Vikes Mock (rj-b v1.0)

by rj-b on Jan 22, 2012 12:50 PM CST

this is my first mock for the Vikes in 2012 -- it will most certainly change as the rankings shift, but i wanted to get my thoughts down on paper.

this also isn't exactly what i think will happen, but rather, what i'd like to happen.

i am going under the assumption that we will have the following picks in Rds:

1, 2, 3, (comp3), 4, 5, (6 - from Browns via JMitchell trade), 7, (7 - from Giants via Rosenfels/Reynaud trade), (7 - from Patriots via Moss trade), (comp7)

(obviously anything in parenthesis is probable and may be subject to change.)

Intro

firstly, i'm hoping we upgrade via free agency with:

CB -- Brandon Carr (KC)

WR -- Stevie Johnson (BUF) or Reggie Wayne (IND)

maybe LaRon Landry, but his achilles is a concern and apparently he doesn't want to opt for surgery (yet)... so that's too big of a question mark to pursue, at this point.

this will set the tone for the direction we go in the draft. so, on that note...

---

Round 1

LT - Matt Kalil (USC) -- this is still so hard to project, as we don't know if the Rams will end up taking Kalil, or Blackmon, or trade down. i've waffled over this for so long, but i think ultimately the Rams will trade down for a king's random to whichever team wants RG3 the most. anyone who has recognized my posts knows i'm a huge fan of Reiff, but if Kalil falls in our lap at #3 i've finally turned the corner on the "no-brainer" pick. should the Rams draft Kalil, then we should trade down and, at this point, i'm a fan of Reiff over Martin.

(of course, the best-case scenario would be the Rams take Blackmon, and the Browns are willing to swap picks with us to block any other team from getting RG3, and we get more picks and still take Kalil at #4. highly unlikely that will happen, though.)

Round 2

LB - Lavonte David (Nebraska) -- some may consider this a reach for David's size, but this kid is solid and our LB's need an upgrade. David is quick, a good tackler and sound in coverage. projected at the WILL, he could probably compete to start Day 1.

*** Round 2 Trade Alert...!! ***

alright, admittedly, this is kind of fuzzy in a mock to say, "here's where we trade, but i don't know how we get this pick just yet..." -- perhaps if we trade down in Rd 1, we get an extra pick here in the 2nd. or, we trade a 2013 pick, or a player, or... you get the point. what i want to emphasize here is, we make a trade (potentially with the Patriots at #50, which was Oakland's pick) and finally address our DB needs and draft...

CB - Casey Hayward (Vanderbilt) - a bit underrated right now, but i fully expect that to change over the next couple weeks/months. we should get a good look at him in the Senior Bowl, as well. he's a bit small at 5'11" for what we want, but all-around he is a great prospect and has the potentially to seriously improve our secondary.

Round 3

WR - Marvin McNutt (Iowa) -- oh, how i hope this happens... he may improve his stock to climb into the 2nd rd, and while he isn't a deep threat, he's about as reliable as you can get from a WR.

(comp3) -- we're going to be lucky to get a compensatory pick in the 3rd, but the speculation is we have a good shot at just that. going back to the DB pool...

SS - Harrison Smith (Notre Dame) -- originally i had Winston Guy Jr here, but i just got turned on to Smith, and holy hell, he is good. check out his YouTube highlights if you have a chance. looks to be a smart football player and possibly a starter down the road (if not sooner).

Round 4

LB Emmanuel Acho (Texas) -- just fortifying our LB depth here. there are likely other areas to address with this pick, but Acho could end up being a good steal in the middle rounds.

Round 5

TE George Bryan (NC State) -- the loss of the Sauce is going to be felt, and it will hurt a lot more if we don't get another blocking TE. Bryan is a fantastic blocker and while he isn't considered a receiving TE, he can still be relied upon to catch the ball every now and then.

(Round 6)

DT Akiem Hicks (Regina) -- i honestly haven't followed Hicks enough to know a whole lot about him, just watched him a bit in the East-West Shrine Game and read he has a lot of potential. still raw, but with some coaching we might have another steal on our hands here.

Round 7

BPA -- i don't want to seem like i'm copping out with all of our 7th rd picks, but at this point i really feel the BPA approach is the way to go. might find a diamond in the rough, even if it's at a position we don't necessarily "need to address".

---

welp, that's it for my first stab at the 2012 draft. quick recap:

1 - LT - Matt Kalil (USC)

2 - LB - Lavonte David (Nebraska)

(trade2 - CB - Casey Hayward (Vanderbilt)

3 - WR - Marvin McNutt (Iowa)

(comp3 - SS Harrison Smith (Notre Dame)

4 - LB Emmanuel Acho (Texas)

5 - TE George Bryan (NC State)

(6 - DT Akiem Hicks (Regina)

7 - BPA all the way

any impressions you may have, i'd love to hear them.

