Eric's 2019 Vikings 7 round mock

[Eric dunn]

This mock is a projection of what i think the Vikings will do, not necessarily what i would do. I feel like i usually have a pretty good feel for what the Vikings want to do. But its really close to impossible to try and figure out what any team will do. I feel MIN WILL take OL at 18 unless Oliver, Bosa, Murray, Q.Williams, J.Allen, or possibly Gary are available. Im not gonna get to in detail with these explanations but ill give a little skillset & how they possibly fit & why i made the pick. Then i will give a little comparison. Feedback is always nice, so good or bad tell me what yall think. Here we go!

 

1st - OT,  Cody Ford, Oklahoma.....

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6-4, 330 pound monster who will be a day 1 starter at either RT or LG (he's played both positions at Oklahoma). I believe Dillard, J.Williams & Taylor will all be gone by 18. BUT IF Dillard is available, i think 100% hes the pick. But imo he wont be there. The Vikings take Ford with the intention of filling an immediate hole on the OL, but with future intentions on having him as their RT with O'Neil sliding over to LT. As a rookie, he may play at LG if the Vikings choose to not move Reiff inside. Then after this year, Reiff may be gone and then the transition for Ford will take place. I realize this is probably a boring pick and is the most commonly mocked player to the Vikings, but there is some real interest here. They have met with him twice, one of which was on the top 30 visit. I know he may not be a great scheme fit, but at a certain point you just take good players and adjust. But its not like he is going to be a liability either, he still has good athleticism for his size & good feet. He is a very good pass protector as last year he only allowed a total of 7 pressures, and only 1 sack (in playoffs). Per PFF he was the 3rd most efficient pass blocker from this draft class. He is also a very strong run blocker that can push guys around. My comparison: Keleche Osemele, NYJ 

2nd - EDGE, Ben Banogu, TCU.....

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6-3, 250 pound edge player with 33 5/8" arms. Banogu is an explosive edge player who had huge workout numbers with a 4.6 40 & a 40" vertical. Tested in the 97th percentile, so the Vikings will surely be interested in him imo as he fits their mold. Banogu is productive pass rusher who ranked 8th among all edge rushers in total pressures in 2018. Also an under-rated player vs the run. On the field he has very good closing speed & very good agility. All the tools to become an elite pass rusher. He will need to be coached up though. From what ive seen from him he likes to use inside moves, which may not work as much in the NFL. But Zim & Patterson do a phenomenal job with developing guys like this. Edge is not a huge need currently, but next year i think we may lose Weatherly & Everson is probably gone. So we will need some help there, and Banogu could be ready to start by 2020. As a rookie he can be a rotational player to keep everyone fresh, can never have enough pass rushers. Toward the end of the 2017 season in the NFCCG it seemed like our pass rush really fizzled out, which cant happen. I think this is a tad high for Banogu, but he is a riser imo and will go somewhere in the 2nd. Guys with his production & traits usually dont fall too far. Possible he would be there in the 3rd, but i doubt it. There will be other talented rushers at this point available, but i think Banogu has the highest ceiling. My comparison: Yannick Ngakoue, JAX.

TRADE: Minnesota trades their 3rd(#81) & 6th#(209) to the New York Giants for 3rd (#95) & 5th (#142) & 6th (#180). Giants trading up for QB Tyree Jackson..

3rd (NYG)- WR, Emanuel Hall, Missouri.....

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6-2, 200 pound speedster who killed it at the combine. He is IMO the best deep threat in this entire draft class, which makes sense that he ran a 4.39 40 yard dash. I also think he is the most explosive WR in this class, and his numbers back that up (43" vertical, 141" broad). At this point he is pretty much a deep threat only, but he has the skillset to develop into an all around very good WR. Although i think Min really needs a WR like Hall, he will bring some much needed speed to the outside and allow Thielen to do work in the slot. Hall is exclusively an outside guy, but he has played both sides quite a bit. He should step in day 1 and immediately compete to win that #3 WR job, which in todays NFL is basically a starter. Last year when Diggs & Thielen got covered there was nobody who could win one on one. Diggs is usually a good bet to miss a game or two, and Treadwell aint it. Kirk Cousins is a very good at throwing the deep ball, so this could bring some BIG plays immediately. I worry a little about his hands and previous soft tissue injuries but in the 3rd he is worth the risk. He may never be a #1, but we dont need a #1. With development of his route tree, he could be an excellent #2 WR with potential of taking the top off the defense at any given time.  My comparison: Torrey Smith, Panthers.

