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Drafting for need . . .

There is a certain logic to filling your direst needs first. The "worst case scenarios" become somewhat better with each pick. More importantly if you need a starter you might find one later but "might" and "need" don't go well together, so going biggest need early makes a lot of sense.

The Vikings have needs at G, WR, DT, ILB, OLB, CB and S, in each case they have players who would not be on a good NFL team's roster, or else just plain holes.

It seems to me ILB is the direst need, Audie Cole as starter with no backup is pretty much the worst case scenario I can think of. CB would be next, the thought of Robinson as starter and Jefferson as nickle back with Cook taking over the "dependable vet" role scares me more than DT or WR does. DT's worst case would be the same as the past two years have been, weak, and perhaps a little weaker even, but not an absolute disaster. WR already has Jennings, Wright and Simpson not a horrible "worst case scenario" on a running team with a star tight end. OLB with Henderson is also weak, but not a disaster. G is not a strength but is not so weak that it is dragging the offense down too much, IMHO. It is an area that major improvement could be made though. SS is similar, not so weak that it is too much of a drag but another relatively easy place to make major improvement.

So need goes roughly: ILB, CB, DT, WR, OLB, G, S

Multiple picks are needed at WR and would be nice at CB, LB, DT and perhaps G as well.

So, for my latest Mock Draft I went to Drafttek with a little more of a draft direst needs first philosophy.

First the players that I drafted. It seems to me that what is important about a mock (or real) draft is how well it met the team's needs. I often get distracted by where in the draft the players were chosen and listing the players this way avoids that.

ILB Arthur Brown : A 241 pound LB who ran a 4.6, quite possibly the best of the ILB crop. He has certain advantages over Ogletree, Minter, and Te'o. (faster and red flag free). Should have the speed for pass coverage as well as strength for run.

CB Desmond Trufant, Tyrann Mathieu: A top flight starter to replace Winfield, and a huge improvement over Sherels

WR Aaron Dobson, Kenny Stills, Brandon Kaufman: Who could complain about a corps with Jennings, Dobson, Wright, Stills, Simpson and Kaufman?

Big? Dobson 6-3, Stills 6-1 and Red Zone threat, Kaufman 6-5

Fast? Wright 4.39 and Stills 4.38 have speed to burn and none of them are slow.

Surehanded? Well . . . Simpson? But draftees all have pretty good hands.

DT Kawann Short: Should be a big improvement immediately in the middle of the defensive line.

OLB Zaviar Gooden, Jake Knott: Prospects to help at special teams/depth now and grow into their positions. Lots of potential to grow.

G Hugh Thornton: A big body for depth and development on the offensive line, if not a huge step forward, at least an effort to keep from slipping back..

S Duke Williams: Crapshoot, big fish in little pond gets swept into Lake Superior. Purely a gamble but could be a keeper.

To me it looks pretty good in terms of team's needs, what do you think?

23 Trufant CB

25 Brown ILB

52 Short DT

83 Dobson WR

102 Mathieu CB

120 Stills WR

155 Gooden OLB

189 Thornton G

213 Williams S

229 Kaufman WR

231 Knott OLB

Drafttek sourced mock draft 3/19

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.