Did Baker Mayfield steal Vikings defensive signals?

But was there another reason for the Vikings 20-17 loss? Well, Bucs running back Rashad White seems to think so. This week, White told Buccaneers Radio Network that Mayfield knew all of the Minnesota’s defensive signals by halftime of week 1.

“I just remember Bake came in the locker room, literally at halftime, he said, ‘I got it. We got all these signals,’” White said of Mayfield. “We’re in there talking as an offense and he’s like, ‘I know all these signals. If they do this, they’re going into Cover-2. If they do this, they’re going into Cover-3. Every time I alert this and they do this signal, they’re dropping back to this.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ … I was just listening to him and we were listening to him and we just kind of understood.”

Rashaad White – Buccaneers Radio Network (via JoeBucsFan.com)

Lots to unpack here…

There are a lot of questions that run through my head, when reading this quote. The first is, ‘wow… did Baker Mayfield steal Vikings defensive signals last weekend’? To that, the answer seems to be, no. Baker was asked about White’s interview during player press conferences on Wednesday.

Baker pointed to the mental chess game of every NFL game and, after praising Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores, talked about how some defenses give away certain tendencies more than others.

When pressed on the situation, Mayfield seemed to confirm that there was no cheating involved in the knowledge he had gained during Sunday’s contest with the Vikings with a witty reference to his MLB loyalties, saying “I’m a Texas Rangers fan, not a Houston Astros fan”.

Baker Mayfield talks about picking up the Vikings’ signals, I tell him the government may try to pull him into a van one day to offer him a job working in intelligence, and he turns it into a dig at the Houston Astros 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/MkVKjk5M00

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) September 13, 2023

So if Mayfield didn’t cheat, what happened and what does it mean about the Minnesota Vikings defense? Well, there are a few things that need unpacked, to answer these questions. For example, Tampa Bay head coach, Todd Bowles was asked about what White told the team’s radio network and he called it, “exaggerated”.

Todd Bowles suggested that Baker Mayfield picking up on Vikings defensive signals a little “exaggerated.”

— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) September 13, 2023

What does this mean for Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense?

What does that mean exactly? First, it’s possible Baker was exaggerating what he knew about the Vikings defense, when talking to teammates and coaches in the away team locker room at US Bank Stadium. He may have had an idea of what Flores was trying to do on defense and/or what signals the Vikings were using to check into certain defensive looks, both before and after the ball was snapped.

While the Bucs did play better in the 2nd half, doubling the Vikings’ time of possession, they were far from prolific, putting up a total of 147 yards in the final two quarters. If Baker did know what the Vikings were doing on every play of the 2nd half, he sure wasn’t able to attack it like one would hope.

In the same thought process, it’s also possible Bowles was talking about Rashaad White’s account from Mayfield’s halftime epiphany was exaggerated, when he spoke on the radio. Either way, this entire situation is a bad look for the Vikings defense and their new coordinator, Brian Flores.

Flores’ defensive reputation is built around smoke screens. How many rushers are coming and where are the mystery rushers coming from? If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense knew the answer to those questions, pre-snap during the second half, that’s a problem.

Clean up possible tells before Thursday Night Football

With that being said, the Vikings cannot go back in time and disguise their defense better vs the Bucs. In that sense, I am happy Rashaad White said what he did in that interview. Now, Flores & Co. can take that information and apply it to their contest on Thursday night vs the Philadelphia Eagles.

Related: Minnesota Vikings vs Eagles: Preview, Predictions and Keys to Victory

If they believe there was any way Baker Mayfield did read their pre-snap defensive checks/signals last weekend, they can now fix those tells so Jalen Hurts can’t do the same thing.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

But up there on the week 1 blame meter, right behind those unforced errors, is yet another poor performance from the Vikings’ interior offensive line. All day long, Kirk Cousins had pressure in his face from up the middle and Alexander Mattison struggled to find rushing lanes. The Bucs defense racked up 2 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and 9 QB hurries. Garrett Bradbury went out with an injury in the 1st quarter, which didn’t help the situation up front.

