FanPost

Mock Offseason 1.0 : Building the Trenches

Seems fans either love mock offseasons or hate them. Everything is hypothetical, but I have fun with them and to close the gap from now until the end of the season figure'd I make a post just for fun. Couple of ground rules before starting:

1. All for fun. I'm no expert and my opinion this week may be different than next. Mostly what I personally would like to see happen

2. I'm going to try and be fairly realistic (Ex: No Kirk trade, Lawrence/Fields at 14, Zimmer fired, etc.)

3. I am the furthest thing from a cap expert so my numbers may be off.

4. I will be using tools such as Fanspeaks Manage the Cap tool and a Mock Draft Simulator or two just to throw some randomness where im not hand picking offseason additions/departures.

Now Let's role!

COACHING

Nothing major here. Zimmer stays as Head Coach, I believe we move forward with both Adam Zimmer and Andre Patterson operating as Co-Def Coordinators again. The defense was horrible, but injuries and inexperience caused majority of the problems. Offensive coordinator is where things will get fun, or at least interesting.

It would be refreshing to get a young fresh mind on the team, but their is value in continuity as well as experience. While personally I would be interested in somebody like a Mike Kafka from the Chiefs, my guess is if a outside hire came to be we'd have one of either Anthony Lynn or Hue Jackson as the next OC. This would of course be if Gary Kubiak retires. Both of those options aren't ~sexy~ but i'd be fairly confident with them and comfortable. Little to no drop off, but likely no major overhauls. But if I was a betting man, the next OC of the Vikings will be Klint Kubiak, with Gary going back into an advisory/consulting role.

The last one is one I know little to no options for, and that is Special Teams Coordinator. Whomever it ends up being, it won't be hard to improve off of Marwan Maalouf's 2020. Man was that rough, cost us a few games.

...and thats a wrap on coaching. Short and sweet, don't have to dive into monetary things so much here.

HC : Mike Zimmer

OC : Klint Kubiak (Gary returns to senior consulting role)

DC : Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer run it back.

PRE-DRAFT / FREE AGENCY:

*while I know its likely not 100% up todate or accurate im rolling with Fanspeaks numbers for savings

Cuts : Kyle Rudolph , Shamar Stephen , Dan Bailey , Britton Colquitt , Jalyn Holmes

That gives us ~ 8.5 million in cap space to play with. Rudy hurts, but with Irv in the fold and Conklin showing what he can do, it might be time for a mutual parting so Rudy gets more PT elsewhere. Stephen gets axed for financial recoup, he's also at best a deep DL reserve who we cast as a starter. Holmes never gained traction here and is young enough to catch on elsewhere. Bailey and Colquitt are far from locks, I opt to save money and go younger. A new ST Coord gets input on who we bring in, grab their own guys.

Restructure : Anthony Barr , Adam Thielen , Riley Reiff

These 3 addtl moves brings us up to ~ 26.5 million in cap space. Barr is overpaid, but when healthy still brings a great skillset to the team. I could easily see him being cut, but in my mock offseason continuity is key --> case and point, Riley Reiff is brought back (at a reduced number) for a team he seems to like and is coming off his best year as a Viking. Maybe its more so of an extension tacking on an addtl year, but still, money being saved. The last is Thielen, seems to be a team player and like we've seen often with Kendricks, its more so getting money sooner. While perhaps not to a great length - Minnesota can now be a player in Free Agency if they choose.

Free Agent Additions : IDL Shelby Harris (2 years 11 million) , S Xavier Woods (3 years 15 million)

