2024 NFL Draft

[CharVike]

I was visiting a Denver Broncos podcast to see how they were feeling about trading up for a QB. When asked should we trade up 1 out of 13 responders said yes. 12 said no. They are smarter than Vikings fans IMO.

I'm really warming up to staying put & drafting Nix or Penix. I think Maye might have the highest ceiling of all the QB prospects. But, can & will he reach that potential. It's a roll of the dice.

Maye is getting creamed right now. Simms said his pro day did nothing for him. I like him the best for us. I also have no problem letting him sit a year. Our offense isn't simple. Our team along with the coaching gives Maye the best chance. We've been picking tier 2 and lower guys since I've been watching. The results haven't been good. Guys with Maye's potential don't come around every year. He's has Trevor skills. He was pick No 1. All picks are a roll of the dice. Penix and Nix are rolls to. They could be close to max. That's not good enough for the jump.

[CharVike]

Powell did the job fine. Players like him are key. I have no faith in Darnold. But at least he has an arm. We'll see. Moving on from Kirk had to be done. It's a shame because it looked like he was part of the team and guys rallied around him. He showed leadership more so than at any point. The players looked up to him. I give that to KOC coaching. Under Zim a QB was nothing and in Kirks case a money draw from his defense. His D didn't play well in the post season. The miracle win his D lost a 17 point half time lead. I think our IL is bad. Teams attack us there. They hold there own but better fronts kick their a$$es. You can't win like that. They will pick a QB. I even hope they pick one later and do a 3 yr dev progam.

It's not so much faith in Darnold as faith in the situation he's going to be in. The Jets & Panthers were a $hit show. No QBs have been successful for those teams for quite some time. KOC's offense & the playmakers we have on offense will be better than anything he ever had to work with. If Nick Mullins can move the ball & produce points in this offense then so can Darnold. Just avoid the interceptions that Mullins had a penchant for.

He was in bad spots. Sometimes that ruins players.

[BeforeIDie]

No idea if that is how you post a link.

Pretty in depth analysis. So complicated. So cerebral, the QB position. You can understand why it’s the most crucial position in all of sports. Cause ya don’t just have to DO YOUR JOB. You have to also KNOW everyone else’s job. And to decide, in a split second, who is on par and who is not. And once all of your teammates variables go just right… THEN you have to do your job, and do it well. QB mobility allows for improvisation, so I recognize the importance of a mobile QB in today’s game. I don’t even watch college football unless I’m bored and betting on a game. But when I see Penix throw the ball, it’s jaw dropping sometimes. It’s a spiral/speed/accuracy/anticipation that I’m not used to seeing even at the nfl level.

[VikingsVictorious]

I'm really warming up to staying put & drafting Nix or Penix. I think Maye might have the highest ceiling of all the QB prospects. But, can & will he reach that potential. It's a roll of the dice.

Maye is getting creamed right now. Simms said his pro day did nothing for him. I like him the best for us. I also have no problem letting him sit a year. Our offense isn't simple. Our team along with the coaching gives Maye the best chance. We've been picking tier 2 and lower guys since I've been watching. The results haven't been good. Guys with Maye's potential don't come around every year. He's has Trevor skills. He was pick No 1. All picks are a roll of the dice. Penix and Nix are rolls to. They could be close to max. That's not good enough for the jump.

Simms has always been the lowest on Maye so maybe a bit biased. Part of me says if Maye is there at 11 take a shot on him. Nothing in me says trade up for him.

[VikingsVictorious]

No idea if that is how you post a link.

Pretty in depth analysis. So complicated. So cerebral, the QB position. You can understand why it’s the most crucial position in all of sports. Cause ya don’t just have to DO YOUR JOB. You have to also KNOW everyone else’s job. And to decide, in a split second, who is on par and who is not. And once all of your teammates variables go just right… THEN you have to do your job, and do it well. QB mobility allows for improvisation, so I recognize the importance of a mobile QB in today’s game. I don’t even watch college football unless I’m bored and betting on a game. But when I see Penix throw the ball, it’s jaw dropping sometimes. It’s a spiral/speed/accuracy/anticipation that I’m not used to seeing even at the nfl level.

I like Penix, but not more than McCarthy, Maye and Nix. I'm fine with any of the 4 at 11.

