What will Vikings do?

But there may not be a team in this year’s draft who is shrouded in more mystery entering this week than the Minnesota Vikings. Nobody has any idea what they are going to do, where they will end up picking in the first round (if at all) or who they are targeting.

That was proven true on Sunday when NFL draft insider/expert (maybe), Jaime Eisner (The Draft Network), mocked Kentucky QB, Will Levis, to the Vikings at the #2 overall pick, after a blockbuster trade moves them up 21 spots from pick #23.

In his explanation, Eisner didn’t shy away from what would be an absolute shocker of a draft-day trade. He claims to be hearing a lot of chatter from his sources that this is a move Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could actually make. That’s how much he believes they like Levis.

2. Minnesota Vikings (via HOU) Will Levis QB, Kentucky

*Trade*

Surprise! You may have seen the betting odds change for the No. 2 overall pick on Saturday, with Will Levis becoming the odds-on favorite. But I don’t think that’s because the Texans are taking him. I’ve heard loud rumblings that Minnesota is very active in trying to trade up for a quarterback and I think they will pull off a blockbuster here. Levis will succeed Kirk Cousins after the Vikings chose not to extend the latter beyond this season. There is a major disconnect between how fans and those inside the NFL view Will Levis. Don’t get me wrong, there are several people in the NFL who are uninterested in drafting Levis this high, but there are plenty who believe he is absolutely worth the cost with the upside to be the best passer in the class when it’s all said and done.

Jaime Eisner – The Draft Network

Reliable sources?

Let’s pump the breaks for a moment. Jaime Eisner isn’t a well-known NFL insider. When he wrote this piece, he had around 5,000 followers on Twitter. That doesn’t mean he’s making up the “loud rumblings” he says he is hearing or that his steam isn’t real but these things are worth noting.

Eisner isn’t the only person who thinks the Vikings might trade up, though. Star Tribune beat writer, Ben Goessling, released his final 7-round (Vikings specific) mock draft where he has Kwesi trading up 12 slots to pick 11 and drafting Florida QB, Anthony Richardson.

Here’s the thing, though. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t draft one player from any of the Vikings’ original draft slots one year ago. The newish GM loves to wheel and deal throughout the draft. It will be difficult to do that this weekend, or fill any of the many holes on the team’s roster, if they trade up in the first round to acquire a quarterback. Remember, the Vikings currently own just FIVE total picks in 2023. They’d surely lose at least one or two more if they trade into or near the top 10, on Thursday night, to draft a QB.

Jordan Reid, a Vikings fan and ESPN draft insider/expert, went on Darren Wolfson’s (SKOR North, KSTP) “The Scoop” podcast and dove deep on that subject. He believes there is a high likelihood Kwesi trades back from 23 to gain the type of draft capital he will need to move around freely on Friday and Saturday.

“I would be really surprised if they traded up. I think they’re gonna trade back. If I had to guess, I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up with two 2nd round draft picks. I think that may be the goal for them. But like you said, it takes two to tango. Pittsburgh (pick 32), at the front end of the second round. And also Houston (pick 33). Both of those selections at the top of the 2nd round, I would keep an eye on that.”

Jordan Reid – The Scoop (w/Darren Wolfson)

Kwesi’s smokescreen game is strong

Maybe the relatively unknown Jaime Eisner and his sources end up being more accurate than what big -timer Jordan Reid is hearing (probably not). It doesn’t matter. That’s not the point of this blog. Nobody has any idea what the Vikings will do this week. And that’s not by accident.

In just his second year running the Vikings’ draft, it’s clear Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his front office is already learning to master the NFL art of smokescreens on draft week. It seems to me that the Vikings are calling teams who may make logical trade fits early in the 1st round, should they decide to move up and draft their quarterback of the future in blockbuster fashion.

Making those kinds of calls on a regular enough basis gets people in the league talking. In other words, those types of phone calls work twofold. Kwesi & Co gauge the market, just in case an opportunity to move up presents itself, while also sending mixed signals across the league on what they really want to accomplish, come draft night. Smart.

