Jump to content

The 2023 Vikings' Draft Class


vike daddy

Recommended Posts

16 hours ago, vike daddy said:

is that McBride second from the left...?

and what number is Brigham Hall wearing...?

McBride is next to red jersey Hall,

 

Jay Ward is next to Addison. Jay Ward is pretty tall. I bet the Vikings can fill out that body to 200+ pounds.

Edited by battle2heaven
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, JDBrocks said:

McBride's got some calves on him, doesn't he...

I hope he is willing to spend a lot of time catching passes and that becomes a part of his game, because he definitely looks the part of a feature back.

UABs offense just didnt feature RBs in the passing game. So it's not that he can't catch passes, it's just they didnt use their rbs in that way.

Kwesi said our RBs coach has a full belief that is part of his bag. So we'll see! 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, battle2heaven said:

UABs offense just didnt feature RBs in the passing game. So it's not that he can't catch passes, it's just they didnt use their rbs in that way.

Kwesi said our RBs coach has a full belief that is part of his bag. So we'll see! 

AJ Dillion hardly ever caught passes in college I believe too, and he looks like a natural doing it in the pros.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Overall, it shouldn’t be setting off alarms that Addison and McBride have not signed to contracts yet in the offseason. Vikings fans will remember that last year, Ed Ingram remained unsigned well into July and still won the starting right guard job for the fall. He remained there for all 17 games of the regular season as well as the Wild Card game against the New York Giants.

In all, there are still 21 of 31 first-round picks that remain unsigned as of Tuesday morning. This list includes each of the top five picks as well.

https://purpleptsd.com/2023/vikings/news/vikings-draft-picks/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

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

Edited by vike daddy
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...