Minnesota Sports Forum

My Viking draft recap.

I am not going to go into the trade. Just give my thoughts on who they picked.

Pick 18 - Garrett Bradbury C- NC State
Grade A+
Good pick. Best center in last 5 years in my opinion. I would have been tempted by Dillard, but this is a good pick. I think Brian O'Neill is our LT of the future.

Pick 50 - Irv Smith Jr TE - Alabama
Grade A+
Good pick. This is a need and value pick. There was a run on DL and OL before our pick and getting a TE is a need for this team. Rudolph and Morgan are free agents in 2020. Irv is a guy that can line up split out or in the backfield as a fullback or on the end as an inline blocker. He is the type of player that creates matchup issues.

Pick 102 - Alexander Mattison RB - Boise
Grade D+
Bad pick. I like Alexander as a player. RB was a need for this team. He is instantly the number 2 back on the team and likely going to get a fair number of touches. The problem is I just don't see a big difference between him and UDFA RB's. Why take a running back when there is a stud safety sitting on the board that looks like the next Desmond King type middle round steal?

My pick - Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - S Florida (went 105th to Saints (Devine Ozigbo RB Nebraska went undrafted and signed with Saints)


Pick 114 - Dru Samia - G Oklahoma
Grade B
Solid pick. He was the 3rd OL drafted from Oklahoma. He is on the light side. Nasty mentality. I could see him pushing Elfein for starting spot. I liked Hjalte Froholdt better. PFF has him ranked as 4th best interior lineman and he went to Patriots a few spots after we picked Dru. I see him having a higher upside since he was new to the game, stronger, and quicker.

My pick Hjalte Froholdt - G Arkansas (went 118 to Patriots)
Other players I would have considered - Amani Hooker S Iowa - John Cominsky - DE/DT Charleston


Pick 162 - Cameron Smith LB - USC
Grade A
Solid Pick. I didn't know anything about him. Solid allround LB in a bad LB draft. I would have loved to see them move up to get the Blake Cashman of the Gophers. I wonder if they would have picked him if he was here. I was really thinking they would be going DT or WR at this point in the draft. I really liked Tim Harris CB or John Cominsky DT as an options at this point too. Cameron Smith seems like an upgrade over Ben Gedeon since he is solid in coverage. (shouldn't have ever drafted Ben Gedeon over Desmond King)

My pick Kelvin Harmon WR - NC State (went 206 to Redskins)
I saw a 3rd WR as a bigger need than backup LB here. Kelvin slipped. He is the last WR at his tier left He potentially could be a steal and help in redzone.


Pick 190 Armon Watts DT - Arkansas
Grade C
I didn't know anything about Armon. He just doesn't excited me. I thought he looked like a UDFA, but the coaching staff loved him at Senior bowl. John Cominsky DT is off the board. (went 135 to Falcons)

My pick Cortez Broughton - DT Cincinnati (went 242 ro Chargers)
He gets to the QB. Played out of position with poor coaching. Strong Senior bowl after switching inside to DT.


Pick 191 Marcus Epps S - Wyoming
Grade B
Another guy I don't know much about. Sounds like a solid player, but I would have already drafted a safety.

My pick Mike Weber RB Ohio State (went 208 to Cowboys)
Solid back that would be a jack of all trades.


Pick 193 Olisaemeka Udoh - OT Elon
Grade D
Not a fan of him. I don't see him fitting the system or developing. I would have gone Donnell Greene, over him for Vikings.

My pick Jimmy Moreland CB - James Madison (went 227 to Redskins)
He has killer man coverage and ball skills, He played at a small school. 18 INTs in college is very solid.


Pick 217 Kris Boyd Texas
Grade A
Great pick at this point. Got burned in college but has the tools and should be someone Zimmer can coach up. Better physical traits then Moreland. I like that he was a teammate of Holton Hill and they seemed close. I am hoping that is a positive for Holton if Boyd makes the roster.

