Post by Funkytown on Apr 22, 2017 10:43:57 GMT -6
Vikings Should Refrain from Drafting a Kicker or Punter by BJ Reidell
Plenty more at the link. Read on: vikingsterritory.com/2017/analysis/vikings-should-restrain-from-drafting-special-teams
The Minnesota Vikings find themselves in a bit of a special teams quagmire with the NFL draft quickly approaching.
Blair Walsh, a sixth-round pick in 2012, was notably released this past November and subsequently replaced by former undrafted free-agent kicker Kai Forbath. The Jeff Locke roller coaster, which began with the Vikings selecting the former UCLA punter during the fifth round in 2013, came to a decisive end when he bolted for Indianapolis during free agency this offseason. He has since been replaced on Minnesota’s roster by a pair of previously undrafted punters in Texas Tech’s Taylor Symmank and Boston College’s Ryan Quigley.
Forbath, who connected on 15 of 15 field-goal tries and 11 of 14 extra-point attempts after joining Minnesota ahead of Week 11 in 2016, offers — at the very least — a short-term solution to the Vikings’ kicking situation. Symmank and the recently-signed Quigley, on the other hand, are set to battle it out for the punting job vacated by Locke, but — similar to Forbath — do not necessarily represent definitive long-term options.
Point being, Minnesota is potentially (still) in the market for an upgrade at kicker, punter or both — and the Vikings should refrain from investing any of their very limited draft capital on either special teams position during any round of the 2017 NFL draft.
NFL teams have been drafting kickers and punters for over half a century. In 1952, the Los Angeles Rams made Sam Baker the first kicker drafted in NFL history when they selected him during Round 11 (No. 133 overall). Seven years later, the San Francisco 49ers made Bobby Joe Green the first punter ever selected during the NFL draft. Since Baker and Green set the precedent during the 1950s, 221 kickers and 164 punters have been selected to date.
The vast majority of these players were selected during the latter rounds, but 37 kickers and 25 punters have been drafted within the top 100 picks throughout draft history. Charlie Gogolak (No. 6 overall, 1966) and Russell Erxleben (No. 11 overall, 1979) represent the highest selections at kicker and punter, respectively.
As it pertains to Minnesota specifically, the Vikings have selected six kickers and five punters with Walsh (No. 175 overall, 2012) and Locke (No. 155, 2013), respectively, representing highest selections at each position throughout franchise history.
Although many of the 387 combined special-teamer picks selected over the past 50-plus years have worked out swimmingly, recent history suggests teams have the ability to acquire kickers and punters of similar — if not greater — value without spending their coveted draft picks. This premise, boiled down to its simplest point, is a primary example of available options outweighing positional need.
Blair Walsh, a sixth-round pick in 2012, was notably released this past November and subsequently replaced by former undrafted free-agent kicker Kai Forbath. The Jeff Locke roller coaster, which began with the Vikings selecting the former UCLA punter during the fifth round in 2013, came to a decisive end when he bolted for Indianapolis during free agency this offseason. He has since been replaced on Minnesota’s roster by a pair of previously undrafted punters in Texas Tech’s Taylor Symmank and Boston College’s Ryan Quigley.
Forbath, who connected on 15 of 15 field-goal tries and 11 of 14 extra-point attempts after joining Minnesota ahead of Week 11 in 2016, offers — at the very least — a short-term solution to the Vikings’ kicking situation. Symmank and the recently-signed Quigley, on the other hand, are set to battle it out for the punting job vacated by Locke, but — similar to Forbath — do not necessarily represent definitive long-term options.
Point being, Minnesota is potentially (still) in the market for an upgrade at kicker, punter or both — and the Vikings should refrain from investing any of their very limited draft capital on either special teams position during any round of the 2017 NFL draft.
NFL teams have been drafting kickers and punters for over half a century. In 1952, the Los Angeles Rams made Sam Baker the first kicker drafted in NFL history when they selected him during Round 11 (No. 133 overall). Seven years later, the San Francisco 49ers made Bobby Joe Green the first punter ever selected during the NFL draft. Since Baker and Green set the precedent during the 1950s, 221 kickers and 164 punters have been selected to date.
The vast majority of these players were selected during the latter rounds, but 37 kickers and 25 punters have been drafted within the top 100 picks throughout draft history. Charlie Gogolak (No. 6 overall, 1966) and Russell Erxleben (No. 11 overall, 1979) represent the highest selections at kicker and punter, respectively.
As it pertains to Minnesota specifically, the Vikings have selected six kickers and five punters with Walsh (No. 175 overall, 2012) and Locke (No. 155, 2013), respectively, representing highest selections at each position throughout franchise history.
Although many of the 387 combined special-teamer picks selected over the past 50-plus years have worked out swimmingly, recent history suggests teams have the ability to acquire kickers and punters of similar — if not greater — value without spending their coveted draft picks. This premise, boiled down to its simplest point, is a primary example of available options outweighing positional need.
Plenty more at the link. Read on: vikingsterritory.com/2017/analysis/vikings-should-restrain-from-drafting-special-teams
... and neither is this Chris guy.