Most/Least Favorite draft picks

[Maelstrom88]

Most favorite: Wyatt Davis. I think he will be a steal and a 10 year starter.

Least favorite: The runningback in round 4 was a reach imo and I'm not crazy about the player either from what I've read. I would have preferred a WR or Safety.

[VikingLord]

My favorite pick for the Vikings was Mond. While I think Kyle Trask might end up the best QB of this class, Mond is a better athlete and has a higher ceiling. Mostly, I like the fact that the Vikings took a QB who has a real chance of becoming an impact starter in a few years.

Least favorite pick is probably Nwangwu as well. I don't think anyone had him going in the draft. He was a consensus free agent prospect who I think the Vikings could have probably gotten after the draft. Instead, they used a 4th rounder on him, so that was a real reach, although it is possible he was getting hyped up due to his timed speed.

[Maelstrom88]

My favorite pick for the Vikings was Mond. While I think Kyle Trask might end up the best QB of this class, Mond is a better athlete and has a higher ceiling. Mostly, I like the fact that the Vikings took a QB who has a real chance of becoming an impact starter in a few years.

Least favorite pick is probably Nwangwu as well. I don't think anyone had him going in the draft. He was a consensus free agent prospect who I think the Vikings could have probably gotten after the draft. Instead, they used a 4th rounder on him, so that was a real reach, although it is possible he was getting hyped up due to his timed speed.

I also like the Mond pick buy I might be one of the few who thinks Trask has a good chance to be better. Mond has a higher ceiling but the accuracy concerns me. I read in Bruce Arians book that coaches can't improve a player's accuracy. He said people may tell you otherwise but they're full of it. I haven't watched a ton of either though I'm just going off what I've seen and read.

Regardless, it's still well worth it to take a QB with a mid round pick. You have them for what 4 or 5 years and the likelihood that he's a better backup than what you would find on the open market it pretty high. Worse case scenario Mond is a better backup than the likes of Mannion in FA and best case you get your QB of the future. I'd spend a mid round pick on a QB every 4 or 5 years just to ensure I had a cheap quality back up.

[S197]

Mond was my favorite pick as well. I think he's the type of guy you want to draft when you have the opportunity to let him sit on the sidelines for 2 years. But more importantly, it gives me a little bit of hope that Rick finally realizes he needs to take more shots at QB's in the draft.

I'm going to say Surratt is most disappointing to me. Given the limited time at the position, he has a lot of potential but he feels like another Cam Smith/Troy Dye type of guy who is undersized and will get washed out on plays.

[Maelstrom88]

Mond was my favorite pick as well. I think he's the type of guy you want to draft when you have the opportunity to let him sit on the sidelines for 2 years. But more importantly, it gives me a little bit of hope that Rick finally realizes he needs to take more shots at QB's in the draft.

I'm going to say Surratt is most disappointing to me. Given the limited time at the position, he has a lot of potential but he feels like another Cam Smith/Troy Dye type of guy who is undersized and will get washed out on plays.

I think Surratt is typical of today's smaller faster linebacker who can cover. They're basically safeties now. Having our two big DTs up front should help.

[J. Kapp 11]

It's a tie for me: Darrisaw and Davis.

We needed young talent on the O-line, and we got it. The fact that a 2-time All American in Davis comes to us via a trade down that still netted us Darrisaw 9 picks after we would have taken him anyway ... well, that's a huge bonus.

Hard to know whether offensive linemen (or any position) will work out until they get in there and play. But I do know that I'm tired of watching Cousins get buried milliseconds after taking the snap. If this does anything to help end that nightmare, then it's great.

[VikingsVictorious]

It's a tie for me: Darrisaw and Davis.

We needed young talent on the O-line, and we got it. The fact that a 2-time All American in Davis comes to us via a trade down that still netted us Darrisaw 9 picks after we would have taken him anyway ... well, that's a huge bonus.

Hard to know whether offensive linemen (or any position) will work out until they get in there and play. But I do know that I'm tired of watching Cousins get buried milliseconds after taking the snap. If this does anything to help end that nightmare, then it's great.

Obviously Davis and Darrisaw in that order. This is assuming a fully recovered Davis. 3rd round pick with 1st round talent. Darrisaw at 23 a steal without question. Surratt is a fun pick. Lots of whining about him, but he was rated to be drafted either where we took him or earlier. I like the inexperience at LB meaning he was great without experience so how good might he be once he gets experience? Lots of excitement about Mond, but he needs to learn proper throwing technique. He simply doesn't have it. So room to grow there. I can't pick a least favorite. I liked them all.

[VikingLord]

Mond has a higher ceiling but the accuracy concerns me. I read in Bruce Arians book that coaches can't improve a player's accuracy. He said people may tell you otherwise but they're full of it. I haven't watched a ton of either though I'm just going off what I've seen and read.

When I watched his highlight videos he looked like he had decent accuracy to me. His college stats suggest steady improvement in terms of completion percentage, his best yards per attempt was his final year of college, and ditto for his TD-INT ratio (19 TDs to 3 INTs his final year of college).

