Planning the Vikings' 2010 draft
by medicineball on Feb 1, 2010 1:17 PM CST
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Over at Mocking the Draft we are going to hold a mock draft in the days to come. Earlier, lifelongvike conducted the Vikings' mock draft. I'm taking the lead on this next one. Lifelongvike and Purple Jesus are going to assist me. If other people would like to add to the discussion, please feel welcome.
To start the discussion, let's set the stage. EJ Henderson is recovering from a broken leg. We are hoping and praying that he can return. Hard as it is, we must recognize the unwanted possibility that he might not be able to. Cedric Griffin is recovering from an ACL tear, and could miss up to half the 2010 season, and be slowed for the rest of it. Antoine Winfield has had a nagging foot injury, and re-injured it in overtime of the NFC Championship game. It is possible that Winfield will start at strong safety in the 2010 season. The Vikings are currently shorthanded at defensive back.
At this point, we should assume that either Pat Williams or Jimmy Kennedy or, ideally, both will return to anchor the defensive line. Additionally, Ray Edwards and Tarvaris Jackson will return. On the other hand, Chester Taylor is questionable to return. The status of other free agents is unknown.
The general strategy for this mock draft will be to strengthen the team with several draft selections. If Favre returns, we are set at quarterback. If not, we will go with either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. Regardless of who plays quarterback, the strategy is to attempt to win Super Bowl XLV based on the template of the '85 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, the 2002 Buccaneers, the 2005 Steelers, and the 2007 Giants: a strong defensive team with a good rushing attack and an efficient passing game.
Let's talk about the first round. The Vikings have the 30th pick overall. Players like Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Eric Berry, Joe Haden, Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford, and Rolando McClain will already be drafted by then.
Here is the list of players that are both at the top of my board and could conceivably fall to the Vikings.
Taylor Mays, S, USC - He would likely win the starting job at free safety, upgrading our secondary. He is a playmaker and capable of being a ballhawk. If he realizes his potential he could be another Joey Browner, or better. His draft stock has fallen recently due to him not shining during Senior Bowl practice.
Mike Iupati, G, Idaho - The best guard in the draft would be the starter-apparent at right guard, immediately upgrading the offensive line. At some point in the future he and Steve Hutchinson could potentially swap guard positions. Iupati needs some technique work, but he is starter material.
Sean Weatherspoon, OLB/ILB, Missouri - A defensive standout, field general, and playmaker. He could push Ben Leber for playing time and conceivably win a starting job. He can also play middle linebacker, and push EJ and Jasper Brinkley for their jobs. His on-field leadership at the Senior Bowl helped the North's defense dominate the South's talent-laden offense. He is capable of becoming the heart and soul of our defense, like EJ Henderson has been for the Vikings.
Currently, I am leaning toward waiting until the second round to draft a cornerback. After Joe Haden, there are numerous excellent cornerback prospects, but no standout difference maker. The good ones include Kyle Wilson, Brandon Ghee, Donovan Warren, Earl Thomas, Patrick Robinson, Dominique Franks,and Devin McCourty. At least one of them is bound to fall to us in the second round, 59th overall. (The Redskins do not have a second round draft pick.)
In this draft, the Vikings have needs at: guard, linebacker, safety, and cornerback. We would like to add depth at tight end, defensive end (EDIT: or defensive tackle), and running back. We would like to bring in a young quarterback or two as a developmental prospect.
In the real 2010 NFL draft, the Vikings are likely to have a couple of compensatory draft picks due to losing free agents Matt Birk and Darren Sharper in 2009. In this mock draft, there are no compensatory picks. In addition, however, I will be able to sign three undrafted free agents. Thus, assuming I don't make any trades, ten players would be picked.
Who would you like to see the Vikings get, and why?
This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.
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With or without Brett QB is not a big issue
priority one, Safety priority two, OG
beyond that go with best talent available
A bird in the hand is worth about 10.99 at KFC and makes me lick my chops
Yummy!!!!!
Why does everybody want a guard so bad?
You either really hate Herrerra (and I don’t see why) or you honestly think Hutch is washed up (which, again, I don’t understand). Otherwise we have two very decent OGs holding down the position. I mean, sure, Herrera isn;t the best and can be upgraded but that’s starting to get greedy.
Herrera
He was a swinging gate this year. I really like Herrera. He is exactly the kind of football player we need. He has an intense, competitive, fiery disposition, which is exactly what the offensive line needs. He gives 100% all the time. I regret to say that in 2009 he did not block like he used to, or maybe I just noticed it more with Matt Birk missing. Our o-line had to maintain narrow splits to pass protect after Favre got sacked too much. Then the running game stopped working. I think the most obvious upgrade to get both working at the same time would be at right guard. Sullivan might be a weak link too, but I hope he can improve his technique enough to be a strong link in 2010.
Hutchinson is aging, but he has several great years remaining. If we drafted a top-line guard like Mike Iupati, we could pair him up with Hutchinson for two or three years, and eventually Iupati would take over for Hutchinson when he retired.
by medicineball on Feb 1, 2010 11:43 PM CST up reply actions
Well this is it Jayrome
Right now if Favre does not come back we are stuck with shakey QB play. This means we need to get the run started up again or we will be going no where next year. The line was not creating holes for AD, also they were having issues holding the line for the QB to pass behind. Hrerra while not the only problem was the biggest (that wasn’t affected by injury) Getting rid of him for a strong run blocker (Iapati) would do a lot to get our run offense back on its feet. When you are rich in skill positions it’s time to start solidifying the trenches. Now CB I think is deep enough that when we pick in the 2nd we shoud still be able to get someone that can help us out.
I wouldnt really call shakey QB play just yet without favre
I mean we really dont know how much Tarvaris has developed yet with that year behind Brett. I for one would love to see how much he has improved.
Plus I dont think we’ll be getting rid of Herrera because i dont feel as if he is a weak link i just feel as though he was a solid unrecognized player. I do however believe that if by the time we pick that Patrick Robinson is gone we should take that iapati guy as a developing project behind Hutch.
really?
Ok, there was little to no push off the interior line this year. I watched Hrerra get beat inside many times in many games. I almost never saw Hrerra push more than a yard past teh line of scrmmage on the run play and most of the time his run block looked much like a pass block as he stood up and moved his man no where. I’m not saying he’s a terrible player, but if you want your run to work you need someone who can clear that line. Birk may have helped Hrerra out last year I’m not sure, but this year we can’t have a week right guard next to a rookie center.
As for TJ I’m not sure how you can look at a guy who has played well below average and expect him to suddenly be even average. He has the tools, I’ve heard that so many times it makes me ill. What he doesn’t have is the intellgence to use them. The NFL is not college you can’t get by on physical attributes alone. You have to be able to see defenses, read blitzes, find open people, not get flustered in the pocket, remember your fundementals and TJ does none of those. Worse he even puts the coaching staff on it’s heels as after 4 years he still can’t run the full offense.
Not trying to be combative here but I really see no reason why TJ should be even thought of as a starter next year. Personally, I would toss him and let someone else see if he fits their schemes better.
by Grime on Feb 2, 2010 9:31 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Good thing
we’ll no longer have a rookie center, huh?
Are you stating that there will be a marked improvement in the line next year?
I mean I know I argue this point as if there is no other option, I may be mistaken (there is a first time for everything(just forget about the farve comments earlier this season)).
The problem is that I think without a running game we will be seriously hurting next year no matter who is QBing us and with one I thikn we are heading to the SB again (well we shoudl have been)
As for CB’s what I saw impressed me this year of our back ups. and I think we can work out something off of a second round that will be able to help us out. I just don’t see us going for it without a better run attack this year.
Agreed
It all starts on the front line, and this year our front was was anything but stellar. I agree that the secondary needs help but here’s The Thing;
We have, waiting in the wings for their chance to step up, Jamarca Sanford at S, and Asher Allen at CB. We still have Benny Sapp who’s gotten better as the year goes forward. I’m not saying that this is enough, I’m saying that we’re not exactly in complete collapse here. While I would love to see a top notch CB join the lineup, I think that can wait til the second round.
The top priority has to be the O-line. No matter how you slice it, the pay-off here is literally huge. Better QB protection, more time to make those passes, better run blocking and line push for AP. If we have Favre back, we absolutely need to protect him better. If we don’t have Favre back, T-Jack and Rosey will need some protection to be able to build a rhythm.
Rec’ed
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
You really think he's performed well below average??
He might not consistently throw dominant qb numbers but he was good enough to win games without a healthy sidney rice and harvin. But what I meant to say was i’m not sure if he’s our qb of the future but i believe we need to find out if he’s learned before we make that choice that he isnt.
He won games with a solid line and the best rb in the league
Trent Dilfer went to the super bowl on that. (and a good D) and I don’t think anyone would state Difler was better than average QB. To this point I think Dilfer is better that TJ is. I don’t care if you can throw the ball 100 yards if you can’t call off plays that won’t work or see what the defense is trying to do to you. I don’t care if you can run a 4.3 if you have no awareness in the pocket, zero leadership and get skittish after your hit a couple of times.
TJ’s upside was a great O-line and AD. I’m pretty sure anyone can do well in that oh wait they did when we stuck GUS FRERROTE in there and he did better than TJ did.
