Vikings Draft Grade 12/13

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/21377/vikings-rookie-class-hasnt-done-much-in-year-1

D

Sounds about right so far.

[bleedspeed]

Should be a solid F

[Monster]

I'll say this about Treadwell evaluating him as a rookie receiver I think is different in 2016 than it has been for quite a while for the Vikings. Why?

There was quite a bit of talk about the Vikings WR talent. Some fans were so thrilled with it they were saying it was terrific before it had actually proved anything. Here we sit near the end of the season and what do we know now?

Diggs seems to be the real deal. He is probably the best true WR this team has had since Sidney Rice stayed healthy for one season. That's something this team hasn't had for a while. You could make a case for Harvin but I don't think he was a true WR. Regardless for a few years this team has had pretty poor receivers so we are used to just anyone with decent talent getting on the field.

Thielen is he getting to the place where he might be closer to being a #3 guy than a good #3 guy? He has been really good as a WR this year.

Rudolph has had a good year.

Patterson he has looked the part of a WR which has allowed him to get on the field and make use of his talents. I think Shurmer has put more of an effort from the start of the season but to me regardless Patterson just looks like he has figured out the position compared to what he was before.

Charles Johnson he has the physical abilities and it seems he has talent but hasn't broken out and is down on the depth chart. He hasn't poured though he has taken on the challenge of being a special teams gunner which might keep him getting a paycheck on an NFL roster for a few more years. I would hate having to block Johnson and Patterson those guys are really good athletes.

Jarius Wright he has hardly played and he is a solid player. I don't buy that he just forgot how to be a solid all around receiver. Patterson and Thielen have basically taken his spot. I don't think he has done anything wrong there are guys that are just better. Wright used to take Patterson's reps at the short passing game. That's gone.

So while I am not going to say the Vikings receivers are super stacked with talent because the offense isn't that amazing although obviously the oline is the thing bringing the team down the receiving talent looks pretty legit....

So is it really so awful that Treadwell hasn't broken through and gotten snaps? It wasn't that long ago that rookie receivers weren't supposed to do anything their first year or even 2. It sucks not to get something out of him espcially when there are struggles at other positions where you could have used a player taken in the first round but I think the WRs on this team took a step forward that wasn't expected. Treadwell could still be a piece espcially since we don't know if Patterson will be with the team next year since he is a FA.

Another thing to keep in mind was Spielman was able to acquire a couple future likely valuable picks in moving down.

Let's be honest going into this draft there wasn't a lot of open roster spots. Now we sit here and the only guy not on the roster who was drafted is a guy out of Germany that was a raw dude that was a long shot. Beavers is on the roster because...the Oline is in shambles and so I won't give them credit for him being on the roster as a draftee and his underwhelmingness probably is the biggest downer of the draft class. The rest of the guys are. Doing well in the bottom of the draft is important. Brothers 5th Morgan 6th and Weatherly and Kearse 7th rounders are on the roster. That's not bad. Let's be honest if Beavers would have been up to the task of being able to fill in some when the injuries hit this class would look a lot better because he was a draft pick where they actually ended up needing a guy. Too bad they botched that one.

Also I'll add that Pruitt got signed by the Bears a few days ago.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

The thing that bothers me about Treadwell is when people say he hasn't broken into the rotation because he isn't getting separation when he is out on the field. Well, he doesn't get separation. He goes up and gets the ball so if separation is important to this coaching staff then they really missed on Treadwell because he's not going to be that guy. You don't take a WR with his injury history if you aren't ok with guys who fight off the defender for catches more than outright beat them to spots. I'm more amazed he hasn't seen more red zone work when we get down there. That's where I thought he'd shine right away because of his skills to go up and get the ball, but they just aren't using him.

[Monster]

The thing that bothers me about Treadwell is when people say he hasn't broken into the rotation because he isn't getting separation when he is out on the field. Well, he doesn't get separation. He goes up and gets the ball so if separation is important to this coaching staff then they really missed on Treadwell because he's not going to be that guy. You don't take a WR with his injury history if you aren't ok with guys who fight off the defender for catches more than outright beat them to spots. I'm more amazed he hasn't seen more red zone work when we get down there. That's where I thought he'd shine right away because of his skills to go up and get the ball, but they just aren't using him.

That's a good point about the red zone. It feels like their red zone calls this year trend from brilliant to nearly famously terrible. It's gotta be hard not to think you can just line up and punch it in from 2.5 yards out or in one possession on Sunday like a couple millimeters. Lol

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I'm not giving up on Treadwell at all. I don't get enough inside info in my occasional morning dog walks with Adam Zimmer (he's a carbon copy of his dad), but he was excited about Treadwell in training camp. He said his ability to separate was one of the biggest surprises early in training camp. He had terrific chemistry with Teddy, but after Teddy went down, he never developed the same chemistry with Bradford. Conversely, Teddy has never trusted Patterson, but Bradford liked him right away. A quarterback's preference has a lot to do with the development of a young receiver.

