Day 3 draft

[CharVike]

This has nothing to do with Cousins. I have said he is the best we have had since Fran. This has to do with the best pick for the spot we were in. You don't think Jones is a good prospect. Bill B did. I think he's a good prospect. I'm sure other teams did also. I think the Steelers would have picked him. We were in the position to get a top player for the most important position. That don't happen very often. When it comes up you go for it. Regardless of need. The guy might be better than Cousins. Deal Cousins then after the CAP stuff is straighten out. The Chiefs do CAP stuff so can we. The Packers locker room isn't wreaked. They made the last two champ games. That's playing dam good ball. That's not a wreaked locker room. They had HOFA with a wreaked locker room. Last year was better than the previous. Love was traded up for. I said stay put and make the pick. That's a big difference. It's the pick I would have made. No more than that.

Except that you yourself created a post that Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay. Do you want Kirk Cousins to be b!tching the way Rodgers has?

And you don’t seem to understand ... the Vikings can’t just “straighten out the cap stuff and deal Cousins.” The Chiefs do cap stuff? What does that even mean? Cousins’ salary, this year and next, is fully guaranteed. The only way to deal him is to find a team that will be willing to take on $35 million against their cap. Good luck with that. Cousins isn’t going anywhere until his contract expires, at the earliest.

Drafting Jones would have meant either a) using the 14th pick on a guy who’s going to hold a clipboard, or b) paying the guy with the highest cap hit in the NFL to do the same. It doesn’t make any sense.

What you don't seem to understand QBs are worth more than any position. It's the most important position on the field and at least half the teams have nothing at the spot. Teams would be glad to take on the 35-50 million hit for a QB. We had to fight other teams for Cousins. Unless that wasn't true and we were the only team. That's possible also. Just as I posted a false deal about Rodgers. It's what I read. He's a cry baby and isn't going anywhere. That was my mistake. The same BS is still going on. He's there until he's finished. That could be this year or 20 years from now. I have no idea. Cousins has been through the QB BS with RG whatever. He understands the deal. IMO Jones looks like a player. When the chance is there you take a player at the most important position. You may never get that chance again. Of course Speilman might think Jones sucks and I get that. Bill B didn't waste time. He understands the value and already has a guy in place and a young guy on the bench. He won't say it but he knows he has nothing and decided to try and fix it. Rookie QBs are cheap and if they develop you are sitting on a pot of gold. That's what you are not looking at. As for Jones holding the clip board. Why is that such a terrible thing?

[Norv Zimmer]

I would give this an average grade. Nothing stands out. My top player at our pick was Mac Jones and he was there for the taking. I thought this is a gift. I couldn't believe it. You never pass on top flight QB prospects. That's the difference maker position. It also gives you a ton of capital. We may never be in a position like this for a long time. We didn't get an impact player this year and we were in position to get one. No 2nd rounder was a killer. It gets back to quantity or quality. I want quality. We'll see what happens.

Darrisaw, Davis, Surratt, DE's , Mond will all be impact players. Yes I consider getting Mannion off this team to be impact.

If you really wanted mac jones that bad for this team IDK what to think lol. He doesnt fit our system.

[Norv Zimmer]

Mond is way better than Mac Jones. Period. Way more experience and pedigree, way more athletic. Any way you look at it any qb we draft will sit behind cousins for 2 years.

Also, they saved a lot of $ moving back in the first.

[VikingTom]

Mond is way better than Mac Jones. Period. Way more experience and pedigree, way more athletic. Any way you look at it any qb we draft will sit behind cousins for 2 years.

Also, they saved a lot of $ moving back in the first.

The more info I see on Mond the higher I think his ceiling is. I like what he brings, mobility and a decent arm. He seems to have progressed from a run first QB to a pass first QB. Not to mention he has shown growth each season as a starter in College. No guarantee he is the heir apparent, but he will have two seasons to learn. I have always thought that was the best option for any QB regardless of how highly rated they are. 1-2 years with the clipboard as they learn the nuances of the game is the best option if it is possible.

[TheCoolerOne]

Mond is way better than Mac Jones. Period. Way more experience and pedigree, way more athletic. Any way you look at it any qb we draft will sit behind cousins for 2 years.

Also, they saved a lot of $ moving back in the first.

