VikingLord wrote: ↑Sat May 01, 2021 12:59 pm
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.