Maybe. However, there's a mess of good wide receivers in the next draft...it's going to be pretty good pickings left in the third and fourth rounds.
I think if we set aside the QB debate for a moment, you can certainly make a case for WR being the team's biggest need. That said, you're right that the interior of the defense is a big need too, especially defensive tackle because they need a compliment to Williams and in a few seasons, they may need a replacement for Williams.

I'm always of the "get the best player you can get, preferably at a position of need" mentality when it comes to the first round of the draft. It's not a bad philosophy for the entire draft but at some point, need has to be a pretty big consideration. It just shouldn't lead a team to pass up a potential impact player. Improvements at WR, LB and DT would all help the Vikes so I wouldn't object to them targeting any of those positions in the early rounds.
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Re: Draft in April

Post by S197 »

Ugh, I hope it doesn't play out that way. Just the Packer's luck that they get Keenan Allen. I think he's a solid choice for the Vikings, fitting both BPA and Need. Yes, there are injury concerns but he probably wouldn't even be in the discussion if not for those concerns. He's not just the type who can stretch the field, he can also make catches over the middle and fight for the football.
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