Post by Purple Pain on Apr 28, 2019 21:18:49 GMT -6
Here are some early opinions and interesting tids to get us started!
Mel Kiper Jr. -
theScore gives us the best grade of the NFCN -
PFF, not so great -
Sports Illustrated -
Bonus Feature -
What are your initial thoughts? Let's see 'em, so we can look back on this down the road.
Mel Kiper Jr. -
B
Top needs: Offensive line, wide receiver, defensive tackle
Mike Zimmer wants to run the ball. Just ask former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who was fired in the middle of last season, as Minnesota finished 27th in rushes per game (22.3) and 30th in rushing yards per game (93.3) in 2018. That's why Zimmer brought in assistant head coach Gary Kubiak and run game coordinator Rick Dennison, who plan to implement a zone-blocking scheme. Will it help Kirk Cousins? That's the hope. But the Vikings need better offensive linemen, first and foremost.
So it was pretty clear to see how excited the entire draft room was on Thursday when Garrett Bradbury was still on the board at No. 18. The team thinks he's the perfect fit to play center in this new scheme, with Pat Elflein moving over to guard. Bradbury has outstanding footwork, and he played well at Senior Bowl practices. And if you can believe it, he's the first interior lineman the Vikings have drafted in Round 1 since Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel in 1988.
The Vikes had nice days on Friday and Saturday. Tight end Irv Smith Jr. (No. 50) could put Kyle Rudolph's future in Minnesota in jeopardy. Dru Samia (No. 114) will join the battle for one of the open guard spots. McShay tried to get me to move up Alexander Mattison (No. 102) this past week, and with Dalvin Cook's injury history, the team needed a backup plan. Armon Watts (No. 190) has a massive 6-foot-5 frame and will join the defensive line rotation. I also liked cornerback Kris Boyd(No. 217) in Round 7, as he joins a talented secondary that includes former Longhorn teammate Holton Hill.
With Cousins in Year 2 of a three-year deal, the Vikings need to win now. This is a solid class with a few pieces to help do that.
Top needs: Offensive line, wide receiver, defensive tackle
Mike Zimmer wants to run the ball. Just ask former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who was fired in the middle of last season, as Minnesota finished 27th in rushes per game (22.3) and 30th in rushing yards per game (93.3) in 2018. That's why Zimmer brought in assistant head coach Gary Kubiak and run game coordinator Rick Dennison, who plan to implement a zone-blocking scheme. Will it help Kirk Cousins? That's the hope. But the Vikings need better offensive linemen, first and foremost.
So it was pretty clear to see how excited the entire draft room was on Thursday when Garrett Bradbury was still on the board at No. 18. The team thinks he's the perfect fit to play center in this new scheme, with Pat Elflein moving over to guard. Bradbury has outstanding footwork, and he played well at Senior Bowl practices. And if you can believe it, he's the first interior lineman the Vikings have drafted in Round 1 since Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel in 1988.
The Vikes had nice days on Friday and Saturday. Tight end Irv Smith Jr. (No. 50) could put Kyle Rudolph's future in Minnesota in jeopardy. Dru Samia (No. 114) will join the battle for one of the open guard spots. McShay tried to get me to move up Alexander Mattison (No. 102) this past week, and with Dalvin Cook's injury history, the team needed a backup plan. Armon Watts (No. 190) has a massive 6-foot-5 frame and will join the defensive line rotation. I also liked cornerback Kris Boyd(No. 217) in Round 7, as he joins a talented secondary that includes former Longhorn teammate Holton Hill.
With Cousins in Year 2 of a three-year deal, the Vikings need to win now. This is a solid class with a few pieces to help do that.
theScore gives us the best grade of the NFCN -
Bradbury was the Vikings' pick in what felt like every single mock draft because of a desperate need to improve Kirk Cousins' protection, and Minnesota made it a reality at No. 18. A first-round center isn't going to get the blood flowing for frozen Minnesota residents, but he and fourth-rounder Samia should immediately turn the line into a respectable unit. Smith Jr. gives the Vikings a versatile weapon with upside as both a receiver and blocker, and more importantly a tight end with athleticism and speed that Kyle Rudolph lacks. Of the eye-popping seven players picked in Rounds 6 and 7, Mitchell could be a sleeper.