TRADE: Minnesota trades their 4th & 2020 4th to the Arizona Cardinals for their 4th(#103).. Vikings trading up for a need & target..

4th (ARZ)- TE, Josh Oliver, SJSU.....

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6-5, 249 pound athletic receiving TE, who also had a very good combine. See a trend here? Josh lead all TE's last year in contested catches last season, so he can go up and get the ball. I think he has an all around skill set to eventually be the starter. He would immediately bring some playmaking ability to the TE group, sitting behind Rudy for a year then eventually will start in 2020. MIn could very likely go TE earlier, even potentially in the 1st. But imo this is a pretty deep TE class, so waiting could make some sense. There should be some options around the 3rd/4th, Sternberger, Oliver, Knox, Warring, Wilson & Moreau. But i think Oliver makes alot of sense for the Vikings here, he can even line up in the slot and beat LBs/NCB's/safeties with his size & speed. Also brings another red zone threat with his imposing size & impressive body control & leaping ability. If Irv is available in the 2nd i think Min will take him, but as of right now i dont see it. My comparison: Jermichael Finley, GB

5th(NYG)- DT, Daniel Wise, Kansas.....

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6'3 280 pound disruptive player who projects as a penetrating 3 tech. He was very good at the shrine game, and at Kansas showed ability to bring pressure up the middle & also played some edge i believe. Also was very good against the run, with a PFF grade of 83.1. He should come in and compete immediately for playing time at 3 tech, with the opening to potentially start there in 2020 if he impresses. He will need to beat out Ifeadi & JJ & Holmes for playing time, otherwise he could be a weekly inactive. Had a pretty bad combine, which is why i think he may fall this far. I thought based off watching him play he was a 3rd round guy, but his number will drop him some. My comparison: Brandon Mebane

6th(NYG)- G/C, Javon Patterson, Ole Miss....

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6'3, 307 pound versatile interior lineman who can play all 3 positions on the interior. Has made starts at all 3 positions thru his career at Ole Miss. He’s a good athlete, not great. He's adequate at both pass blocking and run blocking although he underperformed at the combine. He comes into a situation where Minnesota's line for 2019 is likely set with starters after the Ford pick, but after 2019 there will be likely some opportunities to start. Who knows, if he sticks on the roster & performs well in the preseason he could earn a job next year. Line could possibly look something like O'Neil-Patterson-Elflein-Kline-Ford going into 2020 season, and thats IF Kline plays well. More than likely, the Vikings will be drafting OL again next year somewhere early. The mess we saw last season isnt gonna be fixed over night. But with the additions of Kline, Ford, Patterson, Dozier we have improved over Remmers & Compton. My comparison: Mike Person, SF

6th. WR/PR/KR, Greg Dortch, WF....

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5'7, 173 pound electric playmaker is slot guy who has big time playmaking ability. He can play the slot & return kicks and punts. Received an 80 overall grade from PFF in 17 & 18. Was a very all around productive player last year, and had 2 TDs on punt returns. Which is where the intrigue is with him, Min needs a PR after losing Sherels & they could use the depth/playmaking ability at WR. I think he can come in day 1 and be the starting KR & PR. Personally i think thats better than a Moritz Bohringer in the 6th round. He is one of my favorite players, i think he will succeed despite his small stature. The Vikings WR core will be revamped next year with these moves. I know some of you arent gonna like taking two WR's, but Treadwell is gone next year, Badet is unknown, Zylstra hasnt shown anything and Beebe looks solid so far but i dont think we can have too high of expectations with him & Diggs has a tendency to get banged up. Thielen-Diggs-Hall-Dortch-Zylstra-Beebe looks good to me, two true slot guys and 4 guys that have ability to play on the outside. I actually think Treadwell could get traded in a few weeks for a 7th or future conditional pick. My comparison: Less explosive/poor mans Desean Jackson

7th. CB, Jordan Miller, WASH....

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6'1, 186 pound corner with very good athleticism. Ran a 4.41 and jumped 37" at the combine & has long arms. Typical corner that Zim likes, long and athletic. He should develop as a press corner and possibly be a backup who could see playing time early during Holton Hill's suspension. I think at this point in the draft his ability is worth taking a look at. We need another CB at least for the first 4 weeks. Even with a good combine, hes has a quiet draft process so far. Per PFF he graded out well in coverage in 2016 & 2017 (80.0 & 82.4) but dropped off a bit last year (71.9). My comparison: NA

7th. LB, Terrill Hanks, NM....
 

