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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by Texas Vike »

halfgiz wrote:
Texas Vike wrote:Vikes REALLY wanted Ragnow in Rd. 1.

Worth a listen, especially at 11:20, but the whole thing really.

http://kstp.com/news/scoop-podcast-epis ... t/4884689/
For the last week before the draft most all mocks had him going to the Bengals at # 21.
That's probably why he went at #20,one pick before the Bengals.
Would Rick have move up that far for him?
Shurmur is thanking Rick for Hernandez...
No doubt about it. I'd seen him mocked to Cincy a lot. I was surprised that the Bengals went with Price at 21. I wonder if we would have taken Price at 30 if he had been there.

The thing that sort of bothers me is that Zimmer's specialty is coaching up D-Backs, which seems to indicate to me that he should be able to take a guy in the 2nd or 3rd and elevate his talent. Instead we have three 1st round CBs and 1 2nd rounder now. That's lopsided investments, IMO.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

S197 wrote:
Pondering Her Percy wrote:I guess what I don’t understand is we’re questioning who’s backing up Linval but questioning the Hughes pick? I was A LOT more worried about who our 4th CB was vs who was backing up Joseph. If any of Rhodes, Waynes and/or Alexander were to go down, we would be plugging in Marcus Sherels and Joe Schmo as our starters. That is MUCH more concerning than backup NT. No less Alexander is a mystery and we have Waynes contract coming up.

Also Richardson is an elite run defender and could move to Linvals spot if he goes down. Which then gives us plenty of guys that could go inside at 3 tech. On running downs it would be Johnson and on passing a combo of B-Rob and Holmes who they are planning on using inside at 3 tech. NOT at DE

And another thing I don’t get is that everyone pegged OL as a top need. And when we didn’t take one first, it was automatically pegged as a bad pick when so many of us KNEW we could go with BPA. Then we come back in the 2nd and draft an OL! But that’s considered a bad pick?

Our #1 need last year by a long shot was OL. And we didn’t take Elflein until round 3 and Isidora in the 5th. This year we get O’Neill in the 2nd and Gossett in the 6th. But that’s mismanaged? OL was way more of a need last year than it was this year and we waited and it turned out for the better. This year we only wait 1 round and take an OL but it’s a bad pick? Problem is everyone was pegged that we needed OL round 1 and Hernandez was there. And since that wasn’t our pick, this draft automatically turns into a bad draft. Me personally, I think that’s pretty unfair. And it’s mainly because we passed on Hernandez as much as fans will try to say it’s not.
You don't need a first round pick as depth for your.... first round pick. We have NO ONE on this roster that's a NT. Richardson is a starter and while he may be good against the run, he can't play multiple positions at the same time. The fact that you need to mention him as a depth piece goes to show we have no depth. I'd like to see one analysis that indicated Johnson was even close to average against the run. There's plenty that says he was poor. So if Linval goes down, we basically have to change our entire scheme?

And OL wasn't our biggest need, it was guard specifically. And we didn't address it until pick 200+. That's absolutely ridiculous. Remmers struggled inside so now we either take that and put undrafted Hill on the outside or late round pick Isidora or Compton as starter. Our line will be comprised of essentially one 1st (Reiff) and a slew of undrafted/late round picks. To protect our $80M investment that's on the books for 3 years no matter what. How is this not sounding crazy?

Like I said, I'm not doubting Hughes' ability but he was a luxury we couldn't afford. Or probabally need. We needed to keep Kirk upright. That's why 90% of the mocks had us grabbing a guard. The Vikings basically came out and said they didn't expect the run on guard and took whoever was left at OL. They got burned.
I'm not saying Hughes is just depth. There is no reason Hughes couldnt go in and start day 1 over Alexander. Are you confident in Alexander right now? No less Hughes has versatility that players like Waynes and Rhodes dont have. He can play both inside and outside. And if we are forced to let Waynes walk, we are still set with our CBs.

As for NT, I dont understand where you are coming up with "having to change our entire scheme"? Richardson has played DE, 3 tech and NT. No less he is known for his run stopping. Joseph has gone down before, specifically in 2015 and we plugged Floyd in at NT. Who wasnt near the run stopper Richardson is. We can then slide in Jaleel or even Holmes to play 3 tech. Why does that mean we have to change our entire scheme. Joseph missed 4 games in 2015, Arizona, GB, Chi and Seattle. Chicago didnt have anyone that broke 50 yards on us. GB didnt have a guy that broke 35 on us. David Johnson went for 92 yards. Seattle gashed our entire team that year and Rawls went for 101 yards. So it was a mixed bag with Joseph being out but like I said, Richardson not only has experience playing nose but also is an elite run stopper. Is the depth at DT limited? Yeah but if Joseph was to be out, it's not the end of the world. We should be completely fine with Richardson at NT.

