Vikings Message Board.Com

I like Slick and Zimmer but this
Draft is not getting me excited

Just watched tapes on alexander, kid can cover, but can't cannot catch a ball. I do like how he always looks where the ball is coming. He seems to always put himself in the best position to make a play.

Alexander allowed just two career touchdown passes and zero over his final 23 games.

Seriously, let that sink in.

AlldayPotter wrote:Just watched tapes on alexander, kid can cover, but can't cannot catch a ball. I do like how he always looks where the ball is coming. He seems to always put himself in the best position to make a play.

Can't cannot catch a ball, does that mean that he has to catch the ball? Kidding. But he did have a total of 0 Ints.

dead_poet wrote:

Alexander's quote on Fuller:

"I wouldn't say he sucked, but he's not that good."

Last year I said I wasn't thrilled with the Waynes pick. This is another one where I don't think I'm thrilled with it. But considering the fact that Zimmer has proven to be able to get a high level of performance out of early round defensive picks I will trust him on this one.

Shocked Billings is still on the board, too. I'm OK with him in the 3rd now.

dead_poet wrote:Shocked Billings is still on the board, too. I'm OK with him in the 3rd now.

My guess is Cleveland is about to select Billings...

fiestavike wrote: My guess is Cleveland is about to select Billings...

Why? They took Danny Shelton last year.

dead_poet wrote: Why? They took Danny Shelton last year.

I was just kidding that since you mentioned his name he would probably be off the board immediately

dead_poet wrote: Turek.

Gone

Crap. Turek gone

How is Jonathan Bullard still on the board?

Devil's advocate speak - maybe this says bad things about Waynes or Rhodes? I don't think so, but it might.

As I say a lot, Rick and Zim have earned my trust. The Alexander pick wasn't out of left field. He had a first round grade is most of the lists I've seen, some were mid-second. But then it's value anyway, right? Clearly, they thought he was BPA, since we would have gone a number of other directions in the situation where we were drafting for need.

Everyone looks to the easy stats like sacks and interceptions for defenders, but those are pretty rare, sparse events. Hunter had 1.5 sacks in college, and quadrupled that in his first pro season. Was he actually four times better? Of course not. I'm sure he was coached up, but he had help from other linemen giving pressure and DB's covering well enough to make the QB hold the ball. And maybe things that were "almost sacks" in college became sacks last year.

Tampa Bay drafted a CB named Brian Kelly from USC in 1998. He had a bunch of interceptions his senior year. Might have led the nation. Can't find the stats on the internet! I remember watching his "highlight tape" (and even commented about it, maybe on the old alt.football.mn-vikings newsgroup) and seeing him out of position, a long ways away from the receiver, on most of the interceptions. The QB just threw a bad ball, over and over again. He went to the NFL, and had the following stats for interceptions each year of his career: 1, 1, 1, 0, 8, 1, 4, 4, 1, 0, 2, 0. One year, he led the league with 8. The other years, he averaged 2.

So Alexander's lack of interceptions don't bother me in the least. Not when multiple sites say things like "his lack of statistical production over the past two years (no interceptions, 11 pass breakups in 2014-2015) shows how little opponents challenged him". This seems like an incredible stat for the last two years: "Allowed just 29.6 percent completions and no touchdowns." We're talking about making the opposing QB have a rating in the 40's over the course of two years. That's just phenomenal, even considering a lower level of competition.

A guy I really liked was Tyler Boyd, WR. I think he'll be a solid receiver, but I admit his upside was probably in the range of what Jarius Wright already gives us. Alexander is a higher risk/reward player. There's no limit to his upside. Without too much trouble, he could be our best DB by the beginning of next season. Or maybe he never learns how to play the ball in the air for a catch.