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6'2, 240 pound LB who is versatile and instinctive. Likely could go much earlier, but he ran a 4.98 at the combine and  tested in the 7th percentile for LBs. So the testing was terrible. But he played really well at New Mexico who lined up at edge, inside LB and outside LB. Also can be an immediate special teams player and reserve LB. Minnesota needs a backup LB and also needs ST. They have also shown some interest in Hanks (top 30 visit). So this pick makes some sense to me, IF he slips. If teams go off talent & tape he will go earlier, if they overthink that 40 time he will slip. My comparison: Ed Hartwell, ATL

Important UDFA Priorities: QB Jordan Ta'amu, RB Kerrith Whyte, S Darius West, RB Elijah Holyfield, OT Donnell Greene, LB Luke Gifford, CB Derrick Baity

 

Projected depth chart:

QB- Kirk Cousins, Sean Mannion, Kyle Sloter
RB- Dalvin Cook, Mike Boone, Kerrith Whyte, 
FB- CJ Ham
WR-Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Emanuel Hall, Greg Dortch, Chad Beebe, Brandon Zylstra
TE- Kyle Rudolph, Josh Oliver, David Morgan, 
LT- Riley Reiff, Rashad Hill
LG- Cody Ford, Javon Patterson, 
C-_Pat Elfein, Brett Jones
RG-Josh Kline, Dakota Dozier 
RT- Brian O'Neil, Cody Ford

DE- Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Ben Banogu, Stephen Weatherly
NT- Linval Joseph (J.Johnson/Stephen backup NT's)
3tech- Shamar Stephen, Jaleel Johnson, Jalyn Holmes, Daniel Wise
OLB- Anthony Barr, Eric Wilson
ILB- Eric Kendricks, Devante Downs
OLB- Ben Gedeon, Terrill Hanks
CB- Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Holton Hill(S 4 Wks), Jordan Miller, Derrick Baity
NCB- Mackensie Alexander, Mike Hughes
S- Harrison Smith, Derron Smith
S- Anthony Harris, Jayron Kearse

LS- Kevin McDermott
K- Dan Bailey
P- Matt Wile
PR- Greg Dortch, Mike Hughes
KR- Greg Dortch, Kerrith Whyte, 

 

[gopherwrestler]

Nice mock! Pretty close to what I’ve been throwing together. 

I guess I still don’t see Dortch being available that late, along with Baity being a UDFA but hell, I’ll take it!

[Eric dunn]

3 hours ago, gopherwrestler said:

Nice mock! Pretty close to what I’ve been throwing together. 

I guess I still don’t see Dortch being available that late, along with Baity being a UDFA but hell, I’ll take it!

Thanks! Yeah he could very likely be taken earlier. But you don’t see a lot of 5’7 players get taken early. Late round picks are super hard to predict as well. Often times I see teams select guys in the later rounds, and I’m like who the heck is that? 

Also, if y’all like the mock throw a like on it. Need to get my rep up around here lol. Been here 10+ years. 

[PrplChilPill]

I would be pleased if this happened.

[Snake Plissken]

Thanks for putting out a mock draft.  I always enjoy reading other's ideas on the draft and especially analysis of the players taken with each pick.

I agree completely on your assessment of Ford and the 18 pick situation.

If the Vikings take Banogu in the second, I trust the staff to turn him into a quality starter.

I don't mind taking either a WR or TE in the 3rd or 4th, but would have preferred either a DL or OL earlier in one of those spots. I like Oliver in the 4th, but don't know if he is worth the extra 4th rounder.

Harris is the type of prospect to take a chance on in the 7th round.

My favorite move in getting Holyfield in UDFA.

[Eric dunn]

On 4/10/2019 at 12:53 PM, Snake Plissken said:

Thanks for putting out a mock draft.  I always enjoy reading other's ideas on the draft and especially analysis of the players taken with each pick.

I agree completely on your assessment of Ford and the 18 pick situation.

If the Vikings take Banogu in the second, I trust the staff to turn him into a quality starter.

I don't mind taking either a WR or TE in the 3rd or 4th, but would have preferred either a DL or OL earlier in one of those spots. I like Oliver in the 4th, but don't know if he is worth the extra 4th rounder.

Harris is the type of prospect to take a chance on in the 7th round.

My favorite move in getting Holyfield in UDFA.

Well my thought with trading the future 4th is were probably going to get a 3rd round comp for Sheldon next year, so basically its an extra pick.

Plus i believe Oliver has big time potential. 