My Pick PJ Johnson DT Arizona (went 229 to Lions)Big NT type that came out to early. He has some burst to him for a 335lb guy. He ran a sub 5 forty.


Pick 239 Dillon Mitchell WR Oregon
Grade C
Doesn't stand out at anything. There were some questions about him taking coaching and focus.

My Pick CJ Conrad TE Kentucky (went undrafted and signed with Giants) He was a TE that had heart concerns at the combine and since has been cleared. He is a lot like Irv Smith that he can do a little over everything, but he is a little bigger and not as much of a slot WR.


Pick 247 Olabisi Johnson WR Colorado State
Grade A
I like the pick. Router runner that is said to be coachable. Played behind NFL WR Gallup for Cowboys until this year.
Low floor WR with limted upside.

My Pick Donnell Greene, OT, Minnesota (UDFA to Jaugars) He has teh tools and experience. He looks like he has RT starting upside that could fit the scheme.


Pick 250 Austin Cutting LS Air Force
Grade NA
Odd pick, but when you have 12 picks it might make sense. He is supposed to be a great LS.

Rookie minicamp starts today. I am looking forward to full team OTAs.

https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/MIN

FWIW the Vikings update guy said on the last podcast with Souhan that he heard the Vikings really liked what they saw out of Jaylen Holmes in OTAs. I was looking up stuff on Jaleel Johnson and it seems like he has been here longer than just 2 years. Alexander didn't really play well till year 3 maybe there is some hope for Jaleel stepping into a larger role in year 3. Even if he could get to a Shamar level that would be a pretty worthwhile player. I wonder what happens with Tom Johnson. I would think some team would have interest in him as a guy that as a part time player ended up with 4.5 sacks from the DT spot.

Back to the rookies...I wasn't impressed with the Kicker they brought in but then I did a bit of digging about him. One site had him as the 11th best kicker in the class. Supposedly he had been much better in previous season than his senior season which looks statistically pretty underwhelming. There is also video of him hitting a 70 yard FG in practice. Obviously he still seems like a long shot but maybe a bit more legit than I thought at first. It's also possible the Vikings pick up a young kicker another team let's go. They also brought in a somewhat interesting young punter with a guy named Tripuka.

I heard the same thing about Holmes. I think he is an impact player this year.

I had a ton of hope for Jaleel Johnson coming out of Iowa, but he has let me down. I would agree his upside is Shamar level. Looking back at the draft I think our top 5 picks this year have a shot at a good amount of playing time. I wouldn't be surprised if Alexander Mattison leads the team with rushing yards. I would be excited if both Elfein and Samia start up front.

bleedspeed177 wrote:I heard the same thing about Holmes. I think he is an impact player this year.

I had a ton of hope for Jaleel Johnson coming out of Iowa, but he has let me down. I would agree his upside is Shamar level. Looking back at the draft I think our top 5 picks this year have a shot at a good amount of playing time. I wouldn't be surprised if Alexander Mattison leads the team with rushing yards. I would be excited if both Elfein and Samia start up front.

There is lots of talk about Samia competing for the spot that Kline is in right now. I'll tell you this I don't think the Vikings gave Josh Kline over 7 million in guaranteed money with the plan in mind that he was going to get beat out by a mid round rookie draft pick. I'm not saying it can't happen I'm just saying I would temper my expectations there.

monsterpile wrote:
There is lots of talk about Samia competing for the spot that Kline is in right now. I'll tell you this I don't think the Vikings gave Josh Kline over 7 million in guaranteed money with the plan in mind that he was going to get beat out by a mid round rookie draft pick. I'm not saying it can't happen I'm just saying I would temper my expectations there.

I thought it was basically a 1-year contract, but it is a multiyear contract. I wonder if Kline could be trade bait if an injury happens. We also have Jones as a backup.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/josh-kline-12892/

It is year 3 for Elfein, Collins, and Isidora. I wonder how much pressure is on them with the NKOTB. I think Aviante Collins is the guy that I think will surprise. Danny Isidora has to be on notice as RG.

