Minnesota Vikings News and Links: April 22, 2020

Merry Wednesday, everyone!

The 2020 NFL Draft begins tomorrow. In one short day, we will see the first round of a draft that will be conducted far differently than the drafts we’ve become accustomed to seeing. I’m excited to see the altered format. It has been mostly unchanged, with the exception of the location, for decades, so I think a break from the norm will be a good thing. As we know, the good guys currently hold the number 22 and 25 picks in the first round. As we also know, Rick isn’t afraid to move around to either grab a player they want or to move back to accumulate more picks.

The jury is out on the team’s biggest need. The annual theme for the past several years has been that O-line is the top need, but with the departures of Rhodes, Waynes, and Alexander, the case could be made that cornerback is a higher priority. As always, it will come down to which players are available after the smoke clears from the first ten teams’ selections. I could see a talented prospect at either of those positions falling further than expected, and being available at a pick low enough where the Vikings could use some of their additional draft capital to move up the board to get them. We’ll see in a little more than a day!

Around the DN since our last open thread:

Wludford looks at Rick Spielman: Master of the Draft.

In a Fanpost, VikingsFanInChennai posted the Annual DN’s Best GM and Scout Contest. It’s open until the draft starts, so you still have time to show off your front office skills.

You can still boo Roger Goodell during the 2020 draft, after all, per Chris.

The Wilf family has donated more than $5 million to COVID-19 related causes.

Other Vikings/NFL news, and random oddities and annoyances:

At Vikings.com, Rick Spielman addressed the media to talk about the Diggs trade, and the upcoming draft.

From SI, Rob Gronkowski will be un-retiring to join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. The move cost the Buccaneers a fourth round pick, which goes to New England, and in return, they get Gronkowski, who was still under the Patriots’ control, and New England’s seventh round pick.

Nashville expected to become party townduring this year’s draft, but instead they look like a ghost town, according to the Tennessean.

Jerry Jones says the Cowboys have no time frame to finalize a deal with Dak Prescott, per the Sporting News.

We come to today’s media selection:

I was looking for something different, so here’s a highlight reel of NFL opening play touchdowns (not including kickoff returns). Enjoy!

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

-No discussion of politics or religion
-No feeding of the trolls
-Leave the gender hatred at the door
-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
-If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
-While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm.

With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up & tie one on. Wipe the fish guts off of your hands before you touch your face, and try the finger food.

No more Covid 19 discussions.