Seriously Gus…
They would have never even stuck Gus in there
If Shiancoe never dropped that touchdown pass in Greenbay and our defense not collapsed when we played Indianapolis. Those loses cant be blamed on Jackson. Now all i’m saying is when he had a few games to sit on the bench and watch Gus he came out with fire for the last 4 games of the season. Unfortunately everything collapsed in Philadelphia in the playoffs.
Now all i’m trying to say is i want to see how much he’s learned behind Favre for whole entire YEAR plus the offseason of more studying.
Well after those losses he did conference with Chilly
And basically told him that he didn’t have a lot of confidence to win the games. I think you could see this by his pocket presence it looked to me that he felt out of his depth.
I don’t know he might be the second coming of Brady, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
Not to be an ass but Shiancoe never dropped a TD against us. I believe your thinking of the Colts game. Jackson did throw a pick to end the game against us though!
I have to admit I would be curious to see whether or not he improved after sitting behind Favre as well. My guess would be no but who knows. He’s got some physical talent, I just don’t think he has the mental capacity to be a good Qb for you guys.
by packallday555 on Feb 3, 2010 11:47 PM CST up reply actions
I think it's safe to say the Vikings O-line is overrated
especially when it comes to Pass blocking. Gus Frerotte got the crap beat outta him last year, he barely lasted 10wks.
The same could be said about their pass blocking this year, Favre got smacked around pretty good.
The O-line is bad at picking up the blitz, and their run blocking is not what it used to be.
The Saints
The Saints had four legitimate Pro Bowl players on their offensive line in the NFCCG, and another on injured reserve.
According to the numbers their pass blocking is ahead of their run blocking. Football Outsiders has them at an adjusted sack rate of 6%, which ranked 14th in the league (and steadily improved as the season went on). The Saints beat up Farve, but they also sent either delayed pressure after the O-Line was engaged, or they just sent more guys than the Vikings could block.
They were legitimately a bad run blocking team. A couple of other FO numbers that are telling, they track “Power Success,” for instance, which they define as “Percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Also includes runs on first-and-goal or second-and-goal from the two-yard line or closer. This is the only statistic on this page that includes quarterbacks.” The Vikings ranked 23rd.
And then there’s “Stuffed Rate,” defined as “Percentage of runs where the running back is tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage. Since being stuffed is bad, teams are ranked from stuffed least often (#1) to most often (#32).” Vikings rank? 31st!
Even more damning is those latter two rankings aren’t adjusted for opponent, and the Vikings had an easy schedule this year.
So yeah, there might be a problem there. The good news is the offensive line—probably more than any other unit—improves with continuity and cohesion. So considering they had two first year starters on the line this year, maybe they’ll improve.
The bad news is they had similar mediocre-to-poor run blocking metrics in previous years (when Birk was here); AP’s big play ability of yore masked their troubles according to these numbers (they credit bigger runs mostly to the running back). It was just more obvious this year as they didn’t have as many big runs.
by jianfu on Feb 6, 2010 3:43 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Brutal Statistics
But impossible to argue with them. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize how bad it was.
What’s bothersome is that it was that bad even with 2 legit pro bowlers and 1 supposidly nearly pro-bowl level player (Birk, Hutch, and McKinnie). It may be that the improvement came as Loadholt picked up experience on the right side.
This reinforces my feelings that, barring an amazing snag in the first round, the Vikings should consider trading off their 1st round pick for a couple 2nd rounders and pick up some O-line help first and foremost.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Wow I knew it was bad but not that bad
We do need O-Line help. But I think we really only need one. I don’t think we need to grab a whole handful of them I think one to knock out Hrerra and maybe something in the back to upgrade Hicks as a back up. Sullivan was a disapointment this year to me, however, I think he needs more time at the position before tossing him to the wolves. Hrerra though has been around a bit and should be a better player.
I think we have a TON of talent in our back field and a seriousl first round pick would help immensely in our run and pass blocking. Now, I also think that we need to pick up a QB, but I’m not sure if I see anything here that is looking good enough to risk much on. Picking a OG in either the first or second round does need to be a priority to me though.
I like Lupati
I think our offense line needs help. AP. just wasn’t getting much up the middle. We used AP more in the short passing game this year & I have no problem continuing this trend.
I would be nice to see him spring a couple of big ones up the gut though. We should be able to get a good OG with our 1st pick. Hopefully E.J. can get back & play well again. Brinkley got some great experience. EJ. Greenway, Leber ,& Brinkley give us a solid linebacking corps. Use our second pick on the best DB we can get, either a corner or a safety. Hopefully Cedric can come back & play well. Winfield can still play ,if we don’t use him at corner he can still cover the slot receiver and he plays the run well & is a sure tackler. Sapp & Asher also got some great experience this year. Throw a couple of picks together. I realize 4, 5 & 6 round picks don’t move you to the head of the line but you can package some picks to get a guy in the 2nd or 3rd round that isn’t going fall to you. If it’s someone that you covet move up those 10-15 positions and get him.
Lupati will be gone before we pick
And we can’t afford to give away draft picks, we will not be eligable to sign FA’s because of our great season. We NEED to use all our draft picks to add depth and youth to our team. We have fared pretty well in the later rds. of the draft: 4th rd Ray-Ray, 6th rd Sully, 5th rd Brinkly, 7th rd. Sanford.
I agree
but I also think that for every expert that says this 10 more will say something different. Looking at mock drafts I still see Iaputi there around that spot some of them have him being picked up by the Colts. Either way if Iaputi gets taken by someone else that’s understandable we still look for the best player available that meets our teams need.
I think others have answered you Jayrome
But to put it simply: Our oline struggled this year. Not all can be blamed on Hererra. But we gave up too many sacks and the run game suffered as well. We need an upgrade on the oline. Right guard is an easy target. Fair or not, its an easy target.
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
As someone said before
If something is not working properly make efforts to fix it. if you don’t then people will think that what they did last year was acceptable.
Fixing problems is necessary for improvement, but a team only has so many resources available to fix them all. And probably our greatest resource, the first round pick, needs to be spent on our greatest weakness. Which right now is far and away the secondary, followed closely by QB (possibly). It would just seem illogical to spend so heavily on a luxury like a G.
I just don't see the secondary benig such a glaring weakness.
Sorry man I just don’t. I do think we need to pick someone up to help replace Griffeth in the beginning of the year. However, if we have a 41 year old QB behind center shoring up holes is pretty important. Also, getting AP on line is pretty important asa well. I don’t think anyone in the secondary played so poorly that they need to be replaced, so it would run into the same situation our O line is, look for the weakest link then replace that. Which is the weakest ling in teh backfield?
We need help at CB
With both our starting CBs having surgery and Paymeh probably not being resigned. True we can draft a good CB in the 2nd rd. and we should draft a stud OG if there is one available at #30 mainly Lupati.
by nmvikesfan on Feb 2, 2010 5:11 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
As said by nmvikesfan, if the season started tomorrow we are down to Benny Sapp at one spot and Karl Paymah at the other. Are you honestly comfortable with that? Not to mention I don’t even know who would be depth behind Asher Allen. Nobody at all at the moment.
practice squad
We’ve got DeAndre Wright on the practice squad.
I think Winfield will be back next year, but he might be playing more cornerback than strong safety, at least at first.
Also Sapp is a FA
So the only healthy CB we have right now under contract is Asher Allen. I think we need to draft two CBs in this draft that is loaded at CB. By adding some good cover corners it makes our pass rush that much better.
I disagree Jayrome007 the line is where the games are won
If a top guard can create just a few more chances a game for A.P. . This is a game of inches and if Peterson gets a few more inches with better run blocking the benefits
will become clear. Our secondary can use some help but our scheme worked pretty well. It’s not like we were getting torched every week. Winfield was clearly hurt when he got burned this year. Teams weren’t exactly going bombs away on us. By making teams having to complete drives our D did a good job of making them earn it. Teams always have weaknesses but this team is pretty darn solid. We all know we should be talking Superbowl right now instead of speculating on this years upcoming moves but we saved our worst game for last. Do you really think the Saints have a better team than us? I don’t.
I wouldn't consider the Saints game our worst game
Look at how many points we scored.
Look at how many rush yards AP got.
We even forced a Special Teams turnover.
We basically SHOT ourselves in the foot.
Most of the fumbles were due to players trying to hard to get extra yards.
The muffed hand-off to AP
Percy or Berrian lost the ball going for extra yards.
Those were not caused by the Saints, they were caused by the Vikings trying to be MVP of that game.
Those were not caused by the Saints, they were caused by the Vikings trying to be MVP of that game.
Though I originally agreed with you, upon further review I’m actually quite impressed with the Saints “go for the ball” strategy. Every single tackle (I’m almost not even exaggerating) the defender was swinging his arm at the ball like he was splitting wood. It’s not like you can identify a lot of poor ball security on behalf of our ball carriers. They caused those turnovers, we didn’t give them away (except for maybe the botched handoff). I now believe their defense did in fact beat us.
Our secondary can use some help but our scheme worked pretty well. It’s not like we were getting torched every week.
Im not even talking about the state of our DBs this past year. Im talking about next year. And next year we have one CB out for the majority of the year (Griffin), another still fighting back from injury and age (Winfield), a former rookie who is still probably in over his head (Allen), and a strictly special teams player who should have never been asked to play CB (Paymah). Thats it. And thats not even mentioning the weak spot of our entire defense (the invisible safeties).