Grade: B+
Grade: B+
PFF, not so great -
Day 1:
The No. 2 center on our board heading into the 2019 NFL Draft, NC State’s Garrett Bradbury gives Minnesota a finesse run blocker that can take the team’s run game to the next level, specifically when asked to work inside an outside-zone scheme. He was a top-five graded center each of the past two seasons and the highest-graded Power-5 center in this draft class both years, as well.
“He is a rare athlete for the position, ran a 4.92 40-yard dash at the Combine, and his three-cone (7.41s) and short shuttle (4.53s) are elite for offensive linemen in the NFL. And it shows up on tape. He can make any block you ask him to, and he locates linebackers at the second level at an elite level.” – Pro Football Focus’ Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
Day 2:
Irv Smith Jr., who joins the Vikings at just 20 years old, ranked tied for first in the class in yards per route run (2.56) in 2018 and finished the pre-draft process as PFF’s No. 84 overall player. He’s an athletic tight end with great yards-after-the-catch ability who should help the Vikes move on from the more expensive veteran option at tight end, Kyle Rudolph.
Built like a freight train, new Vikings running back Alexander Mattison brings a rare combination of size, athleticism, and football IQ to the table. The 5-foot-11, 221-pound back recorded a top-five 10-yard split at the Combine and forced the third-most missed tackles of any back in the FBS in 2018. With Dalvin Cook’s ability to stay on the field in question and Latavius Murray now off the books, Mattison should see the field early in his career.
Day 3:
Minnesota put at least a few of their nine picks on Day 3 to good use. Oregon wide receiver Dillon Mitchell, PFF’s No. 154 overall player, and Arkansas defensive interior Armon Watts, PFF’s No. 124 overall player, were two of the Vikes’ value picks.
Watts turned in an impressive 86.1 pass-rush grade with Arkansas in 2018, ranking seventh among draft-eligible interior defensive linemen. He’s an underrated pass-rushing interior defensive lineman in this class.
Mitchell turned in a career year with the Ducks in 2018, earning an 80.8 overall grade and an 82.5 receiving grade in the process. He also ranked 11th in yards per route run (2.90) among draft-eligible FBS wide receivers with 300 or more routes run in 2018. He’s a bit raw, but his natural tools are intriguing.
Dru Samia, a nasty Oklahoma guard with upside, is another solid pick for Minnesota. He’ll need to improve his technique a bit and dial back his aggression to start long term, but his ceiling is exciting.
DRAFT GRADE: BELOW AVERAGE
The No. 2 center on our board heading into the 2019 NFL Draft, NC State’s Garrett Bradbury gives Minnesota a finesse run blocker that can take the team’s run game to the next level, specifically when asked to work inside an outside-zone scheme. He was a top-five graded center each of the past two seasons and the highest-graded Power-5 center in this draft class both years, as well.
“He is a rare athlete for the position, ran a 4.92 40-yard dash at the Combine, and his three-cone (7.41s) and short shuttle (4.53s) are elite for offensive linemen in the NFL. And it shows up on tape. He can make any block you ask him to, and he locates linebackers at the second level at an elite level.” – Pro Football Focus’ Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
Day 2:
Irv Smith Jr., who joins the Vikings at just 20 years old, ranked tied for first in the class in yards per route run (2.56) in 2018 and finished the pre-draft process as PFF’s No. 84 overall player. He’s an athletic tight end with great yards-after-the-catch ability who should help the Vikes move on from the more expensive veteran option at tight end, Kyle Rudolph.