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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Comments

Kalil AND Hayward?

Sold. In all seriousness. Not bad. I think I would look at guard or Safety before I take that TE or 2nd LB. I like Brandon Brooks Miami, Ohio and Lonnie Edwards Texas Tech at guard in the 4th round. Hicks is an interesting prospect, but raw and developmental. I think we have a few of those at DT already. How about Baylors Nick Jean-Baptiste? He’s a true run stuffer.

We’re also hoping for a comp. at the end of the 4th to make up for losing Ray Edwards.

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 22, 2012 1:31 PM CST reply actions

Jean-Baptiste is another guy i looked at

frankly i don’t know enough about either guy. my late-rd picks will probably definitely change as we move along.

i’m still not completely sold on Acho either, but i think we’re going to lose a lot of LB depth. outside of Greenway, Brinkley and maybe Onatolu (for ST purposes) i question if any of our LB’s will be back. (i feel it’s time to part ways with EJ, but Erin could come back if only for depth.)

at Guard, i believe we’re better than most people think. CJohnson can move inside, Berger has shown he’s serviceable, Fusco is developing but the team seems to like him, and Love is still a possible option unless the team really wants to stick with him at Tackle. all of that’s assuming Hutch and Herrera are gone, too.

but yes, if we land Kalil and Hayward i’ll be very excited. i really, really want Lavonte David as well, though… that 2nd rd is gonna be tricky.

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Jan 22, 2012 1:48 PM CST up reply actions

I'm tired of sevicable

I’m tired of our running backs constantly getting hit 2 yards in the backfield. I think our run game has had the most negative or no gain plays for the last few years. We need interior lineman who are nasty and that can blow people of the LOS. Brandon Brooks looks like that type of player.

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 22, 2012 1:58 PM CST up reply actions

maybe 'serviceable' wasn't the right word

‘adequate’ isn’t any better, but i think it’s worth noting that Toby seemed to be running really well up the middle toward the end of the season. i don’t know if that’s Toby’s strength, or the interior line was playing better, or what.

regardless, i’ll have to look into Brooks.

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Jan 22, 2012 2:23 PM CST up reply actions

holy crap, Brooks is 350lbs...??

he’s a big boy…

i actually forgot about Kevin Zeitler, too — i like McNutt in the 3rd but if he’s gone i wouldn’t mind drafting Zeitler in his place.

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Jan 22, 2012 2:50 PM CST up reply actions

Yup

6’5" 353. He moves very well for a man his size. He dominated at the Shrine game.

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 22, 2012 10:37 PM CST up reply actions

I am worried about players that big already

He moves well now but what happens in a few years? We could be looking at having to force him to lose weight. I like Osemele too but he is 347. Cordy Glenn is 348.

I am not sure I like the big boys that much anymore. I am leaning for players in the 310 to 320 range that are more mobile.

I’d rather have players that need to gain a little weight (i.e. muscle) rather than lose a lot of weight (i.e. fat).

by MarkSP18 on Jan 23, 2012 8:44 AM CST up reply actions

That's an interesting debate

I’d have to look into it. I know scouts always look at lineman’s weight carefully, especially their lower body. Most scouts want lineman to be naturally thick in the legs and butt. Upper body thickness is generally easier to develop than the lower body. I agree that I would want to see all those players in the 335 range. But right now I am tired of seeing our light in the ass interior linemen get pushed around.

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 23, 2012 9:39 AM CST up reply actions

It is a tough decision

You have to be able to not have the pocket collapse in the middle and you want to have your guards be able to pull once in awhile.

I am just thinking more of a more athletic line.

by MarkSP18 on Jan 23, 2012 12:11 PM CST up reply actions

did we ever get an answer as to whether or not Musgrave abandoned the zone

In favor of a man blocking scheme? Or is he ~~half-assing~~ using both?

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 23, 2012 12:52 PM CST up reply actions

Because the big boys would be great for man blocking

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 23, 2012 12:58 PM CST up reply actions

Are we running a Man scheme now?

it seemed like we still did a good deal of zone last year?

by viking_#28 on Jan 23, 2012 1:00 PM CST up reply actions

well leading into the season there was some speculation

That Musgrave was in favor of a man scheme.

"At this point, what we got to lose, right? So we might as well throw caution to the wind and hit people in the face."
--Vikings DE Jared Allen

by NMVike on Jan 23, 2012 3:16 PM CST up reply actions

I think that O line in the first 2 rounds would be the way to go..