[CharVike]

Maye is getting creamed right now. Simms said his pro day did nothing for him. I like him the best for us. I also have no problem letting him sit a year. Our offense isn't simple. Our team along with the coaching gives Maye the best chance. We've been picking tier 2 and lower guys since I've been watching. The results haven't been good. Guys with Maye's potential don't come around every year. He's has Trevor skills. He was pick No 1. All picks are a roll of the dice. Penix and Nix are rolls to. They could be close to max. That's not good enough for the jump.

Simms has always been the lowest on Maye so maybe a bit biased. Part of me says if Maye is there at 11 take a shot on him. Nothing in me says trade up for him.

Maye won't make 11. If the Commanders pass and go with Jayden that's when the wheeling will start. Us, Giants and Broncos. This Giant team getting involved really screws it up. Their pic is cherry. Jayden goes from day 3 pick to top 3 pick is crazy. He's been compared to Lamar who was the last pick of round 1. He was never considered an elite prospect. Most saw a longer term dev guy. They were right. It might takes us getting pick 4 first which is a much greater value than 11. That takes the Giants out of the game. The Giants have no interest in Nix or Penix at their pick. I wonder why. Do they not see how much better they are than Jones?

[Cliff]

Your right with being stupefied. They would let it slide. I know the check down to Hock didn't slide away. That will be his signature play for us. I'll keep it more positive and remember the long 4th down strike to JJ against the Bills.

Kirk was pretty damn good for us. Sometimes great. We never had a complete team during his tenure. We got Kirk two years too late. We needed him for 2016 & 2017. Zimmer's defense was at it's best then. The defensive rankings were still upper half in 2018 & 2019. But, the cracks were starting to show. Actually, that defense got exposed badly against Philly in that frickin' NFC Championship game. And Zims' defense never really did show up in most of the big games and/or against upper echelon QBs.

Regardless, it was time to move on from Kirk. We weren't going anywhere. The 2024 Falcons are in the same boat as the 2018 Vikings were. Just a good QB away. Will it be too late for them as well?

Also, I'm in the minority but I'm not certain that Sam Darnold can't be our QB of the future if we aren't able to move up in the draft for a QB without completely mortgaging the future. There's a whole lot of playmakers on the offense for him to work with. If we get that damn extension with Jefferson done. Addison will only be better. Hopefully, Hockenson's rehab is going well. This draft is deep at WR. So I expect a promising rookie there. And I really liked Powell when he was in there. Jones will be a good dual threat at RB. Chandler should get better. I'd like a better interior offensive line. But, it's been serviceable. This will be the best situation Darnold's been in during his NFL career. If he fails. It's on him.

When Kirk took over in 2018 the 2017 team was largely intact. Spielman felt the team was a better QB away from the superbowl and signed Kirk. He wasn't able to get the team over the hump.

Before the Cousins signing Zimmer said something like "If we pay a bunch of money for a QB I'll be fired soon". Kirk's contract directly led to him "not having a complete team" and he's not good enough to make up for that. Kirk is a good QB but not great and the Vikings paid him "great qb" money at the expense of the rest of the team and specifically the defense. Just like Zimmer predicted.

zimmee.png (15.91 KiB) Viewed 197 times

[CharVike]

Kirk was pretty damn good for us. Sometimes great. We never had a complete team during his tenure. We got Kirk two years too late. We needed him for 2016 & 2017. Zimmer's defense was at it's best then. The defensive rankings were still upper half in 2018 & 2019. But, the cracks were starting to show. Actually, that defense got exposed badly against Philly in that frickin' NFC Championship game. And Zims' defense never really did show up in most of the big games and/or against upper echelon QBs.

Regardless, it was time to move on from Kirk. We weren't going anywhere. The 2024 Falcons are in the same boat as the 2018 Vikings were. Just a good QB away. Will it be too late for them as well?

Also, I'm in the minority but I'm not certain that Sam Darnold can't be our QB of the future if we aren't able to move up in the draft for a QB without completely mortgaging the future. There's a whole lot of playmakers on the offense for him to work with. If we get that damn extension with Jefferson done. Addison will only be better. Hopefully, Hockenson's rehab is going well. This draft is deep at WR. So I expect a promising rookie there. And I really liked Powell when he was in there. Jones will be a good dual threat at RB. Chandler should get better. I'd like a better interior offensive line. But, it's been serviceable. This will be the best situation Darnold's been in during his NFL career. If he fails. It's on him.

