Minnesota Vikings Would Pick 8th If NFL Draft Was Held Today

by Christopher Gates on Nov 10, 2011 7:37 PM CST in Minnesota Vikings 2011 Season

That's according to the folks at the Great Blue North Report, anyway. They are constantly updating the draft order to reflect how things would fall "if the season ended today," and according to their most current projections, if the draft were held today, the Minnesota Vikings would hold the eighth overall pick.

As it stands right now (and since it won't be affected by the results of the Thursday night game between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders), there are six NFL teams that currently have a record of 2-6. Those teams are your Minnesota Vikings, the Arizona Cardinals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Carolina Panthers, and the Seattle Seahawks. When a group of teams has the same record, the tie-breaker that is used is strength of schedule. The team with the weakest schedule gets the highest pick, while the team with the strongest schedule gets pushed further down the board. Here is the current strength of schedule for the five 2-6 teams:

Team	Opp W/L Percentage
Arizona Cardinals	.472
Jacksonville Jaguars	.500
Carolina Panthers	.515
Seattle Seahawks	.520
Minnesota Vikings	.581

By the way, that .581 strength of schedule for the Vikings is the highest not just among the teams that are currently at 2-6, but the highest in the entire National Football League. That's aided by the fact that if the season did end today, the three non-Minnesota entries in the NFC North would all make the post-season. But, thus far, the Vikings have played the toughest schedule in the National Football League through the first half of the season.

So, as we always say, we've got that going for us. . .which is nice.

In any event, as it stands now, the Cardinals hold the 4th pick in the draft, the Vikings have the 8th pick, and the other three 2-6 teams are slotted in between in the order listed above.

Just as a point of reference, as it stands right now, the folks at Drafttek have both Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin and South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery available at the eighth overall pick in the draft. (They actually have the Vikings selecting ninth for some reason.) Either one of those guys would make an outstanding addition to the Minnesota Vikings' roster, in my opinion.

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Of course we have the strongest strength of schedule...

golly jee. And I’ve seen Martin going in a lot of mocks as well, I would openly welcome him to our offensive line. Alshon Jeffery would be sick too. I wouldn’t be too upset with Morris Claiborne, either.

"Like I said, I don’t think anybody on this team knows what schism is, let alone could use it in a sentence. I thought it was an STD when I first heard it. And I was like whoa, we preach abstinence around these parts." - Jared Allen

by Landonio on Nov 10, 2011 8:13 PM CST reply actions

We can't catch any breaks!

Since the season is all but lost, I was hoping to go 3-13 and get an early draft-pick.
Now it’s looking like they could easily get bounced out of the top-10. :(

I have to say that I’m not too surprised that there’s 7 teams that are worse than the 2-6 Vikings.
As bad as the Vikings are, they really haven’t had their ass’s kicked. And like you said, The Vikings have played the toughest schedule in the NFL…….There’s something to say about that !

So I guess if the Vikings want to draft in the top-10, they’re going to need all the other crappy teams to win every time that they win….It’s time for T-Jack to step it up for the Sea-Hawks…lol.

by chaosg on Nov 10, 2011 8:29 PM CST reply actions

EVEN

we drafted first someone in charge dont know who the right person to draft we got like 2 starters over the last 5 years

by skorepo on Nov 11, 2011 6:19 AM CST up reply actions

Maybe we should draft a new GM :)

by chaosg on Nov 11, 2011 2:51 PM CST up reply actions

No need for a smiley. I think The Vikings should look around for a new guy.

by PurpleX on Nov 11, 2011 3:05 PM CST up reply actions

I think so too !

I want a guy who will trade R.Edwards for twice his draft-value when he knows he has B. Robison on the depth chart.
Someone who will work a little harder to keep M.Birk around when he knows he’s only got Sullivan ~~Cook~~ on the Depth chart.

It’s taken like 5yrs, 4 draft picks and $40mil to find a QB.
Now that they’ve finally got a QB, the Oline can’t hold.

The D-secondary has always been questionable, and it looks worse today than ever before.

How did Chilly get an extension ?….he wasn’t even in his last year under contract.
I think the whole “TOA-thing” they have going on is pretty stupid too…. Too many Generals, not enough Captains :)
When the last time 3 or more people agreed on where to eat lunch, let alone agree on how to build a football team.