The Vikings will not win the NFC North with this atrocious offensive line. Kirk Cousins never saw Antoine Winfield Jr coming pic.twitter.com/JZfsrjwrf3

— Pepper Brooks (@pepbrooksESPN) September 10, 2023

Dalton Risner, who needs him?

This isn’t a new problem. The Vikings rolled into 2023 with the same problematic interior OL that gave us all headaches in 2022. So, why are we here. Why did Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah insist on rostering six safeties and five tight ends when interior offensive linemen like Dalton Risner, who visited TCO Performance Center this offseason, have been champing at the bit to sign with the Vikings?

Well, there really isn’t a good answer to that very legitimate question. What’s even more puzzling: Dalton Risner is still sitting on the free agency market, waiting for the right team to call. According to what’s been reported by local insider Darren Wolfson (KSTP, SKOR North), over the last month or two, Risner prefers Minnesota as his landing spot. But as recent as last week, Doogie said there is still no steam behind Dalton Risner signing with the Vikings.

“I’m just telling you, a lot would have to change. At this moment, there is zero Dalton Risner steam so I just don’t see it.”

Darren Wolfson – SKOR North (9/5/23)

On Sunday, during and after the Vikings loss, Risner was on Twitter letting everyone know he was ready to sign with Minnesota whenever they are, replying to more than a half-dozen tweets that were begging him to join the purple.

Ready

— Dalton Risner (@Dalton_Risner66) September 10, 2023

Yes

— Dalton Risner (@Dalton_Risner66) September 10, 2023

Ready.

— Dalton Risner (@Dalton_Risner66) September 10, 2023

What can Vikings possibly see in Ed Ingram that we don’t?

Unless Kwesi & Co know something about Dalton Risner, or the player I’m trying to replace in this blog — Ed Ingram — that we don’t? Has Risner somehow lost his talent? Is he no longer an above average pass-protecting offensive guard? Unless the answer to both of those questions is, “no”, then there is no reason why the 28-year-old guard remains unsigned.

To add more Risner fuel to the fire, he and Minnesota offensive line coach, Chris Kuper, go way back. Risner started 48 games in Denver, with Kuper as his position coach. How close are the two? Kuper was in Risner’s wedding. Last time I checked, that’s a pretty tight connection.

Yet, here we sit. The Minnesota Vikings interior OL cannot protect Kirk Cousins and Dalton Risner is still spending Sundays on his couch. Make it make sense.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

I think it’s fair to say the lesser team won vs the Vikings and Bucs this weekend. Minnesota sports fans can take that as a positive or negative, depending on the way they see it. Here are 5 takeaways from the opening week loss.

1. Vikings vs Buccaneers: Mistakes derail very winnable game for purple

There’s no doubt the Minnesota Vikings beat themselves on Sunday. They put up 127 more yards of total offense and controlled the football for most of the game. But they turned the ball over three times including an interception and fumble inside the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 yard line.

Bucs INT at the goal line!

📺: #TBvsMIN on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/DauoqZ1OqE

— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023

The Vikings also committed 3 more penalties than the Bucs, which totaled 45 yards vs the Bucs 19. The biggest mental lapse of the game came on Tampa’s first drive of the 2nd half, when Minnesota jumped offsides on a Bucs field goal. The Bucs turned that mistake into a touchdown, a difference of four points on the scoreboard. Tampa Bay ended up winning the game by three points.

2. Flores’ defense starts fast, finishes slower

The Vikings defense was far from perfect on Sunday but there was a noticeable improvement from the brutality we were forced to witness week in and week out in 2022. His pre-snap camouflage messed with Baker Mayfield all game and the constant pressure was a breath of fresh air vs what we saw last year when quarterbacks were able to make lunch, call their mom and set their 3PM fantasy lineups before hitting a wide open receiver down the field.