I don’t care where “games are won or lost”. In the long run, teams win by masking their weaknesses effectively. We have glaring weakness in that secondary that need to be addressed before all else. End of story.
glaring weakness...
If you don’t think the Vikings line is a glaring weakness then I guess we are going to have to disagree. This year especially it suffered, much of that may have been because of a rookie tackle, a new center (second year in NFL), Hutch having shoulder and back issues, and McKinney being a fat slob with no work ethic. All this added up to Hrerra looking like a practice squad guard to me. Maybe I pay more attention to this than most as I played it and coached the O Line for a local high school. So when I see a lineman standing up when he’s run blocking I shake my head. I’ve seen him beat inside by pass rushing DT’s and that is pretyy much the biggest no no a guard can do. As well his pulling out leaves much to be desired. So yes I see this as a glaring weakness. It’s not as flashy as AP dropping balls, or peopler scoring on our DB’s but it is still an integral part of our game.
Maybe it’s not Hrerra’s fault maybe it’s because he was sandwhiched between to newbies. I don’t know, the coaches will be able to see that much more clearly when they hit the tape and talk to the linemen one on one. But if it’s not because of them (and it surely didn’t look like it) then I say we really need to look at shoring up that weakness.
Check out jianfu’s response, a few messages up, he has the numbers on how incredibly crappy the Vikings O-line was last year.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Hey Grime, what do Oline coaches and mushrooms have in common?
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
My Opinion
I’m not very concerned with our DT’s. LB, Brinkley filled in nicely for a rookie and he was getting better and better each and every game. Just needs to have more experience. TE i think we are good on if Mills wasn’t injured every year. I would go Iupati unless a CB comes up that we can’t pass on, but BPA will decide it. Although i wouldn’t mind us getting Weatherspoon.
Biggest Needs, IMO
A CB, a ball-hawking Safety and better run blocking by our o-line
by Loki The Viking God on Feb 1, 2010 2:24 PM CST reply actions
I like the way you think
I think Jasper Brinkley is good, just inexperienced.
Sanford looked great, and I think he could play real well, wonder how he would do at CB?
A. Winfield is a great tackler, so I’m not sure how well he would play Safety… But could be effective. I just wouldn’t be expecting many interceptions from him. But stopping the break away runs.
I think we need to beef up our O-line…
I would like to see that done first, because if we’re showing that we’re doing our best to improve our O-line, it could help Favre decide to come back.
If he comes back, we have TJ or Sage as back-up for another year to learn from the master.
With that being said, after that, I would think it depends on if we lose any free agents defensively.
If we don’t lose any free agents, I think we would need to improve our Corner Backs, and Safety position.
Agreed
The offense starts and stops with the o-line…our running game this year was a shell of its former self and seems to be caused by poor blocking up front, imo….pass blocking was mediocore at best this year
by Loki The Viking God on Feb 1, 2010 3:05 PM CST up reply actions
I know it isn’t a popular position, but I don’t think the Vikings will be targeting a safety in the draft. I was disappointed with the safety play like everyone else, but I don’t think that will lead to any major changes for a few reasons. Throughout the season, the Vikings carried 5 safeties on the active roster. That’s the 48 of the 53 that will be suited up for the game. Most NFL teams carry 3-4 and none had 5. You have Frampton and Abdullah who are major special teams contributors and back-ups at both safety and corner. You have Johnson and Sanford who are emerging talents taken in the last two drafts that the organization is going to give every opportunity to develop (both of whom either starters or were key contributors on special teams) and Williams, who hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations, but is a Frazier “guy”. Frazier drafted him in Cincy and made a huge push to sign him when he was a free agent 2 years ago. He will at the very least play out his contract. All of that considered, I don’t see they going after any safeties this year.
Of the three choices you present, I would rate them Iupati, Mays, Witherspoon. If Dan Williams happens to fall to #30, I would take him over all of them and agree that CB will be deep in the 2nd round, as after Haden, there isn’t any worth a 1st rounder. Can’t predict the free agent market and whose coming back so you got to go with what we know now. I would say OL, CB, D-line, LB
Agreed
I agree that we are stuck with Madieu. Frampton and Abdullah are too important to ST, and you are also correct that the org is not likely to give up on Tyrell Johnson so quickly. Sanford could be cut at any time because, as a low pick, his contract will not hurt at all…but then we are talking about a backup S in the later rounds at best. The very best S in the draft would need to be there before they would consider bringing in someone to seriously compete with Tyrell.
Free agents
By the list I have the Vikings only have three (3) Unrestricted free agents this year. I would assume the Restricted FAs will all be back. Not a bad assumption since we can force them if we have to. So lets talk about losing our three other guys
Chester Taylor- RB
Artis Hicks- G
Karl Paymah- CB
Chester was a big part of the 2009 team and I would think we might not forget to pick up a RB replacement for him. Sometimes we forget that we are only one play from losing AP to injury also. I have nothing against the guys on the bench but we will need another RB.
Hicks filled in a lot this year. Your idea of a guard is a good one
Paymah was bad mouthed by the fans but if he leaves we could use two CBs in this draft. Maybe find one in a later round that can challenge for punt returns.
Somewhere in the draft you will have to look at a QB. That will be an interesting choice.
But as far as free agents I think you only have to keep these three in mind.
I think you will enjoy this.
BTW- Is the draft allowing the Top 4 teams to sign free agents?
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
I have to tell you, if the Vikings don’t retain Chester Taylor I think it will be a huge mistake. I think the man deserves a 3 year contract. Ever since AP was injured the first time, I on-board with keeping CT for the duration and I see nothing that changes that.
I like Hicks, but the O-line needs upgrading at RG, as a minimum. In the draft, I think this has to be the first need addressed (unless, of course, the Vikings get side-tracked Yet Again by an impossible BFA falling to them, which is why we didn’t get our CB upgrade last year when Vontae Davis was expected to be picked up).
I’m one of the guys who’s not happy with Paymuh at all. If there’s any way to replace that guy, I think the Vikings need to do it.
Then we have to consider some LB and DT prospects… it’s going to be a fascinating draft, that’s for sure.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
No 3-yr contract to CT!
I’d love to see him back for another year, but not a 3yr contract. Not at his age, especially at that position. He is no Marcus Allen.
Yeah but he doesn't have a lot of wear and tear.
Playing behind AD added years to his career because he’s basically a 3rd down back and gets what 4 carries a game? He does give us good insurance if AD goes down.
Very True
and he played behind Lewis in B-more so you can probably say APs legs are more aged than his at this point
by midnightwonder on Feb 5, 2010 6:03 AM CST up reply actions
I don't think Taylor would sign anything shorter than a 3yr deal.
This will probably be Taylors final contract in his NFL career, so he’s going to be looking for the longest contract, with the most guaranteed money.
With that said, I don’t think Taylor will be playing for the Vikings next year. I hope he’s still here, but I don’t want to get locked in log term expensive contract to keep him.
I really wish we'd seen more of Young this year
It would be nice to see what we have behind him a bit more than what we did. Right now we just have to cross our fingers.. If Chester does leave and Young isn’t ready RB comes roaring to the front of our needs.
I feel pretty good about Young. I only seen him in the P-season, but I liked what I saw. He’s a power runner like AP, but he stayed behind his blockers and allowed them do the work. My biggest issue with Young is we don’t really know if he can catch the ball, or take a hit while catching the ball.
I think the Vikings kept Ian Johnson on the practice squad too ?. From what I saw, Johnson had softer hands, and was a bit more elusive than Young. If the Vikings kept both of these guys on their practice squad, then I don’t see any chance of them keeping Taylor around.
I agree on Young. And the Vikings had Kahlil Bell and released him, in favor of keeping Young and Johnson, which suggests they felt Bell had the least potential. Since the Vikigns FO has proved their ability to evaluate talent, I trust their opinion. Bell looked pretty good against the Vikings in that final matchup, which suggest that Young can be even better.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
on young...
watched him when he played at iowa. young is a very patient, VERY powerful runner. i can’t remember who it was, the guy played DT for purdue in youngs junior year, the guy was standing right in the hole young was wanting to run through, and young lowered his shoulder, literally drove the guy backwards 3 yards, right onto his keyster and proceeded to get another 15 yards. while i LOVE me some chester taylor, i think the drop from taylor to young is minimal at best. i can say that his pass catching ability is on par with taylor, and he was very successful on screen passes at iowa. here are both his recieving and rushing stats his last three years at iowa:
recieving rushing
rec. yds avg td rush yds avg td
2007 23 212 9.2 1 206 968 4.7 6
2006 30 225 7.9 1 178 779 4.4 7
2005 24 244 10.2 0 249 1,334 5.4 8
i’ll see if i can find that video on youtube and post it.
I piss people off on a fairly regular basis. I cherish my right to speak my mind, whether I sound like an uneducated savage or not. I've never been accused of keeping what I think a secret, nor will I ever. Don't like it? I don't care.
by IABerserker1 on Feb 12, 2010 12:04 PM CST up reply actions
Albert Young
Thanks! You’re obviously very familiar with is college play, and truth to tell, he didn’t get alot of touches this year. He played in 7 games, got 12 rushing attempts but averaged 4.4 yards, which is pretty good.