The more info I see on Mond the higher I think his ceiling is. I like what he brings, mobility and a decent arm. He seems to have progressed from a run first QB to a pass first QB. Not to mention he has shown growth each season as a starter in College. No guarantee he is the heir apparent, but he will have two seasons to learn. I have always thought that was the best option for any QB regardless of how highly rated they are. 1-2 years with the clipboard as they learn the nuances of the game is the best option if it is possible.

Rooting for the guy, hope he can buck the trend, but any QB Jimbo Fisher has ever coached has failed rather emphatically in the NFL.

Maybe it speaks to the caliber coach he is, but he somehow maximizes their strengths and hides what they can’t do. They get drafted high and get exposed quickly.

Like I said, I hope for the best, but I think it’s more likely we’re watching Mond throw shallow, across-body pick sixes rather than our next great QB

[StanM]

The draft is just one piece of the puzzle and they never work out as predicted. It takes a couple years to see how players develop before we can say 2021 was a success or failure. First and secondly round picks sometimes never meet expectations and fifth rounders become HOF members. I think this draft is more unpredictable with players sitting out and teams basing selections one more limited information than a normal year. All they can do is evaluate athleticism, attitude and past performance at the college level. I have seen a draft or two since that first game in 1961 and it never goes as planned. Be patient and see what a full year of camp and pre-season produces. Trader Rick mentioned that there could be more free agents, trades and I assume restructures and changes. Team building is a work in progress. Patience!

[CharVike]

Mond is way better than Mac Jones. Period. Way more experience and pedigree, way more athletic. Any way you look at it any qb we draft will sit behind cousins for 2 years.

Also, they saved a lot of $ moving back in the first.

The more info I see on Mond the higher I think his ceiling is. I like what he brings, mobility and a decent arm. He seems to have progressed from a run first QB to a pass first QB. Not to mention he has shown growth each season as a starter in College. No guarantee he is the heir apparent, but he will have two seasons to learn. I have always thought that was the best option for any QB regardless of how highly rated they are. 1-2 years with the clipboard as they learn the nuances of the game is the best option if it is possible.

QB is the most difficult position to project. If you run some type of RPO, Sprint or other variation you need a QB that can move. I liked what I saw in Jones no more than that. Cousins runs our offense so I think Jones could run it also. Cousins isn't that much of a better athlete IMO. I think Jones is more athletic. QB play isn't about being the best athlete. If that's the case Fields will be the best to ever play the game. I don't see that happening. Of course Jones had players around him. Bama is always stacked. Tua had guys. Jones throws a nice ball to my eyes. Plus he was there for us and I would always take the QB. They don't fall to 14 very often. We let Rodgers go by twice and paid a step price for it. Still paying. That's a lesson. I learned it. Mond might become the next super star. Right now he is a scatter arm thrower. He's not accurate. That won't cut it at the next level. You either have accuracy or you don't. You can't teach or wish it on people. Same with arm strength. You have it or you don't. You can never change a Keenum to throw like Elway. The media paints the picture that only athletic QBs get to the Super Bowl. That's a bunch of BS. Brady just won the dam thing and is a stick in the mud. Always was. Grap was there. Ryan was there. Foles was there. These are recent guys and none makes me think what a great athlete when I hear there name. Ryan played some nice ball when he had a team around him. Lamar is a tremendous athlete and runs for a 1000 yards. Eventually you need to pass. Bobby Douglass back in the early 70s ran for 970 yards. He couldn't complete many passes. Never did figure it out. Was never accurate and was never gonna be. I think it was a tremendous mistake to let Jones go by. I could see if he fell to round 5 or something. The next team jumped. So he has some skills.Time will tell. Jones could be out of the league in a few years. That always possible also.

[CharVike]

The more info I see on Mond the higher I think his ceiling is. I like what he brings, mobility and a decent arm. He seems to have progressed from a run first QB to a pass first QB. Not to mention he has shown growth each season as a starter in College. No guarantee he is the heir apparent, but he will have two seasons to learn. I have always thought that was the best option for any QB regardless of how highly rated they are. 1-2 years with the clipboard as they learn the nuances of the game is the best option if it is possible.