And I said prior to this draft that we shouldnt be surprised if we went with BPA and drafted behind a guy we could lose. And that's what we did. We drafted best PLAYER available. Not best NEED available. And we drafted behind someone we could lose in Waynes (and also a guy that's on the fence skill wise in Alexander). We didnt draft Hughes for "depth". No less he also provided us with a very good return man. It would have been no different if we drafted a LB behind Barr in round 1. Or a DE behind Hunter in round 1. Is our first round pick going to start over Hunter or Barr this year if we went that route? No. However, Hughes actually has that chance at the nickel position. But that is the point of BPA. Look at the Jags. Did they NEED a DT? Not at all but still drafted Taven Bryan. Their DTs are Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus and Abry Jones. No less Calias Campbell mixes in at DT but more at DE. But Bryan was the BPA for them. Same goes for Atlanta. They didnt NEED a WR. They have Julio and Sanu who is a very good #2. None of the 3 (Jones, Sanu or now Calvin Ridley are slot WRs). They are all big body outside WRs. But again, Ridley was the BPA for them. Maybe Zim and Rick thought that there wasnt as much depth at CB in the draft than there was at OL. We wont ever know but I completely understand why they took Hughes.

Our offensive line is loaded with guys that are versatile and can play multiple positions. I trust Zim will put the best 5 out there and have the depth behind them if any were to go down. It's not like we have TJ Clemmings as our only depth piece. I'm guessing the starting OL this year with be Reiff, Easton, Elflein, Remmers and ONeill. That leaves depth of Hill, Isidora, Compton, Gossett and Collins as depth. Which is pretty solid depth IMO.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by mansquatch »

S197 wrote:I've been a pretty big supporter of Spielman and defend him often but he's not without his mistakes. The 2016 draft is shaping up to be a rather poor one especially if Treadwell can't turn things around. So it's not beyond the guy to misread things.
I agree on this statement. I really thought the Treadwell pick was the low water mark for Spielman. (One might argue that no one could have predicted the emergence of Thielen, but Treadwell has never been GREAT.) Hughes might challenge it though. Even if he pans out, they neglected their biggest areas of need, being DT and OG. What I said Friday morning could pan out, maybe they feel one of their projects is ready to start, however at this point it doesn't feel great. I really wonder if this draft will cost them a year if injuries hit on the OL and their backups are exposed. Same with D-Line.

It is easy to understand the feeling that the defensive minded coach might have had too much influence in round one.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

mansquatch wrote:
S197 wrote:I've been a pretty big supporter of Spielman and defend him often but he's not without his mistakes. The 2016 draft is shaping up to be a rather poor one especially if Treadwell can't turn things around. So it's not beyond the guy to misread things.
I agree on this statement. I really thought the Treadwell pick was the low water mark for Spielman. (One might argue that no one could have predicted the emergence of Thielen, but Treadwell has never been GREAT.) Hughes might challenge it though. Even if he pans out, they neglected their biggest areas of need, being DT and OG. What I said Friday morning could pan out, maybe they feel one of their projects is ready to start, however at this point it doesn't feel great. I really wonder if this draft will cost them a year if injuries hit on the OL and their backups are exposed. Same with D-Line.

It is easy to understand the feeling that the defensive minded coach might have had too much influence in round one.
Again though, I wouldnt say those positions were "neglected".

DT was a "need", however, we have two studs there as of now. I've said before, dont count out the possibility of locking Richardson up long term if he plays well and letting someone different walk. We drafted a DT with the #2 pick of the 4th. Which is reasonable given that we have our two starters that will be playing most of the game. No different than when we had Griffen and B-Rob but took Hunter in the 3rd. And yes it lists Holmes as a DE but Zim and Spielman both came out and said they are using him inside. Not outside. So we did in fact draft a DT. It would've been a much bigger need if we never signed Richardson. So in turn, the "need" was depth and we added to it plus Holmes has the possibility to turn into a good player with some coaching up. And if we need a DT because Holmes flops and Richardson walks, it's something that can be addressed next year. It's not something that HAD to be done this year. Someone mentioned that we should have drafted Phillips. Phillips is a nose and would be backing up Linval for a long time. There is no risk of losing Linval to free agency. There is a risk of losing Richardson. So Phillips was out of the question for me.