When Kirk took over in 2018 the 2017 team was largely intact. Spielman felt the team was a better QB away from the superbowl and signed Kirk. He wasn't able to get the team over the hump.

Before the Cousins signing Zimmer said something like "If we pay a bunch of money for a QB I'll be fired soon". Kirk's contract directly led to him "not having a complete team" and he's not good enough to make up for that. Kirk is a good QB but not great and the Vikings paid him "great qb" money at the expense of the rest of the team and specifically the defense. Just like Zimmer predicted.


zimmee.png

That's what FA is. The top available will be overpaid because it's an auction. Look what that Falcon team just paid a good QB coming off an injury. The Falcons draft of a tier 2 QB didn't work. Draft is the driver. FA can help but only so much. Zim drafted Hughes in 2018 and he was useless.

[Cliff]

That's what FA is. The top available will be overpaid because it's an auction. Look what that Falcon team just paid a good QB coming off an injury. The Falcons draft of a tier 2 QB didn't work. That 2017 team had the number 1 D and then in 2018 it dropped to 17. That's a huge decline year over year and I'll blame Zim for that. There were many reasons including Everson having problems and not doing much and Rhodes no longer a top flight CB after he was roasted in Philly. Zim picked CB Hughes round 1 and he was useless. That's all Zim. We never had a bunch of our top players on either side of the ball leave because we couldn't pay.

No question. That's why overpaying for a QB was a bad idea, especially on a "defense first" team. Zimmer knew it would happen and he's not psychic. They weren't able to make any moves to improve the team in FA. One bad pick in the draft does not explain what happened.

Zimmer took one of (the?) worst defenses in the league in 2013 and immediately made a huge improvement. From there his defenses remained in the top 5 or so for roughly 6 years. I don't think it's coincidence at all that the Vikings defense started to dwindle 2 years after Cousin's signing.

It wasn't immediate. That's why in 2018 they were still pretty good and 2019 the defense starts to fall off. I'm not sure what they were 17th in in 2018, but they were 4th best in yardage and the least amount of passing TDs given up. They were slightly down from 2017 standards, but only very slightly. In 2019 the sunk down to a middle of the pack defense.

By 2020 some of the defensive players were leaving. Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander all left the team and were replaced by rookies. Linval Joseph gone too.

So now two rookies are starting at CB. A 3rd rounder who ended up spending 3 years in the league and 31st pick overall Jeff Gladney who might have done ok if not for the domestic violence stuff (he was later cleared). In fact, every CB on the roster was a rookie. Who are, by definition, unreliable. It's a crap shoot and they lost.

It was very obvious the cupboard was bare and they tried to stock with rookies because a decent CB in free agency isn't cheap and they didn't have the cap. Its difficult to get one rookie at a given position to pan out, let alone 3. But that's what the Vikings could afford.

In 2021 they still don't have the cap to pick up any quality free agents to fill the gaping hole at CB, so they sign Patrick Peterson. By 2021, Zimmer's worst year, you've got Patrick Peterson and Cam Dantzler starting. CB, which Zimmer has demonstrated through drafts are the cornerstone of his defense, is maybe the team's weakest point. By the way, they lost a draft pick in 2021 for violating the salary cap in 2019 ...

[Alaskan]

That's what FA is. The top available will be overpaid because it's an auction. Look what that Falcon team just paid a good QB coming off an injury. The Falcons draft of a tier 2 QB didn't work. That 2017 team had the number 1 D and then in 2018 it dropped to 17. That's a huge decline year over year and I'll blame Zim for that. There were many reasons including Everson having problems and not doing much and Rhodes no longer a top flight CB after he was roasted in Philly. Zim picked CB Hughes round 1 and he was useless. That's all Zim. We never had a bunch of our top players on either side of the ball leave because we couldn't pay.

No question. That's why overpaying for a QB was a bad idea, especially on a "defense first" team. Zimmer knew it would happen and he's not psychic. They weren't able to make any moves to improve the team in FA. One bad pick in the draft does not explain what happened.

Zimmer took one of (the?) worst defenses in the league in 2013 and immediately made a huge improvement. From there his defenses remained in the top 5 or so for roughly 6 years. I don't think it's coincidence at all that the Vikings defense started to dwindle 2 years after Cousin's signing.

