Vikings trade for Guard Mason Cole

[Maelstrom88]

https://youtu.be/DG_STTvu0Gc

[Rhodes Closed]

Probably a depth player tbh

[Maelstrom88]

https://mobile.twitter.com/RapSheet/sta ... 2704090114

He had starting experience although he hasn't graded out too well on pff for whatever that's worth. Seems to be a good addition for what they gave up though.

[S197]

Awesome another C/G that graded 54.4 by PFF and 35th in pass blocking among all centers.

[VikingTom]

https://youtu.be/DG_STTvu0Gc

Just saw this. Not a blockbuster move by any means, but not a bad move either. Talk of him being used as a guard, though clearly he can also back up center. Even if simply for depth, having a little versatility on the O line is a plus. Giving up a 6th round pick seems fair.

[Spot & Stalk Vike]

PFF has Cole at 2,063 total NFL snaps, with 1,862 of them (90.3 percent) coming at center. But he has also played 149 snaps at left guard, 47 snaps at right guard, one at left tackle and four as an extra tight end.

Good depth / swing guy.

[StumpHunter]

Why pay him 2.3 million instead of Jones half of that if he is just a depth guy?

I am very worried he is already the plan at LG in 2021...

[Texas Vike]

The Eagle has landed.

[VikingPaul73]

Awesome another C/G that graded 54.4 by PFF and 35th in pass blocking among all centers.

Yeah but just wait for him to slide over to his natural position of LG and get coached up by Dennison! Guaranteed PFF in the 80s!!

[Pondering Her Percy]

Why pay him 2.3 million instead of Jones half of that if he is just a depth guy?

I am very worried he is already the plan at LG in 2021...

You and I don’t always agree, but I have the same damn feeling here.

And by the looks of it, they are going with their same idiotic approach of “he fits our scheme and an athlete” and not with what I’ve pointed out multiple times this offseason...find a guy with an anchor and power that can hold blocks. I could literally give two craps if the guy is good or not getting to the second level. We have dalvin cook. He creates plenty on his own, he doesn’t need some superb run blocking OL to be successful.

And sure enough, in Cole’s combine profile it states “Cole relies much more on his athleticism than power”. Like WHY?! What is their obsession with putting all these athletes on the OL? Yes I 100% want athletes like O’Neill and hopefully Cleveland at tackle. They need to be athletic to deal with today’s DEs who are all speed. But you need a flipping interior that can HOLD THEIR BLOCKS. Bradbury already struggles with that. If they plan on Cleveland staying at guard, he’s also not built on power and now this garbage can who can’t pass block worth a shi#. I’m so sick of seeing this and they are so damn adamant about finding these type of interior offensive lineman. It drives me insane. Like do they not watch film and see guys constantly get pushed back into cousins lap (who is already taking the majority of his early snaps under center)?

If this is really a depth trade and he’s taking Jones place basically, then whatever I’m fine with it. Yeah he’s probably overpaid but that’s the least of my worries. My worry is they think “okay we found our starting left guard”.

Like I don’t get it? They have an elite RB that they attempt to build their entire offensive line around when they don’t need to. But they have an immobile QB taking snaps under center most of the game that they don’t build their OL around at all. And it’s sad because we’ve actually had pretty solid tackles overall for quite some time now but are absolutely clueless when it comes to guard. Like they could’ve had a solid OL by now if they actually found true guards with an anchor in pass protection. But instead they are just so obsessed with finding athletes that they put out of position on the interior just so they can get to the second level when dalvin cook runs the ball.

And honestly, I’m not sure how much this even screams Spielman. I think this screams zimmer wanting to constantly coach like it’s 1992 and establishing the run and that’s what he wants on his OL. Guys that can run block and get to the second level but can’t do diddly dic# from a pass blocking standpoint because they get thrown around like rag dolls by guys like Akiem Hicks, Buckner, Simmons, etc.

If this guy ends up starting, I’m going to puke.

[CharVike]

Why pay him 2.3 million instead of Jones half of that if he is just a depth guy?

I am very worried he is already the plan at LG in 2021...

You and I don’t always agree, but I have the same damn feeling here.

And by the looks of it, they are going with their same idiotic approach of “he fits our scheme and an athlete” and not with what I’ve pointed out multiple times this offseason...find a guy with an anchor and power that can hold blocks. I could literally give two craps if the guy is good or not getting to the second level. We have dalvin cook. He creates plenty on his own, he doesn’t need some superb run blocking OL to be successful.

