My thoughts on the Vikes’ draft & FA

[Magnus-Viktor]

I am on vacation in Europe & can’t remember the name of another Vikings forum I frequent but I did some mock drafts on there & the Vikings took a handful of guys I had slated for them, along with one that I thought was a huge reach. 

#1.  CB in 1. I didn’t get into Mike Hughes too much, but I said I highly expected the Vikes to go CB in 1 if the OL were gone. That early 20s run doomed the OL for ‘18 I’m afraid. But this gives the Vikes some options outside of subpar candidates to replace Newman in Wayne’s & Alexander: 2 players that have never been viable options in my book.

 

2.  O’Neill is a guy I looked into a while before the draft. I had him skated to the Vikes in the 4th or 5th round, which is where I think his talent level belongs. He seems athletic because of his blazing 40, but his other numbers were mediocre at best. He simply lacks the lower body power to anchor & I see him as a multi-year project as a result. If he’s on the field as anything but a 6th OL or blocking TE this year it’s not a good sign imo. Remmers was a much better RT than he was at OG. He got zero push and lacks the physicality to play OG to me. O’Neil is perhaps his replacement in a year or two when you can cut him with minimal/no penalty.

3.   I watched a lot of Ohio State but never looked into Holmes. Was always too busy looking at his better teammates & he never stood out. Holmes seems to fit the bill for length that Zimmer’s always had at DE but maybe he’s a project to move in to UT? Wouldn’t have been my pick here, but depth on the DL is a staple from Zimmer’s D and it was sorely lacking last year so it didn’t surprise me.

4.  Conklin didn’t make much sense to me. Rudy is a slower TE so why pick up a poor man’s version? You already had a blocking TE in man-bun. 

5.  Carlson is a guy I saw the Vikes taking a mile away. I never bothered researching a kicker at all but I know he was getting a ton of hype as a junior. Big guy, big leg, and the Vikes had way too many problems with kickers so it just made sense to draft one with a high ceiling that was a bit off his last year. He was getting round 2&3 hype as a junior from what I recall.

6.  Gossett is another guy I didn’t look into at all since I really thought they’d take Ragnow or Price early on (both gone before #30), or maybe Corbett or Braden Smith, but they went early 2 so weren’t an option unless you burn a 1 on them. I was a bit surprised they didn’t take Daniels when he was available in 1, or maybe in Hernandez even though I thought he was too risky with his former play weight and mauler style that didn’t seem to fit the new OL. I read athletic limits with Gossett but guys like Kalil & Clemmings make me leery of athletic guys with no anchor so I’ll take a guy with leg drive instead. That’s also why I was thinking O’Neill was a reach that early. 

7.  Ade Aruna- the easiest and most obvious pick in the draft. I had him in the late rounds to the Vikes all the time. Depth behind Griff & Hunter (who was much better as a backup/pass rush specialist) was sorely lacking last year & needed addressed big time. A very raw player with all the length and raw athleticism you could ask for was obvious. 

8. Downs is a buy low guy who was on watch lists for best defenders/linebackers before getting injured. Depth at LB is iffy so a solid move. 

 

UDFAs:

Roc Thomas is a perfect replacement for McKinnon. I wanted Wadley since I watch a lot of Iowa but Thomas looks explosive. Ideal pickup here to replace your 3rd down back. 

Badet is interesting. 4.27 in the 40, 39.5” vert & 10’11” broad. Didn’t produce though. 

Hilton Hill is a guy I saw as a very realistic choice in the late rounds. Character red flags but he has ideal size for a big CB or that elusive quality safety to pair with Dirty Harry, along with solid skills and athleticism.

Hercules Hercules Hercules (in Eddie Murphy voice) - he is intriguing to me. I always viewed him as a positionless player, but he is a player. I see he’s listed at LB, which is surprising given he looks a bit stiff to play in space. Perhaps a role sugaring the A-gaps as Zimmer likes to do would work. But I see him fitting best as a Brian Robison type interior pass rusher on obvious downs. 

Jake Wieneke is an interesting guy. He would be rather limited in my view by his lack of athleticism, but perhaps he can be a jump ball target in the red zone. Chris Streveler, the QB of the good South Dakota school, would’ve been a better pick. 4.45 in the 40, 38” vert and 10’5” broad. I know measurable aren’t everything, but a 4.7 for a WR is a bit of a killer. I personally thought the depth at WR needed upgraded big time & I would’ve looked at Justin Watson or Dylan Cantrell in the mid-late rounds. St. Brown fell a long ways and I would’ve taken him at that point too. The Pack got a steal there, as I couldn’t believe he went in 6!