My biggest worry about him is the receiving. CT excelled on the screen plays and the key word there is ‘clutch’. When the pressure is on, we can count on Chester Taylor.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
like i said,
he was very good on screen passes while at iowa. a large part of his career was spent on some pretty anemic offenses, and the screen was their bread and butter for getting yards…. needless to say, he is very adept at running behind when the o line is blocking out front.
I piss people off on a fairly regular basis. I cherish my right to speak my mind, whether I sound like an uneducated savage or not. I've never been accused of keeping what I think a secret, nor will I ever. Don't like it? I don't care.
by IABerserker1 on Feb 15, 2010 9:56 PM CST up reply actions
I sure would like to see him play some this year.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
as would i.
it would actually be interesting to see him lined up as an up back in front of AP. hand the ball to him or peterson.
I piss people off on a fairly regular basis. I cherish my right to speak my mind, whether I sound like an uneducated savage or not. I've never been accused of keeping what I think a secret, nor will I ever. Don't like it? I don't care.
by IABerserker1 on Feb 16, 2010 7:15 PM CST up reply actions
Draft fun... is well FUN!
Iupati is a monster and I think with him our offense doesn’t necessarilly need Farve and so I think he is the most important pick up we could possibly do.
Earl Thomas I would like to see him in purple some have him dropping as he’s young.
Robbinson is another DB that would look good in purple.
And this brings me to a discussion on what DB’s the we as fans would like and what will actually fit into our defense. We do not allow DB’s to hawk balls, we just don’t. We had one of the least amounts of interceptions in teh NFL last year, and seeing what Sharper did going someplace else I have to stat thinking it’s the scheme and not just the players responsable. Saying this I don’t think we need to look for a ball hawk, if we do we’ll be wasting a lot of his talent on a hard hitting and bat the ball down style of play. Just thought I’d put this out there…
So first Iupati, second Thomas (I really like this guy) or Robinson(He might be available at 40) I might be missing a Guarf that we coudl get later that would be able to start as well, but I don’t think we can miss with Iutapi..
At work :p so none of my notes and musings. God I’m a complete geek.
System
Sharper had 9 int’s at FS in his first year with the Vikes, then 4 & 4 at SS the next two years, and then his down year where he only had 1. His responsibilities changed a lot over that time because of his experience, he kind of became the QB of the defensive backfield. Many CBs in the Tampa two have racked up int’s, just look at Barber and Kelly from Tampa, a healthy Vasher from Chicago a few years ago. Our CBs just aren’t making pays on the ball. Griffin and Winfield’s lack of speed has them giving up too much cushion because they’re afraid to get burned. We need a fast ball hawking CB to complete our D and help us in this pass happy league, that way teams will dare to try and run on us which will only be playing into our hands.
I don’t think it’s fair to say the Vikings system discourages INTs. That was Sharper’s opinion, but he’s also a gambler type that likes to make an impact by ranging around, coming all the way across the field and jumping in front of guys on long balls and things of that sort of thing. Here he was asked to keep to his deep 1/3 to 1/2 of the field.
They only had 11 picks as a team last year because—outside of Cedric a little bit—they just didn’t have anyone who could make a play. Winfield was steady out of the gate, and defenses tended to avoid his side if they could, but when he got back he was picked on mercilessly and he couldn’t do anything about it. The other fill-ins—Sapp, Paymah, and Allen—were just trying to hold their own; asking them to make plays would have been wishful thinking (although I thought Allen showed some instincts at this).
Or consider that when Dungy was Minny’s Defensive Coordinator nearly 20 years ago, he installed the philosophy that they basically play right now. And during his tenure the Vikings weren’t just good at causing turnovers, they were known for it, ranking 1st in picks in 1992, 2nd in ‘93, 10th in ’94, and 2nd in ’95. Times are different now and teams have ways to attack the Tampa-2 that they hadn’t discovered then, but the Bill Walsh offense had spread through the league back then, and its still the dominant NFL offense today.
The Vikings haven’t drafted a DB in the first round since 1994, mainly because they’ve essentially been a straight-up zone coverage team since Dungy/Kiffen came, and so the theory is you don’t need to worry about grabbing a Charles Woodson/Darrelle Revis shut down type that’s going to stick in the opponents #1 WRs pocket all over the field, all afternoon long. You just need a guy that’s physical and fiesty (knowing he has safety help), excels at zone coverage, and make plays off of hurried throws. I think the Vikings need to focus on the final part of that profile.
I think they absolutely have to find a quality CB somehow this draft. The passing game is the key to the NFL; it’s the most efficient method of offense. You have to move the ball through the air and you need to stop your opponent from doing the same. Unfortunately Minnesota’s almost in a position where they need to find someone who can contribute at CB immediately, but so it goes. A perfect world scenario is Allen shows enough development to fill in for Cedric to start the year, the guy they draft can sort of flip flop outside/inside with Winfield, and when Cedric returns Winfield moves to safety and Griffen, Allen, and the new guy become the new CB core. Benny Sapp isn’t exactly young, and his best football’s probably not ahead of him.
It’s supposed to be a deep CB class. Of course not all of them will be any good, and a deep class does you no good if you don’t pick the right guy. Here’s hoping they do a good job.
Personally, I’m a fan of Oklahoma State’s Perrish Cox’s game—a defensive playmaker playing in space in the offense-wacky Big 12. Unfortunately he maybe has a little bit of Bryant McKinnie to him, as he was suspended for the Cowboys’ Bowl Game for missing team functions (and then tweeting about it). Oklahoma’s Dominique Franks might also be an option, and has many of the same qualites as Cox (sans the suspension). A lot of the guys considered to be giving the class good depth also happened to play on teams with horrible pass defenses—Michigan’s Donovan Warren, Rutgers Devin McCourty, Florida State’s Patrick Robinson—so while it’s easy to say teams were picking on the other side, how do you know? Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson has that physical/zone instincts/playmaking skillset I mentioned before, but he’s also barely 5’9". He might make a good fallback option in round 2 should they go something else in round 1. I also like Iowa’s Amari Spievey as a guy I don’t see many people talking about. Iowa had an outstanding pass defense last year, and Spievey’s role was essentially the same there as it would be for a team like the Vikings. But we’ll see.
Like Cox but don't know where his head is
He is the prototype cover-two CB; he has size and strength, he’s aggressive and a good tackler BUT he has issues and in the NFL you need a CB who has his head in the game and is a team player. Robinson, Warren, and McCourty are all good players, I also like Wilson from Boise St. Hopefully we are able to draft one of these guys with Robinson #1 on my wish list.
I think the Vikings picking late in the draft will probably take the best player available on defense or if a guy falls that they like a lot maybe move up. But if we’re talking need we absolutely have to get a CB, Safety because Tyrell Johnson and Madeu Williams are both mediocre at best, and maybe a DT, or someone to replace Herrera on the O-Line. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Favre tells Chilly what he’s gonna do soon because him coming back or not could effect our draft strategy.
"If at first you don't succeed - Skydiving isn't for you"
Drafting a CB is most important
Karl Payma has got to go, and I wouldn’t count on Griffin being healthy enough to start the season.
Winfield can probably handle the beginning of the season at CB, but he won’t last all year at that position. Plus it’s his last year, so he’s gonna need a replacement anyway.
I could be wrong about that.
Either way I don’t see Winfield lasting longer than 1 more year. Not as a starter anyway…IMO
In my opinion
1st round – Patrick Robinson
2nd Roud – Dexter Mcluster
3rd Round – Javier Arenas
4-7th plus compensatory – fill in specific needs. Guard, Safety, Linebacker, and everything else.
Where will we play McLuster and Areans?
We already have Percy to play the role of the factor back. He, Jaymar and Reynaud have the return game pretty much on lock. Arenas isnt good enough as a corner alone….
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
I'm saying maybe we can replace Taylor with Mcluster
I dont see why we couldn’t Mcluster is faster and a good pass catching running back as well. NOt sure how good he is at pass blocking which maybe his only knock towards being a back like Taylor. Also if we drafted Arenas and Robinson he’d probably be either the 3rd 4th or 5th cb after winfield leaves.
Taylor Mays
Seems like Vernon Gholston except at safety. All the measurables will be there, but what makes you think he’s a playmaker? 5 picks in 4 years as a starter at the strongest school in a decent conference don’t shout ‘ball hawk’ to me.
I thought Tyrell Johnson improved drastically over the last few games and Jamarca Sanford flashed multiple times and seems to be a good value that we got last year.
I’d be for a late round safety again who can help on ST but my hope for the first round would be whoever the best interior lineman would be (either O / D) or a corner, but we don’t seem to value corners in the first round like other teams.
I want the best player available and I hope the guy that fits the pick is a guard.
by drew10 on Feb 1, 2010 5:55 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Big hitter
Taylor Mays is a big hitter. Here is his highlight video At 6’3, 235, with 4.47 speed, he is a phenomenal athlete.
While at the Senior Bowl, a TV interviewer asked him a question to the effect of why didn’t you get more interceptions at USC? He said his coach wanted him to tackle and knock the ball away first, and he did what the coach asked. At the Senior Bowl he stepped in front of a pass and made an interception at the goal line. He seems to have excellent ball skills.
I believe Taylor Mays would greatly improve our defense.
At USC, he played in the Cover-2 under Pete Carroll. He could make an impact immediately.
