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We've been over the fact that grades this close to the NFL Draft are a pretty ridiculous concept. But you know what's not ridiculous? People saying positive things about the Minnesota Vikings, since it's a pretty freaking rare occurrence. So, let's take a look at another view of the 2015 NFL Draft. . .one that says that the Vikings really cleaned up.
Prior to the draft, Gil Brandt of NFL.com put together his list of what he thought were the 100 best players available in the 2015 NFL Draft, calling the list his Hot 100. Brandt's colleague at NFL.com, Mike Huguenin, scored the draft based on how many players from that list each team drafted. For example, defensive tackle Leonard Williams was the #1 player on Brandt's board, so the New York Jets got 100 "points" for selecting him. Dante Fowler got the Jacksonville Jaguars 99 points as the #2 player on the board, and so on down the list.
The Vikings were the only team to grab six players off of Brandt's Top 100 list, amassing a total of 290 "points". . .52 more than the next closest team. Four teams managed to snag five players off the list (the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears).
Here's what Huguenin had to say about it all.
1. Minnesota Vikings: 290 points (6 players)
Overview: The Vikings drafted six Hot 100 players, the most of any team. They got excellent value with picks in the fourth (OT T.J. Clemmings, 110th overall), fifth (WR Stefon Diggs, 146th overall) and sixth (OT Tyrus Thompson, 185th overall) rounds. Each of their first four picks were Hot 100 players (TE MyCole Pruitt, who went in the fifth round at 143rd overall, was not on Brandt's list).
The players (points)
No. 9 CB Trae Waynes, Michigan State (92)
No. 42 OT T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh (59)
No. 50 LB Eric Kendricks, UCLA (51)
No. 51 DE Danielle Hunter, LSU (50)
No. 76 OT Tyrus Thompson, Oklahoma (25)
No. 88 WR Stefon Diggs, Maryland (13)
That's some pretty good value drafting by Rick Spielman right there. Now, are all of these players going to work out? Probably not. . .but Gil Brandt has been around for a while, and if his list says that the Vikings got some pretty good value in their 2015 draft class, I'm sort of inclined to believe him.