As for OG, yes another "need" but it seems like since the end of last year, Zim wants Remmers inside. He always had the option to leave Remmers at RT and start either Hill or Isidora at RG last year and didnt. He felt like the best combo was Remmers at guard and Hill at tackle. So now IN TURN, if we have been planning on keeping Remmers at guard for a while, our NEED isnt as much guard as it is RT. And we drafted a solid RT in the 2nd round that is a solid pass blocker. We dont just take an OT in the 2nd round to keep Remmers there for 3 more years while ONeill rots on the bench. Again, if Remmers is now considered a guard, we have Remmers, Easton, Isidora, Gossett and Compton (who started 5 games at OG last year). And I was never a huge fan of Remmers at guard but he also got moved there late in the year out of nowhere. Given a full offseason now to work on it, I could see him being much better. That position seems far from "neglected". Is it a huge group of studs? No. But it's far from "neglected".

And let's not forget, it was said multiple times on NFL network that Oneill has all the tools to become a stud LT down the road but will start out on the right side. So dont be surprised if he puts it all together and makes the switch to LT in 3-5 years. Or even sooner if they want Reiff on the right side.

All in all, from the naked eye, it looks like those positions could be "neglected" but in the end, they werent at all when you look into why we went this route. I'm happy with the draft and thought we killed it in FA. Overall, I'm pumped for the season!
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by YikesVikes »

No one said Oniel could become a stud LT. They said above average of everything goes right. They also said he needs at least a year to compete at the next level. I don't know what he will become at the next level as far as talent but it seems we are putting him in a bad stop if we are moving him to RT. Your RT is traditionally your power tackle. He and the tight end blocks the bigger LDE who typically is more of a runstuffer. Putting a Finesse tackle there typically isn't not the way most teams go.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

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Pondering Her Percy wrote:
mansquatch wrote:
S197 wrote:I've been a pretty big supporter of Spielman and defend him often but he's not without his mistakes. The 2016 draft is shaping up to be a rather poor one especially if Treadwell can't turn things around. So it's not beyond the guy to misread things.
I agree on this statement. I really thought the Treadwell pick was the low water mark for Spielman. (One might argue that no one could have predicted the emergence of Thielen, but Treadwell has never been GREAT.) Hughes might challenge it though. Even if he pans out, they neglected their biggest areas of need, being DT and OG. What I said Friday morning could pan out, maybe they feel one of their projects is ready to start, however at this point it doesn't feel great. I really wonder if this draft will cost them a year if injuries hit on the OL and their backups are exposed. Same with D-Line.

It is easy to understand the feeling that the defensive minded coach might have had too much influence in round one.
Again though, I wouldnt say those positions were "neglected".

DT was a "need", however, we have two studs there as of now. I've said before, dont count out the possibility of locking Richardson up long term if he plays well and letting someone different walk. We drafted a DT with the #2 pick of the 4th. Which is reasonable given that we have our two starters that will be playing most of the game. No different than when we had Griffen and B-Rob but took Hunter in the 3rd. And yes it lists Holmes as a DE but Zim and Spielman both came out and said they are using him inside. Not outside. So we did in fact draft a DT. It would've been a much bigger need if we never signed Richardson. So in turn, the "need" was depth and we added to it plus Holmes has the possibility to turn into a good player with some coaching up. And if we need a DT because Holmes flops and Richardson walks, it's something that can be addressed next year. It's not something that HAD to be done this year. Someone mentioned that we should have drafted Phillips. Phillips is a nose and would be backing up Linval for a long time. There is no risk of losing Linval to free agency. There is a risk of losing Richardson. So Phillips was out of the question for me.

As for OG, yes another "need" but it seems like since the end of last year, Zim wants Remmers inside. He always had the option to leave Remmers at RT and start either Hill or Isidora at RG last year and didnt. He felt like the best combo was Remmers at guard and Hill at tackle. So now IN TURN, if we have been planning on keeping Remmers at guard for a while, our NEED isnt as much guard as it is RT. And we drafted a solid RT in the 2nd round that is a solid pass blocker. We dont just take an OT in the 2nd round to keep Remmers there for 3 more years while ONeill rots on the bench. Again, if Remmers is now considered a guard, we have Remmers, Easton, Isidora, Gossett and Compton (who started 5 games at OG last year). And I was never a huge fan of Remmers at guard but he also got moved there late in the year out of nowhere. Given a full offseason now to work on it, I could see him being much better. That position seems far from "neglected". Is it a huge group of studs? No. But it's far from "neglected".