QB is the most difficult position to project. If you run some type of RPO, Sprint or other variation you need a QB that can move. I liked what I saw in Jones no more than that. Cousins runs our offense so I think Jones could run it also. Cousins isn't that much of a better athlete IMO. I think Jones is more athletic. QB play isn't about being the best athlete. If that's the case Fields will be the best to ever play the game. I don't see that happening. Of course Jones had players around him. Bama is always stacked. Tua had guys. Jones throws a nice ball to my eyes. Plus he was there for us and I would always take the QB. They don't fall to 14 very often. We let Rodgers go by twice and paid a step price for it. Still paying. That's a lesson. I learned it. Mond might become the next super star. Right now he is a scatter arm thrower. He's not accurate. That won't cut it at the next level. You either have accuracy or you don't. You can't teach or wish it on people. Same with arm strength. You have it or you don't. You can never change a Keenum to throw like Elway. The media paints the picture that only athletic QBs get to the Super Bowl. That's a bunch of BS. Brady just won the dam thing and is a stick in the mud. Always was. Grap was there. Ryan was there. Foles was there. These are recent guys and none makes me think what a great athlete when I hear there name. Ryan played some nice ball when he had a team around him. Lamar is a tremendous athlete and runs for a 1000 yards. Eventually you need to pass. Bobby Douglass back in the early 70s ran for 970 yards. He couldn't complete many passes. Never did figure it out. Was never accurate and was never gonna be. I think it was a tremendous mistake to let Jones go by. I could see if he fell to round 5 or something. The next team jumped. So he has some skills.Time will tell. Jones could be out of the league in a few years. That always possible also.

I forgot Goff. He was there. How did he do it. I don't consider him a great athlete by any stretch.

[Norv Zimmer]

In my opinion Jones is going to get exposed in the NFL. I don't think he is that great....... I mean look who he was throwing to, look who his running back was, look at his offensive line, his team carried him IMO.

He won't start this year, unless Newton gets injured (which is likely). Like I said before..... Mond is better.

[VikingsVictorious]

Obviously the Vikings did not consider Jones a top-flight prospect. Neither do I.

I’ve said it 100 times if I’ve said it once. You don’t pay your starting quarterback $30+ million a year and then turn around and draft a quarterback in the first round. It would be the height of stupidity. If you doubt me, look at the Aaron Rodgers situation. He wants the GM fired, and why? Because they drafted Jordan Love LAST YEAR. You wanna wreck your locker room? Draft a first-round QB while your franchise QB is still on the roster.

Doesn’t matter if you don’t like Cousins. It was never going to happen.

This has nothing to do with Cousins. I have said he is the best we have had since Fran. This has to do with the best pick for the spot we were in. You don't think Jones is a good prospect. Bill B did. I think he's a good prospect. I'm sure other teams did also. I think the Steelers would have picked him. We were in the position to get a top player for the most important position. That don't happen very often. When it comes up you go for it. Regardless of need. The guy might be better than Cousins. Deal Cousins then after the CAP stuff is straighten out. The Chiefs do CAP stuff so can we. The Packers locker room isn't wreaked. They made the last two champ games. That's playing dam good ball. That's not a wreaked locker room. They had HOFA with a wreaked locker room. Last year was better than the previous. Love was traded up for. I said stay put and make the pick. That's a big difference. It's the pick I would have made. No more than that.

Chris Simms considered Mac Jones to be the best player in the draft. Obviously most NFL GMs didn't. You think he's great. I would have had zero issue with us picking Jones. Time will tell, but if the Vikings had considered him a superstar to be we would have picked him.

[CharVike]

The draft is just one piece of the puzzle and they never work out as predicted. It takes a couple years to see how players develop before we can say 2021 was a success or failure. First and secondly round picks sometimes never meet expectations and fifth rounders become HOF members. I think this draft is more unpredictable with players sitting out and teams basing selections one more limited information than a normal year. All they can do is evaluate athleticism, attitude and past performance at the college level. I have seen a draft or two since that first game in 1961 and it never goes as planned. Be patient and see what a full year of camp and pre-season produces. Trader Rick mentioned that there could be more free agents, trades and I assume restructures and changes. Team building is a work in progress. Patience!