Of course, sending effective smoke screens doesn’t equate to completing a successful draft. Kwesi still has a lot to prove on that front.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

With the 8th pick of the 2023 USFL College Draft, the Panthers select QB Tanner Morgan ???? #LetsHunt pic.twitter.com/I2SBEeO8Hb

— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) February 21, 2023

The USFL’s inaugural season played every game at Protective Stadium, in Birmingham, AL. In 2023, the Panthers will play their home games at Ford Field, in Detroit; the same field used by the Detroit Lions of the NFL. The 2023 USFL season begins on April 15 and games will be televised on FOX and NBC. The Panthers play their first game Sunday, April 16 on NBC vs the Houston Gamblers.

Tanner Morgan + Michigan Panthers

Michigan finished 7th (of 8) in the USFL’s first season. Morgan should have every opportunity to earn the starting job. Shea Patterson, who played his college football at the University of Michigan, held that role last season, after being drafted #1 overall in the league’s first collegiate draft.

Things didn’t work out between Patterson and the Panthers and he was released 7 weeks into the season. The Panthers currently have two QB’s listed on their roster. Those quarterbacks are Eric Barriere (25-y/o – Eastern Washington) and Josh Love (26 y/o – San Jose State). He’d better catch up fast, though.

Morgan is from Kentucky but he did plan on living in Michigan, after committing to PJ Fleck’s Western Michigan Broncos, while in High School. In fact, Tanner had his bags packed and was getting ready to leave for Kalamazoo back in December 2016, until Fleck called him and offered a chance to move with him to Minnesota; an offer he immediately accepted.

Roller Coaster Career in Minnesota

Tanner had plenty of highs while in Minnesota, like a historic 2019 campaign (see below). But, he had plenty of down moments, as well, and he struggled to find any success without Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman to throw to.

Morgan holds all sorts of passing records at the University of Minnesota, including:

• Season Passing Yards: 3,253 (2019)
• Season Touchdown Passes: 30 (2019)
• Season Completion Percentage: 66.9% // 107-of-160 (2022)
• Season Passing Yards Per Game: 250.2 (2019)
• Season Touchdown-Interception Ratio: 4.28 // 30 TDs, 7 INTs (2019)
• Season Pass Efficiency Rating: 178.7 (2019)
• Season Passing Yards in a Bowl Game: 278 (2019 Outback Bowl)
• Consecutive Games with a Touchdown Pass: 18 (12/26/18 – 11/13/20)
• Consecutive Completions: 16 (10/16/21 vs. Nebraska)
• Career Passing Efficiency Rating: 151.0
• Career Completion Percentage: 62.2% // 661-of-1,063
• Career games won as starting quarterback: 33 (of 47 career starts)

The USFL season ends in July. Because Morgan was left off of the NFL combine roster, this is a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his ability to be a legitimate backup option in the National Football League.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Last March, the Minnesota Vikings shipped star WR Stefon Diggs and one of their four 2020 seventh-round picks to Buffalo for a 2020 first-rounder (No. 22 overall), a 2020 fifth-rounder, a 2020 sixth-rounder, AND a 2021 fourth-rounder. With arguably the biggest draft of the Spielman/Zimmer era on the horizon, it felt like a plentiful return for an unhappy Diggs… but the offseason didn’t go as planned.

Roster Turnover On Defense

The Vikings knew they were cutting ties with (CB) Xavier Rhodes. They very-well knew a split with (CB) Trae Waynes and (DT) Linval Joseph were likely. Maybe they tried to retain (CB) Mackensie Alexander, but that ultimately didn’t come to fruition either. He would go on to sign with Cincinnati.

Not only did the Vikings end up losing those four defensive staples, but they saw locker room leader (DE) Everson Griffin eventually walk too. (DE) Stephen Weatherly, (S) Andrew Sendejo and (S) Jayron Kearse followed them out the door, before the final hammer dropped. Newly signed (DT) Michael Pierce, who Madden rated as Minnesota’s best defensive player this year, opted-out because of COVID concerns. I don’t know who this Sam guy is… but he saw it coming.

