Minnesota Sports Forum

Rick is making me laugh. He traded down 2 spots in the 6th and moved up to have the top 2 picks in the 2nd round. When the Vikings picked out of 36 picks in the 6th round only 14 picks hadn't been traded.

With their pick in the 6th they get Bucky Hodges TE that looks like a massive WR and runs a 4.57 40. I know he has flaws but kinda surprised he lasted this long and he was a guy sitting there as one of the BPA for a few rounds.

I was shocked when I heard we got Bucky that late. Has all the tools and was fairly productive. Big upside.

My Final Draft Breakdown

I liked the first 3 picks, but then after that it seemed like we lacked a plan. I wodner if Rick is to worried about trading to put together a class that fills needs.

The Picks.
Round 2, Pick 9 (No. 41 overall) Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 70) Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State:
Round 4, Pick 2 (No. 109) Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
Round 4, Pick 14 (No. 120): Ben Gedeon, LB, University of Michigan
Round 5, Pick 27 (No. 170) Rodney Adams, WR, USF
Round 5, Pick 37 (No. 180) Danny Isidora, G, Miami
Round 6, Pick 17 (No. 201) Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
Round 7, Pick 1 (No. 219) Stacy Coley, WR, Miami
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 220) Ifeadi Odenigbo, DL, Northwestern
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 232) Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State
Round 7, Pick 27 (No. 245) Jack Tocho, CB, N.C. State

Dalvin Cook - Hard to pass him up when he was there in round 2. I was fine with the trade up to get him. Has a shot to be best RB taken in the draft. Grade - A

Pat Elflein - Another solid value need pick. I liked a few lineman better. (how the hell did Dorian fall to 4th round) He should start day one and be her for 10 years. Will be front and center on our OL rebuild. Grade - B+

Jaleel Johnson - Love this pick. Value and need. Carl Lawson was still on the board with more upside, but Jaleel helps this team this year with Sharrif Floyd concerns. -Grade - B+

Ben Gedeon - I said I wanted a big run stuffing MLB and we got one here. Like the player, but was thinking this was a luxury pick and better served later in the draft. Passed on Desmond King, Blair Brown, Jake Butts, Ryan Glasgow, and Will Holden that all filled more pressing needs and are better values. Ben will make the roster so I don't give this pick an F. Grade - C-

Rodney Adams - Returner that is thin and drops passes. Looks like a special teams player. Looked like a free agent to me. Not an area of need. Brian Allen the CB from Utah that is a converted WR was still on the board. I would have grabbed him. Is taller, faster, and bigger. Perfect CB for Zimmerman to develop for 2 years. I also liked Nathan Peterman QB was still on the board and had to be tempting. Peterman reminds me of Teddy. I think he could be the steal of the QB class this year. Grade - F

Danny Isidora - Finally addressing OL again. I think RIck was looking for guys that would push Clemmings and Beavers to hard for a job. Multyear starter that struggled at the line of scrimmage rather than at the second level; 78 percent of his negatively graded blocks came against defensive linemen compared to 54 percent of his positively graded blocks. Got manhandled at Senior bowl. Free agents like Damien Mama and Kyle Kalis seem like better players to me. Nathan Gerry would have been my pick here. Tanzel Smart would have been a good pick for depth at DT. Grade - F

Bucky Hodges - Great pick. QB turned TE. Productive at VT. Rare size and speed combo. If he learns to block he will be a force. Grade - A

Stacy Coley - I didn't know much about him. "Coley has the speed, athleticism and ball skills to develop into a dangerous slot receiver and return man if he gets stronger and improves his route-running skills. His work ethic and football character have been questioned though, so he may never realize his upside. -- Steve Muench" Read line he might be better than Adams but with baggage. Grade - C

Ifeadi Odenigbo - Only started 5 of 50 games at Northwestern. Doesn't show upside in measurables, but was productive when he played. I liked a few other DE over him like Hunter Dimick and Josh Carraway. Big boy Stevie Tu'Ikolovatu was on the board. (my guy Stewart Glover went in round 5 to Colts) Grade - C

Elijah Lee - Good pick. Not sure how he dropped when he was rated higher. Cover LB. Grade - B

Jack Tocho - Interesting pick. Solid character and team leader. Not flashy - Grade - B

UFA
Aviante Collins, OT, TCU
Josiah Price, TE, Michigan State

My Dream draft.

Round 2, Pick 9 (No. 41 overall) Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 70) Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State: (sorry Dorian Johnson, G Pitt)
Round 4, Pick 2 (No. 109) Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
Round 4, Pick 14 (No. 120): Desmond King, CB/S, Iowa (sorry Will Holden OT)
Round 5, Pick 27 (No. 170) Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh (sorry Brian Allen, CB, Utah)
Round 5, Pick 37 (No. 180) Tanzel Smart, DT, Tulane
Round 6, Pick 17 (No. 201) Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
Round 7, Pick 1 (No. 219) Hunter Dimick, DE/DT, Utah
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 220) Jaleen Myrick, CB, Minnesota
Round 7, Pick 14 (No. 232) Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State
Round 7, Pick 27 (No. 245) David Jones, S, Richmond


I did this off my board and tried not to cheat up. I missed out on a developmental LT and a thumper MLB. I feel if the Vikings would have passed on Big Ben in the 5th he had a shot of dropping to early 7th.

bleedspeed177 wrote:My Final Draft Breakdown

I liked the first 3 picks, but then after that it seemed like we lacked a plan. I wodner if Rick is to worried about trading to put together a class that fills needs.

