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The Vikings could be all done with free agency but I suspect and hope they have a few more moves left. They may not happen until after the draft but I hope they do before. I believe they are likely waiting to get really good bargains as players are getting desperate to get paid.
Right now, spotrac has the Vikings with 14.64 mil cap space after accommodating for the top 51 plus rookie pool.
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/cap/
But this does not include Keenum's deal yet which is for 1 mil guaranteed. So let's say they have about 13.64 mil left to use on free agents.
In my last plan I advocated extending Bradford and Rhodes. I still think they should extend Rhodes. But now I am unsure what they are planning to do with Bradford. But if they do not keep him after the 2017 season then it was a massive failure to give up a 1st round pick for a 2 year rental. They need to win playoff games this year to even try to justify the deal. If Bradford leaves after taking the team to the playoffs then it would probably be even worse. At least to me.
I think the defensive tackle position is in serious jeopardy looking past 2017. The only one that is a starter under contract is Joseph. They could find themselves entering free agency next year just as desperate for defensive tackles as they were for offensive tackles this year. And that wont be cheap!
I am still banging the table for this team to go out and sign Johnathan Hankins to whatever it takes. If they can give up a 1st round pick and pay Bradford 25 mil for two years then they can sign Hankins and pay him whatever he is asking for a couple of years (most contracts are really only two years based off the guaranteed money).
I also think they should sign Austin Pasztor OG/OT from the Browns. They originally signed him as an UDFA in 2012 so they are very familiar with him as they did pre-draft work. He has started 43 games out of 58 games in his career with the Jaguars and Browns. He is at least a solid veteran with experience and is only 26 years old. I am flabbergasted they have not made this move. He would be worth it to me but they really must believe Sirles is going to do well.
Another player who they did visit with is Nickell Robey-Coleman. I hope they can bring him on board too.
Other than these three then signing a LB would make some sense and Gerald Hodges is still out there.
I doubt they sign any of these players besides maybe Robey-Coleman. Other than that I think they stand pat or sign street free agents like a Sen'Derrick Marks, Rey Maualuga, Dion Jordan?, Jarius Byrd, and anyone else who was cut. That way they still might get a compensatory pick or two. Not going to try and figure that out right now.
Another option that I am going to repeat and I am hoping they try to make happen is to try to trade for Jordan Matthews WR from the Eagles. They signed Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith plus they have Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-beckham on the roster too. Matthews is entering his last season and they may not be able to keep him if they want to keep Jeffrey.
The only worry is that Spielman is going to get taken advantage of by Roseman AGAIN!
I am not a fan of doing mocks that the natives (you know who you are) believe will happen. I like to do things that I think would be good as far as value in the draft and long term success for the Vikings.
Here you go.
I used the fanspeak on the clock premium tool. I used the matt miller big board as well.
http://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=okxgif
TRADES
ATLANTA FALCONS
SENT: ROUND: 3 PICK: 22
RECEIVED: ROUND: 3 PICK: 31 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 29
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
SENT: ROUND: 2 PICK: 16
RECEIVED: ROUND: 2 PICK: 26 & ROUND: 3 PICK: 38
58: R2P26 Obi Melifonwu SS Connecticut rSr 6-4 224
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79: R3P15 Antonio Garcia OT Troy rSr 6-6 302
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296469/usa_today_9547120.jpg)
95: R3P31 JuJu Smith-Schuster WR Southern California Jr 6-1 215
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296471/usa_today_9589821.jpg)
He looks good no? :)
102: R3P38 Jaleel Johnson DT Iowa rSr 6-3 316
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296479/usa_today_8865888.jpg)
120: R4P13 Ethan Pocic C LSU Sr 6-6 310
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296489/usa_today_9527872.jpg)
128: R4P21 Teez Tabor CB Florida Jr 6-0 199
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296491/usa_today_9839775.jpg)
136: R4P29 Daeshon Hall DE Texas A&M Sr 6-5 266
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296493/usa_today_9611360.jpg)
160: R5P16 Jeremy McNichols RB Boise State Jr 5-9 214
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296499/usa_today_9687251.jpg)
199: R6P15 Dede Westbrook WR Oklahoma Sr 6-0 178
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296503/usa_today_9640938.jpg)
232: R7P14 Jayon Brown ILB UCLA Sr 6-0 231
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8296505/usa_today_9603886.jpg)
Alternate draft using the fanspeak big board.
http://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=zjvews
TRADES
BUFFALO BILLS
SENT: ROUND: 2 PICK: 16 & ROUND: 5 PICK: 16
RECEIVED: ROUND: 2 PICK: 12
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
SENT: ROUND: 3 PICK: 22
RECEIVED: ROUND: 3 PICK: 32 & ROUND: 5 PICK: 19
OAKLAND RAIDERS
SENT: ROUND: 6 PICK: 15
RECEIVED: ROUND: 6 PICK: 24 & ROUND: 7 PICK: 26
44: R2P12 S OBI MELIFONWU CONNECTICUT
79: R3P15 OT ANTONIO GARCIA TROY
96: R3P32 RB JOE MIXON OKLAHOMA
120: R4P13 TE GERALD EVERETT SOUTH ALABAMA
128: R4P21 C ETHAN POCIC LSU
163: R5P19 DL JARRON JONES NOTRE DAME
208: R6P24 EDGE DEATRICH WISE JR. ARKANSAS
232: R7P14 WR MACK HOLLINS NORTH CAROLINA
244: R7P26 K ZANE GONZALEZ ARIZONA STATE
A third mock using the drafttek mock as a guide.
http://www.drafttek.com/2017-NFL-Mock-Draft-Round1.asp
2.48 Christian McCaffrey RB Stanford
3.79 Curtis Samuel WR Ohio State
3.86 Brad Kaaya QB Miami
4.120 Josh Jones S North Carolina State
4.129 Alex Anzalone LB Florida
5.160 Jarron Jones DT Notre Dame
6.199 Jermaine Eluemunor OG/OT Texas A&M
7.232 Keionta Davis DE Tennessee-Chattanooga
After having done these mocks for many many year I realize the draft experts will let me know that many of the players will not be available in the rounds that I have them selected. This quite often ends up being true. But sometimes not.
I do like the first mock a lot but I think Obi is going in the first round.
I believe that if the Vikings sign Pasztor then they may not be as desperate to grab an offensive lineman. If Lamp falls anywhere close to the 2nd round pick then I would pay to move up to get him. Ramczyk too.
Otherwise we are talking developmental players anyway.
I think the next iterations are going to be a bit more crazy!