Projecting how guys will do or who will be picked is also part of the draft fun. For example some posters actually hit on our 1st round pick. That's a great prediction. I give them credit. Another poster found some stuff about the guy not finishing plays. That was interesting. But we won't know the finale tally until a few years out. I've been in Ricks corner but my patience is running out on him. This stacking up a bunch of 3rd and 4th round picks is almost stupidity. That's moves to make moves. There have been many HOFers from those spots but I'd perfer top 10 picks. That's the prime cut of the draft. We picked a LT but he wasn't the cream pick. Slater was. Rick didn't do a deal for the cream. Now our guy might be a much better pro. IMO Slater will be. Some pieces of the draft work out. The 1st pick was known for months. The first two for weeks. How will they do is the next prediction. They both should be very good pros. Franchise players. So were Wentz and Goff. They are both on there 2nd team already. They have to be considered bust for the teams that picked them. They were high picks but I give them credit for swinging the bat. Trader Rick is a BS term. He does one thing and that's trade down for a bunch of nothing spots. He needed to trade up for Slator. He was the top guy for our greatest need. He didn't swing the bat. He stood still and looked to fall down. I'm tired of that crap. That's not trader Rick that's same old scared Rick. He didn't even have the balls to get back into round 2. That's scared Rick in action.

[VikingLord]

Interesting Round 4 for the Vikings.

They start with a guy I honestly hadn't heard of in Kene Nwangwu. Not sure what attracted them to Kene, but it must have been something one of their scouts sold them on as I don't see anything special from the limited info out there. He seems like he has good speed and definitely has low mileage, but yeah, this pick seems like it could have been made in UDFA.

The Bynum pick makes sense if they're planning on turning him into a safety, which from everything I'm seeing is the plan. Bynum definitely has good instincts in pass protection and should have a chance to develop for a year without a lot of pressure on him. However, Bynum's production at the college level was pretty flat. I'm going to hope the reason for that was coaching and with the right coaching he'll develop into a more productive player as a pro.

Janarius Robinson is a good value pick where the Vikings took him. Physically, he's what you want in a DE, but his production has been all over the place. In some games he's looked great, while in others he's vanished. Not a good sign because it's tough to coach motivation into someone, but if the light turns on for him he can be very good. On a more general note I'm not sure I would have gone DE with this pick given the Jones pick in Round 3, but it appears the Vikings are ranking prospects on ceiling more than anything else, so Robinson makes sense based on that.

I watched Nwangu at Iowa State for 4 years. Kene is FAST, as in 4.3 fast. He doesn’t have loose hips, which means he doesn’t have the wiggle ability you’d like in a bell cow running back. But if he gets in the open field, he’s really hard to catch.

The Vikings drafted him primarily for one reason ... to return kicks. He’s extremely dangerous, averaging about 29 yards. Analysts have compared him to Cordarelle Patterson. He’s not quite as big at 6-0, 210, but I’d say that’s accurate. Many here have said the 4th round is early for a KR, but Nwangu is not just any kick returner. Seriously. He’s an instant upgrade there and likely puts the Vikings in the top 5 in that category.

As a running back, he didn’t get a lot of chances. First he played behind David Montgomery, then Breece Hall, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year one season and the nation’s leading rusher the next. But Kene had some nice highlights when he got his carries, with several long TD runs. He’s also a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He’ll be at least as good as Mike Boone was, with the added ability to be a difference maker in the return game.

I don’t know if the Vikings needed to use a 4th round pick for him, but as far as the player is concerned, this is a great pick. He will contribute immediately.

Thanks for that perspective on him. I just don't recall reading literally anything about him prior to the draft, so when his name came up in the 4th round for the Vikings I initially thought maybe he was some international guy one of the Vikings scouts discovered while traveling or something.

I hope he can do more than just return kicks if he's as fast as I'm reading.

As with all picks, the pick is only poor if the player doesn't work out, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that Kene ends up awesome.

[J. Kapp 11]

Except that you yourself created a post that Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay. Do you want Kirk Cousins to be b!tching the way Rodgers has?

And you don’t seem to understand ... the Vikings can’t just “straighten out the cap stuff and deal Cousins.” The Chiefs do cap stuff? What does that even mean? Cousins’ salary, this year and next, is fully guaranteed. The only way to deal him is to find a team that will be willing to take on $35 million against their cap. Good luck with that. Cousins isn’t going anywhere until his contract expires, at the earliest.

Drafting Jones would have meant either a) using the 14th pick on a guy who’s going to hold a clipboard, or b) paying the guy with the highest cap hit in the NFL to do the same. It doesn’t make any sense.