I flirted with the idea of a high priced CB, but dont see it happening. I did the same for a capable backup, but I do think Minnesota will monitor the draft in the mid rounds for an upgrade over Mannion. Shelby Harris is a recent FA linked to Minnesota as "A perfect fit" and i couldnt agree more. He is due a nice pay raise from what he's making and frankly I would be comfortable paying him 5-7 million a year. I went on the more conservative end and at 2 years as he is 29 years old and has a shorter history of being an impact player. That said, he has more tread on his tires than most players approaching 30 and it wouldnt surprise me to see him excel well into his 30's with his style of play. He instantly slots in at 3 tech and gives some pass rush we've been missing since Sheldon Richardson departed. Xavier Woods is a young free safety coming off a down year. I think that is partly him, and partly playing for Dallas' defense. There are many FA safeties at about his level of play, and with another COVID offseason potentially haulting action, i think landing the 25 year old to take Anthony Harris spot at ~5 to 6 million a year is a steal. He has the skillset to ballhawk, but also interchangeability for when The Hitman drops back and he needs to play closer to the line. I'd honestly prefer him at that cost that what we got from Harris at that cost, he's also 4 years younger and should have some room to grow. The upcoming draft is just meh in terms of safety and defensive interior talent, so securing high upside players with experience was my key, and snagging two is a great start. The remains of the cap can be used for draft picks or even just holding onto into next year for a team that is strapped for money. There will also be Kicker/Punter needing to address that i won't as i know little to nothing about the draftees and most Free agents.

Rough Starting lineup (and key backups) heading into the draft , followed by a list of remaining needs ranked by need :

QB : Cousins

RB : Cook , Mattison

FB : Ham

WR : Thielen , Jefferson

TE : Irv

OT : Reiff , Oneill

OG : Cleveland

OC : Bradbury

DE : Hunter , Odenighbo

IDL : Harris , Pierce

OLB : Barr

MLB : Kendricks

S : Hitman , Woods

CB : Dantzler , Gladney , Hughes

K : ?

P : ?

Remaining needs :

1. Offensive Line

2. Defensive End / Edge

3. Cornerback

4. Wide Receiver #3

5. Linebacker

6 . Defensive Line Depth

THE DRAFT

*Pro Football Network mock draft tool being used here for availabilities/exercise

With a mixture of the needs above and BPA in mind, we head into the draft with a much better defense, mostly due to health, but with some (IMO) sneaky good FA additions.

Round 1 : Waited to see how the board played out. The top talent remaining : Darrisaw , Parsons , Rousseau and JOK from ND. My goal was to move back and acquire a 2nd, and I see an ideal team to trade with who just so happens to have a new QB and in my hypothetical moves up to add protection for him in Jacksonville. So...

Minnesota Receives : Pick 25 , Pick 45

Jacksonville Receives : Pick 14 , Pick 109 (shows as 111 in tool)

Lines up quite evenly in the trade chart at 1176 (MIN) to 1170 (JAC)

Round 1 Pick 25 : Jayson Oweh - Edge - Penn State - Athletic marvel that has elite speed, first step and bend to get around tackles and to the QB. Potentially seen as a 3-4 OLB, but has similar measurements and more room to fill out that Yannick Ngakoue. While the trade didnt go our way, Yannick was a baaaad man WITHOUT HUNTER opposite him. Watch some film and you'll fall in love. Having Ifeadi start and Yannick come in rotationally at first will keep a consistent pressure on the QB. When you rank last in getting to the QB, prioritizing DLine is big. Patterson does wonders with mid round picks - lets give him a first round talent and watch him eat.

Round 2 Pick 45 : Wyatt Davis - RG - Ohio St - Scheme versatile plug and play starter at right guard. Alex Leatherwood was on the board, but im not getting cute about the pick. We had 3 tackles starting on one line, im grabbing us a guard who plays guard, and at a damn high level. He was/is a 1st round talent, but a CFP knee injury may see him show as it appears to be 2nd of the type. It also doesnt appear to be ligament tear or anything of that sort. Sounds as if more fluke re-aggravation than something thatll stick with him. Regardless , this allows Cleveland to man LG for a year or so until he takes over RG. Davis is a mauler and will pave the way for Cook, but also brings great reps to the pass game.

Round 3 Pick 78 : Amari Rodgers - WR - Clemson - One of my favorite players in the draft. Very fun highlights, seems to have all the intangibles to succeed in the draft, without maybe projecting as a star. Would make an ideal #3 WR. I hope, and honestly believe we will see a bit more 3 WR sets moving forward as the Oline upgrades permit longer developing pockets. Thielen should age like a fine wine, but it never hurts to have some higher stock in young talent. He is only 5'10 but has great speed and can excel in both the slot and outside.