It wasn't immediate. That's why in 2018 they were still pretty good and 2019 the defense starts to fall off. I'm not sure what they were 17th in in 2018, but they were 4th best in yardage and the least amount of passing TDs given up. They were slightly down from 2017 standards, but only very slightly. In 2019 the sunk down to a middle of the pack defense.

By 2020 some of the defensive players were leaving. Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander all left the team and were replaced by rookies. Linval Joseph gone too.

So now two rookies are starting at CB. A 3rd rounder who ended up spending 3 years in the league and 31st pick overall Jeff Gladney who might have done ok if not for the domestic violence stuff (he was later cleared). In fact, every CB on the roster was a rookie. Who are, by definition, unreliable. It's a crap shoot and they lost.

It was very obvious the cupboard was bare and they tried to stock with rookies because a decent CB in free agency isn't cheap and they didn't have the cap. Its difficult to get one rookie at a given position to pan out, let alone 3. But that's what the Vikings could afford.

In 2021 they still don't have the cap to pick up any quality free agents to fill the gaping hole at CB, so they sign Patrick Peterson. By 2021, Zimmer's worst year, you've got Patrick Peterson and Cam Dantzler starting. CB, which Zimmer has demonstrated through drafts are the cornerstone of his defense, is maybe the team's weakest point. By the way, they lost a draft pick in 2021 for violating the salary cap in 2019 ...

Some very good posts Cliff. I saw it happen nearly the same as you. Cousins was never the answer, ever. Not at anywhere close to that price tag at the time. Zimmer knew it. Thankfully its in the past and we have a GM that has a different philosophy on how to build a team, the draft is just 1 tool in team building so when people say we are mortgaging our future if we use all our first and second round picks for 2 years to get “our guy” at QB in the draft, I just cannot get on that bandwagon. It’s a BS talking point from my perspective. Coaching, scheme, continuity, FA, flexible contracts all are far more important than a few 1st and second rounders. This staff, getting their guy at QB is far and away the number 1 priority and if trading is what they need to do to get him then what ever the cost, just get it done.

[CharVike]

That's what FA is. The top available will be overpaid because it's an auction. Look what that Falcon team just paid a good QB coming off an injury. The Falcons draft of a tier 2 QB didn't work. That 2017 team had the number 1 D and then in 2018 it dropped to 17. That's a huge decline year over year and I'll blame Zim for that. There were many reasons including Everson having problems and not doing much and Rhodes no longer a top flight CB after he was roasted in Philly. Zim picked CB Hughes round 1 and he was useless. That's all Zim. We never had a bunch of our top players on either side of the ball leave because we couldn't pay.

No question. That's why overpaying for a QB was a bad idea, especially on a "defense first" team. Zimmer knew it would happen and he's not psychic. They weren't able to make any moves to improve the team in FA. One bad pick in the draft does not explain what happened.

Zimmer took one of (the?) worst defenses in the league in 2013 and immediately made a huge improvement. From there his defenses remained in the top 5 or so for roughly 6 years. I don't think it's coincidence at all that the Vikings defense started to dwindle 2 years after Cousin's signing.

It wasn't immediate. That's why in 2018 they were still pretty good and 2019 the defense starts to fall off. I'm not sure what they were 17th in in 2018, but they were 4th best in yardage and the least amount of passing TDs given up. They were slightly down from 2017 standards, but only very slightly. In 2019 the sunk down to a middle of the pack defense.

By 2020 some of the defensive players were leaving. Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander all left the team and were replaced by rookies. Linval Joseph gone too.

So now two rookies are starting at CB. A 3rd rounder who ended up spending 3 years in the league and 31st pick overall Jeff Gladney who might have done ok if not for the domestic violence stuff (he was later cleared). In fact, every CB on the roster was a rookie. Who are, by definition, unreliable. It's a crap shoot and they lost.

It was very obvious the cupboard was bare and they tried to stock with rookies because a decent CB in free agency isn't cheap and they didn't have the cap. Its difficult to get one rookie at a given position to pan out, let alone 3. But that's what the Vikings could afford.

In 2021 they still don't have the cap to pick up any quality free agents to fill the gaping hole at CB, so they sign Patrick Peterson. By 2021, Zimmer's worst year, you've got Patrick Peterson and Cam Dantzler starting. CB, which Zimmer has demonstrated through drafts are the cornerstone of his defense, is maybe the team's weakest point. By the way, they lost a draft pick in 2021 for violating the salary cap in 2019 ...

