2022 Early Draft Grade

[swede700]

3 minutes ago, VikeManDan said:

Lowe: Came in and played well yesterday against the Bears. Don't recall hearing his name yesterday which is a good thing. Udoh (UFA) and Brandel (ERFA) I'd assume we'd bring at least one of those two back, but it appears the Vikes have a nice potential depth piece with Lowe here.

Well, his name was called twice for false start.  

[VikeManDan]

2 minutes ago, swede700 said:

Well, his name was called twice for false start.  

HAHA, I guess I missed that! Still, I think there is something to work with there. Better false starts than holds!

[perrynoid]

There is no "I" option for incomplete.

[Cearbhall]

With the way too early 2023 draft grades coming out, it is worth reminding ourselves how much our opinions might change after just one year, which IMO is still too early to give the draft a grade.  At this time last year, it looks like the great majority thought the draft last year was a B or a C.

I assume if it is graded based only on year one production the draft grade would take a hit owing to some players being bitten by injuries. Hopefully that injury snake will not rear its ugly head and strike the young guys again this year.

[vikingsrule]

10 minutes ago, Cearbhall said:

With the way too early 2023 draft grades coming out, it is worth reminding ourselves how much our opinions might change after just one year, which IMO is still too early to give the draft a grade.  At this time last year, it looks like the great majority thought the draft last year was a B or a C.

I assume if it is graded based only on year one production the draft grade would take a hit owing to some players being bitten by injuries. Hopefully that injury snake will not rear its ugly head and strike the young guys again this year.

I had them closer to a D last year than a B. The trade down and not adding a premier player bothers me. Maybe Cine and Booth will prove doubters wrong, including myself. But regardless, the first round trade down with Detroit just wasn’t good allocation of resources. Not that it would have changed the outcome of last years miserable defense. Fast forward a year, we’re even worse off at CB and don’t have a clue in what we have in Cine. 
 

But we did get a starting RG. 
 

[Purplepride323]

21 minutes ago, Cearbhall said:

With the way too early 2023 draft grades coming out, it is worth reminding ourselves how much our opinions might change after just one year, which IMO is still too early to give the draft a grade.  At this time last year, it looks like the great majority thought the draft last year was a B or a C.

I assume if it is graded based only on year one production the draft grade would take a hit owing to some players being bitten by injuries. Hopefully that injury snake will not rear its ugly head and strike the young guys again this year.

For what it’s worth, I do like my C- grade for last year’s draft and I’d still give it the same grade, even after a full year. I don’t think that you always have to wait two years to give a grade on a draft class. My early grade for this draft is a B-. I think Kwesi did better than last year and that we’ll eventually have more starters/contributors from this year’s draft. Addison, Blackmon, and Roy are my favorite picks and I think that they’ll make an impact right away. Jay Ward and McBride are solid picks as well, who can eventually earn some playing time. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Purplepride323

[swede700]

I don't think my opinion has changed much, in fact, it might improve dramatically depending upon how this season goes.  If Cine and Booth come back and begin to make significant development, this class will be much better than probably the B-/C+ grade I'd give it now.  They already have 2 or potentially 3 starters outside of Booth and Cine for this year in Ingram (who already is a starter), Asamoah and Evans.  I also expect more contribution from Esezi as one of the primary backups to Phillips and Lowry (as I think he's already ahead of Blacklock and he might be better than Bullard).  Lowe has some work to do to become a primary backup tackle and Nailor will likely be competing with Reagor for the #4 spot, but if either of them pan out to be quality backups along with the other things mentioned, I think it'd be hard to give them much less than an A-.  Again, it's about the long game, not the grade after the first year, which is the hardest year for any player. 

[CriminalMind]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:52 PM, CriminalMind said:

Pretty underwhelming prospect class. Would have preferred we stick and pick at #12 and maybe get an impact player. I don’t see that in this class. Just usable bodies.

I still agree with this/my disappointing assessment from after the 2022 draft.

[vike daddy]

How are the rookies currently doing in training camp? Let’s take a look at all six draft picks and the one standout UDFA.

 

It hasn’t been completely smooth for Jordan Addison during training camp. He has had a few rookie moments thus far, but outside of those he was looked every bit like a first-round pick and future star. His route-running nuance has been superb and has incredibly quick feet to make it easier. The consistency is really impressive and looks like a perfect complement to Justin Jefferson. As I said in my Thursday practice recap, I won’t get hyperbolic, but the Vikings have a track record of drafting wide receivers in the early 20s (Randy Moss, Percy Harvin). He looks to be the next one.

Grade: A

 

The Vikings coaching staff had high hopes for Mekhi Blackmon when they drafted him at 102nd overall, but the draft community thought it was a reach, as he was drafted 83 spots higher than he was selected on the consensus board. The reality is that he fits perfectly for what Brian Flores wants to do on defense with his man coverage heavy scheme. After being firmly with the twos in the first four practices, Blackmon has been firmly with the ones once the pads came on. He has exceeded expectations so far and looks the part in practice.