When dust settled on the 4th quarter, Tampa Bay totaled just 242 yards of offense. There’s no doubt, given all of the turnovers and dumb mistakes made by the Vikings on Sunday, they would have lost by 20 had Ed Donatell’s defense been on the field. Still, the Bucs offense found holes in the 2nd half and struggled to shut drives down before they reached Minnesota territory. In other words, there’s plenty of improvement yet to be had.

3. Vikings interior OL, pass protection still a problem

Minnesota took a calculated risk this offseason, when they chose not to draft or sign a starting-caliber interior offensive lineman in free agency, instead choosing to rely on growth from 20-somethings, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram and Ezra Cleveland to cure last year’s headaches.

On Sunday, that stubbornness came back to bite them. All day long, Kirk was under pressure, especially up the middle. It was like I was watching the “Quarterback” series on Netflix all over again. If offensive coaches cannot figure out a way to keep Cousins on his feet this season, more often than not, he’ll face an uphill battle on health again.

4. Kirk Cousins is going to have a huge season

Kirk Cousins went undrafted in a lot of fantasy football drafts this fall. You can guarantee he’ll be one of the most claimed players this week on the waiver wire because there’s no doubt, after week 1, that Cousins is going to have a massive 2023 season.

Kirk tossed for 273 yards and a TD in the 1st half alone, on Sunday, and finished 33/44 (75%) for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kevin O’Connell is going to put the 2023 season on the arm of his QB. As long as Cousins’ ironman streak continues and he plays all 17 games, he may set every single-season passing record in Vikings history.

Jordan Addison's first TD goes 39 yards!

📺: #TBvsMIN on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/psoxEWmGX8

— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023

5. 1-0 (0-1) in one-score games this season

Well, the doubters were right. The Minnesota Vikings will not go undefeated in one score games like they did in 2022 (11-0). They will have to clean up their sloppy performance going forward because luck isn’t going to be on their side like it was in 2022.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

On the other side of the field, the Bucs enter the 2023 season as a shell of what they were in 2021 and 2022 with Tom Brady at the helm. Replacing Brady is former #1 pick Baker Mayfield, who was the best of what was in the offseason bargain bin. The defense should still be decent. If Mike Evans can look past his contract frustrations, they have some weapons on offense, too.

Where/When is Vikings vs Buccaneers?

• Date/Time: Sunday, September 10 – 12:00 PM CT
• City: Minneapolis, MN
• Stadium: U.S. Bank Stadium
• Field Surface: ActGlobal Speed S5 (Field Turf)
• Capacity: 67,202

How to watch Vikings vs Buccaneers:

• TV: CBS (WCCO)
• Stream: Paramount+ (NFL Sunday Ticket if out of market)
• Broadcasters:
  • Play-by-Play: Andrew Catalon
  • Analysts: Tiki Barber and Matt Ryan
  • Sideline: AJ Ross

How to listen to Vikings vs Buccaneers:

• Radio: KFAN (100.3-FM), KTLK 1130-AM, Vikings Radio Network
• Stream: KFAN Channel – iHeartRadio App
• Broadcasters:
  • Play-by-Play: Paul Allen
  • Analyst: Pete Bercich
  • Sideline: Ben Leber

Vikings vs Buccaneers Quick Facts:

• The Vikings are 2-2 in opening season games vs the Buccaneers, losing in 1981 and 2005, winning in 1998 and 1982.
• The Vikings are 6-1 in home openers at US Bank Stadium.
• Kirk Cousins’ start on Sunday will be his 6th opening season start in a row for QB of the Vikings, tying Daunte Culpepper for 3rd most in franchise history.

3 Vikings Storylines to Watch:

1: Year 2 of O’Connell/Cousins Era Begins: There’s been a lot made of this being Kirk Cousins’ 2nd season in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a noticeable difference in Kirk’s demeanor and comfortability with what KOC is trying to do. Additionally, I’ll be watching for increased complexity within the offense. Will we see more pre-snap movement or a bunch of different formations?