[Kparty15]

Nice job you were able to add competition at just about every level.  It looks like you were able to add some pretty good prospects in the later rounds.  I really like Oliver as a prospect, but I also don’t see TE as huge need for us this year.  I would still be happy if we got him though.  I feel the same way about Ben Banogu.  He seems like a great prospect, but I don’t see DE as anything more than a day 3 need this year at most because we have a lot of depth.

Who do you you think would be our 4th safety?  Right now we have Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, Jayron Kearse, and then nothing.

Your mock is pretty different from the one I came up with.  I like it for the most part, but my biggest complaints are that I don’t think you did enough to address our two biggest needs.  We are stacked at most positions, but we need a ton of help in the trenches if we want to make the playoffs next year.  In my opinion our top needs are OL and UT.  I think we need two new starters on the OL because I don’t see Kline as any sort of an upgrade over what we had last year.

 

To be honest, I don’t know a ton about Daniel Wise, but he looks like a decent prospect.  I don’t like the comp you gave him because Brandon Mebane has always been more of an undersized NT in the NFL than anything else and that isn’t where our need is on the DL.  NFL.com has his comp as Tom Johnson which is closer to what we need.  Although I think he could be a good prospect he doesn’t seem like a lock to make the roster and may struggle to beat out some of the guys we already have.  The reason I don’t love this pick is because to me it feels like we’re adding a depth player to a spot where we need to find a starter.  That’s why I would prefer to find a UT earlier.

i don’t think you did enough to address our OL issues either.  IMO we need to find two starters. Cody Ford although he isn’t a scheme fit would still be an upgrade.  I think Risner or Lindstrom would be better scheme fits and I think they are better prospects as well, but Ford isn’t a bad player.  Javon Patterson seems like he could be a good practice squad player for a few years, but I would like to see another player added that could be an early starter because I have no confidence in Josh Kline.

[The Gnat]

I'd be really pleased with that draft.

[Eric dunn]

@Kparty15 I believe there is a good chance Derron Smith (AAF signing) makes the roster as he signed a two year deal. I also signed an UDFA in this mock. Harris & Sendejo were UDFA's and Kearse was a 7th round pick, so MIN has had success developing late round guys. Which leads me to believe they may not use an early round pick on one. Harris is a candidate for an extension. So i think the safety position is in decent shape. Could use another guy though, Derron is no sure thing. 

As far as Wise, i saw the Johnson comparison but i didnt want to use someone else's comparison & i see similarities with Mebane & Wise. Both guys are somewhat undersized guys who are good run defenders. As far as needing a starter there, i agree but we need to find out if Johnson or Holmes have the potential to start. Otherwise what are they doing on the team, we used mid round picks on them and its time to see if they can take that next step (especially Johnson). Also the signing of Stephen helps out the depth. Then you throw in a possible wild card in Ifeadi, and we have some options there. My point is i think we have a mix of guys that can get the job done, with a few of them having some breakout potential. Im not saying id be upset with a DT early though. 

Then as far as taking another OL early, i dont think that necessarily helps us this season. Regardless of what we feel about Kline, i think MIN sees him as a starter for at least this year based off the contract they gave him. So we really need one starter, which i gave us with Ford. But after that i think taking another one in the top 3 rounds is kind of overkill at this point, mainly due to the fact that we have brought in or brought back Jones, Hill, & Dozier which i would kind of expect those guys to make the team. Thats 8 OL, then factor in guys like Isidora, late round guy?, Edison, and Collins. I dont think they keep 10 OL, they will probably keep 8-9. So basically i just dont see them taking a guy very early with their starting lineup basically set for 2019 & some good depth pieces already in place. Of course it wouldnt be a terrible idea, because it would be a pick with the future in mind. But it wouldnt be a pick that would really help us next season. Versus a WR or TE, which can definitely help us next year. Because we need a #3 WR right now, and could use another TE with receiving ability. Also could have the luxery of trading Rudolph if the rook looks good enough early. For a team that didnt make very many moves in FA and has a few holes they kind of need to draft a few guys that can help out this year in some way. Which unless some guys get hurt(likely) i dont know if another OL makes an immediate impact, who's to say their better than Brett Jones or Dozier?  But you dont draft with a plan of guys getting hurt. Now im not saying your wrong and you would not hear me complain one bit if they double dipped on OL, because we all know thats a weak link on this team. BUT i was just giving you an explanation on my mindset behind this mock & a few reasons why it would make sense to not double dip on OL. Could easily see it happening, especially if the right guys slip.