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In this episode:
In this episode, Eric Eager and Nick Olson join Jayson Brown to discuss COVID-19, draft strategies, positional learning curves, and rebuilding.
To start the episode, Eric helps us to understand the “drastic” or “extreme” response to COVID-19 in North America. Eric helps us to understand that the multiplicative nature of COVID-19’s infectiousness poses a great danger to the healthcare system. By practicing social distancing and improving cleanliness, we can flatten the curve which gives the healthcare system the ability to effectively treat people as needed.
Next up, Nick challenges the conventional wisdom that the Vikings should address their worst starters in the opening rounds of the draft. While Pat Elflein and Shamar Stephen are among the worst starters at their respective positions, getting better at cornerback, especially after Xavier Rhodes was released, and wide receiver will likely net us more wins overall.
I think sometimes we think about draft needs the wrong way.
— Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) March 7, 2020
Like, the Vikings' worst starters are at guard and 3-technique DT.
But the positions they need to upgrade at most to win more games IMHO are CB and WR.
Eric builds on Nick’s point by pointing to recent work at Pro Football Focus by Mike Renner and Timo Riske letting us know why we should address needs in free agency and how learning curves can delay the returns when drafting talented players. Eric also reminds us that the best Vikings draft picks in recent memory weren’t needs based picks citing Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson, Robert Smith, and Daunte Culpepper.
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Nick Olson’s reasons for optimism in 2020
- Coaching
- Kirk Cousins
- Young Stars
- Front Office
Eric gives us a run down on his article in which he discusses year over year defensive performance and then talks about how the Vikings can apply those principles to field a strong defense in 2020.
Using our play-by-play data I took at look at trying to measure how much defensive scheme changed from one year to the next, and how much defensive performance changed as a result:https://t.co/BNr6YB6MoY
— Eric Eager (@PFF_Eric) March 13, 2020
Will the Vikings be rebuilding in 2020?
Vikings QB of the Future?
- Anthony Gordon
- Tyler Hundley
- Jalen Hurts
- Josh Love
Read Eric’s work
- Offensive Line Fragility - https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-how-fragile-are-offensive-lines-pass-protection
- Best Defensive Play-callers - https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-the-nfls-top-defensive-play-callers-2
Check out Eric and George’s analytics-driven mock draft.
Follow Eric on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PFF_Eric
Follow Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickOlsonNFL
Follow Jayson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brownjayson
Listen to Eric on the Forecast: https://www.podcastone.com/the-pff-forecast
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