And sure enough, in Cole’s combine profile it states “Cole relies much more on his athleticism than power”. Like WHY?! What is their obsession with putting all these athletes on the OL? Yes I 100% want athletes like O’Neill and hopefully Cleveland at tackle. They need to be athletic to deal with today’s DEs who are all speed. But you need a flipping interior that can HOLD THEIR BLOCKS. Bradbury already struggles with that. If they plan on Cleveland staying at guard, he’s also not built on power and now this garbage can who can’t pass block worth a shi#. I’m so sick of seeing this and they are so damn adamant about finding these type of interior offensive lineman. It drives me insane. Like do they not watch film and see guys constantly get pushed back into cousins lap (who is already taking the majority of his early snaps under center)?

If this is really a depth trade and he’s taking Jones place basically, then whatever I’m fine with it. Yeah he’s probably overpaid but that’s the least of my worries. My worry is they think “okay we found our starting left guard”.

Like I don’t get it? They have an elite RB that they attempt to build their entire offensive line around when they don’t need to. But they have an immobile QB taking snaps under center most of the game that they don’t build their OL around at all. And it’s sad because we’ve actually had pretty solid tackles overall for quite some time now but are absolutely clueless when it comes to guard. Like they could’ve had a solid OL by now if they actually found true guards with an anchor in pass protection. But instead they are just so obsessed with finding athletes that they put out of position on the interior just so they can get to the second level when dalvin cook runs the ball.

And honestly, I’m not sure how much this even screams Spielman. I think this screams zimmer wanting to constantly coach like it’s 1992 and establishing the run and that’s what he wants on his OL. Guys that can run block and get to the second level but can’t do diddly dic# from a pass blocking standpoint because they get thrown around like rag dolls by guys like Akiem Hicks, Buckner, Simmons, etc.

If this guy ends up starting, I’m going to puke.

That's Kubiaks offense. Athletic OL that can move. I hate it and posted that when he was hired. I like the bigger player. He sucks as a center but I found this about the two starts he had at G.

Against the 49ers, making his first start at guard in the NFL or college (he was a left tackle and center at Michigan), Cole recorded a 68.3 PFF grade on 56 snaps. He played well in the running game and, despite being burned by Buckner for a sack, wasn't a liability in pass protection.

The following week was even more encouraging. Facing the Bucs' stout defensive line, Cole showed an impressive ability to anchor in pass protection. On 49 pass blocking snaps, he received a PFF grade of 80.7 and allowed just one pressure. Many of those reps were double teams or plays where Kyler Murray got rid of the ball quickly, but Cole had some nice moments going 1-on-1 against a defensive tackle.

Let's face it he's still young and what would we have drafted in the 6th round. I think he will compete for the LG job and if he loses we have a C/G backup with some starts under his belt. Two position backup with starts at both is a good deal. Thing is the guy isn't even 300 ILBs. That's kubiaks scheme. I hated it from day one others felt it was good. Last year we were No 4 in offense. The one's who felt it was good are right. I'm not complaining on this one. Makes the draft easy. Small guy with no base are much easier to find than the monster.

[RandyMoss84]

I do not think it is a bad trade, if it does not work out, Rick can get the 6th round pick back in the draft

[Pondering Her Percy]

You and I don’t always agree, but I have the same damn feeling here.

And by the looks of it, they are going with their same idiotic approach of “he fits our scheme and an athlete” and not with what I’ve pointed out multiple times this offseason...find a guy with an anchor and power that can hold blocks. I could literally give two craps if the guy is good or not getting to the second level. We have dalvin cook. He creates plenty on his own, he doesn’t need some superb run blocking OL to be successful.

And sure enough, in Cole’s combine profile it states “Cole relies much more on his athleticism than power”. Like WHY?! What is their obsession with putting all these athletes on the OL? Yes I 100% want athletes like O’Neill and hopefully Cleveland at tackle. They need to be athletic to deal with today’s DEs who are all speed. But you need a flipping interior that can HOLD THEIR BLOCKS. Bradbury already struggles with that. If they plan on Cleveland staying at guard, he’s also not built on power and now this garbage can who can’t pass block worth a shi#. I’m so sick of seeing this and they are so damn adamant about finding these type of interior offensive lineman. It drives me insane. Like do they not watch film and see guys constantly get pushed back into cousins lap (who is already taking the majority of his early snaps under center)?

