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dead_poet wrote:Aaron Donald - DL - Player

SI's Peter King says the Vikings want a front-seven disruptor at No. 8 overall.

King says the Vikes "are more inclined than ever" to get a quarterback in the second round, not with their top pick. He suggests Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald as a possible target at No. 8 and in terms of disruption from the interior, they wouldn't be able to do any better. Donald, who has drawn some Geno Atkins comparisons, had 11 sacks, 28.5 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles and three batted passes as a senior at Pitt last year.
Source: SI.com
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/05/05/nfl-draft ... il-mack/5/

A month or two ago I dreamt that the Vikes drafted a DT I hadn't heard of… (bear with me)… I am pretty sure it was Aaron Donald. I guess I need to go watch some tape of his. With Floyd & Joseph I thought we were good to go on the interior of the D-line, so this would come as a surprise. And no, I am not one to usually put a whole lot of stock in the nonsense that I dream about, but once in a while something insightful does happen in dreams.

The article you linked to is worth the read, BTW. Loved Gannon's quote on Manziel: "He's got the balls of a burglar".

Edited to add: Just watched tape of Donald. He looks very solid.

Texas Vike wrote:
A month or two ago I dreamt that the Vikes drafted a DT I hadn't heard of… (bear with me)… I am pretty sure it was Aaron Donald. I guess I need to go watch some tape of his. With Floyd & Joseph I thought we were good to go on the interior of the D-line, so this would come as a surprise. And no, I am not one to usually put a whole lot of stock in the nonsense that I dream about, but once in a while something insightful does happen in dreams.

The article you linked to is worth the read, BTW. Loved Gannon's quote on Manziel: "He's got the balls of a burglar".

Edited to add: Just watched tape of Donald. He looks very solid.

Two nights ago I had the worst dream ever. It was completely nonsensical, but I was panicked nonetheless. I dreamt that our first round pick was announced at the podium - and it was Matt Birk. When I woke up I couldn't stop laughing, actually. But what does a dream like that even mean?

Disclaimer: I have a final in about two hours, the last one of my college career, as it were. I also dreamt last night, that I got to it today, and the first question was, "draw a picture of your face, when you first tasted 'Frosted Flakes" cereal."



I don't know. Weird dream man.

frosted21 wrote: Disclaimer: I have a final in about two hours, the last one of my college career, as it were. I also dreamt last night, that I got to it today, and the first question was, "draw a picture of your face, when you first tasted 'Frosted Flakes" cereal."

That is grrreat.

No, really, it's freakin' hilarious. Awesome dream! Oh, and good luck! ...and now your screen name fits so nicely!

dead_poet wrote:Aaron Donald - DL - Player

SI's Peter King says the Vikings want a front-seven disruptor at No. 8 overall.

King says the Vikes "are more inclined than ever" to get a quarterback in the second round, not with their top pick. He suggests Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald as a possible target at No. 8 and in terms of disruption from the interior, they wouldn't be able to do any better. Donald, who has drawn some Geno Atkins comparisons, had 11 sacks, 28.5 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles and three batted passes as a senior at Pitt last year.
Source: SI.com
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/05/05/nfl-draft ... il-mack/5/

I wonder if they are possibly trying to a defense that will have multiple looks? Maybe they think Donald/Floyd would be a better defensive end than a tackle? Or maybe Mike Zimmer just doesn't like Sharrif as much as he likes Donald. I am all for having a great rotation, but I mean picking Donald at eight would be a huge disappointment considering our other needs.

80 PurplePride 84 wrote:That screams "leaked to try to generate trade interest"

The Peter King quote? I agree. That was my reaction when I saw it. That, and it serves as further evidence to my admittedly draft-addled brain that the Vikings will select a QB at #8. There's been so much effort to dissuade us of that idea that I'm now feeling pretty confident that's what they will do.

Mothman wrote: The Peter King quote? I agree. That was my reaction when I saw it. That, and it serves as further evidence to my admittedly draft-addled brain that the Vikings will select a QB at #8. There's been so much effort to dissuade us of that idea that I'm now feeling pretty confident that's what they will do.

Unless that's exactly what Rick Spielman wants you to think...

dead_poet wrote: Unless that's exactly what Rick Spielman wants you to think...

