Great pick. Wanted him or Feeney. Pretty sure I did say I was confident Spielman and Zim would assess the OL in the offseason. Reiff, Remmers and now Elflein....just sayin

Seems like he has great work ethic and leadership. Wouldn't mind a Matt Birk 2.0.

He's a good solid player for sure.

love the pick and the versatility

but did we need to trade up for him???

who do you guys think will start this year at C/RG??

1. Berger/Sirles
2. Berger/Elflein
3. Elflein/Berger
4. Elflein/Sirles


I should start a poll

I think you did!

But he didn't go to Harvard.

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The Vikings have been sorely missing a good C for a long time.

I like this pick. I was equally happy with Elflein or Feeny. I think Rick is moving up on Cook and Elfrein cause he knew teams close to our picks wanted the same guys. Cinci would have loved Cook too, so Rick didnt want to have to make the choice of taking Mixon.

With Ellfein, they figured he was worth the move because his potential is slightly better then Feeney. I cant believe I like the way Rick played this draft so far, LOVE the players were got, think they were BPA at the times, and it wouldnt surprise me if rick makes a few more good picks. Probably mostly D players now.

who are you and what did you do with our beloved PurpleK

hey for not having a first, this has been an excellent draft so far

Don't know much about him but hopefully he can come in and help this line. Seems solid if not spectacular. Pretty much what you could expect from this year's crop of oline men.

Glad we got a starting type offensive lineman. Not so sure about passing on Dan Feeney however. Time will tell, but I don't hate this pick.

Elflein was a center at OSU.

Wonder if he'll play center or RG for the Vikings.

He played G and C there. I bet they start with the veteran at C and Elflein at G, if he wins the job.

From what I read, Elflein had more success in his moves from G and C where Feeney struggled in positions outside of RG. Spielman has said how much they value versatility in position especially given all the injuries from last year. I'm guessing that played a large role in taking Elflein over Feeney.

Lieber lit up Feeney before the draft. He said he really gets no push, stands up out of his stance and wrestles with the defender. That's all fine in the right scheme, but doesn't sound like what Sparano was seeking last year anyway. Add in the concussions and Elfilein is much the better fit.

If they really are transitioning to a zone blocking scheme, as you were wondering in another thread, Feeney might have been an ideal choice to play guard in that scheme. I'm happy with the Elflein pick though. He has the potential to excel in the middle of their line and I think he was a good value in R3 (Feeney would have been too).

It's also possible Berger is planning on retiring and Elflein and Easton will be competing to start at center.

True. I'm hoping Berger would've decided already if he was going to retire, but you never know. One more year would be nice to help bridge the gap.

So we drafted the second Center of the draft, in the third round. Is this guy a week 1 starter or no?

Yes, I think so.

Liked this pick. I wish we'd have followed it up with another OL soon after instad of Gedeon.

Glad we moved up to take Elflein (who Zimmer thought would be more of a center due to lack of size).

How bad was this year's OL class:

Gil Brandt: Only 10 OL taken in first 3 rounds -- tied for 2nd fewest in common draft era

From what I read about him he is smart and has a great work ethic and he started 40 consecutive games after a foot injury his first year. Sounds promising to me. I'm not thrilled with the state of the line but with how quick the ball comes out under Shurmur I feel they will be good enough.

@Andrew_Krammer
6h
Mike Zimmer: Pat Elflein will begin at center. Played guard before, but he's a really good center.

Great pick. Best pick they made.

I think you might be right about this. Vikings finally get an anchor for this OL. Reminds me of when the Vikings picked up Linval on the other side.

Have you heard something, Jim?

I've heard a few unsubstantiated rumors but he tossed out the idea of retirement a couple of years ago and I think he said early this offseason that he had some thinking to do. He missed time with a concussion last year and he turns 35 next month so I'm thinking it's a possibility.