And let's not forget, it was said multiple times on NFL network that Oneill has all the tools to become a stud LT down the road but will start out on the right side. So dont be surprised if he puts it all together and makes the switch to LT in 3-5 years. Or even sooner if they want Reiff on the right side.

All in all, from the naked eye, it looks like those positions could be "neglected" but in the end, they werent at all when you look into why we went this route. I'm happy with the draft and thought we killed it in FA. Overall, I'm pumped for the season!
I'm sure it won't happen, but I suspect Reilly Reiff would be totally amazing as a Guard. All-Pro, best in the league territory. On the off chance that O'Neill is ready to play this year (I think its a very off chance), I'd like to see him get a chance at LT and have Reiff play LG.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

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Pondering Her Percy wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:35 am
mansquatch wrote:
S197 wrote:I've been a pretty big supporter of Spielman and defend him often but he's not without his mistakes. The 2016 draft is shaping up to be a rather poor one especially if Treadwell can't turn things around. So it's not beyond the guy to misread things.
I agree on this statement. I really thought the Treadwell pick was the low water mark for Spielman. (One might argue that no one could have predicted the emergence of Thielen, but Treadwell has never been GREAT.)

Treadwell draft profile

Treadwell was pretty good before he broke his leg in college. He just hasn't turned out to be a good pro just yet. Such is life with the NFL draft. You're just as likely if not more likely to have as many misses as you do hits.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by S197 »

If Hughes isn't a depth signing then we missed on Waynes and/or Alexander. If it's Alexander then 2016 is shaping up to be an awful draft class as I previously mentioned. It's one or the other, either he's coming here because we're worried about a guy we drafted highly or he was a luxury depth signing.

As for DT, lets play this one out. Linval goes down and we move Richardson to NT and Jaleel to 3-tech. That's good and fine except who spells Richardson? We have tweeners is Jaylen, Robison and Bradley at DT. This is why I said we'd need to change our scheme or are we going to assume Richardson plays every down? When Linval went down, we had Stephen who was pretty good against the run. There's no one on this roster behind our starters who is even close to a legit NT. And Phillips was sitting right there. Not to mention Richardson is on a one-year deal and it's unlikely we have the cap space to bring him back unless we let someone else go.

Zimmer's scheme is for D-lineman to stop the run first so it's a bit of a head scratcher that we picked up all these tweeners that really won't be able to accomplish that.

As for corner depth, I think it's hard to make a case that depth wasn't there when we can grab a guy like Hill as a UDFA.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

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I dont understand those claiming we need depth at CB but feel like we can go with anyone on the Oline. We've read this story. It doesn't work. We improved last year after investing a crazy amount of money and a 3rd into the Oline. How many times do we try have to waste late rounder before we realize it not the answer?
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

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I keep reading these draft analyses that have the Vikings rated anywhere from A- to B, nothing lower. I'm usually pretty optimistic, but I don't get it. I could see Hughes playing some this year, but who else? The kicker Carlson, I suppose.

Still think we've got a great team, with Cousins under center and Dalvin Cook returning. Anybody who rates Green Bay ahead of us (which I'm sure many green Kool-aid drinkers in the media will) is smoking something. But I don't see a lot of contributors among these rookies. Hope I'm wrong.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

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S197 wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 4:31 pm If Hughes isn't a depth signing then we missed on Waynes and/or Alexander. If it's Alexander then 2016 is shaping up to be an awful draft class as I previously mentioned. It's one or the other, either he's coming here because we're worried about a guy we drafted highly or he was a luxury depth signing.

As for DT, lets play this one out. Linval goes down and we move Richardson to NT and Jaleel to 3-tech. That's good and fine except who spells Richardson? We have tweeners is Jaylen, Robison and Bradley at DT. This is why I said we'd need to change our scheme or are we going to assume Richardson plays every down? When Linval went down, we had Stephen who was pretty good against the run. There's no one on this roster behind our starters who is even close to a legit NT. And Phillips was sitting right there. Not to mention Richardson is on a one-year deal and it's unlikely we have the cap space to bring him back unless we let someone else go.

Zimmer's scheme is for D-lineman to stop the run first so it's a bit of a head scratcher that we picked up all these tweeners that really won't be able to accomplish that.

