I honestly think we had a confluence of strange happenings. You’ve got Kwesi and his analytics-based approach, and you’ve got a draft that was deep but flat after the first few picks. Kwesi stockpiled picks on Day 2 and apparently has no problem trading within the division.VikingLord wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 1:52 pmIf you have an idea that you sell as a better way to do things or accomplish a desired result, I think the burden is on you to prove it.J. Kapp 11 wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 7:02 pm By your choice of words, your assumption appears to be that Kwesi has to prove he wasn’t wrong. As if the best he could do was to not get fleeced.
But isn’t it also possible that he fleeced those teams with whom he traded?
The choice seems to be that he was either very wrong or he wasn’t. Not that he was right. But at this point, we don’t know how any of these players will turn out. So isn’t there also a possibility that the players the Vikings drafted will torment the Lions and Packers?
KAM could be right. While I personally doubt he is or was, he may very well be, and he'll get early and frequent on-field tests of his theory for all to see as well as twice-yearly ongoing tests of it for at least the next 3-4 seasons while all the players involved mature.
I guess I'm just jaded at this point and not as willing to focus on the most optimistic possible outcome. Sure, KAM might be a genius who has discovered a new Moneyball approach to stocking up a pro team roster in the draft. He might have swindled both the Packers and Lions. If that is the case, I'll be pleasantly surprised and super happy the Vikes snagged him before another team managed to.
But as much as I'd like to believe that, I know my gut reaction to the early moves he made was not positive. I feel like he didn't get enough in the first trade, and while he might have gotten enough in the 2nd in absolute compensation terms, giving the team that has won the North for what, the last 3 or 4 years running (I'm actually losing count now, as sad as that is since it's now a regular result) the one thing they were missing after trading Adams, doesn't seem smart to me no matter what the Vikings got in return for it. Packers could still have gotten the WR they wanted even if the Vikings didn't do that trade with them, but since KAM did do it, he's going to be associated with the outcome.
Not saying he was right. But I’m willing to look at his first draft from what I believe is his perspective.
And I’m not convinced that either receiver is going to be anything special. The recovery history for WRs who tear ACLs is not good, and Williams has the extreme misfortune of going to Detroit. As for Watson, he’s big and fast, and he dominated FCS. But he’s also just an OK route runner and a body catcher, which led to 16 drops.
On the other hand, I see the potential for Cine and Booth to become excellent players, even Pro Bowlers. And I’m far from alone in that assessment. Cine has been tabbed as one of the most instinctive players in the draft, and Booth gets some absolutely glowing remarks. Ian Cummings at Pro Football Network ranked him as the fourth-best player in the entire class, as did his colleague at PFN, Oliver Hodgkinson. Cummings wrote:
Cummings gave Booth the CB1 spot over Derek Stingley and Ahmad Gardner because of his length and upside. That may be too high praise, but it gives you an idea what analysts see on film.Booth is the best all-around playmaker at cornerback. He has lightning-fast feet and unreal corrective twitch and energy in his movement. He’s supremely explosive, with impressive fluidity, physicality and run support. At the catch point, Booth is hyper-instinctive, and he makes gravity-defying plays on the ball.
The issue with Booth is his health, but it’s the only reason he fell. Talent-wise, I believe we got someone on the level of Gardner at Pick 42. That’s why I wonder if the Lions and Packers won't end up ruing the day they dealt within the division with the Vikings. And by the way, why does nobody criticize THEM for inner-divisional trades? Does everybody just assume they won those deals? I don’t.