If this is really a depth trade and he’s taking Jones place basically, then whatever I’m fine with it. Yeah he’s probably overpaid but that’s the least of my worries. My worry is they think “okay we found our starting left guard”.

Like I don’t get it? They have an elite RB that they attempt to build their entire offensive line around when they don’t need to. But they have an immobile QB taking snaps under center most of the game that they don’t build their OL around at all. And it’s sad because we’ve actually had pretty solid tackles overall for quite some time now but are absolutely clueless when it comes to guard. Like they could’ve had a solid OL by now if they actually found true guards with an anchor in pass protection. But instead they are just so obsessed with finding athletes that they put out of position on the interior just so they can get to the second level when dalvin cook runs the ball.

And honestly, I’m not sure how much this even screams Spielman. I think this screams zimmer wanting to constantly coach like it’s 1992 and establishing the run and that’s what he wants on his OL. Guys that can run block and get to the second level but can’t do diddly dic# from a pass blocking standpoint because they get thrown around like rag dolls by guys like Akiem Hicks, Buckner, Simmons, etc.

If this guy ends up starting, I’m going to puke.

That's Kubiaks offense. Athletic OL that can move. I hate it and posted that when he was hired. I like the bigger player. He sucks as a center but I found this about the two starts he had at G.

Against the 49ers, making his first start at guard in the NFL or college (he was a left tackle and center at Michigan), Cole recorded a 68.3 PFF grade on 56 snaps. He played well in the running game and, despite being burned by Buckner for a sack, wasn't a liability in pass protection.

The following week was even more encouraging. Facing the Bucs' stout defensive line, Cole showed an impressive ability to anchor in pass protection. On 49 pass blocking snaps, he received a PFF grade of 80.7 and allowed just one pressure. Many of those reps were double teams or plays where Kyler Murray got rid of the ball quickly, but Cole had some nice moments going 1-on-1 against a defensive tackle.

Let's face it he's still young and what would we have drafted in the 6th round. I think he will compete for the LG job and if he loses we have a C/G backup with some starts under his belt. Two position backup with starts at both is a good deal. Thing is the guy isn't even 300 ILBs. That's kubiaks scheme. I hated it from day one others felt it was good. Last year we were No 4 in offense. The one's who felt it was good are right. I'm not complaining on this one. Makes the draft easy. Small guy with no base are much easier to find than the monster.

Good info you found there. I mean I'm sure I sounded like I didnt like this signing at all. That's not the case. My worry is really one thing....that the Vikings front office is now thinking "okay, we're set at guard now". That is what is going to bother me. If they settled and are moving onto the next hole. For a 6th round pick (which is the compensatory that we have so our very last pick) I think it's a solid low risk potentially solid reward trade. I just dont want them to settle that is all.

But if I had to predict, I would not be surprised one bit if they go into the draft, take an offensive tackle with their first rounder, settle on Cole at LG, leave Cleveland at guard and maybe take another guard for depth purposes in about the 5th round or later. That is the sense I'm getting. I mean I think there is a very high chance they take a DE in the first. And if that is the case, dont be surprised if they end up starting Hill at one of the tackle spots and settle with what they have as well.

My wants in the draft are Vera-Tucker in the first who isnt a true tackle and is projected as a guard and has actually played a significant amount of guard. Not someone like Cleveland who never played guard and they somehow think that's where he needs to be. Vera-Tucker is an excellent pass protector and has a very solid anchor.

IF we go with someone like Kwity Paye at DE in the first, my next want would be Trey Smith out of Tennessee who is a huge sleeper and could be the best guard in the entire class. However, I can bet money they wont draft him because he's more of a power guard that doesnt "fit their scheme"

In 2017, Quenton Nelson was the top offensive lineman in college football, but the second-best guard in the nation could have been Smith. Considering there were other good guards like Will Hernandez and Braden Smith who were second-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, that is really saying something for how Smith played as a freshman. Smith dominated at the point of attack and was extremely impressive when taking on Alabama. He looked like he was just scratching the surface with the upside to be even better with more experience. Smith played guard and left tackle for the Volunteers as a freshman.

