Post by legion11 on Mar 7, 2020 9:30:51 GMT -6
Hey Proud, this is going to come off as snarky or sarcastic or whatever, but do we really need a separate forum for draft talk? The front page isn't exactly booming with topics this time of year, the draft is pretty much the story. I mean, the CBA is going on and that's important, but all contained to one thread. Free Agency Frenzy starts in about a week and I'm sure that will spark a lot of conversation. But enough to warrant all draft conversation being shunted off to a subforum?
Anyway, like I said before I take a LONG time to digest this stuff, finally finished Day 2 and here are some random thoughts:
SPECIALISTS
Kickers and punters are people too! Let's get these guys out of the way. Michael Turk absolutely stole the show. A punter that can run a 4.80 flat and put up a jaw-dropping TWENTY FIVE reps on the bench. And lest you think he's just an athlete using punting to hang out on a college team, this guy had 36 punts downed inside the 20 with zero touchbacks, so he has some accuracy. I love the idea of a punter that can run down the field and actually make at least a slight difference in the coverage, rather than hang back 40 yards upfield and embarrass himself with a half-hearted whiff as the returner jukes him out of his shoes. We have a bunch of late round picks this year, I'd spend a 7 on him if he's there. Why not? I know Colquitt finally stabilized both our punting and holding situations, but we are in emergency cost-cutting mode, so we have to pinch every penny we can. Colquitt was on a 1 year, $930,000 deal and had a fairly good year for us. He will want a long term deal that pays over 1 mil per year. A 7th round rookie would be locked in at the minimum salary for 4 years.
RUNNINGBACKS
Much like the WRs, there's not a bonafide superstar among them IMO, but there are a lot of bodies. I really like our current stable of Cook/Mattison/Boone and prefer not to keep a 4th, but we might see some value in the 4th/5th round area that is just too good to pass up. Also, there's a fair amount of speculation we won't retain Cook beyond 2020, so it'll be interesting if we try to hit a homerun on Day 3. D'Andre Swift looks to be the cream of the crop, no way he's on our radar. Edwards-Helaire looked good but maybe not great. Jonathan Taylor made a statement with a better-than-expected 40 time, he actually crushed it with a 4.41 that really validated the awesome amount of production he generated in college. On the opposite end of that spectrum, JJ Taylor had great college production but fairly poor measurables, making him an ideal 6th/7th round guy to pluck and hope he's a better player in pads than in underwear. But Cam Akers was probably the back that helped his own cause the most. He tested well all around and looked absolutely fantastic in the drills, just smooth, natural, and had the sweetest feet of the bunch.
OFFENSIVE LINE
It feels like a good year to add some solid prospects to the line. The tackle class is deeper than normal. Mekhi Becton is an absolutely massive human being, but he gives me bad McKinney memories. No way he lasts to our pick anyway, so not worth worrying about. Plus we don't like big, strong offensive linemen, so he doesn't even fit our profile. He pulled up a little tight after his second 40, we'll have to see if that's anything beyond a typical cramp. Jedrick Wills Jr. had a great Combine and might be the 2nd tackle off the board. His footwork in the mirror drill was top notch and I don't think he makes it out of the teens. Andrew Thomas, Austin Jackson, and Joshua Jones all looked really solid and seem to have mid to late 1st round grades at this time. I'll have to look into each of them deeper to get some kind of separation, but at this time I could see the Vikes targeting any of the three at #25. Tristan Wirfs had perhaps the best overall day as far as making his own stock rise. His quads are like my entire torso, just a freak of nature. He tested off the charts and looked great in drills, but there is some question as to why he doesn't play as dominant as he should based on his amazing physical traits. Also not every scout can agree on whether he's a right tackle or guard. He could be in the mix for us in the late 1st. Matt Peart is an interesting prospect in rounds 2 or 3 maybe? Great overall athlete but needs to get stronger and nastier. I didn't think Brian O'Neill would develop as fast as he did, maybe we can strike gold again with a lighter, more athletic tackle with good feet and room to grow.
The interior class seemed a little ho-hum to me. I tried to focus on guys that Vikes have expressed interest in. Cohl Cabral aggravated a hamstring injury and couldn't participate. Logan Stenberg at 6'6 looked too tall and clumsy to fit our zone blocking profile. Plus he tested fairly poorly and didn't even participate in the bench press for reasons I don't know. It's a shame, he's got a good, nasty demeanor and is a lunchpail, blue collar type - the exact attitude I love in O-linemen. But he might be just too athletically limited to be anything more than a backup swing IOL. He's looking like a poor man's Dru Samia at this point. Cesar Ruiz and Darryl Williams looked pretty good. If Ruiz makes it to #89 (our third) that should be a consideration. Williams in the 5th could be a great bargain. Matt Hennessey is another guy with maybe 3rd-4th round potential that looked pretty fluid in the drills. Nick Harris looked really smooth in the drills as an ideal zone-block scheme interior guy but I worry that he's a Center only, not a G/C. And if we were to take him what does that mean for Bradbury? Still it never hurts to have quality depth so I'm still interested in this guy but only in the latter rounds. Danny Pinter looked awesomely athletic but very undersized and might have the same issues as Harris.