Impact immediately
Only if he learned to wrap up when he tackles. NFL players don’t tend to drop or go down off the first hit. Look at our own P Harvin. I think T Mays could be a great asset if would also play the ball and not just trying to lay the big hit. He would still be able to seperate the WR from the ball.
by midnightwonder on Feb 5, 2010 8:12 AM CST up reply actions
Sanford
Will pass up Madieu shortly. He can definitely hit better then Madieu. I just don’t know much of his pass coverage skills.
not to be a nerd
Not to be a nerd or anything but Sanford is a strong safety, Williams is a free safety. Based on his year in 2009, I think Williams is on thin ice. I hope he comes back and plays great again. Drafting a free safety would be the ideal thing to do, though.
Jamarca Sanford will probably get playing time at strong safety next year. We’ll see.
Safeties
As I commented elsewhere in another post, we should move Johnson to FS where his speed can be used and start Sanford at SS because of his tackling ability. Johnson played both FA and SS in college, sometimes switching positions during a game. He made the most plays at FS because his athletismcomes into play there. I really liked what I saw out of Sanford, most people don’t know that he is the all-time leader in tackles in the SEC and he was always around the ball. He dropped to the 7th rd because he ran a very slow time at the combine and teams felt he would not be able to cover at the NFL level in his one start this year he did very well. I’d like to see more of what he can do.
as i've stated before
although i agree that we could some help on the o-line, i believe that we need a better coaching phylosophy. we have a mammoth o-line, that is being asked to zone-block. let them be the roadgraters they can be and open holes for ap. grooming a og would be helpful, as hutch is getting up in years. maybe we go after a tackle prospect and rid ourselves of the problemchild- mckinnie. (sorry, just kind of disappointed in him)
i agree that jasper is making good strides, although he needs ALOT of work in pass coverage.
the safety situation does have me concerned. madieu williams has not lived up to what was expected for the size contract he was given. i like how johnson came on in the playoffs, but he drops way too many balls he should have intercepted, (including an easy one against the saints).
with griffin’s and winfield’s injuries, plus paymah’s more than likely departure, i would have to say that cb is a VERY pressing need.
i’m just happy that we seem to have our past draft problems solved. the current team of spielman, studwell, and childress seem to have a good thing going. lets hope they can keep it up.
GO VIKES!!!
by indianavikesfan on Feb 1, 2010 10:12 PM CST reply actions
This is an underrated fly in the ointment: Childress wants as much size up front as possible, but he also wants them to zone block. Couple that with AP being a rather poor fit for such a scheme (he has below average vision and little-to-no patience), and, well, maybe it’s no wonder the running game sometimes looks like nothing more than AP running head down into the backs of 5 dancing circus bears.
Interior/exterior
This has interested me too. When you look at the roster the really big guys are the tackles: McKinnie, Loadholt, Hicks, and Cook. The interior linemen are all in the 290-315 lb range. That’s about the same to slightly bigger than the Broncos late-90s Super Bowl offensive line. Maybe our tackles should be smaller for zone-blocking, but it seems like Childress wants large tackles on the exterior, and more nimble linemen on the interior.
I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
He's looking to crush the outsides
and have pulling guards. It’s an outside rush build for a line. A full on crash line (like Dallas) just stacks big boys every where you lose a bit on pulling and pass protection. Now smaller more nimble guys generally pass protect better as they can keep in the way of the man trying to get by them. So large lines generally run better (and even better later in teh game) while smaller lines generally go with a more pass friendly offense. I would say that Hutch is not a small man.
zone-blocking?
I don’t know very much about this, but I thought in classic zone-blocking, offensive linemen don’t pull.
Run plays a guard will pull if necessary
Zone blocking won’t stop this I don’t think. It’s to useful to the game interior pulls across center don’t happen much in the NFL that I see, but outside pulls around the end do.
But as you said I’m not an expert on zone blocking either.
if i remember,
birk used to pull quite a bit. our guards are really not suited for that though. hutch is getting older, and herrera is too slow. i really didn;t see much pulling this year at all. maybe because of the inexpirience of sullivan. they didn’t want to leave him unprotected. that also could have added to some of the running woes. (sounds strange considering ap rushed for 1400 this year) i am confident that next year the run game will be improved.
GO VIKES!!!
by indianavikesfan on Feb 4, 2010 10:31 PM CST up reply actions
Sullivan is the second fastest pulling center in the league
His weakness is going against big NTs so he needs to get stronger at the point of attack in the running game. The reason why we have big OTs in the zone blocking scheme is because our guards do pull on outside runs and our OTs callapse everything to the inside. That gives AD a OG as his lead blocker. Sully needs to do a better job at picking up delayed blitzes.
2010
1. TE/ okla. 2. d. washington/tcu/MLB 3.cox/CB/ok st. 4. WR 5. SS/rolle/FSU , two supp. picks OG/OT, DT 6. RB/brown/ok 7.DE/u.n.iowa
First round TE?
Why? Shiancoe is a great catcher and Saucer while older is a great blocker.. I don’t see a TE in the first round as a super solid choice man sorry. MLB at second makes some sense, but I think Brinkley is pretty decent in that space and I think EJ will be back next year. As well I think there are other spots that might benifit from a player who might be able to come out and start their first year.
Great call on Rolle
He is a year removed from being considered the second best safety around. He chose to forgo the NFL draft last year to study at Oxford.
This is what you call a value pick. Why not take a chance on him in round 5?
by why am i in omaha on Feb 2, 2010 10:37 PM CST up reply actions
Round 5? He isn’t going to drop that far. Some “experts” think he might sneak back into the 1st after the combine. The latest I’ve seen him be projected is the end of the 2nd round.
by packallday555 on Feb 2, 2010 10:41 PM CST up reply actions
why?
big possesion receivers are the future just ask S.D.. sauce has maybe 1yr left and dugan only has a 1yr contract. he’s the next off play of year. think of gonzalez, clark, gates and witten. this team is building for the future wake up man…..
I did when I mentioned Shiancoe
Isn’t he going to be around for a while? Don’t you think there might be other areas of the team that could benifit from a 1st round infusion more than TE? Not saying your wrong but I do disagree with you on this one.
Gonzalez, Clark, Gates, Witten are not big possession receivers. they are TE's
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
With everything up in the air due to the CBA...
I’m going to treat this as Planning the Vikings’ 2010 offseason:
As my 9th grade Spanish teacher used to say, “Everyone is senile. Its just a matter of degree.” While the opinions of postitions that need to be upgraded has varied from QB to Safety, most of us agree on a few things: Improve the line and add depth.
I will list the areas I that believe need to be addressed and rank them in order of priority (explainations will follow).
1. Quarterback (with or with out Favre)
2. Offensive line
3. Secondary
4. Defensive line
5. Linebacker
I listed Quarterback number one with the caveat that we don’t address it with our first round pick. Also if Favre retires, I have said before that I am not confident going into next year with the other QB’s currently on the roster. Logic might say that we won the division in 08 with TJack and Gus so we could do it again; plus TJack must have improved sitting under #4 for a year. Three problems with that logic. First, as we saw this year, because of unsteady Oline play, the run game suffered some. In 08 the run game took a lot of pressure away from the QB’s which made their inferiority a little less obvious. Second, Green Bay is much improved from 08, so it’s going to take more than 10 wins going forward to stay ahead of them. And finally, I am not convinced that TJack has improved enough to be a serious starting QB in this league.
If # 4 returns, we still need a long term solution to the situation. Drafting a promising rookie like Dan LeFevour now would allow him to sit and learn from the best.
Oline is ranked second only because of the glaring need at QB, if not it would be ranked first. Yes AP still had 1400 and 18 tds. Yes our offense looked great most of the year. However because of the questions at QB (see above) we need to be sure whoever our QB is next year, that he stays healthy and a run game to rely on. I agree with most of you in that I really like the Idaho kid. He’s a beast! If he’s available at 30, we have to take him.
Many of you have you have touched on the issues in the secondary. I believe that the safety situation is not as dire as I once did. I was happy with the progression that Johnson made at the end of the year. I also think Sanford is a hidden gem. I think that Johnson should be moved to FS and let him use his athletic ability (much like a young DSharp once did) to roam the backfield and make those plays he has the potential to make. I also think that Sanford should then become our starting SS. He hits. He tackles. He takes proper angles. And he is aggressive enough to hide the fact that he is undersized. I have seen him take on TE’s with ease. So long story short, the only part of the safety situation that needs to be addressed is Madieu’s salary.
I do believe that corner must be addressed in the offseason and early.
From what I can tell, the draft will be deep in defensive linemen. I really like what I saw at the senior bowl from Cal’s Tyson Aluala. He reminded me a little of John Randle. High motor guy that is built to rush the passer from the middle. This can be addressed in the later rounds.
I like our current LB’s, I really do. But there’s nothing wrong with adding some depth and youth in this department. If Lupati, Robinson and Wilson are all gone at 30 and Sean Witherspoon is still on the board, I believe we have to take him. He’s just got too much upside and potential. He would give us options if EJ isn’t available or depth if he is. I promise that he’ll give Leber a push and could provide us that playmaker that we are missing in the defensive pass game.
My 2 cents.
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
Thanks
I wish I had time to respond to all the posts people are making.
