2016 Vikings Draft: Stock Market Report

The most celebrated three days of the NFL off-season just concluded, and the Minnesota Vikings will welcome eight new draft picks and a slew of undrafted free agents to Minnesota. It's a class that includes a guy a lot of people wanted at a position they need help at, a big trade that sets them up for the 2017 draft, and a German guy that almost everyone will be cheering for because he's a great story.

In between, we've got Brothers, Beavers, and all the jokes you can imagine involving the word 'beaver'...because I am perpetually 12 years old, and I'm not sorry about that. And whether you love this draft class, don't love this draft class, or don't love the trade, at some point during the weekend we all went a little bit crazy...didn't we Prince?

Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life

Electric word life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here to tell you
There's something else
The after world

A world of never ending happiness
You can always see the sun, day or night

So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll Be Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby

'Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the after world
In this life
You're on your own

And if the elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor

If you don't like the world you're living in
Take a look around you
At least you got friends

You see I called my old lady
For a friendly word
She picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
(Ah, ah) is all I heard

Are we gonna let the elevator
Bring us down
Oh, no let's go!

Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck, let's go!

We're all excited
But we don't know why
Maybe it's 'cause
We're all gonna die

And when we do (When we do)
What's it all for (What's it all for)
You better live now
Before the grim reaper come knocking on your door

Tell me, are we gonna let the elevator bring us down
Oh, no let's go!

Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck, let's go!

C'mon baby
Let's get nuts
Yeah
Crazy

Let's go crazy

Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down
Oh, no let's go!
Go crazy

I said let's go crazy (Go crazy)
Let's go, let's go
Go
Let's go

Dr. Everything'll be alright
Will make everything go wrong
Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill
Hang tough children

He's coming
He's coming
Coming

Take me away!

I normally don't post the lyrics to an entire song, but in this case, I will make an exception. It's Prince, and I think it's appropriate here. He was a Superduperstar, but he was one of us, and he was a Vikings fan. It's probably the most appropriate song I could use. Thanks to Di Murphy for the suggestion, it's perfect.

RIP, Prince. You are missed by everyone. For the rest of my life, every time I hear this song, I'm probably going to get a little choked up, and I'm not even sorry about it. Also, there is now a motion on the floor to make 'Let's Go Crazy' the official Song of The Daily Norsemen Stock Market Report Draft Recap from this day forward until the end of time.

And the post Super Bowl win SMR. Because it's gonna happen.

If someone will second the motion in the comments, we will declare it so by acclamation. Let's get on with it.

Blue Chip Stocks:

Laquon Treadwell, WR: There was almost universal agreement that the Vikings needed to target a WR in round one or two, but there wasn't an agreement on who that receiver was. Most Vikings fans were split between Treadwell, Josh Doctson, and to a lesser extent Michael Thomas. In the days leading up to the draft, Will Fuller was getting a lot of buzz to the Vikings, and he was probably the least popular option. It was still dicey as to who would be available at 23, but as the draft unfolded, and guys like Leremy Tunsil and Myles Jack started slipping, Treadwell being around at 23 was a distinct possibility. At 15, the Browns took the first WR, but it was Corey Coleman from Baylor, and it was now almost certain that the Vikings would have one of Treadwell or Doctson to choose from.

But the Texans started a WR run at pick 21, taking Fuller. The Washington Redskins took Doctson at 22, so the Treadwell pick became the almost obvious choice for the Vikings, and it was a great pick. I think he's going to fit Minnesota's offense like a glove, and now Teddy Bridgewater has two legitimate wideout targets in Treadwell and Stefon Diggs. Lots of folks don't like his 40 time, but when you watch his highlights, he runs crisp routes, which get him separation, he fights for balls, and he doesn't have an issue with drops. I thought Treadwell was the best WR in the draft, and I was very happy the Vikings were able to get him.

Madison Treadwell: I said this on Twitter, but I watch the NFL Network for the draft every year. Not only do I like Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock better than their competition, I love Deion Sanders doing the stage interview as the newly picked player comes out to get his #1 jersey and picture with the commissioner. Sanders has the unique experience of having walked in those shoes and gone through those emotions, and those interviews are the highlight of round one for me. But Primetime was upstaged by Laquon Treadwell's daughter Madison, who Treadwell brought out on stage when he was selected. She's adorable, and no offense to Steph Curry's daughter, but there's a new Toddler Interview Queen, and she goes by the name of Madison Treadwell. Her interview game is already at an elite level, and if her Dad can play football half as good as she can speak into a microphone, the Vikings have a great player. Yeah.

Mackensie Alexander, CB: First round projected talent slips into the second round every year, but usually not to pick 54. My own personal butthurt about not grabbing an Ohio State guy here aside, this is a phenomenal value pick/steal for the Vikings. Alexander is arguably the best bump and run CB in this draft, and when you look at his highlights and read his scouting report, you can't help but be excited. And this video is an incredible story about overcoming the odds and making it, and after watching it you can't not cheer for the guy.