The Picks.
Round 2, Pick 9 (No. 41 overall) Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 70) Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State:
Round 4, Pick 2 (No. 109) Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
Round 4, Pick 14 (No. 120): Ben Gedeon, LB, University of Michigan
Round 5, Pick 27 (No. 170) Rodney Adams, WR, USF
Round 5, Pick 37 (No. 180) Danny Isidora, G, Miami
Round 6, Pick 17 (No. 201) Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
Round 7, Pick 1 (No. 219) Stacy Coley, WR, Miami
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 220) Ifeadi Odenigbo, DL, Northwestern
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 232) Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State
Round 7, Pick 27 (No. 245) Jack Tocho, CB, N.C. State

Dalvin Cook - Hard to pass him up when he was there in round 2. I was fine with the trade up to get him. Has a shot to be best RB taken in the draft. Grade - A

Pat Elflein - Another solid value need pick. I liked a few lineman better. (how the hell did Dorian fall to 4th round) He should start day one and be her for 10 years. Will be front and center on our OL rebuild. Grade - B+

Jaleel Johnson - Love this pick. Value and need. Carl Lawson was still on the board with more upside, but Jaleel helps this team this year with Sharrif Floyd concerns. -Grade - B+

Ben Gedeon - I said I wanted a big run stuffing MLB and we got one here. Like the player, but was thinking this was a luxury pick and better served later in the draft. Passed on Desmond King, Blair Brown, Jake Butts, Ryan Glasgow, and Will Holden that all filled more pressing needs and are better values. Ben will make the roster so I don't give this pick an F. Grade - C-

Rodney Adams - Returner that is thin and drops passes. Looks like a special teams player. Looked like a free agent to me. Not an area of need. Brian Allen the CB from Utah that is a converted WR was still on the board. I would have grabbed him. Is taller, faster, and bigger. Perfect CB for Zimmerman to develop for 2 years. I also liked Nathan Peterman QB was still on the board and had to be tempting. Peterman reminds me of Teddy. I think he could be the steal of the QB class this year. Grade - F

Danny Isidora - Finally addressing OL again. I think RIck was looking for guys that would push Clemmings and Beavers to hard for a job. Multyear starter that struggled at the line of scrimmage rather than at the second level; 78 percent of his negatively graded blocks came against defensive linemen compared to 54 percent of his positively graded blocks. Got manhandled at Senior bowl. Free agents like Damien Mama and Kyle Kalis seem like better players to me. Nathan Gerry would have been my pick here. Tanzel Smart would have been a good pick for depth at DT. Grade - F

Bucky Hodges - Great pick. QB turned TE. Productive at VT. Rare size and speed combo. If he learns to block he will be a force. Grade - A

Stacy Coley - I didn't know much about him. "Coley has the speed, athleticism and ball skills to develop into a dangerous slot receiver and return man if he gets stronger and improves his route-running skills. His work ethic and football character have been questioned though, so he may never realize his upside. -- Steve Muench" Read line he might be better than Adams but with baggage. Grade - C

Ifeadi Odenigbo - Only started 5 of 50 games at Northwestern. Doesn't show upside in measurables, but was productive when he played. I liked a few other DE over him like Hunter Dimick and Josh Carraway. Big boy Stevie Tu'Ikolovatu was on the board. (my guy Stewart Glover went in round 5 to Colts) Grade - C

Elijah Lee - Good pick. Not sure how he dropped when he was rated higher. Cover LB. Grade - B

Jack Tocho - Interesting pick. Solid character and team leader. Not flashy - Grade - B

A few thoughts to add.

Dorian had some liver thing that might have made some teams pause in taking him.

Based on what I read I was actually surprised Gerry went as high as he did. He was the only Husker that was drafted. Meanwhile their old coach Pelina at Youngstown state has 2 guys drafted although one guy transferred from NE. I like to joke Rick must have spent too much time watching his kid at NE because they took a number of Big10 guys and signed a couple Huskers as FA. It's a pretty good conference so i think it's just a joke.

Liked the Isadora pick more than you I would give it a C.

I watched some Adams highlights he is an interesting player. He is thin but if you get the ball in his tiny hands he is pretty good. Last year he rushed for 5 TDs on 23 attempts. He seems to have some nice vision and can veer in another direction very smoothly. I kinda like the pick I would give it a C.