Bears – offense is a mess, meh QB, aging defense
Vikings – reallllll high defensive roster turnover in the cap purge, everyone just assumes 30 year old Theilen won't drop off without Diggs around
Lions – Lions

— Sam (@samhuppert) July 22, 2020

The end result was six new starters on defense, a 55% turnover on that side of the ball. But defense was far from their only problem. The Vikings also had a sub-par offensive line that, at the least, needed to be fortified on the inside.

Miscalculated Draft

So how did Spielman and Co choose to fix all of these holes on both sides of their depth chart, when the 2020 NFL draft came around in April? They chased the ghost of Stefon Diggs. They took that newly acquired 1st round pick they received through the Diggs trade and used it to draft LSU WR, Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson is an electric talent with game changing skills, but wide receivers are one of the more superfluous positions in football. Look at the top WR’s in the game today. What do Deandre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr, Julio Jones AND Devante Adams have in common? Zero Super Bowls. 

Teams should only draft wide receivers in the first round if they feel sufficiently stacked in the trenches. When was the last time the Vikings fit that mold? If you have an immobile, stationary quarterback (like Kirk Cousins) who is surrounded by a below-average o-line, the last thing you should do is draft a wide receiver. Do I dislike Justin Jefferson as a player? Absolutely not. Do I think it was a foolish pick with the makeup of this Vikings roster? Damn right… and I said it back then.

I’m going to reiterate my point again, I don’t hate Justin Jefferson as a player. I think the guy could be great but I still believe the Vikings should’ve addressed the offensive line/DB.

If the Vikes can land Trent Williams, I will be a very happy man.

— Stephen Strom (@SStrom32) April 24, 2020

OL > WR

What did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do after investing into a bovine 43-year-old Tom Brady? They traded up in the draft and selected the slam-dunk OL from Iowa, Tristan Wirfs. When veteran OL Trent Williams was begging out of Washington, Minnesota missed out. This is what separates good organizations from great organizations. 

Fast forward to now, the Vikings are 0-2 for the first time under Mike Zimmer. Stefon Diggs had more receiving yards on Sunday (158) than Kirk Cousins had passing yards (113). Dalvin Cook has no space to run, Cousins has been sacked five times in two games and the Minnesota Vikings have given up safeties in back to back weeks.

The same issues last year were stark going into the offseason, yet Minnesota failed to address many of them, even after they were gift wrapped a surplus of draft picks. This season is a reflection of what Spielman and Zimmer did in the draft. If the offensive and defensive lines don’t quickly transform, this will be a long season. But hey, at least Justin Jefferson has 5 catches for 70 yards on the year.

Want more fire from Strom on the Vikings? Listen to what he had to say this morning on his podcast, Wake Up Minnesota! Follow him on Twitter.

Stephen Strom | Minnesota Sports Fan

Wake up Timberwolves fans… we have some headlines that caught even my attention late this morning:

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Darius Garland will conduct a last-minute workout in Tarrytown with the New York Knicks tomorrow, a source told ESPN. Garland is in serious consideration for the No. 3 pick. Minnesota, Boston, Chicago are teams looking at potentially trading up to No. 4 with Garland in mind.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 18, 2019

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Yes, you read that right. It was confirmed moments after I saw it by our guy, Darren Wolfson, who also mentions the Wolves looking into the 5 and 6 picks too. So yes, the Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to trade up as many as 8 spots in this week’s draft, in order to get their hands on Darius Garland, PG out of Vanderbilt.

It makes a lot of sense (almost too much sense) as Yahoo Sports points out here, after the Knicks pick at 3 (supposedly RJ Barrett), the draft gets wide open and neither the Pelicans nor the Cavaliers at 4 and 5 are looking to take a PG…. and the Wolves need one badly. Even the Suns, who need a PG even worse than we do, have had major interest in Tyus Jones and other veteran PG’s around the league.. *cough — Jeff Teague — *cough.

Garland is fucking good too.

