Draft in April

[VltrophyXLV]

Packers used 6 of 7 picks on the D last yr. I'd love to draft Manti but the Packers need to work on drafting on the offensive side. I don't ever see AD leaving the Vikings & therefore he will never make it to the Super Bowl to get a ring

[VltrophyXLV]

If the Vikes make the playoffs u guys will draft around 20 or 21. Should u guys not make the playoffs which is what I expect u guys will draft between 16-19. Manti T'eo as of now is projected to go 5th. Besides trading picks & AZ moving down to 16 (best case scenario for them) u guys would likely have to give up 2 draft picks. The Cardinals suck so bad they NEED a franchise QB & though IMO I don't believe Barkely is that person they need a QB. Although if the 49ers cut Smith I could see the Cards going after him

[Eli]

If the Vikes make the playoffs u guys will draft around 20 or 21. Should u guys not make the playoffs which is what I expect u guys will draft between 16-19. Manti T'eo as of now is projected to go 5th.

I was getting ready to post essentially the same thing. If the Vikings make the playoffs, #21 is the highest they could pick. If not, it will be between #18 and #20. There's no way Te'o will be available in the second half of the first round, so we can all cross him off our Christmas lists. The Vikings can still draft one of the top three WRs at #21 or wherever they may end up. Or maybe go BPA and take a DT.

[VltrophyXLV]

W/Harvin possibly not going to be w/the Vikings soon u guys will need to get a top WR.

[VikingPaul73]

Do you guys think the Vikings would take Barkley if he's still on the board? I know he had a disappointing Sr. Year, but he was a top5 projected pick last year so we know he has talent and a big arm.

Top needs as I see it:

QB
WR
LOG
DT
LB
ROT
S

[TeamOfDestiny]

Do you guys think the Vikings would take Barkley if he's still on the board? I know he had a disappointing Sr. Year, but he was a top5 projected pick last year so we know he has talent and a big arm.

Top needs as I see it:

QB
WR
LOG
DT
LB
ROT
S

Taking a QB with our first pick might be the dumbest thing I can imagine and its not our biggest need. You dont even have CB listed and it should be its a big need, especially when you consider we play the Packers twice a year and they can put 4 good WR's on the field at any time.

[Canadian Viking]

To me, the top needs are:

WR -- none of the WRs were able to create separation down the field and only Harvin showed the ability to be a playmaker (and Harvin might not be with the team next year)
OG -- The guards were weak. The line run-blocked reasonably well (still far too many carries for negative yards) but the guards were especially weak in pass protection
MLB -- Brinkley is a decent run stuffer and he showed some play making ability, but I'm not sure that he is athletic enough for today's NFL and I don't think that he is bright enough to call the D
DT -- None of the team's DTs demand double teams; Williams is getting old and doesn't beat his man very often anymore and the rest of the squad seem like journeymen
CB -- Hard for me to rank this as the fifth need, but the others just seem to be more glaring (no, the Viking CBs are not good, I just don't think that they are as weak as the positions listed above)
OLB -- Henderson should be replaced

Take the best player available in the draft and fill some of those holes....

Cheers,

Jay

[Eli]

In rough order, I the Vikings' needs as:

WR
CB
QB
LB
G
S
NT/DT

Wide receiver is a huge need, and more than one. I can see them taking one in the 1st round, then another late in the draft.

They need starters and they need better depth at cornerback. I think there's a chance they could select a CB in the 1st round.

They have to find a QB that they can groom, even if it's as a backup, and they shouldn't wait beyond the third or fourth round to grab one. Please just say 'goodbye and thank you' to Joe Webb and be done with him.

Linebacker has been a weak spot for a couple of seasons. They have absolutely no depth at the position and Erin Henderson had a poor year when asked to step up. Brinkley played well at times, but he's also below average.

They have to find better guards. Somewhere. This could be filled in free agency. A fifth or sixth round guard isn't likely to be much better than either Johnson or Fusco, and probably not ready to start immediately in any case.

They need another starter at safety to complement Smith. I'd like to see Mistral Raymond playing somewhere else next year and Sanford certainly isn't the answer.

[Rus]

That's a little hard to believe, unless you just mean you're none of these QBs have "franchise QB" written all over them.

Whoa, I didn't see you cut me down in this one, Moth. I meant to say "There's no quarterback that is worth it to the Vikings to draft in the first three rounds".

Some teams are more desperate than others. I'd rather not see the Vikings waste a first or second day pick on a guy who really doesn't have much more going for him than Christian Ponder did when he was coming out. I'd rather them give Ponder another year than draft a guy who has as much upside (when they could be filling up another more pressing position).

As for Green Bay or whomever drafting a top wideout, not going to happen now...and even if it did...so what? Wide receivers are pretty hit or miss. Now, if they went all in to bulk up their defense...I'd be really worried then.

And as for Jasper Brinkley, he kinda sucks. When the defense is breaking down, quite often it's hard not to see that Brinkley is the weak link. Erin Henderson is okay. But this defense kind of needs a certain sort of linebacker that can drop into coverage effectively, and Brinkley isn't always very good at that. Brinkley is on the open market, though. Do you want the team to sign Brinkley to a long term deal? Do you think he's really worth it, that there aren't better alternatives out there?

This draft has some good wide receivers that won't be taken in the first round. It has a few very good linebackers, guys that you want to center your defense around, that will be there in the first.