I'll agree at some point I'm not exactly sure what the plan was but they did add some players that filled needs. I was probably the most surprised they waited till the 7th to add a DB. I like Tocho he seems like a smart tough guy that's done everything at the college level. He seems like a guy that might be able to help you more sooner than some other guys but maybe hisbupside isn't as high athletically.

The DL from Northwestern is kinda intruiging. He was pretty productive and at 258lbs I wasn't expecting to read he was a bull rush pass rush specialist. Lol

khans2k5 wrote:I think we have 2 decent picks so far, but stacking up picks for the later rounds seems like a poor strategy given our recent track record. I know Spielman likes his 10 picks, but what good is that if you cut 4-7 of them every year because they're all later round guys that can't even make the team?

Completely agree with you on this one Khans. I hate the accumulation of shitty late round picks. I'd much prefer they just be taking the BPA at their designated spots. Once you get past roughly the top 150 players (rounds 1-4) in any draft, you are really just grasping at straws. Sure, once every ten years or so you will end up with a Matt Birk/John Sullivan. But for every one of those, there will be ten guys that are just practice squad fillers or don't even make the team. I also think they reached on moving up for Cook. I would rather they had stayed put and drafted BPA with #48 and #128. There were plenty of good players to choose from at both those spots. Draft as many guys as you can in the top 150 and who cares after that.

Isadoora seemed like another reach for me like Ben. Lots of other guards that are at that tier left on the board. I feel there are UFA that didn't get drafted I would like as much or better.

Adams seems like any interesting player, but again just taken to early for me. I guess for me it seems like they didn't draft with a plan in mind. I know that is not the case.

I didn't hear that about Dorian and news about King. The team I am most interested in seeing what they do next year is Panthers. Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel, and Taylor Moton will help them on offense, but the OC is going to need to be a mad scientist to use them. Has anyone ever had and used to players like that in the past? Seems like it should make matchup nightmares, but trying to vision how is tough. Too bad they didn't nab some TE's to make it more interesting.

The Picks.
Round 2, Pick 9 (No. 41 overall) Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State = B. Good player, but they reached.
Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 70) Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State = B+ No secret Oline was huge need
Round 4, Pick 2 (No. 109) Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa = B. Depth pick. Probably a Tom Johnson type
Round 4, Pick 14 (No. 120): Ben Gedeon, LB, University of Michigan = C+. I see Audie Cole.
Round 5, Pick 27 (No. 170) Rodney Adams, WR, USF = C.
Round 5, Pick 37 (No. 180) Danny Isidora, G, Miami = B-
Round 6, Pick 17 (No. 201) Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech= B
Round 7, Pick 1 (No. 219) Stacy Coley, WR, Miami = B-
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 220) Ifeadi Odenigbo, DL, Northwestern = C
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 232) Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State = C+
Round 7, Pick 27 (No. 245) Jack Tocho, CB, N.C. State = C

I see a very average draft. Cook, Elfein and Johnson will play. Hodges intrigues me. The rest will battle for practice squad spots and special teams.

I am with Carlos and Khans. I feel that picks past 5th round are near worthless in most drafts. Look at the list of UFA and pretty much they all were projected 6th or 7th round. The strategy should be to use those picks to draft the guys you want in rounds 3-5. I would trade our 6th and all of our 7th's for a shot at Will Holden to develop at LT. Even after landing a guy like Hodges.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000804999/article/top-undrafted-free-agents-following-the-2017-nfl-draft

I'm also not a huge fan of Rick's wheeling and dealing. If it netted us a couple picks next season, then I'd be all for it, but trading 7 times isn't worth just coming up with a plethora of picks in rounds 5-7. I understand the first two trade backs, to recoup some value from the first few trades, but then Rick gets too cute with his trading. He seems to think he is outsmarting everyone.

One interesting thing I saw was how quick Rick was to move back after the Patriots jumped ahead of us and took Antonio Garcia. I really think he was standing pat at #86 to take him. Garcia wouldve been a nice get there. After he was gone, I didn't see a ton of talent at the end of the 3rd that separated itself from what would be there in the 4th round.

Jaleel Johnson made sense at #109, but I'm not as high on him as many others. After that I really assumed Rick would be using his 7th rounders to move up and snag a few other higher talents that fell to the 4th, i.e. Carl Lawson, Dorian Johnson (really disappointed we missed this guy as Elflein and Johnson are damn near instant starters for us at the C and RG slots. Instead we sit at #120 and take a massive reach on Ben Gedeon who has a ceiling of a two down thumper, but is likely just depth and special teams player. Desmond king, Banner, Davenport, Sharpe, Chad Hansen, Carlos Watkins, Roderick Johnson, Peterman, hell even a flyer on Brantley are all better choices for our team at this point, in my opinion. Many of which were still there at our other 2 4th rounders that we traded back with, and even our 5th.

Overall, I'm happy most of the draft in Cook, Elflein, J. Johnson, Hodges (a steal of a low risk/high reward) and I like the late flyers on Isidora, Lee, Tocho, and Odenigbo.

Gedeon, the 2 WRs, and the 7 trades that didn't result in a single future pick bugged me.