AAARGH! Stop messing with my head, Rick Spielman (and you too, Mr. Dead_Poet)!

I think I'd be initially disappointed too in selecting yet another DT when we have so many other needs.

I agree w/ Moth, we're likely to go QB simply because there's been little to no chatter about that. In fact, Sid's reporting that he had inside info on the Vikings liking Barr probably means he's the one guy they won't take. I know if I were Spielman I'd spread misinformation that way… Sid's the perfect candidate given his old school approach to reporting.

Mothman wrote: The Peter King quote? I agree. That was my reaction when I saw it. That, and it serves as further evidence to my admittedly draft-addled brain that the Vikings will select a QB at #8. There's been so much effort to dissuade us of that idea that I'm now feeling pretty confident that's what they will do.

I really think this just signifies how up in the air this draft is. The “top 5” really isn’t even a top 5. It’s basically Clowney followed by collective head-scratching … nearly no consistent agreement after him.

The players, especially QBs, have been moved around so much it’s impossible to know who might have the most potential based on what “experts” are saying. Manziel and Bridgewater have basically switched places in the draft rankings based solely on their pro-days.

I expect the Vikings to take a QB if they have the pick of the litter or move back if possible (but that isn’t always possible). Otherwise I think it’s just about as up in the air as you can get … the Vikings have enough holes that they could pick nearly any position.

IMO, this just shows the folly of moving the draft back a few weeks. I'm not sure what the NFL aside from giving the sports talkers another 3 weeks to bloviate.

This draft will be interesting from a fan perspective given how much is unknown.

I'm starting to wonder if we'll have the pick of hte QB litter at 8. I doubt it will happen, but it could.

80 PurplePride 84 wrote:That screams "leaked to try to generate trade interest"

Something I've been wondering about this, is there any rules about teams paying sports writers to "leak" false information that may increase trade value?

For what it's worth, I just saw Charley Casserly being interviewed on NFLN and when asked if he thought Johnny Manziel would go in the top ten, he said no and that if Manziel did go in the top 10, it would mean an awful lot of people had lied to him (which seemed to be a reference to his NFL connections).

He laughed and followed that up with, "Of course, we know people lie...".

His theory is that Manziel will last until round 2 or will go off the board late in the first, either to Cleveland or in a trade up.

When asked if any QB would go in the top 10, he said he had Bortles going to the Vikings but added that it was just a guess and he had no inside information about that pick.

mansquatch wrote:IMO, this just shows the folly of moving the draft back a few weeks. I'm not sure what the NFL aside from giving the sports talkers another 3 weeks to bloviate.

Why is that folly? From the NFL's point of view, it's just more free publicity.

frosted21 wrote:Two nights ago I had the worst dream ever. It was completely nonsensical, but I was panicked nonetheless. I dreamt that our first round pick was announced at the podium - and it was Matt Birk. When I woke up I couldn't stop laughing, actually. But what does a dream like that even mean?

It depends on which Matt Birk you dreamed about. If you dreamed about this Matt Birk...



... it just means you're a Vikings fan but if you dreamed about this Matt Birk...



... it means you're in love with Matt Birk.

Disclaimer: I have a final in about two hours, the last one of my college career, as it were. I also dreamt last night, that I got to it today, and the first question was, "draw a picture of your face, when you first tasted 'Frosted Flakes" cereal."

LOL! That's hilarious.

I hope your final went well!

Jim

One scenario I haven't heard discussed is what if Mike Evans is on the board. I know a lot of people were on board (myself included) in taking Watkins if he were around but what about Evans? I think there's a relatively good possibility he's there at #8 (especially if the top 3 OTs are picked). Some will say it's a luxury pick but Evans, Jennings, and Patterson is a very intriguing trio. Add in Rudolph and Peterson and you have a lot of talent at the skill position to help mask your QB issue.

I can see the Vikings taking Evans and taking a big arm QB in the 2nd (Mett, Carr, etc.), allowing Turner to really stretch the field. Of course this means the defense won't be addressed until the 3rd at earliest, which presents problems, but with the QB grades all over the map, I wouldn't be too surprised if this scenario played out. Low odd scenario but thought I'd mention it since I don't think it's been brought up.