As for corner depth, I think it's hard to make a case that depth wasn't there when we can grab a guy like Hill as a UDFA.
I get what you’re saying but it’s been done before with a lesser talent in Floyd and we were ok. Is the depth great? No. But maybe they have a lot of confidence in Jaleel. I don’t know. Either way, I trust what our front office and Zim does until proven otherwise. We’ve been so use to just drafting needs all the time because we haven’t had this loaded of a team since 98. The big tell is what happens come next offseason. Who stays and who goes? But I respect your take. You make a lot of good points but I just feel more confident in what they did in the draft than some do.

I mean some thought 2016 was going to be a good draft and it wasn’t what we thought. 2015 with Waynes Kendricks Hunter and Diggs everyone was more down on and it turned out to be a great class. Mainly because Waynes was questioned because we passed on peters, Hunter was a no name and Diggs was just a 5th rounder that we thought would be a depth guy. You really never know and it’s so hard to predict.

But overall, good points. I see it your way in a sense but I have my outlooks on the whole thing as well
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by YikesVikes »

J. Kapp 11 wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 8:37 pm I keep reading these draft analyses that have the Vikings rated anywhere from A- to B, nothing lower. I'm usually pretty optimistic, but I don't get it. I could see Hughes playing some this year, but who else? The kicker Carlson, I suppose.

Still think we've got a great team, with Cousins under center and Dalvin Cook returning. Anybody who rates Green Bay ahead of us (which I'm sure many green Kool-aid drinkers in the media will) is smoking something. But I don't see a lot of contributors among these rookies. Hope I'm wrong.
I think you are right. Maybe there is a plan but it sure looks like we got caught with our pants down on day 2. I think we looked at the end of day 1 and felt that we would be able to get one of the 3 remaining guys. at 30. It didn't play of that way and we went with the best lineman on our board.

My biggest issue is the abundance of defensive linemen we drafted. I really hate trying to convert nominal talent into another position. We've tried that so many times and have failed. Yet here we are trying to turn a DE into a DT. The fact that we passed on Hurst for this is upsetting. I rather roll the dice on the medical issue with a proven talent than to force someone into a position when we have shown little ability to cultivate these raw tweeners (will give the smallest of credit for Barr).
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

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Teams that draft for immediate need and expect young guys to come in and contribute right away are generally teams that aren't having much long-term success. The draft is not where areas of immediate need are addressed. If teams have so many glaring immediate needs that they need to come out of the lottery that is the draft with a bunch of winning tickets, then they are likely to end up just as unsuccessful at the end of the coming season as they were at the end of the prior season.

Drafts are always a crapshoot. Always. There may be some picks that in retrospect were "obviously good", but only in retrospect, and for each such obvious example, there are many more that were complete busts. It is a crapshoot, and the main purpose of a draft is to stock the team with depth players who hopefully can step in later and be effective players when guys retire or leave via free agency. If a team is really lucky they draft guys at positions other teams are willing to trade for.

So the Vikings had a lot of success last year. They shored up at key positions like QB via FA this offseason. They should get Dalvin Cook back and healthy at RB. They mainly needed depth in this draft despite the prevailing wisdom they had serious needs. Teams that advance to their conference championship games generally do not have the sort of immediate needs that characterize less successful teams. And teams that make it that far starting their 3rd string quarterback and missing their starting running back even less so, IMHO.

This draft for the Vikings was about depth and finding guys who, if they could contribute immediately, would likely do it in less orthodox ways. Just watch videos of Hughes returning kicks. The guy has real potential to break a few for scores. Plus, even though he is not that big, watch his positioning in coverage. He cuts off routes and negates the size advantage of the guys he covers. He shows fantastic awareness and ability to close on the ball. He'll push for playing time, inside or out.

O'Neill is a fantastic pass blocker already. He's not going to start because he's not ready to start at the pro level, but what more do you want to protect your QB investment than a guy who is really good at exactly that? Could he turn out to be a bust? Sure, but so could most of the guys drafted before him along the OL. It's not a bad pick - just not a splash pick. This is one that needs time to assess.

And for the most part, the entire rest of the Viking draft this year is the same way. The team is already solid, and no matter what anyone wants to believe, there wasn't going to be single player available to the Vikings where they picked that was truly capable of coming in and making a huge difference out of the gate. The Vikings aren't a bad team that needs that to happen, either. If they struggle next season it is going to be because some key guys got injured or something and not because their draft picks from this draft didn't light up the NFL.