The list goes on and on.
I’m not sure how Spielman is staying under the radar through all this, but there’s a few of us out there that are keeping an eye on him :)

by chaosg on Nov 11, 2011 5:09 PM CST up reply actions

I have a hard time seeing how Seattle is ahead of the Vikings

If you check here you see Seattle with a .600 strength of schedule and Minnesota with a .547

http://espn.go.com/nfl/standings/_/type/playoffs/sort/conferenceRank/order/false

Also, it shows other teams that have played tougher schedules than the Vikings.

Martin would be great but I would pass on Jeffery. They need to go ahead and reach for Reiff or DeCastro if they end up picking 8th.

I think Jeffery may be gone by #8 though. If not, and they had to pick a WR, I would go with Michael Floyd.

by MarkSP18 on Nov 10, 2011 8:36 PM CST reply actions

I really think we shouldn't draft guard

because as soon as we get a left tackle we can move Charlie Johnson to right guard and then we have a pretty good offensive line.

"Winning isn't everything but losing is nothing" - Ace Bricka coach of the Galaxy Aces

by FFXVIKE on Nov 10, 2011 10:14 PM CST up reply actions

I agree

I would love to see us plug Martin in at LT, slide Charlie Johnson to RG. Then, I think we could really focus on defense the rest of the way.

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by Christopher Gates on Nov 11, 2011 1:26 AM CST up reply actions

Charlie Johnson should be slid ... to the UFL

and right off the roster.

I am happier to see Fusco get more game time here, rather than have the waste of space Johnson anywhere on our OL.

He wasn’t that good as a Guard at the Colts either.

Depending who we sign in free agency, either LT or WR would be good.

Personally if the Bengals were drafting at No14 and No22 for example, I would consider trading down because at 14, I think we have a chance at Reiff, whilst at 22 a possibility of Floyd, though we might need to use a 3rd to move up. It depends whether the Bengals really want Trent Richardson and whether we are selecting ahead of Denver.

by Voyageur on Nov 11, 2011 5:06 AM CST up reply actions

Agreed

The Colts did not even bother trying to sign Johnson. That is all we need to know.

I like Johnson in the backup utility lineman role. I think that is where he can continue to stay employed in the NFL.

by MarkSP18 on Nov 11, 2011 6:50 AM CST up reply actions

Exactly right

I totally agree with you Chris. It’s LT first – then CB/S/MLB and then WR. I think we can find good WR’s in the later rounds. This team desperately needs to get younger and faster on D.

by Torstein on Nov 11, 2011 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

Walterfootball my favorite draft site

has us at 12th and we still get Martin.

"Winning isn't everything but losing is nothing" - Ace Bricka coach of the Galaxy Aces

by FFXVIKE on Nov 10, 2011 10:11 PM CST reply actions

I know.

My favorite too.

by Landonio on Nov 10, 2011 11:10 PM CST up reply actions

Isn't it funny how the mock drafts work out

It’s like they assume everyone drafting in front of us will automatically let a player go through to us that is our perfect match.

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Nov 11, 2011 8:15 AM CST up reply actions

No they just assume other teams have different needs.

Putting Ponder in isn't the question, it's the answer.

by Grime on Nov 11, 2011 9:03 AM CST up reply actions

I would love Martin!

He is a great run blocker and real good pass protector, a true LT.

by nmvikesfan on Nov 10, 2011 10:12 PM CST reply actions

I want to see an upgraded offensive line.

It would be great to see what Ponder could do with more protection.

Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin

http://www.dailynorseman.com/

by Skol Girl on Nov 10, 2011 10:51 PM CST reply actions

Only Ponder?

I would love to see what AP could do behind a good offensive line. Look what he does behind a poor one, 2000+ yard back if he has holes opened for him. Ponder is just a cherry on the top. I would love for a franchise LT.

by ReBel-aKILLies on Nov 10, 2011 10:57 PM CST up reply actions

True enough.

Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin

http://www.dailynorseman.com/

by Skol Girl on Nov 10, 2011 11:07 PM CST up reply actions

and in our OL's defense(thing ice here)

As we found out the other day, AP faces more 8-man fronts than anyone else in the league. That means our OL faces those same fronts. Overall, the fact that he has any production at all is pretty remarkable. Not giving our line a pass or anything, but they’ve got a tough job to do with so many people crowding the line.

