FanPost

First Post, Mock Draft


Good evening to all on this fine April Fools day.

Are we all sick of mock drafts yet? Well I'm not... At least not until I get to share mine with all my friends at the DN. And let me tell you, Its perfect... Maybe? probably not. I'm sure you will all let me know how I've done, and I would appreciate the feedback.

First let me say I set myself the parameters of Ogletree and Brown not being on the board in the first round when we pick. I think most of us can agree that one of those two in the first round would be ideal, and I wanted to change things up a bit. I also refrained from adding Tyrann in there too. He is a guy I wouldn't mind taking a chance on. But everyone seems to want to mock him to their team, and i wanted to be more... creative? Also for this draft we are not getting Winfield back. sadly.

1st round: Desmond Trufant, CB. Washington. 6-0, 190 pounds.

A four-year starter, Trufant earned his way onto the field as a true freshman in 2009 and showed steady progression over his career. He set career-bests in 2011 as a junior with a pair of interceptions and 16 passes defended. Although his senior stats weren't as impressive (1 interception, 9 passes defended), teams mostly stayed away from Trufant's side of the field as he was easily the top defender on the Huskies' roster. While he needs to refine his technique and is far from a polished product, there is no question he has the fluidity and competitiveness to fight for a spot in the first round.

1st round: (Seattle) Keenan Allen, WR. Cal. 6-2, 206 pounds

A very good all-around athlete. Despite defenses keying in on him this past season, Allen caught 98 passes for 1,343 yards and six scores, earning First Team All-Pac-12 honors from the conference coaches. Allen possesses virtually all of the physical characteristics to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. Has a concern with dropped passes, most of which were in traffic and seem to be mental errors. Allen is also going through some knee troubles at the moment but is set to have a workout in Greensboro, N.C. on April 9.

2nd round: Sylvester Williams, DT. N. Carolina. 6-3, 313 pounds.

Stout enough to control the action on the nose and quick enough to be a three-technique defensive tackle. Williams boasts clear first-round talent. But with consistency a concern, teams could be hesitant to gamble considering the depth at the position in the draft. In 2012 he had 42 stops.and earning First Team All-ACC honors from both coaches and the media with a career high 13.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. Can rotate to either position as a DL which the vikings do a lot. And may be able to take over as the full time UT after Kevin's impending departure.

3rd round: Kiko Alonso, LB. Oregon. 6-3, 338 pounds.

One of my favorite prospects in this years draft. Probably because I am also a Duck fan. In 2012 had 81 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss but just one sack. He showed off his penchant for creating turnovers, as well, recording four interceptions and forcing and recovering two fumbles. Highly instinctive defender despite his relative inexperience. Sometimes won't properly wrap up but is always looking for the big hit. Good flexibility and balance when dropping back into coverage and has the athleticism to handle responsibilities in man coverage. Good awareness in zone and possesses good hand-eye coordination and ball skills. Just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.

4th round: (Lions) Alvin Bailey, OG. Arkansas. 6-3, 312 pounds.

Since redshirting in 2009, Bailey has started all 26 games of his career, earning second team honors from the conference coaches for the season. While Bailey typically lines up at right guard, Arkansas frequently switches its linemen for strong-side and weak-side responsibilities. A naturally massive man, Bailey shows impressive quickness off the snap and can knock defenders off the ball in the running game. He's athletic enough to handle blocking on the move - a requirement in an Arkansas scheme that often requires the guards to pull and block at the second level. A great depth pick having experience at both guard positions, and may be able to push Fusco out of his starting role. However the guard position is one of the weaker positions in this yrs draft once you get out of the top three picks. On most boards Bailey is a late 3rd round early 4th prospect. But I wouldn't be surprised to see him go earlier.

4th round: Stedman Bailey, WR. West Virginia, 5-10, 193 pounds.

Bailey averaged 17.8 yards per reception in 2011, accumulating a school-record 1,279 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished the 2012 season with 106 catches and averaged 120.8 receiving yards per game and had a nation-leading 23 touchdowns. Bailey tracks the ball very well and shows outstanding body control and is a natural hands-catcher, catching away from his body with strong hands and making tough catches look easy.


I just realized that's two guys named Bailey in a row.



5th round: Kwame Geathers, DT. Georgia. 6-5, 342 pounds.

With potential first round pick John Jenkins earning most of the starting duty, Geathers struggled to find consistent playing time until 2012. Though Geathers only started eight games over his career, he played a critical role as part of Georgia's rotation over three seasons, seeing action in 34 contests. During that time he posted 61 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one blocked kick. Simply massive with surprisingly even overall weight distribution. Tall with the arm length to go along with his height. Significantly improved lateral and downfield hustle in 2012. Surprisingly light on his feet and possesses impressive straight-line speed for a man of his size. I have a fealing Geathers could turn out to be one of the steals of this years draft. And a potential first year starter at NT that would be instantly better that Guion.

6th round: Steve Williams, CB. California 5-9, 181 pounds.

Seeing action in all 37 possible games, including starting the final 25 consecutively. Williams was named the team's Most Valuable Back on the defensive side of the ball and an honorable mention all-conference pick after posting 80 tackles and leading the club with 13 passes broken up, including three interceptions. His 25 career pass breakups rank sixth in school history and he proved to be a turnover magnet, recording six interceptions and forcing three fumbles over his career. Williams appears to have the covergae skills and toughness to handle nickel duties in the NFL, an increasingly vital role against today's spread offenses. A late round pick who may be able to sneak into the starting lineup, especially after Winfield was released. And not missing time on the field his entire carrer is vital, seeing as Cook is off the field more than he is on.

7th round: Cooper Taylor, SS. Richmond. 6-4, 229 pounds.

Plays with excellent aggression and physicality.Taylor started all eight games he appeared in during the 2011 season, recording 63 tackles. He emerged as a first-team All-FCS player as a senior, starting 10 games and finishing with 78 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, four interceptions, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and nine pass breakups. Another late round prospect who may be able to develop into a starter down the road. In the division we are in, it can’t hurt to have too many big physical defenders.

7th round: Alec Lemon, WR. Syracuse. 6-1, 202 pounds

Alec Lemon set a Syracuse record with 70 receptions in 2012, breaking his own record set a year ago. In back-to-back games against Louisville and Missouri in November, he totaled 420 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He's ranked in the top 20 in the country with 96.64 receiving yards per game. I was surprised to find him as such a late round prospect, but even so is mostly just a depth pick.

7th round: Jason Weaver, OT. Southern Miss. 6-4, 313 pounds

In his first year at Southern Miss, Weaver started in the first three games (and was named top offensive lineman of the week against South Carolina), before suffering a season ending knee injury. Weaver returned from injury to play in all 14 games the following season, including starting the final 12 at right tackle. Weaver earned second-team All-Conference USA honors. He was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, and returned in 2012, where he started all 12 games for the Golden Eagles.


So i guess thats it. I just wanted to say that I have recently discovered the Daily Norseman and I love this site. I think it's really cool to be a member of this community and plan to stick around and post whenever I have something useful to say. And I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for just being awesome. Skol Vikings.

Some of the player description/ analysis come from cbs sports.

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.