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Special note to Gersson Rosas…. you make moves like this actually happen and find some hope for Wiggins (or in a perfect world, a decent trade) and you might just have me believing in something over there…. maybe.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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As a Minnesota sports fan, you know that we rarely get lucky or catch a break and unfortunately for us, the draft lottery is all about getting lucky. Whether it’s the Wild or the T-puppies, it seems like Minnesota never gets the lucky ping pong balls to bounce their way and move up into a top drafting spot. But bad luck can run out… right?

Hopefully for new POBO Gersson Rosas and the Timberwolves, bad luck turns to gold tonight.

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The NBA draft lottery will take place at 7:30 pm on ESPN. Just to be clear, no player actually gets drafted this evening. All of the bad teams just find out what spot they will be picking from. The actual NBA draft isn’t until June 20.

The draft lottery can be confusing. Long gone are the days of just throwing 14 giant envelopes into a spinning bulb and rigging the draft for the Knicks… If you want to read up on how everything works, heres a link.

But if you’re just interested in the Timberwolves, let me break it down for you…

• We hold the 10th selection (66% chance we stay at the 10th spot)
• We have a 14% chance of receiving a top 4 pick
• We have a 3% chance of receiving the number 1 pick
• We CANNOT receive picks 5 through 9
• Very small chance we drop down to the 11-14 picks

1. 3.0%
2. 3.3%
3. 3.6%
4. 4.0%
5. 0%
6. 0%
7. 0%
8. 0%
9. 0%
10. 65.9%
11. 18.9%
12. 1.2%
13. Less than 1%
14. Less than 1%

Grabbing a top 4 spot would be huge in this year’s draft, considering this class is loaded with top-end talent. There are 3 players that are considered to be light-years ahead of everyone else that will be available, and rightfully so. That’s not saying that the rest of the draft class is cabbage. There will definitely be stars grabbed later in the 1st round (as always), they’re just a lot harder to find the lower you go.

One of these top 3 guys in the 2019 draft are more certain to be superstars (especially Zion), and likely to change the landscape of your franchise.

• Zion Williamson – Duke
• RJ Barrett – Duke
• Ja Morant – Murray St

In 21 years of the lottery, the Timberwolves have never moved up from their expected picking spot. To make things worse, they have moved DOWN almost half of those 21 years! Jesus… give me a break. This is one of those things that has nothing to do with how the team/organization is ran, it has everything to do with down right shit luck.

Here’s to crossing our fingers and hoping the shit luck runs out tonight. We’re due… right?

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Clem Clemans | Minnesota Sports Fan

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EPISODE 50 SUMMARY

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Episode 50 went off the rails a lot. Brandon and Eric were distracted driving through this entire episode and it made for one of the best yet.

Through it all, we recap the Vikings draft, discussing all of the good things and some of the flaws Spielman displayed over the weekend.

Twins Baseball doesn’t get left off of this podcast anymore since all they do is win, with another victory last night, this time against the AL West leading Houston Astros.

And in between our planned topics is our usual nonsense which, this time, consists of eric’s struggle to reach his wife’s moist boxx, brandon’s life-long struggle to reach as much moist boxx as possible, and Eric fighting and confusing everyone on Twitter again..

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Episode Chapters

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The plan was clear for Rick Spielman and Co. during the 2019 NFL draft: stack up on talent to help Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense succeed. The first four selections were all on the offensive side of the ball, giving them four players who should all make an immediate impact. I’m sure Zim was giving Rick nasty looks all weekend, for holding out until day 3 before finally drafting a defensive player.

Easy now Zim… spread the wealth.

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 Take a look at our top 4 picks..

• 1st round: Garrett Bradbury C: The best interior lineman in the draft and will start right away.
• 2nd round: Irv Smith Jr TE: 1st round talent who thrives after the catch. He has explosive play ability.
• 3rd round: Alexander Mattison RB: Bowling ball RB who will win over back-up/3rd down back job. He’s a High IQ guy and he’ll help solve short yardage issues
• 4th round: Dru Samia G: Athletic guard who fits what the Vikings want to do. He has a chance to win over the starting job (most likely at right guard) “I’m the nastiest player in the draft”

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Some critics/fans called for Kirk Cousins’ job after the 2018 season, or at least questioned whether the Vikings had made the right decision at QB when they backed up the brinks truck in March of that year. I’ll admit, I was frustrated with his play at times, along with the offense as a whole. But he gets a small pass in his first year for a few reasons…

1. Chemistry takes a little time to develop
2. Offensive line was horrid
3. Unstable game plans and change in offensive coordinator.. twice.

