NFL Draft Day

[VikingsVictorious]

I am being divisive, and apologize for that, but I have to also be honest.

Darrisaw the prize of this draft. Go look at his game tapes, see how often he leaves the center of his chest wide open. This is the equivalent of a boxer with weak a chin, leaving it unprotected.

Anyway, how does the old saying go? A franchise QB will never be allowed to hint the open market. A truly elite pass protector would never be passed on by a dozen teams. When all is said and done, I think we are going to find out why so many teams passed on him.

I already posted that other teams clearly did not value him as much as we do. I think that will prove to be there loss and our gain. You say he left his chest open and I say how many people got by him to the QB because of it? You say well Khalil Mack will beat him. Khalil Mack has beat a lot of players. If Darrisaw gives up a MackSack he will just join a very inclusive club. How many teams passed on Rodgers? Then think about how many teams passed on Brady. Teams passing on him could simply be making a mistake.

[VikingLord]

IIRC, Elflein wasn't bad his first year as a starter. Not sure what happened to him after that (injury?), but he definitely regressed.

His 4 sacks given up in his rookie year was good for 2nd most among centers in the NFL in 2017, his pass blocking efficiency was tied for 28th best among centers. I think most people remember him as being good because he was good for a rookie, if not necessarily good overall.

I honestly think I remember his rookie year as good because he regressed so much the following year, but maybe his being a rookie was part of it too.

What is your opinion of Davis?

[VikingLord]

I am being divisive, and apologize for that, but I have to also be honest.

Darrisaw the prize of this draft. Go look at his game tapes, see how often he leaves the center of his chest wide open. This is the equivalent of a boxer with weak a chin, leaving it unprotected.

Anyway, how does the old saying go? A franchise QB will never be allowed to hint the open market. A truly elite pass protector would never be passed on by a dozen teams. When all is said and done, I think we are going to find out why so many teams passed on him.

I don't think your criticisms are off-base necessarily. You could be right about some or all of these players as pros. I just think it's important to remember these are young athletes, many of whom haven't reached their potential and might learn how to overcome their weaknesses. Darrisaw, for example, is probably going to get taken to school a few times this upcoming season even if he does everything right over the offseason and is well-coached. But even if he does, what matters is how he learns and reacts to that. He has the physical tools to be a very good LT as a pro, and I think he's got a good attitude as well. So I'd say the odds favor him reaching his potential and if he does, that will be great for the Vikings. Ditto for Davis and Mond too. All of them have potential. None of them are blatantly bad picks or reaches.

Darrisaw fell to #23 because there are questions about him and/or teams drafting earlier didn't feel he offered them maximum value even if they might have had him highly rated on their charts. But remember, good players are missed in the draft all the time, while bad players are over-drafted all the time. It's nearly impossible to judge a draft until a few years have passed. In almost every case a team is lucky to get 3 quality starters out of a full 7 rounds.

[StumpHunter]

His 4 sacks given up in his rookie year was good for 2nd most among centers in the NFL in 2017, his pass blocking efficiency was tied for 28th best among centers. I think most people remember him as being good because he was good for a rookie, if not necessarily good overall.

I honestly think I remember his rookie year as good because he regressed so much the following year, but maybe his being a rookie was part of it too.

What is your opinion of Davis?

Based on where he was drafted odds are he will need a year or two to develop. Outside of that I haven't seen him play a snap yet and can form no opinion not based on others opinions. Just like 90% of Vikings fans.