bleedspeed177 wrote:Wyatt Davis is interesting since he was a multiyear All-American that slipped a little due to injury concerns.
I do think it does paint the pitcher of what to expect though. Elfein certainly can't be considered a bust as a 3rd rounder but was a disappointment after his rookie year.
This team does have a chance to have a young solid line if things come together. That is a big if. It will be interesting how Brian O'Neill's contract works out.
I agree with anyone who suggests that the Vikings offensive line, despite all the potential, is not even a lock to be as good as last year. Reiff had his best year as a Viking last year and was a solid LT last season, is it fair to expect Darrisaw to be that good, let alone in year 1? Wyatt Davis got way too much credit being penciled in as starter from day 1 when he was picked in the middle of the draft. We would be very lucky if he develops period, much less in year 1, but this leaves a probable gaping hole at RG.
With that said, I think the positives are that O'Neill is rock solid at RT and still not even in his prime, Bradbury improved last year from his rookie year, and I expect that to also continue. Then you have Ezra Cleveland. I'm bullish on him this year because he's not only not a rookie anymore, but he's had a year to build his base strength. Additionally, he's moving back to the left side, albeit at guard. I think there's something to be said for him moving back to the left side with regard to footwork and pass pro.
So improvement on 3/5 of the line, a slight downgrade likely at LT (but hopeful for more), and honestly our RG position is probably no worse off than our LG position was last season, so wash there. Overly optimistic? Perhaps, we'll see. All of this is also health-permitting.
When I think about our run blocking...that was decent last year. Pass blocking has been atrocious for a while, so the bar is low, and hopefully can improve.
I see ESPN has a ranking of teams top 32 OL's. I wonder where they have us falling.
If I could pick 4 guys from this draft to make a splash this year it would be.
1. Darrisaw
2. Davis
3. Smith-Marsette
4. Mond
Not that I want Mond to play, but if he looked like a 22 starter that would be exceptional. I really wanted to add Surratt and one of our DE's. For some reason, I am not as high on those DE's as I am of Wonnum.
bleedspeed177 wrote:I see ESPN has a ranking of teams top 32 OL's. I wonder where they have us falling.
If I could pick 4 guys from this draft to make a splash this year it would be.
1. Darrisaw
2. Davis
3. Smith-Marsette
4. Mond
Not that I want Mond to play, but if he looked like a 22 starter that would be exceptional. I really wanted to add Surratt and one of our DE's. For some reason, I am not as high on those DE's as I am of Wonnum.
If half of those guys you listed make a legit splash it would be a pretty nice success.
bleedspeed177 wrote:Agreed - It seems like the teams that make big changes in W-L seem to have solid drafts.
I do really like that group though. It will be interesting. I hope Patrick Peterson rebounds with us too.
As much as I liked some of the young guys that played last year...the bar isn't very high for improvement in CB play. If Hunter is healthy and with Sheldon Richardson rotating in there (even to some extent Tomlinson and Pierce) is going to be a lot more pressure on the QB than last year too which is going to make a pretty big difference. If Xavier Woods is a legit starting Safety that's gonna help also although even though Harris wasn't as good last year he was still solid starter.
I'm simply looking forward to this season. There are a lot of things/players to be interested in and see what happens. I don't have any wild expectations but I assume it's going to be a solid team unless there are some really big injuries but you can say that about a lot of rosters especially in key spots.
You nailed it. I think every year in the NFL about 3/4ths of the teams have promise and you have some big surprises. It seems to be easier to sell hope then any other major sport in my mind.
bleedspeed177 wrote:You nailed it. I think every year in the NFL about 3/4ths of the teams have promise and you have some big surprises. It seems to be easier to sell hope then any other major sport in my mind.
Yes it's the sport that has showed most chance of parody.
I'll add that while I would love the Vikings to win a Super Bowl some day I can enjoy watching this team likely for years to come because...they have some consistency success are interesting and tend to do a pretty good job of finding and developing talent across the roster. Yes they have not succeeded at certain often key positions but the Wolves success at developing players at all over the years make a solid team like the Vikings something I appreciate. Lol
WR3 News: (love it if he is healthy)
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2021/7/23/22590631/minnesota-vikings-on-verge-signing-wr-dede-westbrook
There was some other Vikings employee that was let go and it was speculated that it was because they were not vaccinated.
Like you Bleed I was never sold on Dennison either but I also know some people thought he sucked (including fans from other teams) but I also thought he likely brought value to the organization. If he is truly gone it does leave a void of offensive experience on the staff. Experience doesn't always mean it's a positive though. If Kubiak is actually a good coach this might actually empower him more.
Phil Rauscher the new oline coach spent a few years with Washington under Bill Callahan and then was promoted to oline coach when Callahan got the interim head coaching job. Callahan is a pretty good oline guy to learn from. He has spent some time around the Kubiak group too as well as the assistant oline guy last season so he should be a pretty good fit.
Westbrook seems like an exciting name but I'm also getting weary of getting excited about some of these decent FA WRs that do nothing here. He averages like 10 yards a reception and has a total of 9 career TDs. I'm certainly not against signing him but I will not be shocked if he ends up not seeing the field much or doesn't even make the roster. Supposedly he is going to visit the Seahawks too.