The Vikings need playmakers on defense. Adding Sean Weatherspoon would give us a blitz-capable linebacker with great coverage skills. Even if he doesn’t beat out Leber or Henderson or Brinkely for a starting job right away, he can contribute to the defense as somebody who is available in situations.
Can't take a QB in round 1
You might remember a 15-1 team that the very next year we took a QB with the number 10 pick (Dante) that we had from the Redskins. He stood on the sideline that season holding a clipboard while Jevon Kearse was tearing up the league. We tried to get Kearse with our 2nd pick in the 1st round but it was to late. Yes that’s right it was to late. We had Kearse and probably a very real shot at the Superbowl again. While other teams top 1st round picks were helping to improve their teams ours paced up & down the sideline. Unless you can get a true stud QB. which is usually a top ten pick. You look for a gem hidden in the later rounds that you can develop. Superbowl caliber teams do not develop 1st round players. The pick studs that help them get over the hump. We have seen this movie before. We play the hand we have & we look to draw a couple of aces. We have been in this league for 50 years starting this fall.
We want a Championship. I been saying next year my whole adult life. No more B.S. this team has a real shot even with TJACK. We can’t afford the luxury of a 1st round QB. carrying a clipboard.
Read my whole post...
I listed Quarterback number one with the caveat that we don’t address it with our first round pick.
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
I do remember drafting Pep # 11
And I agree with you that the Freak would have helped us out a lot more in the short term. But after Pep was injured and then purged, we’ve be fighting for QB scraps ever since (until this year).
I am not for drafting a QB in the first round. I do think its our biggest long-term issue going forward.
I am a major supporter of the best player available strategy so its hard to break down draft needs in that sense. But if it were a perfect world and we were able to draft the BPA and satisfy a need at the same time, I would like our draft to play out like this:
1. Offensive Guard
2. Corner back
3. Defensive tackle
4. QB
5. Linebacker
6.Cornerback
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
Actually I disagree with you a bit there mate
QB is our BIGGEST issue period, but there is no way we will have a chance to pick one up that is garunteed to be solid (I know there are no garuntees but you know what I mean.) If we did have a higher draft pick I would definitely go for a QB though I just wouldn’t do it at the expense of the rest of the draft (especially since it probably won’t get us high enough anyway)
Brad Johnson
It all comes down to the foolish trade of Brad Johnson. If we had kept him, we wouldn’t have needed to draft a quarterback.
Furthermore, drafting Dimitrus Underwood instead Patrick Kerney was dumb. If we had Brad Johnson and Patrick Kerney in 99-2000, we might have got over the hump.
You have our top five needs right just in the wrong order
We are a championship team that needs to seal the deal before our oppertunity slips away from us. We need a CB first and foremeost, OG next but these can be flip flopped because there will be good CBs in the 2nd still available.
True we need a QB for the future but someone (like LeFevour whom you mentioned) that we can take in the 3rd or so rds. That said I would still rate DT and LB over drafting a QB for this years needs.
That's why I changed my theme from "2010 draft" to "2010 offseason"
I believe our biggest concern this offseason is the QB. I don’t think we draft a QB with our first pick, but I think its our biggest issue. It needs to be solved. If the Silver Fox comes back and we don’t address the the QB situtation for the future, then we are on borrowed time.
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
We had a very good draft last year......
and am confident that we will have another. just starting my draft inquiries, and will look back at this after the draft and smile. Spielman, Chilly, and Studwell are active right now. wish i had insight to the Vikings Draft board.
SKOL
Dallas, here we come in 2011
Can't believe no one mentioned this yet...
Why don’t we trade down our draft pick.
There are three teams with multiple second round draft picks
Tampa Bay – picks 3, 10 in the second round
Kansas City – picks 4, 18 in the second round
New england – picks 12, 15, 21 in the second round
I think we’re all in agreement with the notion that the glut of the cornerback talent pool lies in the second round of the draft. People have mentioned Kyle Wilson*, Brandon Ghee*, Patrick Robinson, Javier Arenas, Perrish Cox and Dononvan Warren** as candidates for the Vikings selection at the CB position. I think we’re reaching a little if we grab any of these guys with pick 30, but in all honesty every single one of them might be gone by pick 62. I think we could potentially strike it rich here and load up on some additional draft picks.
A guard in the ranks of Mike Johnson from Alabama, Jon Asamoah from Illinois or Vladimir Ducasse out of Umass will be available to us at 62. Mike Iutapi is an incredible player who will I think will be a starting guard in the league for a decade; but he won’t be available to us. The kid is apparently in love with the Cowboys who are also fairly enamored with him. Lets not forget the clinic we put on Dallas, O-line help is cruicial for them. A lot of teams drafting before us need line help, so the question is do we believe Iutapi is that special that we give up something in return for acquiring him? I don’t think so, I say go the opposite route.
This won’t be a year where we luck out by having two premier talents slide to us in consecutive rounds. We have to be proactive and shop this pick.
- - I would love to see this kid play in Purple and Gold
- - Warren is pretty much considered a first round pick at this point, but there’s a chance he might slide down to the second
by why am i in omaha on Feb 2, 2010 10:31 PM CST reply actions
Could be a smart move. Like you pointed out, after Haden, it seems like all the other top Cb prospects are relatively even and will all go somewhere in the 2nd round. Trading down to one of those spots and picking up a 4th or 5th to go with it could be a good move.
by packallday555 on Feb 2, 2010 10:43 PM CST up reply actions
Positives and Negatives to this theory
The problem isn’t that it’s not a good idea to get more picks. It’s just hard to find teams to do it. Tampa Bay and KC are bad teams that usually want to trade down to pick up more players. Even mid round draft picks can make the roster of a bad team better. A Team like New England regularly trades out of the first because they believe the 2nd and 3rd rounds are the best in the draft.
The most difficult thing is getting a handle on what the 30th pick is worth. According to the “draft chart” KC would have to give us a their #34 pick and their 4th round to make it work. Or they have to give us the #50 pick and their 3rd rounder.
New England would be looking at a 2nd and a 3rd round pick.
These prices are probably to expensive for what they want to accomplish. The other problem is that we pass up on that special player (like Harvin) that drops to late in the first round. In my opinion the Vikes are strong enough at each position that we can be best served by taking that special guy.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
I think it makes sense for the Vikings to move, either up for a top QB or down, as at #30 it’s likely the top CBs and DTs, and even Iupati could be gone. You never know of course, and some guy almost always “slides,” but moving might make sense this year.
If they can trade down and pick up, say, KC’s top 2nd and 3rd round picks, they could still maybe nab the second-rated interior offensive lineman (Maurkice Pouncey), still pick up a CB, and then have an extra high third for LB, DT, more secondary, QB, RB, or whatever.
You beat me to it
If we could do that we could answer all of our needs with pretty good talent. I’m all for that than taking one really good player. We could then use the rest of our draft picks on depth and set ourselves up for the long run.
Guards
Mike Iupati, Idaho, is the best guard in the draft, but he will be gone before pick #30. Any number of teams could pick him, but if he slipped to Dallas at 27th overall, I would be shocked if they didn’t draft him.
Mike Johnson, Alabama, has been described as “the best zone-blocking guard in the draft.” It is likely that he would still be available for the Vikings in round 1, but not later. He is 6’6, 306 lbs, which is on the tall side for a guard, but not too tall. His arms and shoulders are not yet as strong as they could be..
Maurkice Pouncey, Florida, 6’5, 318. He is a junior who declared for the draft early. While he played center in college, he could play guard. The Vikings would need to draft him in the first round. He will be gone before the second-round pick.
Mitch Petrus, Arkansas. 6’2, 304. He blocked for running backs like Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. He is athletic and said to run a 5.09-second 40-yard dash, one of the best among guards in this draft class. One knock on him is that he was academically ineligible in 2008. The question becomes whether he could master the Vikings’ playbook. He seems to be a pretty good guard. He might fall to our 2nd-round pick. There is a slim, but possible chance he would fall to our third round pick.
Brandon Carter, Texas Tech, is a very large man. He put war paint on his face for each college game. He is kind of a scary dude. He is very large and slow, but strong. While he is a fiery competitor, he is probably not the best for a zone-blocking scheme or Vikings’ team chemistry. Perhaps he could fit perfectly, but without knowing more details, as a fan looking on from afar, I would have to say it looks like he wouldn’t be the best fit for the Vikings.
Jon Asamoah, Illinois. This athletic, strong guard was doing well at Senior Bowl practice until he suffered a shoulder injury. The only mark against him is his arm length, 31 inches. He had the shortest arms among offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl. Longer arms are advantageous in pass blocking. I don’t know how much of a difference this would make. If it weren’t for his arm length, he would be the second or third best guard in the draft.
Zane Beadles, Utah played tackle in college, but might be switched to guard. He was doing well at the Senior Bowl.
Ted Larsen, North Carolina State, played center and defensive tackle in college. He had a horrible shotgun snap at the Senior Bowl that went over the quarterback’s head and resulted in a defensive touchdown. He is said to be talented, though, and may have a future as a guard or center in the NFL.
