Category: Commentary

If Brandon Aiyuk is smart, he’ll stick with San Francisco 49ers over Steelers

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would be wise to remain with the 49ers over the Steelers if he wants to win it all.

Brandon Aiyuk has been pro-Steelers since revealing on the Pivot Podcast that Pittsburgh was a desired destination in June.

The Steelers have been pro-Aiyuk since the spring when they found themselves down a receiver after shipping their top-producing receiver, Diontae Johnson, to the Carolina Panthers.

As a team that drafts wide receivers better than most organizations, Pittsburgh’s first official man-love for Aiyuk sparked when the 2020 NFL draft process began. Only they weren’t in a position to get the receiver out of Arizona State after sending their first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Instead, they settled for Chase Claypool.

Now Pittsburgh sees an opportunity to get him anyway. But why would Aiyuk even want to go to the Steelers? Sure, Mike Tomlin is always a draw for any player. Beyond that, though, it doesn’t make much sense.

The 49ers have gone deep into the playoffs in three out of four of Aiyuk’s seasons. They were one win away from reaching the Super Bowl in 2021 and 2022. The Niners finally reached it in 2023 and are primed to repeat in 2024.

Pittsburgh hasn’t done squat since 2016 and has been a team in transition since Ben Roethlisberger retired three years ago. Is the Steeler’s arrow pointing up? No question. But the 49ers arrow is off the charts.

It pains me to say it, but if Brandon Aiyuk is smart, he’ll stick with the San Francisco 49ers. The opportunity for Aiyuk to get that ring is on his doorstep.

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2025 NFL Draft: Should Vikings keep eyes on another Iowa tight end?

Pro Football Focus believes the Vikings should unleash two tight ends and explore drafting Luke Lachey in 2025.

Pro Football Focus put together a list of offensive players each NFL team should watch ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. To some surprise, PFF has the Vikings keeping tabs on Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Luke Lachey. Even though Minnesota has TJ Hockenson—a former Iowa tight end—PFF believes the Vikings could unleash a true two-tight end set with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at receiver.

Yes, the Vikings have T.J. Hockenson. No, this isn’t a move to replace him; we’re setting up an impressive and impactful two-tight end offense that can complement wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Adding Lachey, who would have likely been a top-100 pick in 2023 had he not broken his ankle early in the season, would make for a legit heavy personnel group from which Minnesota could run or pass.

Lachey has been at Iowa since 2020 and was in store for a big year in 2023, but was forced out of action after just three games due to injuries. Lachey chose to go back to the Hawkeyes for a fifth season.

The Iowa passing game has been terrible, but with quarterback Cade McNamara back after suffering an injury in ’23, the Hawkeyes are hoping to see their passing game take a big step forward with gaining Lachey back.

Former Vikings GM predicts when J.J. McCarthy will start

Jeff Diamond, a former Vikings GM, looks for J.J. McCarthy to start in Minnesota before the end of the year.

The Vikings community is talking about when J.J. McCarthy will start for Minnesota. The Vikings went out and grabbed veteran Sam Darnold this past offseason to a one-year deal, and they have full confidence in Darnold starting the whole year—or until McCarthy is ready.

McCarthy is a proven winner. He won a state title in high school, went 27-1 as the starter at Michigan, and won a national title. However, the pundits are skeptical about McCarthy because he played in Jim Harbaugh’s run-first offense with the Wolverines. Either way, the Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th overall and will hand him the keys to the franchise at some point.

But that goes back to the question of when. Former Minnesota GM Jeff Diamond, who works for the 33rd Team, predicted when every first-round QB taken in the 2024 NFL Draft would start. Diamond believes McCarthy will earn the starting job in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Minnesota plays the Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 8, which would give McCarthy 10 full days to get ready for the Colts. Plenty of people have thought McCarthy may start following the Vikings’ bye week in Week 7 against the Lions, but Week 9 is a possibility as well.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones considered a ‘must draft’ in fantasy football in 2024

If you want to know which Viking is a must draft in Fantasy Football this season, PFF chose the new Minnesota running back.