Related: If Play-Caller Chemistry Matters, Kirk Cousins is Sitting on a Big Season

2: Alexander Mattison takes over RB1 Duties: How much work will Alexander Mattison get this season? Yes, he is the undisputed RB1 but that’s in an offense that ran the ball less than any other team in the NFL last season. Sure, O’Connell says he wants to run more this season but that’s easier said than done, especially when you have less top-end talent and overall depth in the RB room. And we still do not know what percentage of the carries Mattison will get, vs what Cook got last year.

3: Can Brian Flores fix this defense and how quickly?: Brian Flores makes his debut as Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator on Sunday. He takes over one of the worst defenses in the league last year but he doesn’t have a lot of time to turn things around, if he wants to find himself back into the NFL head coaching carousel next offseason. Beyond the results, I’m intrigued to see how Flores’ defense looks. We know the pre-snap movement is going to be constant and we know they’ll bring pressure in a lot of different ways but it’ll be exciting to see it come to fruition in a game.

3 Keys to Vikings victory over Buccaneers:

1: Don’t turn the ball over: The Minnesota Vikings should win this game. They have a better team. But that only matters if they play clean and do not turn the ball over. If the offensive line can’t hold up vs the Bucs pass rush and that forces Kirk Cousins into throwing interceptions or the interior line can’t open holes for Alexander Mattison (see below) and that leads to fumbling issues, the better team could find themselves in big trouble. Week 1 can be a crap shoot so it’s hard to know what we’ll see.

2: Put pressure on Baker Mayfield: Tampa Bay returns just two starters from their 2022 offensive line (LT-Tristan Wirfs, C-Ryan Hainsey) and one of those starters (Wirfs) has swapped from the right to left side. Sports Illustrated named the Bucs OL as their biggest weakness, entering the 2023 season.

If the Vikings defense is going to have success on Sunday, Brian Flores will have to find ways to get after Baker Mayfield and the rest of the QBs they play against this season. A healthy Danielle Hunter will help. Marcus Davenport is expected to bring pressure from the other OLB spot but he surprisingly landed on the Vikings injury report on Friday as “questionable”.

3: Inside OL must hold up: Nobody is worried about the Vikings right or left tackles. (RT) Brian O’Neill and (LT) Christian Darrisaw make up two of the best bookend combos in all of football, entering the 2023 season. The same cannot be said for the interior OL, however.

If you watched the Netflix series, “Quarterback”, which featured Kirk Cousins and his journey through the 2022 season, you saw the beating Cousins took last season, thanks to the Vikings’ interior issues. Instead of finding help via the draft or free agency, Minnesota is returning all three of their young starters from last season — (LG) Ezra Cleveland – 25 y/o, (C) Garrett Bradbury – 28 y/o and (RG) Ed Ingram – 24 y/o –, banking on experience and cohesion improving their play.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart Released – Week 1 vs Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay’s biggest strength is defensive talent and one of their premier players on that side of the ball is (NT) Vita Vea. If he is able to disrupt the new Vikings run game, behind first-year starter Alexander Mattison, and apply interior pressure throughout the game on Kirk Cousins, playmakers in the secondary like Antoine Winfield Jr and Shaq Barrett will make them pay.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The devastation is expected to be widespread and Tampa, the site of Sunday Night Football this week, sits directly in its path. According to a report from Kevin Seifert (ESPN), the NFL has chosen US Bank Stadium as the relocation site for Bucs vs Chiefs, should that be necessary.

The NFL has selected U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as the contingency site for Sunday night’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, league executive vice president Jeff Miller confirmed Wednesday. — Kevin Seifert (ESPN)

What are the chances?

The current radar doesn’t look goof for Tampa. They stand directly in the eye’s crosshairs, over then next 12-24 hours. Even if the stadium is in good enough shape to play (doubtful), how is the infrastructure and production needed for SNF going to be put in place?