And Smith will only fall simply because of medical because he had blood clots a few years back but fully healthy now

I'm not opposed to guys like Slater or Wyatt Davis but Slater seems like more of a true tackle and Davis' pass pro worries me a bit but is a great run blocker, which is right up Zim's alley

[StanM]

If I could give any advice after watching this team since 1961 game #1 is that it’s just a game. Don’t let it raise your blood pressure, they’re not worth getting yourself sick over.

The pieces are still falling in place and this is likely not our last move. Be patient and save the angst for the end result.

[CharVike]

That's Kubiaks offense. Athletic OL that can move. I hate it and posted that when he was hired. I like the bigger player. He sucks as a center but I found this about the two starts he had at G.

Against the 49ers, making his first start at guard in the NFL or college (he was a left tackle and center at Michigan), Cole recorded a 68.3 PFF grade on 56 snaps. He played well in the running game and, despite being burned by Buckner for a sack, wasn't a liability in pass protection.

The following week was even more encouraging. Facing the Bucs' stout defensive line, Cole showed an impressive ability to anchor in pass protection. On 49 pass blocking snaps, he received a PFF grade of 80.7 and allowed just one pressure. Many of those reps were double teams or plays where Kyler Murray got rid of the ball quickly, but Cole had some nice moments going 1-on-1 against a defensive tackle.

Let's face it he's still young and what would we have drafted in the 6th round. I think he will compete for the LG job and if he loses we have a C/G backup with some starts under his belt. Two position backup with starts at both is a good deal. Thing is the guy isn't even 300 ILBs. That's kubiaks scheme. I hated it from day one others felt it was good. Last year we were No 4 in offense. The one's who felt it was good are right. I'm not complaining on this one. Makes the draft easy. Small guy with no base are much easier to find than the monster.

Good info you found there. I mean I'm sure I sounded like I didnt like this signing at all. That's not the case. My worry is really one thing....that the Vikings front office is now thinking "okay, we're set at guard now". That is what is going to bother me. If they settled and are moving onto the next hole. For a 6th round pick (which is the compensatory that we have so our very last pick) I think it's a solid low risk potentially solid reward trade. I just dont want them to settle that is all.

But if I had to predict, I would not be surprised one bit if they go into the draft, take an offensive tackle with their first rounder, settle on Cole at LG, leave Cleveland at guard and maybe take another guard for depth purposes in about the 5th round or later. That is the sense I'm getting. I mean I think there is a very high chance they take a DE in the first. And if that is the case, dont be surprised if they end up starting Hill at one of the tackle spots and settle with what they have as well.

My wants in the draft are Vera-Tucker in the first who isnt a true tackle and is projected as a guard and has actually played a significant amount of guard. Not someone like Cleveland who never played guard and they somehow think that's where he needs to be. Vera-Tucker is an excellent pass protector and has a very solid anchor.

IF we go with someone like Kwity Paye at DE in the first, my next want would be Trey Smith out of Tennessee who is a huge sleeper and could be the best guard in the entire class. However, I can bet money they wont draft him because he's more of a power guard that doesnt "fit their scheme"

In 2017, Quenton Nelson was the top offensive lineman in college football, but the second-best guard in the nation could have been Smith. Considering there were other good guards like Will Hernandez and Braden Smith who were second-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, that is really saying something for how Smith played as a freshman. Smith dominated at the point of attack and was extremely impressive when taking on Alabama. He looked like he was just scratching the surface with the upside to be even better with more experience. Smith played guard and left tackle for the Volunteers as a freshman.

And Smith will only fall simply because of medical because he had blood clots a few years back but fully healthy now

I'm not opposed to guys like Slater or Wyatt Davis but Slater seems like more of a true tackle and Davis' pass pro worries me a bit but is a great run blocker, which is right up Zim's alley

Your worry is valid. Our team never clears the OL up or explains their intentions. We let Reiff go and I was expecting something like Ezra will slide over now. Then Jones name pops up and boom a trade for a swing backup is made. I've seen post wondering were will Cleveland play. None of us know. It looks like G to me. But I wouldn't be surprised if a G is picked and Ezra goes to LT. But this piecing together an OL every year gets old. Players leave and I understand that. It almost as if they think OL isn't that important. I'm not putting much thought into this one. Whatever they do they do at this point. I can't even make a suggestion.