With Mond the biggest issue I can see is consistency. He has some games where he looked all-world and others where he wilted a bit, but some of that could be due to the level of competition he faced in college coupled with the overall talent of his team. Some of these QBs (like Jones, Lawrence and Trask) played on stacked college teams. Mond didn't have that luxury. You put Mond in for any of the listed guys and its very possible Mond is the consensus #1 pick.

[S197]

Mond was my favorite pick as well. I think he's the type of guy you want to draft when you have the opportunity to let him sit on the sidelines for 2 years. But more importantly, it gives me a little bit of hope that Rick finally realizes he needs to take more shots at QB's in the draft.

I'm going to say Surratt is most disappointing to me. Given the limited time at the position, he has a lot of potential but he feels like another Cam Smith/Troy Dye type of guy who is undersized and will get washed out on plays.

I think Surratt is typical of today's smaller faster linebacker who can cover. They're basically safeties now. Having our two big DTs up front should help.

Good point about the DTs, hopefully that will help. He's definitely much more of a cover guy and will likely be used situationally, which is ok so long as Barr/Kendricks stay healthy. I have a hard time seeing him taking over as a starter down the road though. I'd prefer taking chances on guys like this a little later in the draft.

[CharVike]

My favorite pick for the Vikings was Mond. While I think Kyle Trask might end up the best QB of this class, Mond is a better athlete and has a higher ceiling. Mostly, I like the fact that the Vikings took a QB who has a real chance of becoming an impact starter in a few years.

Least favorite pick is probably Nwangwu as well. I don't think anyone had him going in the draft. He was a consensus free agent prospect who I think the Vikings could have probably gotten after the draft. Instead, they used a 4th rounder on him, so that was a real reach, although it is possible he was getting hyped up due to his timed speed.

I also like the Mond pick buy I might be one of the few who thinks Trask has a good chance to be better. Mond has a higher ceiling but the accuracy concerns me. I read in Bruce Arians book that coaches can't improve a player's accuracy. He said people may tell you otherwise but they're full of it. I haven't watched a ton of either though I'm just going off what I've seen and read.

Regardless, it's still well worth it to take a QB with a mid round pick. You have them for what 4 or 5 years and the likelihood that he's a better backup than what you would find on the open market it pretty high. Worse case scenario Mond is a better backup than the likes of Mannion in FA and best case you get your QB of the future. I'd spend a mid round pick on a QB every 4 or 5 years just to ensure I had a cheap quality back up.

I liked Trask and Mills more so your not the only one. I think Trask is in a great spot. He can sit and learn from the best ever. Mills is in a tough spot. Depends on what happens with Watson. If he gets suspended and they throw Mills to the wolves it could wreck his career. The dude only has 438 pass attempts at the collegiate level. Mond is the dual threat guy. We have been riding that train for a long time and not much to show for it. Gannon was the best but not with us. It took years for him to figure it out. He was 37 when he won MVP and made the Super Bowl. A guy Speilman raved about was Joe Webb. Great athlete tremendous arm and high ceiling which basically means you can't play right now. I remember Webb playing and I'm screaming at the TV for him to take off and get some yards. He had no accuracy and was basically forced into a spot. Completing a pass was almost impossible for him at that time. He was in the NFL a long time so I give him credit. Mond who knows. I doubt he will be ready in two years when Cousins time is up. That's not even fair to expect. We should draft QBs. We did that with Chad May, Brad Johnson, Gino Torreta and I liked all of those picks. Johnson was a Super Bowl guy and playing a full schedule in Europe helped his development. It will be a long time out IMO before Mond is ready.

[StumpHunter]

Favorite Pick: Mond

Least Favorite Pick Spent: Ngakoue


The contrast of these two moves is pretty crazy. One move you have a GM panicking when he learns his best DE is out for the season and spending a 2nd to save a season that was never going to be saved at the expense of future seasons, the other move you have a GM making a pick that will not help the team one bit in the following season in order to help the team in future seasons.

[VikingsVictorious]

Mond has a higher ceiling but the accuracy concerns me. I read in Bruce Arians book that coaches can't improve a player's accuracy. He said people may tell you otherwise but they're full of it. I haven't watched a ton of either though I'm just going off what I've seen and read.

When I watched his highlight videos he looked like he had decent accuracy to me. His college stats suggest steady improvement in terms of completion percentage, his best yards per attempt was his final year of college, and ditto for his TD-INT ratio (19 TDs to 3 INTs his final year of college).

With Mond the biggest issue I can see is consistency. He has some games where he looked all-world and others where he wilted a bit, but some of that could be due to the level of competition he faced in college coupled with the overall talent of his team. Some of these QBs (like Jones, Lawrence and Trask) played on stacked college teams. Mond didn't have that luxury. You put Mond in for any of the listed guys and its very possible Mond is the consensus #1 pick.

VikingLord I can't imagine a QB that will not show decent accuracy in highlight videos. Watch the game film that was provided previously in this thread or somewhere here. Decent is the best way to describe his accuracy in my opinion and I would prefer him having good accuracy. He's a project no question. However, he has enough good traits that he may end up being a very successful project.