Coming into the 2019 season, there are no more excuses. Kirk has had plenty of time to develop chemistry, the O-line has been addressed, and Kevin Stefanski/Gary Kubiak will run this offense more to Zimmer’s liking.

Sam Ponder’s husband could flourish with all the weapons at Kirk’s disposal. The Thielen/Diggs duo is one of the best WR combos in the league (if not the best), the RB group is very solid, and if the vikings decide to hang onto Kyle Rudolph, Rudy/Irv Smith (rookie) would be the best TE duo since Gronk/Hernandaz with a lot less “hey bro” and murder.

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SUPPORT MSF

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This upcoming year is, without a doubt, a championship year or bust. Anything less than an NFC Championship Game appearance would be a huge failure, but bring home the trophy and captain Kirk would be worth every penny of the 84 million. Rick Spielman has done his job, time for you to step up, Kirk.

If the Vikings do have a repeat of last year and Kirk can’t get over the hump, its not too early to look at the STACKED QB class coming out in next years draft……

Clem Clemans | Minnesota Sports Fan

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**articles that start with a disclaimer are ALWAYS worth the read

**I like the Vikings’ draft overall. They filled needs early in the draft and didn’t have to reach to get their holes filled early(that’s what she said). Bradbury was a GREAT pick, as Brian talked about on Friday. Then on Friday, they may have grabbed the playmaking tight end Spielman’s been trying to nab in the later rounds of recent drafts, by diving into the TE pool earlier (2nd round), instead. 

And even though I thought RB was the least of our worries entering the draft (I like Mike Boone a lot and I don’t care about Roc Thomas selling a little bit smoking a bunch of pot), I’m fine with the 3rd round Alex Mattison pick, if Spielman sees things differently and coveted the Boise State grad. Go get ’em, Rick.

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In the 4th round, Spielman scooped up another coveted o-lineman in Oklahoma Guard, Dru Samia. You guys can go deeper into the later round selections, if you’d like. Many of the experts love Spielman’s draft and that’s great. They all know way more than I do. However, beyond the most offensive-minded Vikings draft since 1965, was another theme:

The Trade-Down Strategery (info via Vikings.com)

Rick Spielman was active throughout the draft, making six trades in total, over the three-day draft bender. He traded down five times and traded up once (from 120 to 114 to snag Dru Samia in the 4th round). It started in the 3rd round on Friday night, where he traded pick 81 four times (81>>88>>92>>93>>102) to eventually draft (RB) Mattison as the last pick in that round, meanwhile collecting FOUR 6th-7th round picks (204, 217, 191, 193) in the process.

On Saturday, the strategy started to show as they took the 204 pick from Friday night and packaged that with the 120 pick in the 4th round to jump up six spots to grab another OL they liked, in Dru Samia. But post-Samia pick is when I start to get confused. I expected more trades-up into the 4th and 5th rounds with all of the late-round capitol they aquired.

After the Samia pick (#114-4th round), the Vikings had 7 picks left before the draft ended, 6 of them were in the 6th-7th rounds (#190-250). It was a perfect opportunity to use those 6 picks in the last two rounds to move up and get more capitol in the 4th and 5th rounds. But instead, Spielman traded only once after drafting Samia, and it was with the Patriots to DROP BACK in the 5th round, from 159 to 162, while grabbing another 7th round pick (239), giving the Vikings a total of 7 picks between the 6th and 7th rounds.

Not one more trade was completed to move up. The Vikings drafted 3 players in the 6th round and 4 players in the 7th round. For some context, Spielman has hit on 3 late-rounders over the last TEN years that we could find (Stephen Weatherly, Shamar Stephen, Jayron Kearse), who all fill backup roles now.

