FanPost

Drafting Down

After looking at how deep the draft is, I was wondering if the Vikings should draft down, even with both round one picks. First, the draft point scale. If one looks at the draft point scale, both picks are worth a top five third round pick if the vikings drop to the top five in round two. That would give the Vikes with three 2nd round picks, in which they can pick up a high rated CB at the beginning of round 2, a high rated R in the beginning of round 2, a ILB or DT with their normal pick in round 2, a ILB or DT in the top of round 3 if they don't want to move up with one of those round three picks back into the second, for one of their 4 round picks. In that scenario, they move back with both first round picks to the top of Round 2, add 2 Picks in the top five in Round 3, and then pick a CB, R, ILB and DT by trading a top five Rd 3 and one Rd 4. That is four starters. This all works out with the draft point scale as well.

In the top Rd 3, with the remaining top five Rd 3, pick, a OT in top of round three, a safety with the regular pick with round 3. (I would even pick a S at the beginning of Rd 2 and pick a R somewhere in Rd 3 as it is a much deeper position.) Either way, that would give potentially six starters, four to five of which, would all start, including a new CB, R, ILB, DT, OT and a S, all in the fist three rounds, four of which are high rated round 2 prospects. This covers all the big needs and even after going back into the second by trading a bottom 4 and a top 3 for a 2nd, still have a 4, 5, 6, and all three sevens. That would mean, six possible good starters and seven more picks for depth without touching any 2014 picks.

Why do all this, well, first, they were 5-3 without Harvin, 5-3 with Harvin, adding Jennings and then a top R, would obviously make up for the loss and actually add more talent at the position. Along with a top CB, ILB, DT from Rd 2, and a OT and S in Rd 3, it definitely feels like a young playoff team, with seven more picks added for depth to all the aging superstar talent we already have on the team. Second, by keeping the order we have, I just feel that we add more talent but yet go nowhere. By the time we have enough talent, Allen, Williams, and even AD might need to be replaced. I think if you plug in the holes right now, with some talented players at CB, ILB, R, DT, S and OT, and I am not talking about Hall of Famers here, you will at least make a deep run for next year and possibly the year after with the talent already assembled on this team. It makes sense. If you just plug in two real high picks, then I think you look at staying a contender for a playoff spot for the next year or two before you have reload with some real superstars again, all of which you will not get with the picks we have in the first round this year anyway. This way, you plug holes and keep the stars you have and see if you can at least make a run at it for the next two or three years, because either way, I just don't see top ten picks coming no matter what you do, to replace Allen, Williams or AD.

The names. If you look at the names at the top of Round 2, I am using Walter Football, you have CB Johnthan Banks, R DeAndre Hopkins, the bottom of the 2nd Round is littered by ILB's and DT's that have high second round grades, I would suggest grabbing one of each if they can trade a high 3 and a low 4 for another 2nd, added to the one they already have. Names like, Dt Short, Jenkins and Williams along with ILB's Logan, Minter, Teao. Wow, that would be three D starters and a R starter and again, I would rather get a S with a Rd 2 pick and wait until Rd 3 for a top R which will still be available, that would solidify the D with youth and talent for the next two to three years. With the remaining top of the 3rd, a top G like Bakhtiari and Bailey might be there in these mocks, they might not be stellar but they are definite starter materials and better than what we brought this year. At the bottom of the third, there are three safeties available, Rambo, and two Thomas. There even may be some others depending on how the draft plays out or if you do go S in the 2nd, there are plenty of R's to choose from in the 3rd. Also, in any scenario, there are still a one or two R's going in the fourth, so we can technically at two R by the end of the fourth round. And you still have picks in the 5th, 6th, and three 7th's without touching 2014.

Again, why do all this you ask, because I don't think two number one picks is going to help us but maintain where we were at, and if anything, I am looking at an 8-8 team if we regress to maybe a 11-5 team if you add two #1's, which (11-5) I still don't see happening with all the holes we still maintain. By the time you plug in those holes, you have fresh stars aged out. If you do trade down both picks in the first round, I think you are still getting exceptional first round talent in the top of the second, filling in the rest of your holes with two additional picks, one of which I would package again for a second, and are looking at a 9-7 team to at maybe a 12-4 team. I say, if we made it to 10-6 then why not plug everything up and just go for it, rather than just go through the motions with at 10-6, give or take a win in either direction, for the next year or two or three years before we are below 500 again. Thoughts?

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.