What you don't seem to understand QBs are worth more than any position. It's the most important position on the field and at least half the teams have nothing at the spot. Teams would be glad to take on the 35-50 million hit for a QB. We had to fight other teams for Cousins. Unless that wasn't true and we were the only team. That's possible also. Just as I posted a false deal about Rodgers. It's what I read. He's a cry baby and isn't going anywhere. That was my mistake. The same BS is still going on. He's there until he's finished. That could be this year or 20 years from now. I have no idea. Cousins has been through the QB BS with RG whatever. He understands the deal. IMO Jones looks like a player. When the chance is there you take a player at the most important position. You may never get that chance again. Of course Speilman might think Jones sucks and I get that. Bill B didn't waste time. He understands the value and already has a guy in place and a young guy on the bench. He won't say it but he knows he has nothing and decided to try and fix it. Rookie QBs are cheap and if they develop you are sitting on a pot of gold. That's what you are not looking at. As for Jones holding the clip board. Why is that such a terrible thing?

Please don’t tell me what I do or don’t understand.

If you think Mac Jones is the next coming of Tom Brady, I simply don’t know what to tell you. He’s NOT more athletic than Cousins. He has a below-average arm. He played with receivers, running backs and linemen who were so talented that almost anyone would look good at QB. And he only started for one season.

Funny thing about the great Bill Belichick ... tell me one good season he’s ever had as a head coach that didn’t feature Tom Brady as his quarterback. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Truth is, Belichick has never done squat without TB12. He also has a miserable track record for first-round draft picks of skill position players. Here’s another truth ... only 42% of first-round quarterbacks get a second contract with the team that drafted them. Care to bet on Mac Jones getting a second contract? Name your price. I’ll take the bet.

As for the Vikings, I believe time will prove that Darrisaw and Davis, all by themselves, will make this a solid draft class. They’ll both be both Day 1 starters, and they’ll make the Vikings better. If anybody else contributes, it’ll be gravy.

[J. Kapp 11]

I watched Nwangu at Iowa State for 4 years. Kene is FAST, as in 4.3 fast. He doesn’t have loose hips, which means he doesn’t have the wiggle ability you’d like in a bell cow running back. But if he gets in the open field, he’s really hard to catch.

The Vikings drafted him primarily for one reason ... to return kicks. He’s extremely dangerous, averaging about 29 yards. Analysts have compared him to Cordarelle Patterson. He’s not quite as big at 6-0, 210, but I’d say that’s accurate. Many here have said the 4th round is early for a KR, but Nwangu is not just any kick returner. Seriously. He’s an instant upgrade there and likely puts the Vikings in the top 5 in that category.

As a running back, he didn’t get a lot of chances. First he played behind David Montgomery, then Breece Hall, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year one season and the nation’s leading rusher the next. But Kene had some nice highlights when he got his carries, with several long TD runs. He’s also a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He’ll be at least as good as Mike Boone was, with the added ability to be a difference maker in the return game.

I don’t know if the Vikings needed to use a 4th round pick for him, but as far as the player is concerned, this is a great pick. He will contribute immediately.

Thanks for that perspective on him. I just don't recall reading literally anything about him prior to the draft, so when his name came up in the 4th round for the Vikings I initially thought maybe he was some international guy one of the Vikings scouts discovered while traveling or something.

I hope he can do more than just return kicks if he's as fast as I'm reading.

As with all picks, the pick is only poor if the player doesn't work out, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that Kene ends up awesome.

As I mentioned, I don’t think the Vikings needed to spend a 4th on a guy whose best season in rushing was about 350 yards. That said, it’s hard to find dudes who run 4.29, his reported pro day 40 time. Even if he only returns kicks, it’ll be a good pick if he ends up being another Patterson. But I wouldn’t look for him to get a ton of carries as a running back.

[VikingLord]

Vikings select Jaylen defensive tackle from Pittsburgh

Is anybody else excited that the Vikings got Twyman in the 6th round?

This guy was being bandied around as a 1st round talent before he opted out of last season, but I found the following about him and his pro day that has me kind of scratching my head wondering how he fell:

https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/03 ... s-pro-day/

He did 40 reps on the bench at his pro day, and in the last season before he opted out he racked up 10.5 sacks as an interior rusher?

Twyman might end up being the steal of this draft.