I can't ever understand how much some of you underestimate linebackers. "Oh, we'll just take those guys in the fourth round and it'll be awesome". Put Greenway next to Brinkley. Do you see what I'm talking about? Which round was each of them taken in? The really, really good defenses usually have really, really good linebackers. You can load up all you want in the defensive backfield and along the line, but linebackers make all those guys better. And the better those linebackers are, the better the guys around them are.

Guards can be had in the first 4 rounds. Typically, they tend to be tackles that aren't quick enough to play tackle in the NFL. There aren't a lot of guards that merit a late first round pick...the ones that do are usually amazingly good.

This draft has wide receivers that will be good later on. There should be a few decent ones in free agency this year, too.

The best linebackers will probably be gone in the first round and the beginning of the second. Great linebackers can be drafted, you don't need to pay them a fortune, and they start and produce for you for many years. The same can't be said for most wide receivers. When you have a chance to take a linebacker that reminds you of Ray Lewis, you put your hand up and draft that guy.

If you want quality, figure out where the other teams are going to be loading up and try to beat as many of them as you can to the punch.

[Mothman]

Whoa, I didn't see you cut me down in this one, Moth. I meant to say "There's no quarterback that is worth it to the Vikings to draft in the first three rounds".

I see. That makes much more sense to me.

I wasn't trying to trying to cut you down (and I'm not sure how the word you're ended up in my comment either... I must have re-typed the sentence and been sloppy about it. Sorry...).

[Eli]

I meant to say "There's no quarterback that is worth it to the Vikings to draft in the first three rounds".

Some teams are more desperate than others. I'd rather not see the Vikings waste a first or second day pick on a guy who really doesn't have much more going for him than Christian Ponder did when he was coming out. I'd rather them give Ponder another year than draft a guy who has as much upside (when they could be filling up another more pressing position).

Unless you're really convinced that Christian Ponder is the Vikings franchise QB of the future, I couldn't disagree more. And I think the Vikings organization is far from convinced about Ponder.

The Vikings have no fallback plan in the event that Ponder's third season proves to be a bust. Particularly given their dire backup QB situation, I'd much rather they take a chance on a 2nd or 3rd round QB, at the same time addressing the backup situation and leaving them with _some_ small chance of having a QB going into 2014 if it all goes south. Without someone (anyone) waiting in the wings, they're completely screwed after next season and will be forced yet again to reach for a QB in 2014. They can't keep painting themselves into a corner like they have for the past decade.

[Mothman]

Unless you're really convinced that Christian Ponder is the Vikings franchise QB of the future, I couldn't disagree more. And I think the Vikings organization is far from convinced about Ponder.

The Vikings have no fallback plan in the event that Ponder's third season proves to be a bust. Particularly given their dire backup QB situation, I'd much rather they take a chance on a 2nd or 3rd round QB, at the same time addressing the backup situation and leaving them with _some_ small chance of having a QB going into 2014 if it all goes south. Without someone (anyone) waiting in the wings, they're completely screwed after next season and will be forced yet again to reach for a QB in 2014. They can't keep painting themselves into a corner like they have for the past decade.

They have to address the problem and I imagine they will, although depending on how they feel about MBT, maybe they will keep working with him, bring in a veteran backup and bypass QB in the draft. Beyond the obvious (they kept him all year) I'm not at all clear on what the Vikes think of MBT. I have to believe Webb will be gone.

Regarding the draft, I think it really boils down to who will actually be available at QB in the second and third rounds, how they compare to QBs that will still be on the board later and, of course, how they compare to other players on the board. The Vikes definitely need to put a backup plan in place.

Jim

[Texas Vike]

I think a smart move would be to use the first of our 4th round picks (early 4th rd) to take a QB.

I agree with Rus that LB is a position we need to be thinking about in the first rd. I really don't know what to think about Manti Te'o now with this "Catfish" situation that he either conjured up or got ensnared in. At the very least, he fanned the flames and let the narrative go further than it should have. I think he will now be available when we draft in Rd. 1. But the Bama game and this odd situation makes me question whether I'd want him. I also don't know how well he fits. We need someone that can drop back and cover well. He seems more dominant moving forward.

[dead_poet]

We need someone that can drop back and cover well. He seems more dominant moving forward.

Dude had 7 INTs this season. Scouts say he has the required sideline-to-sideline speed.

http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2013mteo.php

Pass Coverage: At 255 pounds you would expect Te’o to struggle in pass coverage. As I described, he’s tight hipped and not a quick twitch athlete. It doesn’t show up in pass coverage. Te’o is excellent at covering backs out of the backfield and tight ends down the seam. He has a nose for the football and is capable of making plays in pass coverage. His instincts in the pass game are unrivaled in this year’s linebacker crop. Te’o gets to his drop zone quickly and reads the quarterback well. This is an underrated aspect of his game and will open the eyes of a lot of teams come April.

http://nflsfuture.com/2012/12/20/8289/

[Texas Vike]

Dude had 7 INTs this season. Scouts say he has the required sideline-to-sideline speed.

http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2013mteo.php
http://nflsfuture.com/2012/12/20/8289/

I know he had 7 INTs, I saw plenty of their games this year. I wasn't aware, however, that draft gurus had him evaluated so highly as a pass coverage LB. Thanks for the link.

Maybe this whole debacle will be the best thing in the world for the Vikings. If it just turns out to be extreme naivete in amorous matters on his part and not some socio-path tendencies... then, hey, I'm cool with taking him. His energy on the field is very impressive. His getting shut down in the Bama game still concerns me a bit.