2014 NFL Draft Discussion Thread - Round 2 & 3

[VikingPaul73]

I am saying, that of course we all have our opinions but to think or insinuate that these coaches and scouts are clueless is a head scratcher. One poster mentioned that he could have been blind folded and thrown darts at a draft board and done better than Spieman, seems abit far fetched to me. Or another poster commenting on how he wasted his time watching yet another bad draft from the Vikings seems a bit ludicrous.
So I certainly was not saying that we are "ignorant peasants" but these professionals, for the most part, do a pretty good job at what they do for a living. They do, at times, screw up badly and it is certainly fair to second guess them but as I said they most certainly do know a whole lot more than what we do and are privy to a whole lot of inside knowledge that we are not.

OK fair enough.

Either way, is it just me or did it seem like they had more of a focus on athleticism and "raw" talent than in the past? Hopefully Zimmer can live up to his billing and really develop these guys because, say what you will, Barr, Crichton, and McKinnon are athletes. Seems like this is the type of picks Zimmer loves - athletics freaks that are available because they are raw. Should be exciting next year if nothing else.

Anyone think that they didn't take a CB because Zimmer thinks he can work some magic with Josh Robinson? He also is an athletic freak that might not be the most skilled player.

[mondry]

I am saying, that of course we all have our opinions but to think or insinuate that these coaches and scouts are clueless is a head scratcher. One poster mentioned that he could have been blind folded and thrown darts at a draft board and done better than Spieman, seems abit far fetched to me. Or another poster commenting on how he wasted his time watching yet another bad draft from the Vikings seems a bit ludicrous.
So I certainly was not saying that we are "ignorant peasants" but these professionals, for the most part, do a pretty good job at what they do for a living. They do, at times, screw up badly and it is certainly fair to second guess them but as I said they most certainly do know a whole lot more than what we do and are privy to a whole lot of inside knowledge that we are not.

It's really just about the EXTREME nature of some of those posts. I don't mind the opinion at all but I would like some SUBSTANCE. If you don't like the RB, then presumably you know enough about him to explain WHY you don't like him.

back on topic, one of the cool things about this pick is we DO have AD, so the guy will clearly have some time to learn and develop. I just want to remind everyone that Spielman drafts for TALENT and to find studs for the long term. It may seem like we should be burning picks at G and CB and S but if they feel the right player isn't there then they aren't going to force it. As fans we focus on the short term and immediate results / improvement and it's understandable. We'll just have to see if it pays off in the end.

Anyone think that they didn't take a CB because Zimmer thinks he can work some magic with Josh Robinson? He also is an athletic freak that might not be the most skilled player.

It's not that far out of this world, Robinson is young and you have to go back a little bit but he actually had an okay rookie year. It wasn't until Frazier moved him to the slot role that he looked completely lost. Maybe Zimmer thinks he can put him back outside and get some serviceable play out of him. We signed The Captain and I'm pretty sure he'll be the slot corner when ever we go to the nickel so I actually do have some hope Josh will go back to the outside and play better.

[King James]

One thing I love about this team, that many people may hate is that the Vikings rarely ever go after the popular picks. That's why I don't participate in Mock Drafts because Mock Drafts never includes trades. Most importantly most highly notable mocks (i.e NFL.COM mock draft) never match with the actually NFL picks. I don't think many fans expected us to pick Barr at 9(8) or to land Bridgewater at 32. I'm sure no one expected Manziel to fall to #22. That's why we are just fans and not scouts. lol

These next two picks, I'm not familiar with these players but Zimmer seems to trust them. You can never have too many pass rushers and we need a back-up for Peterson. This guy may be able to take the reigns when Peterson's skill start to dwindle. That's why I love the Bridgewater pick because soon the team will be revolved around him and not AD. I love this draft so far. Zimmer has a knack for coaching up players with less talent than higher prospects.

I know a lot of people were expecting DB help in the draft but I think we already addressed that situation in the free agency. We have Cox, Munnerlyn, and Coleman. Zimmer can probably coach these guys to their potential. So we may not have as many holes going into this season as we think.

Look at teams like the Patriots and Steelers over the years. I'm not saying they don't require top talent but I think they thrive off good coaching and don't fall into the pressure of drafting a guy that's popular on most people's boards.

[frosted]

I have to say - I have a soft spot for weight room guys like McKinnon. Like many have mentioned, he is raw, but man, he is a stud. I was watching some video on him, he has natural instincts as a runner, he falls forward, etc. I think we're going to enjoy watching this young man very much in the future. I will be interested to see what we plan on doing with him, and how much work he will need to get his pass catching up to snuff. But man - I love his athletic ability.

Savannah Morning News Article

I am cautiously optimistic about this draft thus far. I like the Bridgewater pick, I can't lie, I had my heart set on Manziel, but Bridgewater, Manziel, or Murray were all fine in my book. The Barr pick surprised me - I have warmed to it considerably today, especially because, to me it signals a changing of the guard in terms of defensive scheme - I like a dynamic, attacking defense, and Barr will help us achieve that. Very excited by the Scott Crichton pick - great value. I am of the opinion that defenses are shaped by the front seven, and even more so by the front four. A strong defensive line rotation is imperative to success on that side of the ball - pressure, pressure, pressure. It is the name of the game. As you can see above, I like McKinnon.