Meanwhile, the 4th and 5th round picks that have hit for Rick in that same time period, consist of  Stefon Diggs (5th), Jerick McKinnon (4th), Everson Griffen (4th), Brian Robison (4th), and Ben Gedeon (4th); all of whom fill pretty major roles for the Vikings now. So even if late round numbers show that 6-7 rounders can stay in the league at a decent rate down the roade, our own team shows that the roles they fill are usually much different than players who hit in the middle rounds. 

Rick even admitted in his press conference afterward, that they couldn’t quite get deals done a couple of times in those mid-later rounds when they were targeting guys. So, the strategy was there. However, you can have the best gameplan in the world but if you don’t execute on gameday, the gameplan doesn’t much matter.

Again, this was a good draft overall, for Rick and the gang, and these later picks will probably mean nothing in a few weeks. I’m just a little suprised at all of the proverbial blow jobs that have been given to Spielman over the last 12 hours from Twitter and media alike… I thought I might jump in and throw a quick condom on the fun. #SKOL

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Day 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft is in the books.  The usual suspects (Giants and Raiders) continued to do what they do best (suck), and because of those terrible moves, the top O-Linemen fell down the draft board, setting up the Vikings perfectly at pick 18:

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All of the talk so far this off-season has centered around getting protection for Kirk Cousins and improving on that 30th ranked rushing attack and 29th ranked Offensive Line.  Garrett Bradbury can instantly help this team in both of those areas, entering the league as the 18th Overall Pick out of North Carolina St.

When the Vikings brought in Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison, we knew with them would come the Zone Blocking scheme. Well, it just so happens that Bradbury is considered an elite player in that type of offense so this seemed like the obvious choice for the Vikings. Here is what Jon Ledyard of TheDraftNetwork.com had to say about our newest Viking: 

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A three-year starter at center after converting from tight end as a redshirt freshman, Bradbury has been an outstanding pivot for N.C. State, dominating as a run blocker while growing into a very consistent pass protector. Truthfully, there is very little to dislike about Bradbury’s tape, as he rarely loses a 1v1 exchange and has a remarkable combination of traits and technique that should make him an early and impactful starter in an NFL zone scheme.

The only thing that may bump Bradbury down the board is that N.C. State is almost exclusively a zone blocking team, which could limit the number of scheme fits for him if NFL teams are concerned he can’t operate as effectively in gap/power offenses. I believe Bradbury can be a dominant center across the board with his traits, smarts and technique, but for zone heavy teams he can become one of the best centers in football. Top 10 player in the 2019 class.

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Over the years the Vikings have had their share of very good centers, from Jeff Christy, to Matt Birk and then John Sullivan.  One tricky part of this pick is what the Vikings plan to do with current Center, Pat Elflein.  When Bradbury was drafted as the Center, was the discussion of moving Pat already over?  Or will the team let it play out during OTA’s and Training Camp?

It’ll be interesting to see where they plug each guy in, and the results that follow.  Elflein played just 3 College games at LG before moving to RG. Then, in his Senior season, he took over as the starting Center.  The experience of playing another interior spot is there for Elflein, and given his struggles the first two seasons, a move does make sense.  However,  Bradbury spoke at the Senior Bowl about being ready to play any of the interior spots at a high level, so that is also something to keep an eye on.

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I had a chance to talk to Garrett Bradbury at the Senior Bowl and why he was so effective in a predominantly zone-scheme at NC State.

Say hello to your newest starting center, Vikings fans.
pic.twitter.com/vPWgiQYnRA

— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) April 26, 2019

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It goes back to Rick Dennison, and who he sees fitting best at each of those interior positions.   If I had to guess right now, it’d look like this: Reiff/Elflein/Bradbury/Klein/O’Neill.  If you’re taking a guy at 18th overall, he’s going to be the guy staying in his natural position. That’s my thinking.

In his Senior season, Bradbury didn’t give up a single sack while allowed just two total pressures in over 900 snaps.  Then, he won the Rimington Award for Division I’s best Center, nationwide. The Vikings interior lineman alone gave up 19 sacks in 2018… 

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via GIPHY

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Rounds 2-7 will be a treat.  The rumors are swirling, will the Vikings grab another OL at 50?  WR or TE?  It will be fascinating to watch these next few days. You can find Clem’s post for more on all of the options the Vikings now have in rounds 2 and 3.