Built like a freight train, new Vikings running back Alexander Mattison brings a rare combination of size, athleticism, and football IQ to the table. The 5-foot-11, 221-pound back recorded a top-five 10-yard split at the Combine and forced the third-most missed tackles of any back in the FBS in 2018. With Dalvin Cook’s ability to stay on the field in question and Latavius Murray now off the books, Mattison should see the field early in his career.
Day 3:
Minnesota put at least a few of their nine picks on Day 3 to good use. Oregon wide receiver Dillon Mitchell, PFF’s No. 154 overall player, and Arkansas defensive interior Armon Watts, PFF’s No. 124 overall player, were two of the Vikes’ value picks.
Watts turned in an impressive 86.1 pass-rush grade with Arkansas in 2018, ranking seventh among draft-eligible interior defensive linemen. He’s an underrated pass-rushing interior defensive lineman in this class.
Mitchell turned in a career year with the Ducks in 2018, earning an 80.8 overall grade and an 82.5 receiving grade in the process. He also ranked 11th in yards per route run (2.90) among draft-eligible FBS wide receivers with 300 or more routes run in 2018. He’s a bit raw, but his natural tools are intriguing.
Dru Samia, a nasty Oklahoma guard with upside, is another solid pick for Minnesota. He’ll need to improve his technique a bit and dial back his aggression to start long term, but his ceiling is exciting.
DRAFT GRADE: BELOW AVERAGE
Sports Illustrated -
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
No team entering this draft had a more obvious need than the Vikings did at interior offensive line. Last year’s offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo, did not run the ball nearly as much as head coach Mike Zimmer wanted in part because DeFilippo knew that Minnesota’s guards and center could not move the line of scrimmage. With new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski running a pure outside zone scheme (hence the hiring of veteran assistant Gary Kubiak), Vikings linemen will be asked to move the line of scrimmage with their initial quickness and unified blocking techniques—and Garrett Bradbury is considered tailor-made for that role. He played center at North Carolina State, but some believe he can move to guard. That decision could come down to where the Vikings want to play Pat Elflein, who last year struggled at center but will be better with improved players around him. One of those players could be fourth-round pick Dru Samia, given that he need only beat out so-so ex-Titan right guard Josh Kline for a starting job.
In the second round, Minnesota addressed its lack of athleticism at tight end by drafting Irv Smith Jr. He’ll replace the steady but athletically limited Kyle Rudolph, it’s just a matter of when. Smith should expand the multi-receiver route designs, which Stefanski is great on constructing. In Alexander Mattison the Vikings found a complement to tailback Dalvin Cook, a one-dimensional zone runner with durability concerns.
GRADE: A
No team entering this draft had a more obvious need than the Vikings did at interior offensive line. Last year’s offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo, did not run the ball nearly as much as head coach Mike Zimmer wanted in part because DeFilippo knew that Minnesota’s guards and center could not move the line of scrimmage. With new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski running a pure outside zone scheme (hence the hiring of veteran assistant Gary Kubiak), Vikings linemen will be asked to move the line of scrimmage with their initial quickness and unified blocking techniques—and Garrett Bradbury is considered tailor-made for that role. He played center at North Carolina State, but some believe he can move to guard. That decision could come down to where the Vikings want to play Pat Elflein, who last year struggled at center but will be better with improved players around him. One of those players could be fourth-round pick Dru Samia, given that he need only beat out so-so ex-Titan right guard Josh Kline for a starting job.
In the second round, Minnesota addressed its lack of athleticism at tight end by drafting Irv Smith Jr. He’ll replace the steady but athletically limited Kyle Rudolph, it’s just a matter of when. Smith should expand the multi-receiver route designs, which Stefanski is great on constructing. In Alexander Mattison the Vikings found a complement to tailback Dalvin Cook, a one-dimensional zone runner with durability concerns.
GRADE: A
Bonus Feature -
What are your initial thoughts? Let's see 'em, so we can look back on this down the road.
... and neither is this Chris guy.