I'm sorry I screwed my post up they dropped to 5. It looked like Speilman and Zim got out of sync. What hurt Zim was losing Teddy. I was never a fan of him but he could have been the guy to drive Zim's defense first philosophy to the SB. Zim was fond of him. Teddy for a kid did a good job. The first playoff game against the Hawks he did drive us down for the game winning FG but it was missed. That seemed like a common theme under Zim. But that's a defensive teams way. Your right once the money was put in Cousins account it left nothing to sign a better FA to cover a draft miss. There will be misses. It happens for every team. I just hope we can get a guy that can perform well within KOC's system. I'll admit I don't know who that is. I like Maye more than the rest of the big 6. Who knows the guy our team wants. My opinion has no impact.

[Cliff]

No question. That's why overpaying for a QB was a bad idea, especially on a "defense first" team. Zimmer knew it would happen and he's not psychic. They weren't able to make any moves to improve the team in FA. One bad pick in the draft does not explain what happened.

Zimmer took one of (the?) worst defenses in the league in 2013 and immediately made a huge improvement. From there his defenses remained in the top 5 or so for roughly 6 years. I don't think it's coincidence at all that the Vikings defense started to dwindle 2 years after Cousin's signing.

It wasn't immediate. That's why in 2018 they were still pretty good and 2019 the defense starts to fall off. I'm not sure what they were 17th in in 2018, but they were 4th best in yardage and the least amount of passing TDs given up. They were slightly down from 2017 standards, but only very slightly. In 2019 the sunk down to a middle of the pack defense.

By 2020 some of the defensive players were leaving. Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander all left the team and were replaced by rookies. Linval Joseph gone too.

So now two rookies are starting at CB. A 3rd rounder who ended up spending 3 years in the league and 31st pick overall Jeff Gladney who might have done ok if not for the domestic violence stuff (he was later cleared). In fact, every CB on the roster was a rookie. Who are, by definition, unreliable. It's a crap shoot and they lost.

It was very obvious the cupboard was bare and they tried to stock with rookies because a decent CB in free agency isn't cheap and they didn't have the cap. Its difficult to get one rookie at a given position to pan out, let alone 3. But that's what the Vikings could afford.

In 2021 they still don't have the cap to pick up any quality free agents to fill the gaping hole at CB, so they sign Patrick Peterson. By 2021, Zimmer's worst year, you've got Patrick Peterson and Cam Dantzler starting. CB, which Zimmer has demonstrated through drafts are the cornerstone of his defense, is maybe the team's weakest point. By the way, they lost a draft pick in 2021 for violating the salary cap in 2019 ...

I'm sorry I screwed my post up they dropped to 5. It looked like Speilman and Zim got out of sync. What hurt Zim was losing Teddy. I was never a fan of him but he could have been the guy to drive Zim's defense first philosophy to the SB. Zim was fond of him. Teddy for a kid did a good job. The first playoff game against the Hawks he did drive us down for the game winning FG but it was missed. That seemed like a common theme under Zim. But that's a defensive teams way. Your right once the money was put in Cousins account it left nothing to sign a better FA to cover a draft miss. There will be misses. It happens for every team. I just hope we can get a guy that can perform well within KOC's system. I'll admit I don't know who that is. I like Maye more than the rest of the big 6. Who knows the guy our team wants. My opinion has no impact.

They didn't just get out of sync out of nowhere though. Spielman directly went against what Zimmer wanted when he signed Cousins. Spielman more or less ended Zimmer's job as Vikings HC, it's no wonder things ended poorly.

I live in Kentucky and loved Teddy, so I'm probably bias, but I think there are some players that are in a situation that is perfect for them and I think Teddy would have been that guy as a Viking on Zimmer's team. Level-headed, straight arrow, efficient but not necessarily flashy, but smart. I think if Zimmer had Teddy on his rookie deal for 4 years and was able to use that extra money to build a defense they would have been a very, very good team for a while. Picture it: It's Teddy's 3rd year in 2017. Zimmer's defense is at it's peak and from a progression standpoint so should Teddy have been. Oh well, I'm just glad Teddy didn't lose his leg.

