The combine is in the books and the testing results will confirm all of your film study you have done on your favorite draft prospects. Right?
It’s always nice to see the players run. I pay very little attention to the drills to be honest. Most of the time the combine puts me to sleep once they are done running the forty.
These next two weeks will clear up what the Vikings are able to do with their own free agents and any other free agents. They could have plans to keep a player but that player has other plans. What can you do? Pivot to another plan.
This is a bit of a fantasy as are most of my plans. :)
This plan does involve trading Diggs which will set a lot of people’s hair on fire. Luckily for me I am bald so there is nothing left to burn. Although, this ear hair is really aggressive as I get older. SMDH.
So, I have Diggs getting traded and in the conference which confirms that I am more than a few sandwiches short of a picnic!
Nevertheless, I have my eyes on a prize!
Here is the all combine plan.
Cap space - $1,379,736
Cut Rhodes, Reiff, & Joseph; Cap space - $28,767,236
Restructure Barr 4 mil, Hunter 4 mil, & Thielen 3 mil; Cap space - $37,135,986
Trade Diggs plus #25 pick to Cardinals for #8 pick; Cap space - $42,635,986
Extend Kearse (26 years old) with a 3 yr 9 mil deal; Cap space - $40,635,986
Extend Bailey (32 years old) with a 2 yr 5 mil deal; Cap space - $38,635,986
Extend Colquitt (34 years old) with a 2 yr 4.5 mil deal; Cap space - $36,885,986
Extend Ham (26 years old) with a 1 yr 2.144 mil (RFA tender) deal; Cap space - $34,741,986
Extend Wilson (25 years old) with a 1 yr 2.144 mil (RFA tender) deal; Cap space - $33,107,986
Extend Alexander (26 years old) with a 3 yr 25.5 mil deal; Cap space - $29,617,986
Sign Joe Thuney (27 years old) to a 5 yr 75 mil deal; Cap space - $24,127,986
Sign Andrew Billings (24 years old) to a 3 yr 18 mil deal; Cap space - $20,637,986
Sign Ronald Blair (27 years old) to a 2 yr 8 mil deal; Cap space - $17,897,986
Sign Deon Bush (26 years old) to a 2 yr 5 mil deal; Cap space - $16,407,986
Optional
Sign Marcus Mariota 2 yr 18 mil; Cap space - $8,917,986
I really like the signing of Mariota and I am not convinced he will get a starting job offer. Paying him 9 mil per year is lunacy though. That is 39 mil invested in the QB position this year. Wowza! I like it though. A lot.
Letting Harris go and signing Thuney eliminates that compensatory pick. Signing Billings could eliminate any compensatory pick for Waynes too. But I do not care about compensatory picks. I care about getting better now.
Billings is really young and likely has a lot of years ahead of him. Blair is also young and can rotate with Odenigbo. An alternate option would be to not sign Blair and Mariota and bring back Griffen.
Bush is another safety with starting and special teams experience for quality depth.
Now we head to the draft.
We have the #8, 58, 89, 129, 138, 205, 219, 239, 253, & 254 picks.