[VikingsVictorious]

I also like the Mond pick buy I might be one of the few who thinks Trask has a good chance to be better. Mond has a higher ceiling but the accuracy concerns me. I read in Bruce Arians book that coaches can't improve a player's accuracy. He said people may tell you otherwise but they're full of it. I haven't watched a ton of either though I'm just going off what I've seen and read.

Regardless, it's still well worth it to take a QB with a mid round pick. You have them for what 4 or 5 years and the likelihood that he's a better backup than what you would find on the open market it pretty high. Worse case scenario Mond is a better backup than the likes of Mannion in FA and best case you get your QB of the future. I'd spend a mid round pick on a QB every 4 or 5 years just to ensure I had a cheap quality back up.

I liked Trask and Mills more so your not the only one. I think Trask is in a great spot. He can sit and learn from the best ever. Mills is in a tough spot. Depends on what happens with Watson. If he gets suspended and they throw Mills to the wolves it could wreck his career. The dude only has 438 pass attempts at the collegiate level. Mond is the dual threat guy. We have been riding that train for a long time and not much to show for it. Gannon was the best but not with us. It took years for him to figure it out. He was 37 when he won MVP and made the Super Bowl. A guy Speilman raved about was Joe Webb. Great athlete tremendous arm and high ceiling which basically means you can't play right now. I remember Webb playing and I'm screaming at the TV for him to take off and get some yards. He had no accuracy and was basically forced into a spot. Completing a pass was almost impossible for him at that time. He was in the NFL a long time so I give him credit. Mond who knows. I doubt he will be ready in two years when Cousins time is up. That's not even fair to expect. We should draft QBs. We did that with Chad May, Brad Johnson, Gino Torreta and I liked all of those picks. Johnson was a Super Bowl guy and playing a full schedule in Europe helped his development. It will be a long time out IMO before Mond is ready.

CharVike in this case I very much agree with you, but I think Mond can be good. Will he be good? 50/50 at best.

[fiestavike]

I like Darrisaw, Mond, Davis, Jones, and Twyman were all exciting picks.

I'm intrigued by Surrat, but not sold on the pick.

Bynum and Nwangwu aren't my favorite picks, but usually in those rounds, there is some one or two things they like about a player, and they'll be given a chance to initially win a roster spot by doing those one or two things well enough. Hopefully they manage to develop more of their game, but if not they can at least fill a role.

[VikingLord]

When I watched his highlight videos he looked like he had decent accuracy to me. His college stats suggest steady improvement in terms of completion percentage, his best yards per attempt was his final year of college, and ditto for his TD-INT ratio (19 TDs to 3 INTs his final year of college).

With Mond the biggest issue I can see is consistency. He has some games where he looked all-world and others where he wilted a bit, but some of that could be due to the level of competition he faced in college coupled with the overall talent of his team. Some of these QBs (like Jones, Lawrence and Trask) played on stacked college teams. Mond didn't have that luxury. You put Mond in for any of the listed guys and its very possible Mond is the consensus #1 pick.

VikingLord I can't imagine a QB that will not show decent accuracy in highlight videos. Watch the game film that was provided previously in this thread or somewhere here. Decent is the best way to describe his accuracy in my opinion and I would prefer him having good accuracy. He's a project no question. However, he has enough good traits that he may end up being a very successful project.

I think it's important to note that at least some portions of the video posted in this thread were of Mond playing in the Senior Bowl where he was not playing with his regular receivers. Communication and familiarity between QB and receiver is important, so that might have contributed to Mond's apparent accuracy issues in that particular video.

But even with that being the case I agree with you that Mond has some issues. I wouldn't necessarily call them accuracy issues as much as consistency issues. He can get a little antsy in the pocket with his feet and his quick release can sail on him a bit as a result of not having his feet set when his brain tells him to fire. QBs who can throw accurately without a strong base under them have "arm talent", which is something I don't see in Mond in any video I watched of him. He has a strong arm and a lightning quick release that looks effortless, but if he's not set the pass is inconsistent. Arm talent is a great and fairly rare skill to have, and it's also probably true that is a talent and not something teachable per se, so the key for Mond (as for any QB who needs to set and throw with a solid base if the pass is going to be accurate and consistent) is to correctly read the defense and know where and when to go with the ball post-snap. Tom Brady doesn't throw on the run much (if ever), and the reason is he is very quick to understand where he has guys open or coming open and he can get the ball out fast enough that he doesn't need to take off or move in the pocket too often.

I think if Mond can develop his processing skills the Vikings have a keeper. If he can't they've likely got the next Donovan McNabb.

It's also interesting to note that the main difference between the way Tom Brady plays and the way Kirk Cousins plays is the speed with which each processes the field. Brady is like "Rain Man" while Cousins is just a good gambler, but beyond that they are remarkably similar players in terms of their base style and capability. So if Cousins isn't going to process the field faster, then the Vikings need this revamped offensive line to buy him those precious additional half seconds he needs to see it on the field. I am really, really, really hoping that Darrisaw and Davis end up locking down that left side of the offensive line and Bradbury figured out how to hide lead weights in his socks so he doesn't get bull rushed back into the pocket so often.