Don’t buy your tickets yet. But if you’re a Bucs or Chiefs fan living near the Twin Cities, you should keep your Sunday evening open. Prayers up for those on the Gulf Coast tonight.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Vikings are rostering last week’s best defensive player, according to Pro Football Reference. In fact, Cameron Dantzler has been this team’s best cornerback for the last couple of weeks.

Mike Zimmer wanted Dantzler in the offseason’s draft, not only because of his promising talent, but also because of his ideal size as an outside CB in Zim’s defense. He’s 6’2″ and listed at 188 lbs on the Vikings’ website.

That makes him the perfect size to cover some of the taller deep threat wide receivers that exist around the NFC. You have Davante Adams in the North but there’s also guys like DeAndre Hopkins now in Arizona and 6’5″ Mike Evans in Tampa.

Every RT is a #ProBowlVote for @MikeEvans13_ ‼️ pic.twitter.com/cEYqxLo2SF

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 6, 2020

Dantzler vs Evans

I’ve been thinking about this all week. I really think it’s more likely that Mike Evans gets shadow treatment from Cam Dantzler, than not.

Evans is strictly an outside guy and Cam is strictly an outside CB. Dantzler also has 3 inches on the next tallest cornerback, who isn’t used only for emergencies.

If I’m Mike Zimmer, I also want to see how big my stud rookie CB’s balls are. You read that right. We all know how much Zim likes big balls. Let’s find out how good Cam really is. Let’s see if he can play #1 CB for a game.

Cameron Dantzler matching up on Evans slots Gladney on Brown or Godwin on all occasions, too. Those matchups also make a ton of sense.

No matter what, the Minnesota Vikings secondary is going to be tested by the abundance of talent in the Bucs receiving core. Throw Gronk in too… and I really struggle to figure out why Tom Brady isn’t playing better.

A lot of Bucs Twitter hates him though, that’s for sure.

Everybody pray for mike evans and his family???????? there’s nothing wrong with him he just has Tom Brady throwing to him pic.twitter.com/m1TcuX80oZ

— Clyde???? (@Clyyde_) December 12, 2020

Mike Evans has NEVER had a football season with less than 1000 yard since he started playing football, (College + NFL)

Mike has never finished with an less than 13 Yrds Per Rec, EVER

Mike got a 1000 yrds as a ROOKIE with Mike and Josh under center, but won't get there in 2020???? pic.twitter.com/azVIbDqj5Z

— "Tree" – Ken Peartree ????+????????+????????+????????=???????? (@KfromFLA) December 12, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The worst case scenario for the Minnesota Vikings defense vs Tom Brady, Ronald Jones, Gronk and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense on Sunday has come to fruition. Linebacker, and Walter Payton Award Nominee, Eric Kendricks has been ruled out after not practicing all week.

Alexander Mattison is also out and Minnesota could be in trouble at tight end, with Kyle Rudolph doubtful and Irv Smith Jr questionable.

#MINvsTB injury report

OUT: Eric Kendricks and Alexander Mattison

DOUBTFUL: Kyle Rudolph

QUESTIONABLE: Irv Smith Jr. pic.twitter.com/oxtu3lTe3v

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 11, 2020

Eric’s calf injury first became a problem right before last week’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He “tweaked” it in warmups, apparently shocking everyone inside the building, just as much as those of us on the outside.

Kendricks is a huge part of the Vikings defense, both in the run and pass. This could have even greater implications vs a guy like Tom Brady, who loves to throw over the middle of the field to his bestie, Rob Gronkowski.

That’s before we get started on Ronald Jones, who Bruce Arians wants the offense to run though. Jones has 820 yards on the season, easily on pace to surpass 1000 yards in 16 games, and 5 touchdowns.

Can the Minnesota Vikings defense slow Tom Brady, Gronk and Jones without Kendricks protecting the middle of the field? That could be the difference.