Shawn Lauvao, Arizona State, comes from a school without a history of producing offensive linemen for the NFL. He is currently earning his master’s degree. He is a workout warrior, with very impressive bench press and squat numbers. He is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Based on an article, he seems to be a competitor who wants to succeed in football. He was recognized as one of the best in the Pac 10. Yet, at the Senior Bowl, he was consistently beaten. It doesn’t make sense to me. The only thing I can figure out is that he may need a lot of technique work. With his attributes, he could be a great guard. He might be very raw. Lauvao is likely to be available to the Vikings in rounds 3, 4, or 5. If we like him, he could be a value pick.
Other notable guards include Marshall Newhouse, TCU; Sergio Render, Virginia Tech; Matt McCracken, Richmond; John Jerry, Ole Miss; Jeff Byers, USC; Vladimir Ducasse, UMass; and Rodger Saffold, Indiana.
Whatever we fans can learn about these players, the Vikings’ coaches and scouts can learn much more. Whatever they decide on draft day is good enough for me.
Nice write up Medicine
Jon Asamoa and Mike Johnson would be my second and third picks after Iapati. Of course it would be even better if we could pick one up in FA.. ala Hutch, but I don’t see that happening this year with the contract still being worked out.
As for DB’s Earl Thompson, and Robinson would be standout players for us if we didn’t go OL in the first. Also I thought our second pick was the 40th of the draft so, I don’t think we’d lose all of those line men in those 10 picks. (I hope not at least)
when
From what I have seen, it looks like our second pick is the 59th overall because the Redskins don’t have a 2nd round pick this year. In a lot of mock drafts, I see Mike Johnson, Pouncey, Asamoah, and of course Iupati all gone by the 59th pick.
If we want one of them, we will probably have to take him in the 1st.
Redskins do not have a 3rd round pick
We have the #30, #62, & #93 through the first three rounds.
If you factor in the compensatory picks we will have these picks …
125 becomes 129 there are 4 compensatory picks awarded at then end of round 3
157 becomes 165 there are 4 compensatory picks awarded at then end of round 4
189 becomes 191 there are 4 compensatory picks awarded at then end of round 5
221 becomes 238 there are 5 compensatory picks awarded at then end of round 6
and there are 15 compensatory picks awarded at then end of round 7
Lauvao
One more thing on Shawn Lauvao. Arizona State uses a zone-blocking scheme. My guess is that the Senior Bowl South team used man blocking. Maybe that explains why Lauvao didn’t have a great Senior Bowl in practice or on the field. I don’t know.
by medicineball on Feb 3, 2010 10:10 AM CST up reply actions
Keep in mind it’s very, very difficult to predict where linemen will go, outside of elite ones (typically left tackles, but occasionally an Iupati type, or Alex Mack last year). Teams evaluate them differently, value different characteristics, and frankly, line play is difficult for lay people and mock drafters/prospect list makers. I think of a guy like Duke Robinson last year. Most web sites thought very highly of him and had min borderline 1st/2nd round, and he went in the 5th or 6th.
Most teams don't want to take linemen early
Because it costs to much. First round picks get rediculous money and most teams just don’t want to spend that on a lineman especially offensive linemen. The position has always been considered a non skill position. I think as defensive lines keep getting better and better you’ll see a change in priority here, and many good teams have already made their lines a higher priority.
remember when...
“Whatever we fans can learn about these players, the Vikings’ coaches and scouts can learn much more. Whatever they decide on draft day is good enough for me”
that is sure a far cry from where our draft team used to be. although i’ve never been a big childress fan, you have to give props to the current draft team, spielman, studwell, & childress. they sure have earned my trust when it comes to picking what we need.
GO VIKES!!!
by indianavikesfan on Feb 3, 2010 10:16 AM CST up reply actions
Sergio Render
At 6’3, 313 lbs, he is about the size we look for in guards. He was a four-year starter at Virginia Tech, and is considered the best guard that program has ever had. He had many pancake blocks and knockovers in his time as a Hokie. Based on that, I believe he is a puncher, not a catcher, and that bodes well for his NFL future. He won individual match-ups in college against players like Glenn Dorsey. He is said to have good character and be good in the locker room. He is adept at pulling, something we like our guards to do (thanks for the info, Grime). While Render did well in college, he might be available in the 4th or 5th rounds, making him a real value.
Render apparently played in a man-blocking scheme at college. We got Phil Loadholt in as a starter in his first year in our zone-blocking scheme, and that worked out. If we needed to draft a guard familiar with zone-blocking, we could consider Jeff Byers from USC, or Shawn Lauvao, Arizona State.
Right now I’m thinking Sergio Render might be the guy to draft.
Ndumakong Suh also called Render the toughest matchup he’d faced. That’s pretty good.
I think Render’s a little bit underrated. He’s not highly thought of because he’s not the most athletic guy in the world, but Viriginia Tech had an elite rushing game that he was a big part of. I don’t like that he’s relatively old (I never like that, particularly at a matchup postion), but so long as he’s projected to be available in round 4/5 or even later, I’d be fine keeping an eye on him.
I don't know man looking at your own research
It strikes me as pretty important we find a OG that can step in and help to make us more explosive on the line. Although now that I think of it AD might be hurting that stat as well. He doesn’t look up the field very well and I think we’ve all seen him slam into some of our line while we’re yelling THE HOLE IS TWO FEET TO YOUR LEFT!!!
One word - B I E N E M Y
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Could be his fault I certainly wouldn't cry in my grape aid
if he wasn’t asked back next year. Personally I wish we’d picked up Zorn as our QB coach.
It's gotta be tough
Being canned as a Head Coach, and taking up a job elsewhere at a lower level. But the Peter Principle still applies, and it looks like he may have been It. It’s a shame, he was probably my favorite non-Viking QB when he was still playing.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Brainstorm!!!
Let’s hire Jim Zorn as our running backs coach.
OK, maybe that won’t work, but who knows?
by medicineball on Feb 12, 2010 3:46 PM CST up reply actions
What about this
Sounds like alot of us are sold on Lupati. Its a crap shoot on whether or not he will be there at # 30. My question is if he is gone would we be better going after a DB at # 1. Then maybe putting together a few picks to move up to the middle of the second round to get Johnson or Pouncey , or Asamoah etc. If we go that route we can hopefully fill our top 2 needs with guys that could step in & help right away. Obliviously if Lupati is there that’s even better. We could still look to move up for a DB in round 2 if a coveted guy is there.
That's a good idea
Do we need depth everywhere or just a couple of solid guys. The problem is you never know if the guy you pick up will be a starter…
For the Vikes to trade into the 14th position of the 2nd round
would cost (according to the draft chart) our 2nd,3rd, and 4th pick. This still doesn’t guarantee you a top guard but I would think you could get one. But for those picks you can get a decent RB ( to help replace Chester), a very good guard, and a Defensive end or Linebacker.
I think we can use the depth. Plus, if your lucky you will get a great starter from round 1.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
by lifelongvike on Feb 3, 2010 10:41 AM CST up reply actions
Sounds pretty steep to move up 14 or 15 spots.
I guess it just depends on how our staff feels about a guy. Maybe one of them will be there at #59. Then again we may only need to move up 4 or 5 spots. Our staff has done a good job in the last couple of years so hopefully that will continue. On another thought this is an uncapped year. Give Chester a solid 2 or 3 year deal . If someone wants to offer him the world on a longer term contract let him go. He is not a stupid guy, he knows that anyone offering him huge money on a long term deal will probably just cut him after he starts to go downhill anyway. Stay with the Vikes where you have a shot at a ring & a nice raise solid & he won’t regret it.
I'm hope the Vikes can work it out w/Chester
He’s been a good back. But he is hitting the magic age of 30. Fortunately, he has had kight duty the last couple of years. He has made Big Boy money the last three years. I hope we offer him a good contract. But if someone wants him bad enough I wish him well. A new contract with someone else means a big signing bonus. These guys only get one shot at the big UFA contracts. He’s been a good Viking. Hope he remains because he wants to remain.
The good news is that if someone pays him a lot of money ( including signing bonus) it gives us a chance to offer another Free Agent the same contract. I leave it Mr. Spielman to figure all this out.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
by lifelongvike on Feb 3, 2010 11:41 AM CST up reply actions
Sorry. That's "light duty" not kight duty as stated above
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
by lifelongvike on Feb 3, 2010 11:42 AM CST up reply actions
I guess we will know his worth when we see what other teams offer.
But yes most teams don’t sign a feature RB contract and then have the opportunity to draft AP. But in today’s NFL most great teams have a pair of good running backs.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
Defense and the first round
Eric Berry would be a great draft pick for us. He is a great player and played in the Tampa 2 at Tennessee under the Kiffins. Unfortunately for us, he will definitely be drafted in the top 10.
Taylor Mays, USC, would give us a marquee player at safety. We already have marquee players at defensive line, cornerback, and, if EJ Henderson comes back, linebacker. It is possible he could drop to the Vikings at pick #30, but it probably won’t happen.
Nate Allen, safety, South Florida is a great athlete and another “tweener” who can play safety or cornerback. He is said to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick, but he is a very impressive player.
Earl Thomas, safety, Texas, is high up on a lot of draft boards. The thing is, he’s 20 years old. He will be 21 during the 2010 season. I’m not saying he won’t be an excellent player, but usually players that young (like Sidney Rice) don’t get their sea legs in the NFL for a few years. We would like our #1 pick to contribute right away.
Rolando McClain, linebacker, Alabama, will be a great linebacker. He will without a doubt be taken before the Vikings draft.