Round 3 Pick 90 : Paulson Adebo - CB - Stanford - Once thought to be a 1st round lock , Adebo had a tremendous 2018 season, then followed it with a good-not-great 2019. Regardless, he has great length and if developed correctly (which we've seen can be done in Dantzler) he has the potential to be a Day 2 or Day 3 steal. Snagging him here gives us a CB with all the traits to let Zim and crew continue to mold and grow. With Mike Hughes being a huge question mark (may even retire due to multiple neck issues) we need to invest a bit more into the corner room. We have 2 sure fire starters to move forward with, but it never hurts to have too many skilled DBs.

Round 4 Pick 117 : Shaun Wade - S/CB - Ohio St - May be a theme with the dbacks im selecting, but once a Day 1 or Day 2 lock, Wade regressed this year and left on an absolute stinker getting burned by Heisman winner Devonta Smith. That being said, like Adebo above has a proven track record in the past and the tools to excel - in Wade's situation - that may come with a position change. A few outlets and reads i've found have suggested putting him at Safety, or strictly Slot corner. It just so happens we need depth at both spots. If he can re-capture some earlier college game with a fresh position better suited for his playstyle, than we may have something here.

Round 4 Pick 127 : Jamie Newman - QB - Georgia/WF - The first maybe not so realistic pick. I think the Vikings dearly need a developmental QB that has more potential than a Browning or a Stanley. I like both as PS guys, but dont honestly think i see them long term players. Maybe they latch on as journymen #3s but who knows. Newman is a much more fun pick. Opted out on the year but before that was getting some Rd 3 or so hype. He has a cannon for an arm, has the wheels to be mobile, and could use a couple years to fine tune mechanics and raise football IQ. Sounds like an ideal situation while we have Kirk for at least 2 more years. At the very least, as is, I would probably trust him more than Sean Mannion.

Round 5 Pick 142 : Alaric Jackson - OT - Iowa - Not sure where is stock is. He seems to have the traits that come with an Iowa lineman, but also isn't the top end talent of a Wirfs from last year. I honestly am getting to the point i don't know too much about the picks, but from a couple reads and seeing mocks, this is around his range, maybe a little late. At the very least I am willing to gamble on Iowa offensive lineman.

Round 5 Pick 156 : Tedarrell Slaton - NT - Florida - Shout out to Andy from Purple FTW Podcast. Mentioned this guy and I am obsessed. The Draft Network has him at 6'5 358, which i dont know if it does him justice. And the crazy part is it isn't so much fat but good weight. He is probably almost unplayable on 3rd and 5+ or obvious passing downs as his sole purposes is to clog lanes and throw around interior Olineman, but man if its 4th and 1 and you can plug the line with Michael Pierce and Slaton, my goodness talk about some strength. Haven't had a guy like this since Pat Williams, would be fun to have that type of player again.

Round 6 Pick 176 : Malcolm Koonce - Edge - Buffalo - High motor edge player with some good bend. Doesn't project more that a depth piece, but with Patterson? Who knows. Regardless, high motor players are my favorites on Day 3.

Round 7 Pick 206 : Tuf Borland - LB - Ohio State - Know nothing about him, but Zim loves his late day 3 linebackers. Went with the coolest name as the last two picks here have been mostly crapshoots.

And there you have it. Bring in a UDFA or maybe even one as priority for kicker/punter, and a vet to compete and lets eat. Below is the final depth chart (or starters and key reserves). Let me know what you like, what you hate, and what you would do as GM for this offseason. Thanks for the read if you got this far and SKOL!

Depth Chart :

QB : Kirk Cousins , Jaime Newman

RB : Dalvin Cook , Alexander Mattison , Mike Boone

FB : CJ Ham

WR : Adam Thielen , Justin Jefferson , Amari Rodgers

TE : Irv Smith Jr , Tyler Conklin

OL : Reiff - Cleveland - Bradbury - Davis - Oneill

DL : Hunter - Pierce - Harris - Odenhigbo , Oweh , Wonnum , Watts , Slaton

OLB : Barr , Dye

MLB : Kendricks

CB : Gladney , Dantzler , Hughes , Adebo

S : Hitman , Woods , Wade

K/P : UDFA / vet competition.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.