Other Injury report news

Kyle Rudolph’s iron-man streak is in danger of ending, right after his near-100 consecutive games played was made such a big deal of last weekend. Supposedly, that streak is playing into his status for Sunday. It appears as though he’d already be unavailable this weekend if that wasn’t ongoing.

With Rudolph ailing, Irv Smith Jr’s status becomes even more important. The Vikings have a lot of weapons on offense but taking away a tight end threat would hurt. Here is Mike Zimmer’s full press conference, which took place immediately after the injury report was released.

LIVE: Head Coach Mike Zimmer provides final updates before Sunday's game against Tampa Bay https://t.co/MO8Sky5jZY

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 11, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Minnesota Gophers’ Antoine Winfield Jr and Tyler Johnson were drafted in the 2nd and 5th rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tonight, in week 5 on Thursday Night Football, both guys were starting.

I have a feeling this could be a regular thing, going forward.

Four more hours ⏰

?: https://t.co/Qx0PWL9duN pic.twitter.com/QiRi0tA58p

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 8, 2020

The one and only @AntoineWJr11 ? pic.twitter.com/ekWpfJfGkw

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 8, 2020

I’ll Never Forgive Rick Spielman

I’m not just talking about two University of Minnesota draftees who got some snaps in a few random NFL games. We’re talking about two Gopher football legends who Vikings GM, Rick Spielman, passed up multiple times in the 2020 NFL draft.

Fast forward to tonight, the late-round pick, Johnson, lead the Bucs in receiving yards (61 yds on 4 catches) and on defense their Chicago opponents completely avoided Antoine Winfield Jr in the passing game. He still wound up with 4 tackles and a pass defended.

Wide receiver, Tyler Johnson, got by far his most action of the season. He was a healthy scratch earlier in the year, but after watching this catch and run, how does Bruce Arians not find more snaps in the game plan for TJ?

Rookie WR Tyler Johnson breaking all the tackles ?

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/wNaFExQqg7

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 9, 2020

The Vikings repeatedly passing on Winfield and Johnson will forever haunt me but I sure love seeing them contribute at a high level on any NFL team. I also like how much it helps recruiting at the University of Minnesota. Really, Tom Brady took his eyes off of Tyler Johnson too often late in this game, repeatedly throwing to a covered Gronk and Mike Evans instead.

He never even looked at TJ on the last drive of the game. A drive in which the Bucs’ offense stalled, with a chance to drive down and kick a field goal to win. Then again, he thought 4th down was 3rd down on that drive too…

The Bucs Social Media Team Loves Antoine Winfield Jr.

Clearly, the Bucs social media team knows what they have in their two Minnesotans… or maybe they just like to troll Spielman. They never miss an opportunity to put Tyler Johnson or (especially) Antoine Winfield Jr on their Twitter page.

They are as obsessed as we are…. thankfully. The world needs more AWJ.

RT if you ♥️ @AntoineWJr11.

Trying to see something. pic.twitter.com/qr0b288Ude

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 9, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

If you watched Antoine Winfield Jr grow into his Minnesota Gophers uniform over the last handful of years, then you know he’ll be a starting safety in the NFL sooner, rather than later. It’s just a matter of time and health. He’s smart, instinctive, hard-working and athletic. That’s before you touch on his gene pool.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach, Bruce Arians, was obviously a believer when he drafted Winfield #45 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft… but this boat-rower is already exceeding his new coach’s expectations.

Bruce Arians says rookie S Antoine Winfield, Jr. will be competing for a starting job very, very quickly. Said Winfield is a smart player who has picked things up quickly.

— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) August 17, 2020

? @AntoineWJr11 ? pic.twitter.com/pJWzxVOHIB

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 7, 2020

It’s just a matter of time before Winfield is written atop the Tampa Bay depth chart in permanent ink. ESPN already has him there. His competition is Andrew Adams, who has started for two seasons. Outside of picking off Cam Newton (3 INT in one game during 2018), Adams has racked up just TWO interceptions over TWO seasons with the Bucs. He is yet to reach 50 tackles in a season.