Garrett Bradbury had to be the pick. This is the Vikings taking the protection of Kirk seriously, and making sure we are getting the best 5 OL out on the field as we possibly can.

Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Dwayne Haskins looks a little pissed off #redskins #nfldraft pic.twitter.com/jiAXzxnwr1

— Evan Jankens (@KINGoftheKC) April 26, 2019

All the while, the Vikings waited patiently like a lion stalking prey, for their turn to pick at the 18th overall spot. It paid off when that top-shelf meat fell right into their lap, in the form of Garrett Bradbury. Considering the first offensive lineman wasn’t taken off the board until the 11th selection, the Vikings probably felt pretty good about getting their guy if they stood pat at 18. 

The former NC state center is quick, athletic; and a tough leader in the middle of the trenches. All this stud did in 2018 was show out, posting a perfect pass-block record (what do the Vikings lack again?) on his way to winning the Rimington Award. Our guy @b_heintzz will have your Bradbury deep dive and hype piece later today so I’ll stop there, but finish with this:

Selecting an offensive lineman isn’t always the most fun or exciting pick for the average fan, but you know what else isn’t very fun? Having your quarterback lying on his back all day. Round one of the draft was a HUGE success for the Vikings as they grab their day one starter to help protect their 84 million-dollar man for years to come.

Welcome to the team, @Gbradbury_11

— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) April 26, 2019

Looking at Day 2:

Day two of the draft is the day to keep a close eye on your TV/smartphone. For Vikings fans, things could get very interesting very quickly. The Vikings need to clear cap space in the worst way. There have been rumors flying around for quite some time about the Vikings dealing Trae Waynes or Xavier Rhodes, to make that happen. In the days leading up to the draft, tight end Kyle Rudolph has been throw into the trade rumors mill, as well… particularly to the Patriots as someone to help replace Gronk. When asked about the cap space issue, GM Rick Spielman definitively replied “we have a plan in place”. If there was a day to make such a trade, one would assume today is that day.

The Vikings hold the 50th and 81st overall picks today, and they could go in a number of different directions with those selections. Defensive tackle is one of the top needs, outside of the offensive line, and there isn’t a whole lot of value at the position on day two. One player does stick out, however. Ohio State’s Dre’Mont Jones was overshadowed by his teammate, (#2 overall pick) Nick Bosa. He would fill in very nicely next to Linval Joseph, at the 3 technique.

Oh, you want to stockpile Offensive linemen? When you have a quarterback who isn’t the most mobile, it’s not a bad idea to make sure he has as much protection as possible. We got our interior lineman in Bradbury, and luckily for the Vikings there is a good handful of OT who can contribute right away still left on the board. Jawaan Taylor, Cody Ford, Dalton Risner, and Greg Little are the tackles to keep an eye on. Taylor is a top-10 talent, who has fallen due to knee concerns, and Risner is a versatile tackle who plays with a mean streak.

Safety has been brought up as a position the Vikings are in need of but Anthony Harris has proven to us that he can start alongside Harrison Smith. They also have some depth with Jayron Kearse, who also plays a bulk nickel role. Day-2 picks could be utilized much better in other areas.

Finally, do the Vikings try to get Kirk Cousins another weapon ton offense? Offensive skill positions are probably the most abundant and least picked through, heading into day 2. The Vikings have arguably the best WR duo in the league with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen (who are both locked up to long term contracts). A healthy Dalvin Cook looks like a man who can compete for rushing titles year in and year out but his back-up role is as wide-open as is the 3rd WR slot. There’s definitely enough talent available in the 2nd and 3rd rounds to fill those needs.

The biggest question mark of the day, though: Can Mike Zimmer go 2 full days without drafting a cornerback?

If the top 3 CB’s still on the board right now, are there when we pick at 50, then HELL NO! Zimmer would pull the trigger on those guys faster than he fires kickers on a casual Monday.

Day two should be a fun ride.

Clem Clemans | Minnesota Sports Fan