Ideally Kalil in the first to solidify the LT position for 10+ years, and then the best guard available in the 2nd round. A guy that i’ve watched alot in college is Kelechi Osemele from Iowa State, he’s a monster of a man and would definitely not be pushed around. The knock on him is false start penalties. But i believe that the reason for those is that he played LT in college and sometimes struggled with speed rushers, and was always trying to be a step ahead of them. If we drafted these two in the first two rounds our line would be pretty good IMO.
LT – Kalil
LG – Osemele
C – Sullivan
RG – Johnson
RT – Loadholt

by 7Twins7 on Jan 22, 2012 2:32 PM CST reply actions

Osemele would be a good pickup

however, from the way LF has been talking recently, we will be focusing more on the defensive side of the ball next season (which i think is justified, and is why i leaned more on drafting defense in the earlier rounds).

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Jan 22, 2012 2:36 PM CST up reply actions

Good point.

I agree that just adding Kalil alone would make our line much better and we could definitely get by with Johnson and either Herrera/Fusco/Love/Berger at guard. It’s hard to determine what they’re going to do when we have so many needs.

by 7Twins7 on Jan 22, 2012 4:39 PM CST up reply actions

Harrison Smith

would be a great pick up. living near s.bend, i get to see alot of ND Irish games. he is always around the ball. the defense always seemed to drop off whenever he asn’t on the field.
GO VIKES!!!

by indianavikesfan on Jan 22, 2012 11:19 PM CST reply actions

I had Kalil and David in rounds 1 and 2

for the past few months in Marks mock drafts. I was given a lot of crap for David in the second round, but it is nice to see someone else with the same idea :)

by viking_#28 on Jan 23, 2012 12:57 PM CST reply actions

I like David but he measured in small at 6.004 and 225

His arms were 31 1/8 and his hands were 8 1/2.

He was very productive though and is good in coverage.

I am a little concerned that he could get engulfed by guards and even full backs.

by MarkSP18 on Jan 23, 2012 2:04 PM CST up reply actions

I would take Markelle Martin S, in round three before McNutt though

Just because our DB back field is horrendous and I htink we can get a WR that is just as good or better than McNutt in FA this year

by viking_#28 on Jan 23, 2012 12:59 PM CST reply actions

yeah, the McNutt pick...

…is b/c i’ve been watching him here in Iowa for the last two years, and i’ve wanted him to be a Viking the whole time. it’s hard to let that stuff go…!!

it’d be nice to get a 7th rd pick that pans out into a #1 WR, like Colston or Stevie Johnson. right now, i don’t think SBurton has that potential… but who knows, i could be wrong…??

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Jan 24, 2012 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

David good pickup

Watched most of the Husker games. Guy always stood out no matter the opponent. He’s got that deceptive ‘Percy Harvin’ tough.

by Jepp The Viking on Jan 23, 2012 1:20 PM CST reply actions

What are the chances that Kalil sits there at #3...

and the Vikings select someone else? Any chance of that?

"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin

by kcskol on Jan 23, 2012 2:35 PM CST reply actions

I would think that would be pretty close to a non issue

I mean we have no LT right now and I don’t see any coming up in free agency. If LF believes that Johnson is the man for that position then I would say that next year will probably be the last as the coach of the Vikes. Also right now Kalil is pretty unanimously #2 ranked draft pick after Luck. We could pick up Claiborne though, would help our secondary a heap. Of course Ponder’s life insurance premiums will sky rocket if nothing is done to our O line…

The Vikes aren't in a remodeling or reconstruction they are in a burn the place down and start praying they don't mimic the Lions rebuilding process.

by Grime on Jan 23, 2012 3:59 PM CST up reply actions

my ideal of this offseason

Free Agency:
Carl Nicks-OG
Cortland Finnegan-CB
Stevie Johnson-WR

Draft:
Round 1: Matt Kalil-OT
Round 2: Dwight Jones- Wr
Round 2: Trade the aging Injury prone LG hutchinson and a 2013 draft pick in the later rounds. Draft Pick: Brandon Washington-OG either start one side or learn behind Carl Nicks.
Round 3: Jamell Flemming-CB (either start or get reps (learn from winfield and Finnegan)
Round 4: Harrison Smith- S (guy is a beast and would compete and probably win a starting role over jamarca sanford and Tyrell Johnson.
Round 5: Kheeston Randall-DT (6"5, 295 Pounds, Future version of run stopper like pat williams??
Round 7 Picks- BPA

I believe with that all said, giving ponder receivers and pass protection plus a few decent players on defense, i say we go at least 8-8 if not better

by burnsrob5 on Feb 15, 2012 12:22 PM CST reply actions