If you put Antoine Winfield Jr on the gridiron… he could make a game-changing play at any moment. Grab some popcorn and do a youtube search. Those instincts don’t just go away when you arrive in the NFL.

I know Arians isn’t going to hand a rookie the starting job, especially without any preseason games and limited practice time. It won’t matter, though. Winfield Jr was a low-end 2-star prospect, with limited D1 offers when he arrived at the University of Minnesota campus. He was starting by week 4 (game 1 of Big Ten play) of his true freshman season.

So Arians can delay the inevitable or play games if he wants… but why wait? As a smart Arizona Cardinals coach once said, “If you’re going to crown ’em, then crown their ass.”. Sometimes, people just are who we think they are…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The 2020 NFL Draft took place April 23-25, with everyone inside of their respective homes due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. While this year’s draft wasn’t the ideal format, it was amusing (and a bit cringe-worthy) to watch Commissioner Roger Goodell ask for virtual boos almost as often as he changed outfits and locations within one room.

This was also a different draft for the University of Minnesota, setting a program record with 5 players being drafted. S Antoine Winfield Jr. went 45th overall to the Buccaneers, WR Tyler Johnson went 161st overall to the Buccaneers, LB Kamal Martin went 175th overall to the Packers, LB Carter Coughlin went 218th overall to the Giants, and CB Chris Williamson went 247th overall to the Giants. 

ICYMI: #Gophers set program record with 5⃣ NFL Draft picks in modern draft era. https://t.co/pScQKUyTmS#SkiUMah // #RTB pic.twitter.com/LLBYcur1Ca

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) April 26, 2020

There are two players who are ready to flourish in their new roles, immediately. Bleacher Report named (WR) Tyler Johnson and (LB) Kamal Martin “Rookie Gems” for their respective teams, meaning BR expects these Golden Gophers to produce and contribute at levels not expected from their draft slot.

What could be better than catching passes from Tom Brady as a rookie? The Buccaneers receiving corps is strong, with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, but Johnson still looks to have a prominent role on this team right away, being the slot receiver job is still his for the taking. Tyler posted 213 receptions, 3305 receiving yards, and 33 TD’s in 4 seasons at the U of M.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to get an up close look at Johnson when the Gophers played Auburn in the Outback Bowl, at their home stadium. Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians is already in love with Johnson and was nervously hoping Johnson would fall to them at pick #161. 

we got ’em ? @T_muhneyy10 pic.twitter.com/QxokcK5YNs

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 27, 2020

I could not think of a better situation for Johnson, with all the veteran leadership ahead of him. This will allow him to learn from some of the best and grow as an NFL player. The Buccaneers’ abundance of weapons means targets could be hard to come by, initially. But one thing we know about Tyler Johnson, is that he finds a way to get it done and will take advantage of every opportunity provided to him.

Kamal Martin is also walking into a great situation with the Green Bay Packers. Martin will compete for a starting role right away, and even if he doesn’t get the job, injury prone Chritsian Kirksey will likely afford him opportunities on the other side of center.

With the addition of Kamal Martin, the Packers have a scary linebacker group with Za’darius Smith, Preston Smith and Kirksey also lining up at that position. Martin excelled with 177 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions for the Gophers during his career.

Martin, the former QB, transitioned from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, after the 2018 season and made it look easy. He was immediately named honorable mention All-Big Ten and only played 8 games due to a knee injury. Green Bay had a historically bad draft class but I am very confident that they hit a homerun with Martin.

.@KamalMartin6 bringing the ? to Green Bay ❄️#PackersDraft | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/fV5oqIrbIp

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 30, 2020

The 2020 NFL draft was very exciting for Gopher fans, who I’m sure will be watching the careers of the former Gophers very closely. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of this in the coming years from the University of Minnesota.

Cameron Thompson | Minnesota Sports Fan