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Nov 11, 2011 8:16 AM CST up reply actions

and in a kick to the O lines twig and berries

It could be facing a 2 man front and still give up a sack.

Putting Ponder in isn't the question, it's the answer.

by Grime on Nov 11, 2011 9:04 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

What's going on here?

It’s Packer week and we’re talking about mock drafts that are 5 months away? Who cares about draft predictions—-it’s the middle of the season. No Vike-Pack stories here? What gives???

by CakeEater on Nov 11, 2011 10:20 AM CST reply actions

How about this !

by chaosg on Nov 11, 2011 1:45 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Who cares about the Packers?

I would much rather look forward to something positive, than the ass-kicking that we’re about to receive on Monday night.

There is nothing on earth worse than losing to the Packers. What kind of masochist likes to dwell on the potential of such pain? I’d rather think of Jonathan Martin and his future.

by Jayrome007 on Nov 12, 2011 9:25 AM CST up reply actions

Because we're giving the Green Bay Packers

The amount of respect and attention that they deserve.

Absolutely none at all.

by Christopher Gates on Nov 12, 2011 11:11 AM CST up reply actions

If we have found our Quarterback that we think can and will

Then I think its time to invest a little bit in him. Me and my father discussed what we thought should be our focus in the off-season (not just the draft)

We both agreed the first pick has to be a left tackle. A beast. A no-brainer. My dad was in the argument that we need to draft another O-linemen with the next pick as well. Get a young offensive line that can grow with Ponder and Peterson. He argued we’ll need an offense to stay competitive with what the Lions and Packers are bringing on offense and the Bears to a lesser extent. I wouldn’t be dissapointed.

At first I believed a safety would be a great 2nd pick where you can still get a top 3 safety with our 2nd rounder. Of course that discussion led to us moving Winfield to Safety and drafting a younger and faster cornerback. We both agreed Wide Reciever can be upgraded through free agency and even a later round draft pick. Linebackers will be more available in free agency.

The big thing here is that Ponder continues to show he will be our Quarterback with success moving forward. We need to re-sign shincaoe.

I’m strong in that if Ponder continues to grow, he’ll make good recievers into great ones so as long as they can catch (NO MORE BERRIAN, YES!!!)

by PurpleJesuZ on Nov 11, 2011 10:29 AM CST reply actions

How did that last South Carolina WR pick work out? :-)

by newps on Nov 11, 2011 1:25 PM CST reply actions

Sidney Rice?

He was okay when he was healthy.

by Christopher Gates on Nov 11, 2011 5:15 PM CST up reply actions

I was thinking of Troy Williamson...

So, maybe not the ‘last’ SCar WR, but the ‘previous’ one. Fair point on Rice, had forgotten he was a Gamecock. So, you’d hope Jeffery is more of a Rice than a Williamson..

by newps on Nov 11, 2011 6:38 PM CST up reply actions

Holy SC, Batman!

If we did take Jeffrey, how many teams have been known to take three positions from one school in the matter of like 5 years?

Not saying its bad or good, just bizarre.

by Jayrome007 on Nov 12, 2011 9:27 AM CST up reply actions

I agree with PurpleJesuZ

The first round pick has to be a true LT, no question. I debate with with my brother all the time, he’s a guy who believes a true number 1 WR would be the best. He has some good points, but a football team starts up front.

As for Ponder, this is GREAT experience for him, win or lose. Sure it would be great to win, but I want a top 10 draft pick. Like, really bad. With a full offseason, lets see what they can do next year (provided the legislature can get their heads out of their asses and GET A STADIUM DEAL DONE!).

by christian220896 on Nov 11, 2011 2:55 PM CST reply actions

We need a LT with our first pick

Hopefully we will be able to get Martin, after that we have 4 big needs that need to be addressed based on the BPA and those are WR, S, CB and LB, and you could argue DT. When our pick in 2nd rd comes up we need to take the BPA to upgrade our overall talent period. We won’t be drafting this high in a long time so we have to make the most of it. There will be players sliding from the first to second rounds because teams will draft according to need in place of BPA.

by nmvikesfan on Nov 12, 2011 1:37 PM CST reply actions