Grade: B+

 

Jay Ward has been firmly with the twos both at safety and in the slot, but that’s not a bad thing. He is comfortable playing the slot, outside, in the box and deep as well. That stood out during Thursday’s practice, as he got a pass breakup during 7-on-7 drills. He will likely be used in a variety of ways once the regular season starts and projects to be the Vikings’ Patrick Chung.

Grade: B

 

The Vikings defensive line rotation is something that has yet to be figured out, and Jaquelin Roy has yet to truly stand out. He has shown some flashes, but they haven’t quite been consistent. While he was projected to be a first-round pick prior to the 2022 season, the turmoil that LSU experienced didn’t help matters. He will take some nurturing to fully develop, but the versatility he has will help him early on.

Grade: C

 

As a fifth-round pick, Jaren Hall doesn’t have lofty expectations placed upon him, but there are real tools to work with and develop. He played in a similar offense at BYU but it’s still a transition to the NFL. He is mostly making good decisions in drills and making quality throws, but his processing speed needs work. That is going to take some time, but the pressure isn’t there on Hall. We will learn significantly more about Hall during the preseason when he is playing against opposing defenses.

Grade: B

 

As a running back, it’s much more common to see success as a running back than any other position due to what the position entails. DeWayne McBride has the ability to be that kind of player. What he doesn’t have right now is the receiving ability. It has looked fine in practice, but still needs work in passing drills. His calling card is going to be his performance rushing on first and second down and it’s harder to display that in drills than in live game situations.

Grade: C

 

Ivan Pace Jr. was a very surprising UDFA, as he got a fourth-round grade from me during the pre-draft process. His size and odd skillset was the likely reason he wasn’t drafted, but he has proven everyone wrong thus far. Pace has been rotating in with the ones during team drills and has looked explosive in crashing down hill both as a blitzer and in the running game. He has been the biggest surprise in camp and the front-runner for Mr. Mankato.

Grade: A+

 

https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/lists/vikings-rookie-class-grading-their-training-camp-performance/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem_manual&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0Ji6W0Malto8Ir1WpLYOlR8xOeWEn7rs2HMrLVDUfN2ae9fPeSvOnjp2I

[VikeManDan]

17 hours ago, vike daddy said:

How are the rookies currently doing in training camp? Let’s take a look at all six draft picks and the one standout UDFA.

Assuming you meant to put this in the 2023 thread?

[vike daddy]

19 minutes ago, VikeManDan said:

Assuming you meant to put this in the 2023 thread?

ooops. yes.

[SteelKing728]

Im hoping Calvin Avery can at least make the PS

[VikeManDan]

Heading into year 2 this draft still has a lot of question marks at the top of it. Aside from Cine and Booth the rest of the draft class has the potential to make a positive/negative impact with the amount of snaps they'll see (RG1, ILB2/3, CB2, RB2, WR4, and TE4).

Lewis Cine 1.32 - Looked better this preseason and showed some flashes. Safety room is a log jam, hopefully he'll see some defensive snaps in sub-packages depending on our weekly opponent.

Andrew Booth Jr. 2.42 - Trending the wrong way unfortunately, was a big fan of his selection. This is a big year for him and I'm not sure where/when he'll have a chance to prove it being buried on the depth chart.

Ed Ingram 2.59 - Showed flashes his rookie season but also looked lost at times. Needs to take a step forward this season, hopefully all 5 starters being back on the OL will help with that continuity.

Brian Asamoah 3.66 - Injured all preseason and has possibly lost his job to UDFA Ivan Pace. He'll see significant snaps this year whether he starts or rotates in. Excited to see what he can do with Flores.

Akayleb Evans 4.118 - If you swap the Evans and Booth picks this draft looks a little better. If Evans can avoid the concussions he looks to have the makeup of a solid #2 CB.

Esezi Otomewo 5.165 - Waived and appears to be signing with the Jaguars as a member of their PS.

Ty Chandler 5.169 - RB2 after two strong pre-seasons and offseason loss of Cook. Looking forward to seeing what he can do with more snaps.

Vederian Lowe 6.184 - Strong preseason but traded to the Patriots for a 2024 6th. 

Jalen Nailor 6.191 - WR4 after missing most of training camp. Was getting strong reviews prior to injury and showed flashes last year in limited snaps.

Nick Muse 7.227 - Was on the PS last year and he played himself onto the team this year with a very good preseason. I'd venture he's the future Mundt replacement after this season.

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by VikeManDan

[JDBrocks]

Yeah, there's been a lot of "'22 draft was a disaster for Kwesi" but it's definitely too early to close the book. A lot hangs in the balance, but if they get 3 starters long term (Ingram, Evans, Cine?) and 4 guys playing significant snaps (Asamoah, Chandler, Nailor, Booth), it's hard to be super critical. Health and 2nd contracts will be how we should evaluate this draft.

[SemperFeist]

At this moment I’d say the ‘22 draft class deserves a C+/B-. From the 3rd round on, it’s looking very promising. We’re just waiting to see what’s going to come of the 1st and 2nd rounders.