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The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:04 am
by Mothman
Here's a link to a great Star Tribune article about how the Vikings 2012 draft went down:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... page=1&c=y
The golden rule at Winter Park is nonnegotiable. A draft class cannot be fully evaluated until after three seasons.
So there will be no celebration of the Vikings’ 2012 haul until January 2015. At the earliest.
To rejoice now would be premature, like declaring a Las Vegas trip a success after a hot 30-minute blackjack run.
“What if all those guys we picked last year come back in 2013 and stink it up?” asked General Manager Rick Spielman.
That, of course, is not the expectation. Not with a group whose talent and hunger paid immediate dividends. So even with the three-year rule in place, those within the Vikings organization have no problem expressing unbridled enthusiasm about the momentum built through last year’s draft.
It was a weekend that included 10 picks and four trades, a draft that delivered difference-making starters on offense and defense in Round 1 (Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith); a Pro Bowl steal in Round 6 (Blair Walsh); and plenty of promising complementary parts throughout (see: Josh Robinson, Jarius Wright, Rhett Ellison and Robert Blanton).
Sure, we may only have one season of on-field results to assess. But the internal hunch is that last year’s draft may long be looked at as a landmark turning point.
Said director of college scouting Scott Studwell, entering his 22nd season in the player personnel department: “As long as I’ve been doing this, that class is one of the best if not the best that we’ve had here. A lot of things just clicked.”
So how did it all come together?
And which key elements will the Vikings hope to find again when they charge into another critical draft this weekend?
Here’s our look back …
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:40 am
by dead_poet
Excellent article. I actually got chills reading it (I'm a sad human being). Thanks for the link.
Edit. Favorite part:
So before leaving Spielman to his fun, Studwell made sure to reassert his stance: Kalil was a must get, no matter what kind of chatter caught the GM’s ear.
“But what if we were to get some crazy, RG3-type compensation offer for that No. 3 pick?” Spielman asked, mostly trying to instigate Studwell.
Studwell didn’t budge.
“Don’t [bleep] this up,” he said. “Seriously. Get Kalil.”
Spielman laughed.
“Oh, no. I was serious about it,” Studwell said. “One hundred percent.”
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:31 am
by Mothman
dead_poet wrote:Excellent article. I actually got chills reading it (I'm a sad human being).
LOL!
The part you quoted was my favorite too and I almost included it in the original post. It's pretty funny...
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:03 am
by Purple Domination
Great article. I wish we could see what is going on behind the scenes this year.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:05 am
by dead_poet
Purple Domination wrote:Great article. I wish we could see what is going on behind the scenes this year.
If I were them, I'd be sure to wear the same clothes as last year and go through the exact same routine. I can't imagine they're going to live up to last year's draft.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:38 am
by losperros
Purple Domination wrote:Great article. I wish we could see what is going on behind the scenes this year.
Same here.
Ahem...actually, for quite some time I've felt that the Vikings should confer with me before making any draft picks. I'm surprised that they haven't taken me up on the offer.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:25 am
by Purple Domination
GBFavreFan wrote:Secondly I'm not going to pat Spielman on the back for drafting Matt Kalil. I don't care how many scenarios they try to dream up, there wasn't one person on Earth that assigned any sort of risk to drafting Kalil and was one of the safest picks of the past ten years. Even Matt Millen would've drafted Kalil.
But that is precisely what made Spielman's trade with the Browns so brilliant. We still got the no-brainer pick (Kalil) and we acquired additional picks in the 4th, 5th, and 7th round. Without that additional 4th round pick we may not have traded up to get Smith.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:09 pm
by HardcoreVikesFan
80 PurplePride 84 wrote:
This was also the last draft class Coach Clueless had a say in. Not absolving Spielman but that draft was spearheaded by BC's draft complementary players to help us win now philosophy.
I hated that draft class at the time. I believe the only pick I really liked was Griffen, and had some hope for DeGeare. Trading up for Gerhart was asinine. Trading out of the 1st was dumb (even though it netted us the pick that got Griffen). And I didn't have much or any expectations out of Triplett, Webb, Shuler and D'Imperio.
It would not surprise me if Cook is the only remaining member of that draft class on our week 1 roster. And there's a possibility none of that class will still be Vikings by March of 2014. I think Cook is the only one who has a chance to be.
And FWIW DeGeare is with the Giants, Shuler is with Oakland and D'Imperio recently signed with KC. I believe Triplett has just bounced around practice squads, don't know if he's still in the league.