I understand where some of you guys are coming from. If I could also have a safety, cornerback, and guard among these guys right now, I'd be ecstatic, but Rome was not built in a day, and we need to be patient. Let the process play out and let this new regime rebuild this thing. It will be worth it in the long run.

[jackal]

McKinnon coach said that he could play Safety or Corner Back maybe that's what the Vikings have planned for him

[Purple bruise]

McKinnon coach said that he could play Safety or Corner Back maybe that's what the Vikings have planned for him

I have heard that from two sources now. Wouldn't that be great to end up with a safety with his speed and strength. As I said before none of us really know what this organization sees in one player or the other.

[frosted]

I'd be disappointed if they drafted McKinnon to play safety. Why not just take a safety then?? Unless Zimmer is so confident he can teach a tailback to play safety...

Spielman said in his press conference that they will not be using him on defense. Stated that the plan is for him to be the change of pace/third down back. He said that he improved throughout the week at the Senior Bowl in pass pro, and stated that he is a very natural hands catcher, though he wasn't asked to do it in college, he shined in pass catching drills pre-draft.

Spielman Presser

[VikingLord]

I like the 2 3rd round picks. Crichton flew under the radar IMHO. He's got a great motor and is a smart player who creates a lot of problems coming off the edge. He'll need to bulk up a bit, but should be able to effectively spell Robison and eventually be able to take over at that defensive end spot.

The McKinnon pick is interesting as I didn't expect the Vikes to take a RB that high, but I do like the pick. McKinnon is about as tough as they come. He's compact, has a great burst, and seems very natural catching the ball.

[King James]

Peterson and McKinnon. The workload should be easy for McKinnon. As someone said earlier, by the time Peterson takes a break, the defense should be tired and McKinnon can run it through and get some big yardage. We definitely need a scatback. We've been missing one since Chestor Taylor I believe. I think McKinnon will be good. He's fast.

[S197]

The more I think about the McKinnon pick the more I dislike it. Okay, the guy runs 4.4, benches twice his weight, and has a 40 inch vert. So did Joe Webb and Todd Lowber and those guys were taken in the 6th and undrafted, respectively. The third round is really too high for a project like this. He should have been taken in the 5th or lower, there's plenty of guys out there that can make an impact right now.

He's going to be a Sproles like guy yet he has no experience catching the football out of the backfield. How is his pass blocking? His blitz pickup? No way of knowing, not when you're playing whoever the heck Georgia Southern plays every year. I'm glad he has a potentially high ceiling but he also has a lot of risk too. Take a De'Anthony Thomas or a Dri Archer if you want a guy with pure athleticism, at least they've seen real competition.

The pick won't make or break the draft, and I hope it works out, but I think they dropped the ball on this one.

[Eli]

The Vikings are quite possibly the last team in the NFL that needed to wast a 3rd round pick on a running back. I cringe at the Darren Sproles comparison, just as I do every time someone mentions Zimmer and compares some random defensive tackle (Floyd, Donald) to Geno Atkins in the same sentence.

Or is that the whole idea here? That in order to have an effective offense, old Norv needs to recreate something with which he had some degree of success on another team?

[King James]

No way of knowing, not when you're playing whoever the heck Georgia Southern plays every year.

Well Georgia Southern did beat the Florida Gators last year 26-20. Southern is one of those teams who gets fed to one or two top schools every year. I think running back is actually was actually a need. I thought he looked pretty impressive in his combine. Some would argue that he had the best results at the combine. Great footwork and speed. He caught passes with ease. Don't let his lack of catching the ball in college fool you, the kid has some hands.

I dont see him as a "project player." I don't think Spielman mentioned him being a project guy, what I do remember him doing was saying how much of an athlete he was. I really don't expect him to play DB, even though they worked him out as such at his pro day. I think he will be the back-up RB. I remember during his audio call on Vikings.com where he said he would love to work behind Adrian Peterson and the other running backs so he can get better. Even though he may be able to play other positions. All the signs so far point towards a running back. Though the Vikings could do something else with him but RB is definitely a need with Gehart gone. I don't think Asiata or Banyard are good enough back-ups for us. Every year was seems to be either barely making the team on practice squad and the other is on 3rd string.

[PurpleKoolaid]

Well I like the Teddy pick. If Zimmer wanted raw talent, he has it. They must just be using the next 2 years as practice before they get to the new Stadium. How would you like to be picked as a RB with AD on your team? That's gotta suck. And the guy isn't even known as a receiver or blocker.

[Mothman]

Either way, is it just me or did it seem like they had more of a focus on athleticism and "raw" talent than in the past? Hopefully Zimmer can live up to his billing and really develop these guys because, say what you will, Barr, Crichton, and McKinnon are athletes. Seems like this is the type of picks Zimmer loves - athletics freaks that are available because they are raw. Should be exciting next year if nothing else.

Anyone think that they didn't take a CB because Zimmer thinks he can work some magic with Josh Robinson? He also is an athletic freak that might not be the most skilled player.

It definitely looks like they are emphasizing athleticism over experience and placing confidence in their ability to coach these athletes into the football players they'll have to be at the next level.

[Lash Man]

I love the confidence that this staff has in their ability to actually improve players and teach technique . The days of the standing on the sideline hiding behind a playing card sized playlist and zoning off into space like a HS kid from the 1970's in algebra class are long gone