Thread: Dream BPA Scenario for Vikings First round pick

Originally Posted by tastywaves

Thanks.

It's interesting to see how you think MN will rank the WR's vs. how you would rank them. No doubt if you look around the draft boards across all the teams, you will see a similar variety from club to club. Part of why fan's get so confused/upset when players are taken way above their ESPN/NFL.com rankings. It's a very deep group, no super class studs like Calvin or Julio, but a lot of quality to choose from.

On your rankings, I wouldn't let Hopkins 40 time steer you too much, he is a legit top 3 WR pick IMO and I think would be a great addition to MN. I think he understands how to play WR and is one of the safer picks.

Swope definitely helped himself out at the combine, but I think his concussion history needs to also be factored into his draft position. He grew up here in Austin where I live (same high school as Drew Brees and Nick Foles) and I've seen a lot of his growth. Very competitive and productive kid that seems to always fly under the radar. I was surprised at his 40 time.

Looking at the mock's it looks very plausible that one or two of (Patterson, Allen or Hopkins) will be available at #23. Anything outside of these 3 including Woods, than I would have a hard time grabbing one with our first pick. I think the run will start on WR's and they might start coming off pretty quickly, but I don't see the run starting until mid to late first round. DL talent is really strong in this year's draft, I think these guys will consume a lot of 1st round picks.

I saw Williams at Baylor under both RGIII and Florence. He caught a lot of TD's with both of them and appears at his best going deep. Might be too much of a one trick pony to pick him real high though, especially on a team like MN that needs a lot of help at WR.

I agree with everything you said including Hopkins. I try to temper my enthusiasm for a player and try to be a little bit of a GM or I would rank Hopkins higher. As an all around WR I rank him up there with Patterson and now Woods.

It will be interesting to see where Swopes goes because he made a lot of money but you are right some teams will take the concussions into consideration, he is a tough one to call.

I agree with Williams too, he is a good WR and many have them 3rd on their board including Mayock. I just have a gut feeling about the guy and I think he will be a bust, that is not anything to base a pick on but that is where I would place him.

And another guy I wouldn't touch is Tyrann Matheiu, I saw his interview with Dion and he seems very sketchy to me. I do not want him on the Vikings. Great instincts and very fluid in the hips but he is small and big WR I think will be able to win the battle for the ball. And I think he will be a huge headache for the team that chooses him IMO.

Dion Jordan.

Originally Posted by gregair13

Dion Jordan.

He will never make it to us. The guy is a freak and should be gone between 8-15. I lov ethe guy but at 23 we are looking at very different choices.

4. Justin Hunter - 4.44 forty, good speed, explosive leaping ability, and I really liked how he caught the ball at the combine.

Ultimate Justin Hunter Highlights - YouTube


I'm really starting to like this kid. 6'4" with leaps and speed...closest thing to a Randy Moss we've seen in a while. And, not sure, but there's at least a chance, he could be even better with another year between him and that ACL surgery. On the other hand, I don't think there's any chance that his size/speed combo is going to be there by the 23rd pick of the 2nd tho. In fact, I see a huge run on WRs starting around our first pick and continuing up through our 2nd.

Teams looking for WRs between our picks:

22. Rams
23. Vikings
25. SEA
26. GB
27. HOU
29. NE
30. ATL Can you imagine adding Tavon Austin to their weapons!???
31. SF (and again at no.34!)
41. BUF
42. MIA
44. CAR
46. STL again

and that's not counting some maybes like PIT to replace Wallace, the Jets or Titans to replace questionable guys, or the Colts or Bucs to replace Avery or M.Williams...

Originally Posted by mountainviking

Ultimate Justin Hunter Highlights - YouTube


I'm really starting to like this kid. 6'4" with leaps and speed...closest thing to a Randy Moss we've seen in a while. And, not sure, but there's at least a chance, he could be even better with another year between him and that ACL surgery. On the other hand, I don't think there's any chance that his size/speed combo is going to be there by the 23rd pick of the 2nd tho. In fact, I see a huge run on WRs starting around our first pick and continuing up through our 2nd.

Teams looking for WRs between our picks:

22. Rams
23. Vikings
25. SEA
26. GB
27. HOU
29. NE
30. ATL Can you imagine adding Tavon Austin to their weapons!???
31. SF (and again at no.34!)
41. BUF
42. MIA
44. CAR
46. STL again

and that's not counting some maybes like PIT to replace Wallace, the Jets or Titans to replace questionable guys, or the Colts or Bucs to replace Avery or M.Williams...

Pretty in-depth analysis of Justin Hunter from Football Outsiders. This is actually just 1 of 3 in a series on him, but the point is consistent throughout.

WR Justin Hunter: Unvarnished Moss

There are only two players that I have studied in recent years that have the athleticism to even be mentioned stylistically within the same sentence as Randy Moss. The first his Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green, who has done enough on an NFL field to convince me that he belongs within the same stylistic tier as the all-time great vertical threat. Give Green a quarterback commensurate with his ability and the Moss-like stats will follow.

The other player is Hunter. While his potential is in the same neighborhood his play has yet to reach the same subdivision. Hunter has experienced his share of big drops this year, including a deep target against Alabama in late October. I watched two of Hunter’s games thus far – this year’s N.C. State game in Atlanta and a match up with Cincinnati – and I came away ambivalent.