Monster, I can't remember where I read this in the past week (maybe in sid's column?), but apparently the Vikings brass still views the German dude favorably. He still works out with them, and they see him as at least a future effective special team guy. He's quite an athlete.

[Monster]

I'm not giving up on Treadwell at all. I don't get enough inside info in my occasional morning dog walks with Adam Zimmer (he's a carbon copy of his dad), but he was excited about Treadwell in training camp. He said his ability to separate was one of the biggest surprises early in training camp. He had terrific chemistry with Teddy, but after Teddy went down, he never developed the same chemistry with Bradford. Conversely, Teddy has never trusted Patterson, but Bradford liked him right away. A quarterback's preference has a lot to do with the development of a young receiver.

Monster, I can't remember where I read this in the past week (maybe in sid's column?), but apparently the Vikings brass still views the German dude favorably. He still works out with them, and they see him as at least a future effective special team guy. He's quite an athlete.

Oh yeah I agree LST I know he is on the Practice squad. I wouldn't be shocked if he is on the roster next year depending on what happens with Patterson (FA) Wright (could save a little money by cutting him or maybe he restructures to save his job) or Johnson (who is so cheap and plays special teams he might stick around). I can see him becoming that special teamer developmental receiver in sort of the mold of Thielen/Patterson.

[bleedspeed]

How is this not an F? This is the NFL not MLB and NBA where it takes years for guys to make an impact. I hold hope for a few of the guys like Alexander.

Going into next year we are going to need to draft OL/RB/DT/LB/S.

We have a few older guys that we can't count on next year that are on this team.

AP, Greenway, Newman, Robison, Floyd,

I am really hoping for big things from Kearse and Alexandar out of this group. If fix the OL next year I don't see how Beavers or Clemmings makes the team.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

How is this not an F? This is the NFL not MLB and NBA where it takes years for guys to make an impact. I hold hope for a few of the guys like Alexander.

Going into next year we are going to need to draft OL/RB/DT/LB/S.

We have a few older guys that we can't count on next year that are on this team.

AP, Greenway, Newman, Robison, Floyd,

I am really hoping for big things from Kearse and Alexandar out of this group. If fix the OL next year I don't see how Beavers or Clemmings makes the team.

I don't think you can give anyone an F for a few years to see how players develop. A D this early is basically an F because it says we got nothing now and it doesn't look good moving forward. It's pretty much all on Treadwell and Alexander and to date they haven't done anything.

[Monster]

How is this not an F? This is the NFL not MLB and NBA where it takes years for guys to make an impact. I hold hope for a few of the guys like Alexander.

Going into next year we are going to need to draft OL/RB/DT/LB/S.

We have a few older guys that we can't count on next year that are on this team.

AP, Greenway, Newman, Robison, Floyd,

I am really hoping for big things from Kearse and Alexandar out of this group. If fix the OL next year I don't see how Beavers or Clemmings makes the team.

I don't think you can give anyone an F for a few years to see how players develop. A D this early is basically an F because it says we got nothing now and it doesn't look good moving forward. It's pretty much all on Treadwell and Alexander and to date they haven't done anything.

The early returns weren't good enough although drafting David Morgan worked out pretty well. If you look at the guys drafted the guy that was supposed to be the possible significant contributor was Treadwell. He didn't do much but did anyone see Thielen breaking out like he did or CP becoming a legit WR? I was high on Thielen but he really went beyond my expectations as did CP. If they keep those guys around and they play at least as well as they did this year they probably could have not drafted Treadwell it a WR like Treadwell was supposed to be and might still be was something this team has needed for quite a while it's hard to fault that pick and it might still pay off. The other possibility for an impact player was Kearse at the other Safety spot. That could still happen but he wasn't able to keep his positive momentum when he got his chances. Fortunately I think Sendejo turned in a pretty solid season. The rest of the guys were depth or developmental guys. Alexander...it seems like it takes a while to figure out the system for DBs. Waynes didn't play a lot his rookie year of course Newman played well so that's part of it and Captain is a pretty good player relatively speaking and he sucked the first year in the system. So really they didn't draft for immediate contributions the way I see it.

But for this season...the Vikings didn't have a rookie step up in a big way. There was no Hunter or Kendricks or Barr or Teddy etc etc. there was a solid TE in Morgan and Alexander not looking very good. There was no surprise play out of a Olineman which was desperately needed. There wasn't a lot of open roster spots going into the draft and it was even less so once they signed a couple FA so...I think they went with a developmental draft...probably. Oops that didn't work for this year. This draft could end up being an "A" 2 years from now but they could have used someone to step up but other than Morgan...it didn't happen. That was just another piece why the team ended up not making the playoffs
(Most likely).

How many roster spots will be available next year when they draft? LB, offensive line obviously and you can always look at getting another CB or take a shot at another safety and...RB and a maybe DT? That's about it. This team is pretty talented and young at a lot of spots. Its really the oline and questions at RB (depending on what happens with AP or how you perceive how good he is at this stage) that are the weaknesses of the team. Both of those areas could be tough to solve.