Relax everyone who doesn't like this draft - the Vikings are going to have a FANTASTIC season this year! And this is coming from a guy who absolutely enjoyed what they managed to do last season. No more fatalism needed - Spielman and Zimmer have built out a really strong team that is going to compete for a Superbowl, more difficult schedule and all.
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

YikesVikes wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:58 pm I think you are right. Maybe there is a plan but it sure looks like we got caught with our pants down on day 2. I think we looked at the end of day 1 and felt that we would be able to get one of the 3 remaining guys. at 30. It didn't play of that way and we went with the best lineman on our board.

My biggest issue is the abundance of defensive linemen we drafted. I really hate trying to convert nominal talent into another position. We've tried that so many times and have failed. Yet here we are trying to turn a DE into a DT. The fact that we passed on Hurst for this is upsetting. I rather roll the dice on the medical issue with a proven talent than to force someone into a position when we have shown little ability to cultivate these raw tweeners (will give the smallest of credit for Barr).
We're not "trying to turn a DE into a DT". He was a tweener in college too. Played inside a lot on 3rd downs. He wasnt strictly a DE. So I wouldnt think learning how to play inside is something completely new for Holmes
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Re: Vikings Draft Picks

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

VikingLord wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 3:53 am Teams that draft for immediate need and expect young guys to come in and contribute right away are generally teams that aren't having much long-term success. The draft is not where areas of immediate need are addressed. If teams have so many glaring immediate needs that they need to come out of the lottery that is the draft with a bunch of winning tickets, then they are likely to end up just as unsuccessful at the end of the coming season as they were at the end of the prior season.

Drafts are always a crapshoot. Always. There may be some picks that in retrospect were "obviously good", but only in retrospect, and for each such obvious example, there are many more that were complete busts. It is a crapshoot, and the main purpose of a draft is to stock the team with depth players who hopefully can step in later and be effective players when guys retire or leave via free agency. If a team is really lucky they draft guys at positions other teams are willing to trade for.

So the Vikings had a lot of success last year. They shored up at key positions like QB via FA this offseason. They should get Dalvin Cook back and healthy at RB. They mainly needed depth in this draft despite the prevailing wisdom they had serious needs. Teams that advance to their conference championship games generally do not have the sort of immediate needs that characterize less successful teams. And teams that make it that far starting their 3rd string quarterback and missing their starting running back even less so, IMHO.

This draft for the Vikings was about depth and finding guys who, if they could contribute immediately, would likely do it in less orthodox ways. Just watch videos of Hughes returning kicks. The guy has real potential to break a few for scores. Plus, even though he is not that big, watch his positioning in coverage. He cuts off routes and negates the size advantage of the guys he covers. He shows fantastic awareness and ability to close on the ball. He'll push for playing time, inside or out.

O'Neill is a fantastic pass blocker already. He's not going to start because he's not ready to start at the pro level, but what more do you want to protect your QB investment than a guy who is really good at exactly that? Could he turn out to be a bust? Sure, but so could most of the guys drafted before him along the OL. It's not a bad pick - just not a splash pick. This is one that needs time to assess.

And for the most part, the entire rest of the Viking draft this year is the same way. The team is already solid, and no matter what anyone wants to believe, there wasn't going to be single player available to the Vikings where they picked that was truly capable of coming in and making a huge difference out of the gate. The Vikings aren't a bad team that needs that to happen, either. If they struggle next season it is going to be because some key guys got injured or something and not because their draft picks from this draft didn't light up the NFL.

Relax everyone who doesn't like this draft - the Vikings are going to have a FANTASTIC season this year! And this is coming from a guy who absolutely enjoyed what they managed to do last season. No more fatalism needed - Spielman and Zimmer have built out a really strong team that is going to compete for a Superbowl, more difficult schedule and all.
Solid post. As I mentioned before, us Viking fans are so use to always drafting for need because we were rebuilding for a while that we became use to it. We all knew there was a possibility we went BPA. We did and some fans were not pleased. You all knew it was a possibility! It's not like we ignored the OL. Or the DL. We addressed multiple positions in this draft. And like you said, it's a crap shoot. Nobody ever expected the 2015 class to be good. And it was unreal. Best class we drafted in a long time. Bottom line is, these guys havent even hit the field yet and some are saying it's a good class and some are saying it's bad. We dont know, I dont know, our front office doesnt even know until these guys hit the field. I think we just need to pump the breaks.
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent and the choices you make will shape your life forever.
-Chazz Palminteri
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