I disagree. IMO, there is absolutely no way we let Everson Griffen walk. I think we will be signing Jared Allen and Everson Griffen to new deals this next offseason and letting Robison walk.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:18 pm
by Mothman
80 PurplePride 84 wrote:It would not surprise me if Cook is the only remaining member of that draft class on our week 1 roster.
Are you suggesting Gerhart will be traded? Other than that scenario, I'd say he's a lock to be on the opening day roster.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:22 pm
by Mothman
GBFavreFan wrote:A few notes on this. First of all Dan Wiederer, that golden rule doesn't apply here and is very negotiable.
I think it's Spielman's golden rule, not Wiederer's.
The "golden rule", as Wiederer stated, was "A draft class cannot be
fully evaluated until after three seasons" so although you're right, and last year's class has already made a significant enough contribution not to be viewed as a failure, they still can't be fully evaluated.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 6:12 pm
by dead_poet
80 PurplePride 84 wrote:
Ya I was suggesting that. He could get traded this weekend.
And I think Griffen will back too, I just forgot about him when I wrote that sentence for some reason.
It's possible the Jets come sniffing but I'd accept nothing less than a second or third round selection+ and I don't see that happening. The Jets need picks.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:16 pm
by Rus
GBFavreFan wrote:If Wiederer's Golden Rule is to be applied, then we are safe to evaluate the 2010 Draft Class.
1. Chris Cook
2. Toby Gerhart
3. Eversen Griffin
4. Chris DeGeare
5. Nate Triplett
6. Joe Webb
7. Mickey Shuler
8. Ryan D'Imperio
A large amount of the ugliness of that draft had the distinct odeur of Childress on it. I wouldn't blame Spielman for a lot of it.
Cook was definitely the guy that Frazier lobbied for (and I don't fault him for that pick, considering that the Vikings have to deal with Megatron twice a year), but most of the rest seemed to be Chilipicks. Especially Joe Webb. Only Childress would take a guy that everyone said was a WR and decide to remake him once again into a quarterback to prove how great he is.
DeGeare was a huge headscratcher to me too, mostly because I feel like taking a DT so late in the draft is just throwing a pick away. There were a few good decent players there that could have helped out. Keeping an untalented DT on a roster is just literal deadweight. You can get more out of a punt return specialist there in the short term. They took the guy because he was big and seemed to be able to move reasonably well, but even the fifth round seemed too high. At least with Triplett, they took a shot on a special teams specialist that could back up on the strong side (where Leber was obviously next to hit the door).
I agree, that was sort of a crummy draft in retrospect, but I wouldn't pin that one all on Spielman. Chili had a LOT of pull at that point after that 2009 season.
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:28 pm
by Eli
And I'll never get over trading away a draft pick to move up and take Gerhart. He's been a solid back, but what they hell were they thinking when you can select solid running backs anywhere in the 4th round of any draft.
Lots of rumors swirling these days about the Vikings trading away Gerhart.
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Viki ... sota042313
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 1:30 pm
by mondry
Eli wrote:And I'll never get over trading away a draft pick to move up and take Gerhart. He's been a solid back, but what they hell were they thinking when you can select solid running backs anywhere in the 4th round of any draft.
Lots of rumors swirling these days about the Vikings trading away Gerhart.
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Viki ... sota042313
Yeah that was truly mind boggling, the only explanation (that's still wrong in my book) is the all in mentality of "if Peterson get's hurt, we need someone who can be kind of decent while Favre carries the load."
As far as trading Gerhart, I really just don't see it. As you stated yourself in this very post, you can draft a decent back almost anywhere and get someone who can be serviceable and I don't think Toby is that much beyond serviceable anyway. If he leaves in Free Agency next year that's one thing but I just don't see anyone trading more than a 4th rounder for him and at that point, why would we want to do that?
Re: The Vikings' 2012 Draft Class
Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:05 pm
by Eli
mondry wrote:If he leaves in Free Agency next year that's one thing but I just don't see anyone trading more than a 4th rounder for him and at that point, why would we want to do that?
I guess you could say "only" a 4th rounder, but if someone is willing to give that, why not do it and draft a replacement backup RB now rather than be left empty-handed? Is one more year of Toby more important than a mid-round pick? At this point in time
Jerome Felton is far more valuable to the Vikings than Toby Gerhart.
Theoretically, the Vikings
could re-sign him, but at what cost and how attractive is it for him to stick around when he'll never get more than a couple carries per game as long as Adrian Peterson is capable of walking? The Vikings have a hellacious amount of money tied up in their superstar running back. I can't see them shelling out millions more for a backup.