The CB position is going to be crowded for he Vikings in 2016...which is amazing in and of itself when you look at the roster from 2013. Between Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Captain Munnerlyn, Terrence Newman, and Alexander, there is an embarrassment of riches here. But Both Newman and Munnerlyn are on one year deals, and Newman is almost assuredly gone after 2016. Munnerlyn could be gone, so although I thought the safety position was a bigger need here, it's hard to argue getting Alexander when you look and see what's coming for the CB position just over the horizon.

Solid Investments:

The trade with Miami out of the third round: You know, life is a funny thing. Vikings fans have, generally, one reaction to almost any trade Rick Spielman makes. And that is 'Rick Spielman is an idiot.' For example, when he trades back into the first round, as he did for Teddy Bridgewater, Harrison Smith, and Cordarrelle Patterson, he's an idiot for giving up too much. Well, maybe not the Bridgewater trade, because the Vikes desperately needed a QB. So the argument pretty much goes when he makes a trade he needs to get back more than he gives.

Okay, cool. So on Friday, as the third round was winding down the Vikings traded their third round pick to Miami for a 6th round pick in this draft...and a third and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2017 draft. That conditional pick was going to be the lowest fourth round pick Miami had, which would've been a compensatory pick, as the Dolphins only had a single 4th rounder. However, it looks like the Dolphins will not receive a compensatory fourth round pick. THAT means, assuming the Dolphins once again finish 6-10 or 7-9, they'll have some pretty good picks in the third and fourth round, and now have nine picks for next year. Currently they have one first, one second, two third, two fourth, and then one pick each in the fifth, sixth, and seventh round.

And lots of Vikings fans still think Spielman is an idiot, even after he met all their rube-like requirements for making a trade. The guy can't win, regardless of what he does.

It remains to be seen how the Vikings use these picks, so to call it a blue chip stock before everything plays itself out is premature. Because they could have a Titans like draft, or draft a kicker in the second round. I don't see that happening, but yeah, this was a great move, and really sets the table for the Vikings to make a hella-move early in next year's draft if they want to.

Junk Bonds:

None: As has become tradition for the Draft SMR, a bunch of young men are on the cusp of fulfilling their boyhood dream. Not everyone will make it, but I am honestly pulling for each and every one. Good luck gentlemen, from Jared Goff to Mr. Irrelevant. May all your dreams come true.

Buy/Sell:

Buy: Drafting Moritz Böhringer. And this is a guy I'm pulling for more than anyone else. This is a pretty incredible story, and one I didn't fully know until Saturday. By this point in the draft I was almost desperate for the Vikings to draft someone...ANYONE...from Ohio State, and it didn't happen. Thanks, Obama. So I initially took my frustrations out on the 'Mo Bo' pick, but after rewinding and watching his pre and post selection interviews on NFL Network, if you're not cheering for this guy to wreck the NFL then you don't have a soul. I loved the reaction the NFL Network crew had when he was selected, especially Mayock. And his interview after he got picked was just cool, and gave me goosebunps. The guy is a natural athlete, and him coming to the Vikings is a touch of destiny, since he first got into football by watching Adrian Peterson highlights on YouTube.

Sell: Moritz Böhringer making the 53 man roster. I'm cheering for 'Mo Bo', don't get me wrong. He's already the odds on favorite for Mr. Mankato, and as I said, it's a hell of a story. But as athletic as he is, he hasn't played anything close to NFL competition. If you watch his highlights, you quickly come to the sobering realization that Böhringer is making the jump to the NFL from high school, at least competitively. The level of talent he's about to face is nothing he's ever seen, and his learning curve is going to be so steep it's almost vertical. We've been through this before with Babatunde Aiyegbusi and Brock Lesnar, and we know how those stories ended. My hope is that he shows enough to make it to the Vikings practice squad, and continue to develop. But hey, Mo, prove me wrong. If you make the final 53, I'm ordering a Böhringer jersey for me and my grandsons. Go wreck this league and make 31 other teams kick themselves in the ass for the next 10 years for not taking a chance on you.

Don Glover Quote Of The Draft:

My dad really isn't a draftnik, and other than watching a couple OSU games with me a year, he's not even really a college football fan. So our conversations are fairly generic, for the most part...but still quintessentially Don Glover.

/phone rings

Me: Hey Dad. Did you read about the Vikings draft at all in the paper?

Dad: Hi son. Yeah, who's the guy they drafted that's from Minnetonka? And some guy from Germany. Are they any good?

Me: Minnetonka? You mean Mississippi? Laquon Treadwell?

Dad: Yeah yeah, him. I need new glasses, make me an appointment for the eye doctor. What position does he play?

Me: Wide receiver. A lot of people think he's the best one in the draft.

Dad: Really? What about that German kid?

Me: He's a wide receiver too. Lots of raw ability.

Dad: Well with two wide receivers Drinkwater doesn't have any excuses for not being on now, does he?

Me: Nope, I guess not.

Dad: So are you going to make me that eye appointment?

Me: What if I say no?

Dad: I will tell your wife and she will kick your ass, that's what.

Me: I'll call them in the morning.

So congratulations to the newest Minnesota Vikings. Good luck to you all.