There are other notable players that could fall to the Vikings, like Eric Norwood.
To me, Sean Weatherspoon, linebacker, Missouri, stands out. The thing about linebacker is that the position in college and the pros are very similar. No huge adjustment needs to be made. On most boards, Weatherspoon is falling to the early 2nd round. His list of accolades is long. He was 2nd-team All-America, behind only McClain, Greg Jones (returning to school), and Eric Norwood. Weatherspoon is a vocal leader with a high motor. He can tackle, blitz, and cover defenders. He blanket-covered Dexter McCluster in the end zone during the Senior Bowl. The best athletes shine at the Senior Bowl and that was Weatherspoon. He is a bright light who clearly loves the game. I am starting to really hope this is the guy the Vikings take #1.
Weatherspoon
He doesn’t fill our top needs but he does fill a need and I would be completely happy with him. If OG Lupati, CB Robinson,or DT Williams are gone and he’s still there most definitely take him.
I’m not a huge fan of drafting linebackers in the first round; they can be found later. But Weatherspoon would seem to be a decent fit. And we are talking pick #30, so it’s not that big a deal. Red flags would be he’s been known to be more hyper than productive for stretches, and Missouri’s defense was absolutely horrible. You can’t pin it all on Weatherspoon, but he should take some as their leader/best player.
Vikings Draft Strategy
I think the Vikings may have two different scenarios for the draft. One if Favre comes back and one if he does not.
If Favre comes back then I do not see them moving up to get any QB this year. I think they will let Chester go and do this in the draft …
1. Jahvid Best RB
2. Brandon Ghee CB
3. Arthur Jones DT 6-4 293
4. Brandon Carter OG 6-7 350
5. Pat Angerer LB
6. Andrew Quarless TE
6b. Patrick Stoudamire CB
7. Travis Ivey DT 6-4 331
Yeah I put Best in there but you never know. Maybe he plays really well behind our line and helps to give AP a break. or maybe we pick him knowing som eother team really wants him and then if a guy we really want is available when that team is up, we can trade him for their picks and others.
If Favre does not come back then I think they will have to move up in the draft …
I could see them trading up to #5 with Kansas City by offering our 2010 & 2011 first & fifth round picks, & McKinnie.
They can then select one of the QBs which I think will be Bradford. So using that as a guide I would pick these players …
5. Sam Bradford QB
62. Jared Veldheer OT 6-8 321
93. Arthur Jones DT 6-4 295
125. Roger Saffold OT/OG 6-5 312
157. Pat Angerer LB 6-0 235
189. Patrick Stoudamire CB 5-10 207
comp. Kevin Thomas CB 6-1 190
221. Travis Ivey DT 6-4 331
I would actually like the second draft even if Favre comes back. They could keep McKinnie but then it may take our first round picks in the next 3 years to get Bradford (or Clausen) or our 1st this year & next plus our 2nd next year plus something else which gets to be pretty steep.
Losing all those first round draft picks would be brutal.
Especially with the way we’ve drafted in the past. Although I do agree we need a QB and Bradford looks like he could be successful, and if he had a year behind Favre I think he could be even more successful.
It is time to move up and get that QBOTF!
I really feel it is time for the Vikings to bite the bullet and give up the draft picks to get their QBOTF (hopefully). The roster is pretty set and we really can go into next season without adding any draft picks and still be competitive. Of course we will add some picks though.
But next year we will most likely be in the same position. But we will really be desperate for a QB. The ones coming out next year are Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett (maybe), Andrew Luck (maybe), Terrell Pryor (maybe), Pat Devlin, Ricki Stanzi, Christian Ponder, Kevin Riley, Mitch Mustain, Greg McElroy, & Jerrod Johnson. I like Johnson but the top guys would be Locker & Mallett.
The teams that will be picking at the top of the draft next year could and probably will be the Rams, Lions, Bucs, Skins, Raiders of course, Seattle, Cleveland, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Bears, Dolphins, & Broncos. I am not sure but a few of those teams may need a QB too.
I suppose it all depends on the Rams & Skins. If they take the top two QBs then the Vikings will be left out.
I would give up our next 3 first round draft picks to move up to #5 (Kansas City) & we swap #62 for their #50, and we get their 5th which is #132.
It is a steep price to pay but at some point in time we will have to do it unless we believe we can get somebody after the first round this year.
I wouldn’t mind if we traded our first round pick next year for some team’s 2nd and use that on Tony Pike or maybe Jevan Snead (Snead may go in the 3rd so we may be able to give up our 2nd next year for some teams 3rd).
We need to do something this year especially if there is NO rookie wage scale instituted. Once they install the rookie wage scale for the top of the draft, more teams will be willing to keep those picks.
Ok here's the rub
Bradford looks to be a decent QB, key word looks if I could be garunteed he’d be a strong franchise QB (and I’m not looking for a Brees or Manning here) then I woudl agree three first round picks might be worth it. The only problem I see is we are a good drafting team and we pick up a lot of talent in that first round. However having Bradford learning behind Favre for a year would be awesome…
Man I sort of hope they do this. Getting a franchise QB would be sweet.
Problem with you theory
If we actually did that we would have good picks to get blockers for him. He would suffer greatly without a good O-line. Don’t forget those QBs from Cleveland. See how Quinn struggles, are we willing to sit through that and wait for it all to come together.
Making that kind of trade pretty much guarantees he should be starting not sitting behind anyone, Farve, Brady or even Manning.
The Vikings will need DTs and OLs out of those drafts. There is a rumor that Phat Pat might retire this year.
I’m glad that you guys aren’t in charge because i foresee the “Walker” trade (us) or the dreaded “Ricky Williams” trade (Saints) all over again.
by midnightwonder on Feb 5, 2010 10:34 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Well most of my ideas on the draft are much more stable
Iaputi, CB, SS, QB type stuff. However, Minnesota has been a LONG time without a QB we could rely on. Our O Line isn’t the best in the league but it is better than most when healthy. All QB’s would do better with a year beind a future hall of famer and I don’t think Bradford would be a waste on the bench behind Favre. Problem is we will not get a hgh draft pick for a while we are simply to good of a team. So do you just hope that you get lucky in the later rounds? Or do you stick your neck out and bite the bullet. It’s a tough call if he turns out like Rivers then life is great if he turns out like Leaf then you’ve just ended your head coaching career. Personally I’m getting sick of our issue at QB every damn year. How many years now have we started second string QB’s?
I doubt chilly would trade up for a QB
Chilly doesn’t like to take qb’s in the first round (see donovan mcnabb and tarvaris jackson)
by Loki The Viking God on Feb 5, 2010 11:09 AM CST up reply actions
Drafting a QB high in 2010? I hope not
Favre, Jackson, or Rosenfels. Whoever we have starting next year, we have a legitimate shot to win the Super Bowl. We need all of our draft picks to build depth on the team, though.
by medicineball on Feb 5, 2010 1:34 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
If Clausen were available at 30 would you turn it down?
Seriously? I mean he may not pan out your correct, but to say you’d just go past him because we have TJ seems a bit foolish.
I would take him with the 30th pick
He wouldn’t get huge money, and you could keep him on the bench the whole year.
Quarterbacks are overvalued in the draft these days, and he will without a doubt be drafted in the top 15, and 95% likely top 10.
yeah the chances are pretty weak we'll be seeing him
But seriously having a QB has to be a priority for us, unless we see something in FA that is going to help us out in the very near future.
Ok what would you trade away for Kolb?
Before the draft
I’d like to see an offensive switch to a 3WR base formation for the offense. There would be room for Berrian, Rice, and Harvin to be on the field in their natural roles every play! As a result, a 4th WR becomes an important enough consideration for the 3rd round or later.
Is he in the draft this year? Didn’t he leave Syracuse’s football team at some point this year?
by packallday555 on Feb 5, 2010 10:31 AM CST up reply actions
Draft QB
I suggest we draft a young QB that we can rely on for years to come. Favre can stay home and ride his tractor.
Clausen
How about Clausen from Notre Dame. The guy has a great arm and was in a pro system in college. We should trade up to get him!
I don't like Clausen enough
Clausen has a weak arm, bad mechanics, throws from his back foot, with a sidearm delivery.
He does have good intangibles. If we were rebuilding and had an early draft pick, I would say take him.
If we move up to get him, though, we are writing off the very real chance we have to win Super Bowl XLV. We need those early round draft picks for depth on next year’s team.
If we trade up for anybody, we should do that in 2011 and get Greg McElroy from Alabama.
well what round do you think McElroy will go on?
I’m not a great QB talent scout by any stretch so whatever I say about them take with a large grain of salt. But I will say that if a decent one comes falls then would you still look for a OG or CB?
personally I don’t know what I would do, it would be nice to win the SB but it would be nice to if we had someone learing from Favre next year…
Not sure
For the 2011 draft, McElroy is rated as the 12th highest quarterback by one ranking. It’s early….
But….wait a second. you said it would be nice to win the Super Bowl? Nice? That’s all it would be? Seriously?
I don’t care if we go all-wildcat for the entire 2010 season, or adopt the Georgia Tech offense. if we win the Super Bowl, that would be the way to go. Just win, baby.
QB NEEDED
There are some good QB’s available in the draft. Tony Pike from Cinncinnati is a guy that would look good in a Viking uniform. He is 6-6 with a great arm!
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