Anyway, like I said before I take a LONG time to digest this stuff, finally finished Day 2 and here are some random thoughts:
SPECIALISTS
Kickers and punters are people too! Let's get these guys out of the way. Michael Turk absolutely stole the show. A punter that can run a 4.80 flat and put up a jaw-dropping TWENTY FIVE reps on the bench. And lest you think he's just an athlete using punting to hang out on a college team, this guy had 36 punts downed inside the 20 with zero touchbacks, so he has some accuracy. I love the idea of a punter that can run down the field and actually make at least a slight difference in the coverage, rather than hang back 40 yards upfield and embarrass himself with a half-hearted whiff as the returner jukes him out of his shoes. We have a bunch of late round picks this year, I'd spend a 7 on him if he's there. Why not? I know Colquitt finally stabilized both our punting and holding situations, but we are in emergency cost-cutting mode, so we have to pinch every penny we can. Colquitt was on a 1 year, $930,000 deal and had a fairly good year for us. He will want a long term deal that pays over 1 mil per year. A 7th round rookie would be locked in at the minimum salary for 4 years.
RUNNINGBACKS
Much like the WRs, there's not a bonafide superstar among them IMO, but there are a lot of bodies. I really like our current stable of Cook/Mattison/Boone and prefer not to keep a 4th, but we might see some value in the 4th/5th round area that is just too good to pass up. Also, there's a fair amount of speculation we won't retain Cook beyond 2020, so it'll be interesting if we try to hit a homerun on Day 3. D'Andre Swift looks to be the cream of the crop, no way he's on our radar. Edwards-Helaire looked good but maybe not great. Jonathan Taylor made a statement with a better-than-expected 40 time, he actually crushed it with a 4.41 that really validated the awesome amount of production he generated in college. On the opposite end of that spectrum, JJ Taylor had great college production but fairly poor measurables, making him an ideal 6th/7th round guy to pluck and hope he's a better player in pads than in underwear. But Cam Akers was probably the back that helped his own cause the most. He tested well all around and looked absolutely fantastic in the drills, just smooth, natural, and had the sweetest feet of the bunch.
OFFENSIVE LINE
It feels like a good year to add some solid prospects to the line. The tackle class is deeper than normal. Mekhi Becton is an absolutely massive human being, but he gives me bad McKinney memories. No way he lasts to our pick anyway, so not worth worrying about. Plus we don't like big, strong offensive linemen, so he doesn't even fit our profile. He pulled up a little tight after his second 40, we'll have to see if that's anything beyond a typical cramp. Jedrick Wills Jr. had a great Combine and might be the 2nd tackle off the board. His footwork in the mirror drill was top notch and I don't think he makes it out of the teens. Andrew Thomas, Austin Jackson, and Joshua Jones all looked really solid and seem to have mid to late 1st round grades at this time. I'll have to look into each of them deeper to get some kind of separation, but at this time I could see the Vikes targeting any of the three at #25. Tristan Wirfs had perhaps the best overall day as far as making his own stock rise. His quads are like my entire torso, just a freak of nature. He tested off the charts and looked great in drills, but there is some question as to why he doesn't play as dominant as he should based on his amazing physical traits. Also not every scout can agree on whether he's a right tackle or guard. He could be in the mix for us in the late 1st. Matt Peart is an interesting prospect in rounds 2 or 3 maybe? Great overall athlete but needs to get stronger and nastier. I didn't think Brian O'Neill would develop as fast as he did, maybe we can strike gold again with a lighter, more athletic tackle with good feet and room to grow.
The interior class seemed a little ho-hum to me. I tried to focus on guys that Vikes have expressed interest in. Cohl Cabral aggravated a hamstring injury and couldn't participate. Logan Stenberg at 6'6 looked too tall and clumsy to fit our zone blocking profile. Plus he tested fairly poorly and didn't even participate in the bench press for reasons I don't know. It's a shame, he's got a good, nasty demeanor and is a lunchpail, blue collar type - the exact attitude I love in O-linemen. But he might be just too athletically limited to be anything more than a backup swing IOL. He's looking like a poor man's Dru Samia at this point. Cesar Ruiz and Darryl Williams looked pretty good. If Ruiz makes it to #89 (our third) that should be a consideration. Williams in the 5th could be a great bargain. Matt Hennessey is another guy with maybe 3rd-4th round potential that looked pretty fluid in the drills. Nick Harris looked really smooth in the drills as an ideal zone-block scheme interior guy but I worry that he's a Center only, not a G/C. And if we were to take him what does that mean for Bradbury? Still it never hurts to have quality depth so I'm still interested in this guy but only in the latter rounds. Danny Pinter looked awesomely athletic but very undersized and might have the same issues as Harris.