I really wonder what the plan is for Brian O'Neill this year. Will they give him a crack at LT? Rashod Hill seems to be a lock as a backup swing tackle. This team might be shaping up for consistency on the OL if O'Neill, Bradbury, Elfein, Collins, and Samia workout.

bleedspeed177 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:
There is lots of talk about Samia competing for the spot that Kline is in right now. I'll tell you this I don't think the Vikings gave Josh Kline over 7 million in guaranteed money with the plan in mind that he was going to get beat out by a mid round rookie draft pick. I'm not saying it can't happen I'm just saying I would temper my expectations there.

I thought it was basically a 1-year contract, but it is a multiyear contract. I wonder if Kline could be trade bait if an injury happens. We also have Jones as a backup.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/josh-kline-12892/

It is year 3 for Elfein, Collins, and Isidora. I wonder how much pressure is on them with the NKOTB. I think Aviante Collins is the guy that I think will surprise. Danny Isidora has to be on notice as RG.

I really wonder what the plan is for Brian O'Neill this year. Will they give him a crack at LT? Rashod Hill seems to be a lock as a backup swing tackle. This team might be shaping up for consistency on the OL if O'Neill, Bradbury, Elfein, Collins, and Samia workout.

I think the plan for O'Neill is to play him another year at RT and go from there. They didn't draft a tackle that can play right away and Reiff is a decent LT. that's not horrible. Next year cutting Reiff financially makes more sense. Meanwhile they could draft a LT move O'Neill over there or maybe someone else develops surprisingly. As a tackle at either spot. I don't even think it's completely out of the question to see Hill take a step forward this year if called upon...if it's at RT. Collins is a guy you are high on and he isn't talked about much because people forget about him. I absolutely agree he could be a factor. Isadora is on notice but he is also an interesting guy because they put him at center last year and said good things about it. There is some competition along the line. That's what you want to see. Will one younger player take a legit step forward this year (not counting Bradbury). That will be big if it happens. Obviously we might need 2 guys to do it if there are injuries (likely). I heard Job Berger stopped by to say hi or something. Maybe they had him talk to some guys about how you can make it. Last year the Vikings had 2 injuries basically before he season got going in Easton and Collins. They will likely have at least one guy get hurt before the season starts and at least one other significant injury during the season. Some of these things work themselves out that way. Someone (maybe more) is gonna play well in camp etc and eliminate themselves. Ultimately it does take that much to improve the line from last year. Obviously we want just better than that but I'll still take it especially if a couple young guys look like they are heading in the right direction like O'Neill did last season. Hopefully he progresses in a positive direction this year.

Check out this 53 man roster prediction.

https://www.dailynorseman.com/2019/5/4/18524918/projecting-minnesota-vikings-53-man-roster

I am surprised what he thinks about Elfein and not the best outlook for this draft class in my opinion.

bleedspeed177 wrote:Check out this 53 man roster prediction.

https://www.dailynorseman.com/2019/5/4/18524918/projecting-minnesota-vikings-53-man-roster

I am surprised what he thinks about Elfein and not the best outlook for this draft class in my opinion.

Some interesting and also weird analysis (like worrying about Wilson's coverage but he is probably the most athletic LB on the roster other than Barr) but the most interesting was learning about the RB Blasingame and his athletic traits.

Blasingame seems like the perfect special teamer utility knife type player. Playing defense and offense at college level might be a benefit. I always felt a FB could be a good matchup position. I looked at Lativus as a possible FB. I think Lativus matched up with Alvin Kamara will be interesting for Saints. Kamara is a dangerous player in slot as WR. He is like a bigger Percy Harvin type.

Eric Wilson made huge strides, but I am a big fan of Downs and Smith. Gedeon is a guy I am not a fan of because he is a liability in coverage. Zimmer has had no problems playing rookie LBs. Smith was pretty solid and now that they are considering Krease at LB it will be interesting if he still starts.