https://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=qllfje
TRADES
MIAMI DOLPHINS
SENT: FUTURE ROUND 4 PICK
RECEIVED: ROUND: 5 PICK: 27 & ROUND: 6 PICK: 18
8: R1P8 OT TRISTAN WIRFS IOWA
6’4.7” 320; 4.85 forty; 34” arms; 24 bench; 36.5” vj; 10’1” bj
58: R2P26 WR CHASE CLAYPOOL NOTRE DAME
6’4.2” 238; 4.43 forty; 32.5” arms; 19 bench; 40.5” vj; 10’6” bj
89: R3P25 QB JALEN HURTS OKLAHOMA
6’1” 222; 4.68 forty; 31.75” arms; 9.75” hands; 35” vj; 10’5” bj
129: R4P26 S JEREMY CHINN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
6’3” 221; 4.45 forty; 32.125” arms; 20 bench; 41” vj; 11’6” bj
138: R4P35 WR LYNN BOWDEN KENTUCKY
5’10.5” 204; 30.875” arms; 13 bench
173: R5P27 DL DAVON HAMILTON OHIO STATE
6’3.75” 320; 5.14 forty; 33” arms; 33 bench; 29.5” vj; 8’6” bj
197: R6P18 CB AMIK ROBERTSON LOUISIANA TECH
5’8.3 187
205: R6P26 RB AJ DILLON BOSTON COLLEGE
6’0.3” 247; 4.53 forty; 31.625” arms; 23 bench; 41” vj; 10’11” bj
219: R7P5 LB WILLIE GAY JR. MISSISSIPPI STATE
6’1.1” 247; 4.46 forty; 32.625” arms; 21 bench; 41” vj; 10’11” bj
239: R7P25 EDGE JAMES SMITH-WILLIAMS NC STATE
6’3.5” 265; 4.60 forty; 33.75” arms; 28 bench; 32” vj; 10’3” bj
253: R7P39 C COHL CABRAL ARIZONA STATE
6’4.7” 300; 32.25” arms; 20 bench
254: R7P40 LB DAVION TAYLOR COLORADO
6’0.4” 228; 4.49 forty; 32.125” arms; 21 bench; 35” vj; 10’7” bj
To be able to go up and get Wirfs would be phenomenal. Some will have a fair complaint that it cost us Diggs and the replacements are no guarantee. This is true.
But if you could get a left tackle for the next 10 years would it be worth losing an easy top 10 wide receiver with a “playful personality”? I think the answer has to be hell to the yeah!
Alternatively though, you could stay put and just take Austin Jackson, Josh Jones, or maybe Isaiah Wilson if they are there at #25. Then, later this year when Diggs starts acting “playful” because they are running the ball so much, they just may decide it is time to move him.
Is Wirfs that much better than Jackson or Jones? Will Jackson and Jones make it to #25? Will some other team jump ahead of the Vikings to take one of those tackles like the Eagles did last year to the Texans? Lots of possibilities.
I like Claypool in the 2nd because I do not think he is making it to the 3rd. Hurts is a polarizing pick and probably wont make it to the 3rd. I like his upside though. If you bring in Mariota (this is what I did in my last plan) then there is no need for Hurts.
Chinn is a big safety that needs more work but should be able to follow the path of Kearse and Harris by being a special teams demon. They may even consider him at linebacker.
Bowden is still one of my favorites and I like everything he brings to the table.
Hamilton is another big defensive tackle to add to the rotation.
I finally add a corner in the 5th round which is cray cray.
Dillon is huge at 247 lbs and could be a nice change of pace.
The rest tested very well. Gay may not be a fit based on his past transgressions.
Smith-Williams is a freak and I read that he was more concerned with stopping the run last year than getting sacks. He has all the tools though.
Cabral is very interesting because he started every game at left tackle in 2017 and then the last two years at center. He is athletic and versatile.
Taylor is an interesting linebacker who is very fast. He did not play football until his senior year in high school due to his religion.
I really like this draft but sadly, most wont be there right?
Here is an alternate without trading Diggs ...
https://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=wygklc
TRADES
ARIZONA CARDINALS
SENT: ROUND: 1 PICK: 25 & FUTURE ROUND 1 PICK
RECEIVED: ROUND: 1 PICK: 8
MIAMI DOLPHINS
SENT: FUTURE ROUND 4 PICK
RECEIVED: ROUND: 5 PICK: 27 & ROUND: 6 PICK: 18
8: R1P8 OT TRISTAN WIRFS IOWA
58: R2P26 CB BRYCE HALL VIRGINIA
89: R3P25 S ASHTYN DAVIS CALIFORNIA
129: R4P26 WR DONOVAN PEOPLES-JONES MICHIGAN
138: R4P35 LB TROY DYE OREGON
173: R5P27 RB DARRYNTON EVANS APPALACHIAN STATE
197: R6P18 DL KHALIL DAVIS NEBRASKA
205: R6P26 S J.R. REED GEORGIA
219: R7P5 EDGE TREVIS GIPSON TULSA
239: R7P25 CB AMIK ROBERTSON LOUISIANA TECH
253: R7P39 WR QUEZ WATKINS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
254: R7P40 C COHL CABRAL ARIZONA STATE
This wont be popular with a trade of Diggs or trading next year’s first to go get Wirfs. But if you really believe Wirfs could be a 10 year fixture then maybe it is worth it.
Well, have at it.