In terms of ceiling, you might strain your neck trying to find were Hunter’s upside ends. However, there are basics flaws to Hunter’s game that might as well have him chained to the ground. Both Randy Moss and A.J. Green were refined talents for by rookie standards – and perhaps even by veteran standards. Even Jets receiver Stephen Hill wasn’t as raw as Hunter when I evaluated him last year. When a player like Hunter in a passing game that has a lot of pro-style tendencies is less polished than a former Georgia Tech receiver in a triple-option offensive system, it’s a concern.

Volunteers head coach Derek Dooley has a similar assessment.

“First, it has to happen with more consistency in practice. Justin has got to understand that playing receiver is not always clean and easy [and] that there’s a little grit that you have to do to get open. You’re going to have to get hit. Good receivers are going to make those kind of plays no matter what the circumstance. He’s not there yet. We all want to talk about how he’s this first-round pick and the No.1 pick in the draft and he can be that, but he has never performed to that standard in my opinion. And he knows that. So he needs to focus on his development and what does he do well, what are some things that we have got to keep building on, and how do we get there. He’s got great character, it’s important to him, and he’s got a lot of special qualities as a wide out. But being able to go produce out there week after week is what matters.”

What I hear Dooley saying is that Hunter isn’t working on the fine points of his game in practice. When it’s time to execute he makes mistakes because he hasn’t ingrained all the teachings that the Tennessee program has tried to impart on him. On some level, Hunter has been coasting on his first-round athleticism. Otherwise a head coach – especially a head coach whose father was an SEC head coach and athletic director – wouldn’t challenge his player publicly.

Hunter’s deficiencies aren’t difficult to spot. This is the first part of a series of posts about Hunter and how this fantastic talent is holding himself back from potential greatness.

If you have the time to read it, there is a lot of good information on the technical aspects of being a good receiver.

I am looking for them to take an OL so Ponder has more time to throw the ball. Then we don't need a WR.

Originally Posted by tastywaves

Pretty in-depth analysis of Justin Hunter from Football Outsiders. This is actually just 1 of 3 in a series on him, but the point is consistent throughout.

WR Justin Hunter: Unvarnished Moss



If you have the time to read it, there is a lot of good information on the technical aspects of being a good receiver.

Great read! i am looking forward to more articles, thanks.

Wow. Cool breakdown for sure! With his hands low, easy downward swipe for the defender to knock them down further and the ball loose. Good Find! Thanks!

But you know, some GM somewhere, and likely several, are going to think they have the coaching in place to fix these types of things...of course, you gotta wonder why it hasn't stuck before!? I mean, really, it sounds like either lack of focus or lack of intelligence or perhaps, lacking coaching, but judging from the coach's comments, one or both of the prior lacks.

But, this is what we are looking at, and pretty much cream of the crop at our pick at #52 in the 2nd round. If we want more NFL readiness in a WR we draft, we likely need to get it in the first. Or, perhaps, use those 4ths to move our 2nd up 10 or 20 spots...our 2 + both 4s = DET's 4th pick of the 2nd, 36 overall. But, the 4th has been good to us, so you hate to let them both go!

I kinda think it's a great draft to move back a few...talent is deep at almost all of our needs, and we could really benefit from filling 3 holes in the first 2 rounds and getting 3 or 4 talented depth picks in rds 3 & 4. Draft picks cost way less against the cap and are sometimes more talented than what we've got.

Check out drafttek's cool new value chart...you can highlight any team's picks!

2013 NFL Draft Trade Value Chart

Originally Posted by Purple Floyd

I am looking for them to take an OL so Ponder has more time to throw the ball. Then we don't need a WR.

Fusco needs to learn to pass block and Ponder needs to step up in the pocket and deliver or drafting a wide receiver wont help much.

Originally Posted by mountainviking

Wow. Cool breakdown for sure! With his hands low, easy downward swipe for the defender to knock them down further and the ball loose. Good Find! Thanks!

But you know, some GM somewhere, and likely several, are going to think they have the coaching in place to fix these types of things...of course, you gotta wonder why it hasn't stuck before!? I mean, really, it sounds like either lack of focus or lack of intelligence or perhaps, lacking coaching, but judging from the coach's comments, one or both of the prior lacks.

But, this is what we are looking at, and pretty much cream of the crop at our pick at #52 in the 2nd round. If we want more NFL readiness in a WR we draft, we likely need to get it in the first. Or, perhaps, use those 4ths to move our 2nd up 10 or 20 spots...our 2 + both 4s = DET's 4th pick of the 2nd, 36 overall. But, the 4th has been good to us, so you hate to let them both go!

I kinda think it's a great draft to move back a few...talent is deep at almost all of our needs, and we could really benefit from filling 3 holes in the first 2 rounds and getting 3 or 4 talented depth picks in rds 3 & 4. Draft picks cost way less against the cap and are sometimes more talented than what we've got.

Check out drafttek's cool new value chart...you can highlight any team's picks!

2013 NFL Draft Trade Value Chart

Depending on who you want we could drop as far back as #30 and get a great player. If you look at my mock draft in Sharper image's Mock draft thread you will see that if the teams ahead of us draft who I predicted we would have these players availeble at #23 and one of them would have to be at #30.
Matt Elam, Kevin Minter, Alec Ogletree, Kawann Short, Jonathan Jenkins, Justin Hunter, Sam Montgomery. Those are seven players,which means, if we trade back as far as #30 we would still be guarenteed one of those cats. I didn't include Star lotulelei because of his condition and that still leaves Tavon Austin, DeAndre Hopkins, Da' Rick Rogers and Patton if you choose to drop even further.