FanPost

Bleeding Green Nation -- Mock Draft



Hello, DailyNorsemen. I’m DeSean10, and as I’m sure you gathered from the title of this post and my screen name, I’m an Eagles fan from SBN’s BleedingGreenNation. I made a FanShot the other day explaining that I’m picking for the Vikings at the #12 spot in our annual mock draft. First off, I’d really like to thank you for your hospitality over this past week or so – I’ve enjoyed my discussions with you guys and I’ll be hanging around for the next few days until I make the official selection in the mock draft. But for now I wanted to give you guys and idea of where I was planning on going with your pick, and I’d love to get some feedback. I can’t give the final pick yet (as we’re still at the 8th pick), but I wanted to give you guys a preview of the direction I’m headed. Feel free to correct me if I made mistakes (I’m sure I have), and feel free to debate my thought process on this selection. Second, I’d like to remind you guys(/selflessly promote BGN) that we have a 24 hour no-posting period at BGN, so if you want to stop by to debate the Vikes’ pick in our mock you should sign up now. The pick should be up Friday, and we’d love to have you guys over there debating the #12 pick and any picks that come before or after.

So without further ado, here it is…

The Minnesota Vikings had a really tough year. As a team coming off of a deep playoff run in 2009, they seemed like a real contender last year. That great 2009 team stayed largely intact, returning a lot of good players who’d had spectacular years. To give you an idea of this team’s talent, let’s take a look at some of those players:

QB: Brett Favre had a renaissance year in 2009, playing like a man possessed for most of the year, hardly ever turning the ball over, and leading their playoff run. It looked like Favre was going to play ‘til he was 50, but if he retired the team still had the talented (if somewhat raw) Tarvaris Jackson to back him up.

RB: Adrian Peterson had some fumbling issues, but he was still arguably the top RB in the game.

WR: Sidney Rice had a breakout year, making himself a top 15 WR in the league. Percy Harvin tore it up as a rookie (when healthy), both as WR and KR. Berrian had an off year, but his history with the Bears indicated a rebound in 2010.

TE: Shiancoe was coming into his own at TE; not a single worry there.

OL: Bryant McKinnie and rookie Phil Loadholt were excellent bookends for a solid o-line. Herrera and Hutchinson held down the guard positions

DL: The Williamses’seses were still a dominant duo at DT. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards were equally great at DE, which convinced FOX to create the unfortunate acronym, “Shock and AWWE.”

LB: Henderson, Leber, and Greenway were a more than serviceable group.

DB: The safety spot was solid, while Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Asher Allen, and former Eagle Lito Sheppard created an above-average group at CB.

We all know what the 2010 season amounted to… So what the heck happened? Well Favre came back, but unfortunately he came back wearing his 2008 hat and then (mercifully) got injured. He tried to fight through it (humiliating for all involved), but Favre was a big stumbling block. And to make matters worse, he sent pictures of his junk to a few women he wasn’t married to, embarrassing the team (but mostly himself). Thankfully he appears to be retired for good. Jackson? He got injured too. Joe Webb, the Vikings WR project, took over and was hot and cold as QB. QB is now a need.

Adrian Peterson had a good year, and former Stanford monster Toby Gerhart is backing him up. So RB is fine. The wideout spot, on the other hand, is in trouble. Rice missed most of the season with an injury and is likely headed to free agency. Harvin struggled with migraines and other ailments, but managed to produce nonetheless. Berrian failed to rebound. Randy Moss had a brief and excruciatingly awkward revival in purple. He was traded, and HC Chilly eventually lost his job, (supposedly) because of the whole Moss debacle. The football-playing Iglesias, Camarillo, and two former Eagles round out the WR depth in sub-par fashion.

Tight end is fine, as Shiancoe is still playing well, and while McKinnie’s career is in decline, the guy can still play. Herrera missed the season with a torn ACL (yes, non-Eagles players sometimes tear their ACLs too) and also required triceps surgery, while Hutchinson also spent his season on the IR. Both are at risk of being released, and depth/youth is a must. OG is now a need.

The defensive line did great in 2010, but Ray Edwards is looking for a big payday, and is likely leaving via free agency. Pat Williams is getting older, but he’s still playing well. Everson Griffen and Brian Robison can adequately replace Edwards, but his pass-rush production will be sorely missed. In my opinion, DE is now a need.

The linebacker position may be the best position on the team, outside of RB. Greenway is an absolute monster, and the Vikings were smart to slap the franchise tag on him. Leber is probably on his way out of town, but the Hendersons and Jasper Brinkley can make up for the loss. LB is not a need.

Now on to DBs. The safety spot was hit by injuries (the Vikings had a rough go with that in 2010, and I think most of us can sympathize there), and even before the injuries it was a weaker position for the team. At CB, Winfield is not getting any younger, and Cedric Griffin was (brace yourself) injured. Asher Allen is a solid CB, but CB may also be a need. In general, DB is a need.

So we can gather that QB, WR, OG, DE, and DB are all needs. Given all the info you’ve seen above, I’d say these needs can be ranked as follows:

QB

OG

DB

WR

DE

The only QBs worth a 12th overall pick are Newton and Gabbert, both of whom are already gone. Pouncey and Watkins are the only OGs I’d take in the first, but I wouldn’t take either before pick 24. There are no safeties worth a first rounder, and arguably only one who should even go in the 2nd (Rahim Moore). At CB, Peterson and Amukamara are both elite prospects, but both are gone in this draft. Jimmy Smith and Brandon Harris are possibilities, but both have their concerns. Brandon Harris has size issues and misses a lot of INTs, but he’s still a solid player. Jimmy Smith could be the best CB in this class, but he has character concerns. In my opinion, either of these players could be smart choices for the Vikes, but I think there are better players on the board at other positions of need. Also, if Griffin recovers well from his injury, the Vikings will be okay at CB for another season or two.

So that leads us to two positions, WR or DE…

Well I've got to leave you guys with that. I'll post an update when the final pick is in, but please stop bt BGN and sign up. Hope to see you guys there, thanks again!

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.