I’m traveling in Europe right now so I’m just using my phone. When I get back home I might do a “what I would’ve done” type mock given who was available at this picks, but the Vikes might have done a decent job as-is. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[VikeManDan]

14 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

He seems athletic because of his blazing 40, but his other numbers were mediocre at best.

I think this is just flat out false, he is very athletic. 

Mockdraftable: https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/brian-oneill

RAS: https://relativeathleticscores.com/author/relativeathleticscores/

From what I've seen discussed in other threads it sounds like he is very athletic, has a good foundation of technique to build on, he just needs to work on his anchoring and strength. 

[VikeManDan]

17 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

Holmes seems to fit the bill for length that Zimmer’s always had at DE but maybe he’s a project to move in to UT?

Spielman has said they will play him at UT. 

[battle2heaven]

21 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

He seems athletic because of his blazing 40, but his other numbers were mediocre at best

Is this a joke in regards to Brian O'Neil?

[Magnus-Viktor]

O’Neill’s numbers are middle of the pack except 40, 3-come & SS. I put more emphasis on vert and broad as they measure explosion and strength in the core.....he’s middle of the pack there. It’s good he’s fast, but how did that work out for Lydon Martha & Bruce Campbell? 

 

Like I said before I had him in the mid rounds because there’s something to work with there. His lack of an anchor makes him a project & a reach in 2 for me. Not knocking the guy, it’s just my take on him. 

[battle2heaven]

4 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

O’Neill’s numbers are middle of the pack except 40, 3-come & SS. I put more emphasis on vert and broad as they measure explosion and strength in the core.....he’s middle of the pack there. It’s good he’s fast, but how did that work out for Lydon Martha & Bruce Campbell? 

 

Like I said before I had him in the mid rounds because there’s something to work with there. His lack of an anchor makes him a project & a reach in 2 for me. Not knocking the guy, it’s just my take on him. 

His vert was 69th percentile of all offensive tackles.

His broad was 77th percentile of all offensive tackles.

 

 

edit: Also, he just isn't "fast". He's quick with extremely quick feet; which helps him immensely with speed rushers who try to beat him to the bend.

[Magnus-Viktor]

48 minutes ago, battle2heaven said:

His vert was 69th percentile of all offensive tackles.

His broad was 77th percentile of all offensive tackles.

 

 

edit: Also, he just isn't "fast". He's quick with extremely quick feet; which helps him immensely with speed rushers who try to beat him to the bend.

He’s also under 300 lbs. you have to keep the entire picture in perspective. He’s tall and long but he’s light and he plays light anchor).  I’m not trying to argue with you here. 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

He’s also under 300 lbs. you have to keep the entire picture in perspective. He’s tall and long but he’s light and he plays light anchor).  I’m not trying to argue with you here. 

Not sure being under 300 lbs. is really a big deal.  I've seen plenty of 300+ players getting pushed around and left out of position by lighter and faster players.  As long as O'Brien has exceptional technique and improved strength in the legs, he should be ok.  I'm not for a player to play at a higher weight that they aren't comfortable with.  It usually ends up with joint issues and a shorter or less effective career.  See Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt as examples A and B.

[Magnus-Viktor]

7 minutes ago, Virginia Viking said:

Not sure being under 300 lbs. is really a big deal.  I've seen plenty of 300+ players getting pushed around and left out of position by lighter and faster players.  As long as O'Brien has exceptional technique and improved strength in the legs, he should be ok.  I'm not for a player to play at a higher weight that they aren't comfortable with.  It usually ends up with joint issues and a shorter or less effective career.  See Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt as examples A and B.

That’s not what I meant. We all know how Randall McDaniel did at a low weight for example. I meant that it is not a fair comparison to compare guys much heavier to someone much lighter, without at least acknowledging it. Same with arm length being ignored when looking at bench. More weight would help him anchor though.

[RpMc]

Being heavier isn't a necessity for anchoring, it may help a little depending on the strength of the person on the other side of the line, but it's a negligible factor; anchoring is technique and strength.