I have no idea either. I don't follow college ball at all which I'm almost grateful for this time of year. It seems like all of the people that do pay super close attention are constantly wrong anyway

I'm more ok with the team having a high-priced QB on a KOC coached team. QB is more important than a "complete" defense for his strategy. But the investment in Kirk didn't pan out and it was time to try something new.

[VikingLord]

Thankfully its in the past and we have a GM that has a different philosophy on how to build a team, the draft is just 1 tool in team building so when people say we are mortgaging our future if we use all our first and second round picks for 2 years to get “our guy” at QB in the draft, I just cannot get on that bandwagon.

Except that isn't an accurate description of KAM. KAM extended Cousins for 2 years after he became GM while not investing a high pick at QB, and then by all accounts attempted to do the exact same thing this offseason. The only reason Cousins is not still the Vikings QB heading into the 2024 season is because the Falcons were even dumber than the Vikings IMHO and gave a 36 year old QB coming off a serious injury a 4 year guaranteed contract instead of a 2 year deal.

Also, what you're suggesting is smart is more accurately termed desperate in my view.

Sure, mortgaging the future to get "your guy" at QB might make sense provided you actually get that particular guy. But as with your prior description of KAM, that isn't exactly what the Vikings would be doing this year even if they did do what you suggest, because even if they do what you suggest, the highest they could move up is probably to the 3rd pick, and by almost all accounts 2 of the top QB prospects in this year's class will be off the board by that point. So KAM will be mortgaging the future not to get his pick of the QB class, but to get his pick of what is left of that class. And that is a best-case scenario because by most accounts he'd have to give up so much to move into the top 3 that even if he did end up picking the miracle wonder boy QB of this year's class, the cost to the depth and talent of the rest of the team over the next several drafts would be so severe that the team likely would remain stuck in the mud on net.

If KAM is who you think he is, he should literally give the Bears whatever it takes to move up to the 1st pick and take Caleb Williams. Otherwise, anything else he does at QB in this draft short of staying put at 11 and taking what Fate gives him is objectively a half-measure at best borne of desperation and demonstrates not a wily ability to manipulate a draft but the same wanton tendency Rick Spielman and so many other pro GMs have to chase after the nearest, loudest car as it goes by.

[VikingLord]

I am not sure what you expect a guy to do walking into a mild dumpster fire. I agree, he should have parted ways with Cousins instead of extending him, but I am guessing there is more to that story we arent privy too.

I had a response typed to your original post but somehow my browser closed out on me and I lost it, but I can't let this particular point go unanswered.

What dumpster fire did KAM walk into exactly, especially at the QB position, and what has KAM done thus far to change that perception on your part?

And if you agree that KAM didn't need to extend Cousins, wouldn't you also agree that extending Cousins didn't prevent KAM from looking for his replacement in the draft during either of those two seasons that Cousins was extended? It's possible to do both, isn't it? Heck, for all the criticisms of Rick Spielman over the years he at least seemed to have a viable Plan B in place at QB every year. I don't think the same can be said for KAM. After Cousins went down last year that was about the worst Keystone Cops impression at QB I've ever seen on a pro team. And the sad part is, had they just taken their loss lumps after that happened they might actually be in a position in this year's draft to get the QB they want without having to give up the farm to move up.

I am not at all impressed with KAM to this point. I hope he shows me some evidence he actually has a plan and knows what he's doing in this year's draft because I fear he's about ready to drive the team off the proverbial cliff.

[VikingLord]

But when I see Penix throw the ball, it’s jaw dropping sometimes. It’s a spiral/speed/accuracy/anticipation that I’m not used to seeing even at the nfl level.

Penix has a rare arm and the confidence to use it to attempt plays other QBs won't attempt. He reminds me of Brett Favre in some ways. He's got that same moxie and that can't be taught. I also think this attribute makes him the 2nd best QB prospect in this year's rookie class after Williams, and I only rate Williams higher because of his improv abilities. As a person and a leader, Penix is heads-and-tails above Williams IMHO.

The closer we get to the draft the more I'm hoping KAM just sits tight at 11 and takes Penix there. Heck, if the Broncos trade up and Penix falls past them there is a pretty good chance KAM could sit at 23 and get Penix there as well, but it would be safer to take him at #11.

There are always uber-talented players who fall in drafts for questionable reasons. Penix falls mainly because of his age and injury history, but his ability and production indicate he's going to be an excellent pro, especially if he isn't under immediate pressure to start and he gets good coaching.