For those celebrating Fantasy Football, you may be starting to prepare for your annual draft — for those in a re-draft league. If you’re a big Vikings fan, you are more than likely looking for Minnesota players to target, and a couple that are obvious would be Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

But neither of those two are on PFF’s ‘must draft’ list. Instead, it’s the Vikings newest running back, Aaron Jones.

When most fantasy football managers remember Aaron Jones’ 2023 campaign, they’re remembering a disappointing one. He missed six games over the year dealing with hamstring and knee injuries, as he’s notched just a single top-five finish in the year that came way back in Week 1. However, they might be forgetting Jones’ red-hot finish showcased from Week 15 on through the postseason, once he was finally healthy.

Over that six-game span, Jones led all running backs with a 90.9 rushing grade, averaging 5.5 yards per rush attempt and a whopping 120 scrimmage yards per game (fourth-most). His 32.8% first down/touchdown rate led all running backs with 50-plus carries in that span, while also ranking top-five with 3.8 yards after contact per attempt and a 25% missed forced tackle rate. So no, Jones is indeed not washed, even heading into his age-29 season. With limited competition in the Vikings backfield for touches (Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu), Jones could be in for a significant workload that well out-performs his fifth-round ADP.

Jones has battled injuries as a Packer, but there is no denying that he is a very talented running back. It’s something Minnesota has missed since letting Dalvin Cook walk away. Even though the Vikings are a passing football team with Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota will likely need to rely on its run game in 2024. The rushing attack will start with Jones.

PFF doesn’t think highly of Vikings defensive line heading into 2024

Pro Football Focus does not view the Vikings’ defensive line as a very good aspect of the team heading into the 2024 season.

The Vikings’ defense will look slightly different when they hit the field this fall. In particular, the Minnesota defensive line that lost star Danielle Hunter to free agency and role player DJ Wonnum is no longer with the team. However, Minnesota filled the need for free agency by adding Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. The Vikings also drafted star Edge rusher Dallas Turner out of Alabama.

That sounds like a good fit for the Vikings in ’24, right? Well, not to everyone.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings’ defensive line is ranked 30th in football. Only the Broncos and Cardinals are ranked behind Minnesota.

The Vikings’ offseason free agency swap of Danielle Hunter for Jonathan Greenardwas likely a downgrade, even if they got younger and cheaper in the process. Andrew Van Ginkel earned a 91.1 PFF overall grade last season, but that was a massive outlier in a career that has typically seen him post grades in the 60s and 70s.

Rookie Dallas Turner will have high expectations, but the interior of this line is a weakness.

The interior line is a bit concerning outside of Harrison Phillps, who is a solid football player. There is still time for the Vikings to shore up the interior line, but it does feel like there are enough Edge rushers to get the job done.

UDFA Gabriel Murphy expected to impress during Vikings’ training camp

The Athletic has its eyes on one particular Vikings’ UDFA player when training camp opens.

The Vikings had the steal of the after-draft last year when they signed Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to a UDFA contract. Pace went on to start for the Minnesota defense and was impressed. Pace Jr. was a tackling machine and is viewed as someone who could help lead the Minnesota defense for years.

Surely Minnesota couldn’t get another Pace Jr., could it? It sounds possible. The Vikings signed UCLA Edge rusher Gabriel Murphy to an UDFA contract as soon as the 2024 NFL Draft concluded. Murphy was projected as a mid-to-late pick, but due to being just a touch undersized, Murphy fell out of the draft.

Per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, he expects Murhpy to really impress during training camp.

“The safe bet is UCLA edge rusher Gabriel Murphy. The lack of full-speed, 11-on-11 work this spring kept him from making a major impact. The picture might change when he puts on the pads, similar to Ivan Pace Jr. last year. The other two players I’ll be watching closely are cornerback Dwight McGlothern Jr., who played for defensive backs coach Daronte Jones at LSU, and Marshall edge rusher Owen Porter, who could vie for a special teams role.

Murphy had a career-high eight sacks last year on the UCLA defense. If he gets his chance, his skill set should really shine in a Brian Flores-led defensive scheme.

Lewis Cine labeled as Vikings’ make-it-or-break it player in 2024

The former first-round pick has a lot of work to do in order to not only make the Vikings’ 53-man roster, but to earn a role in 2024.

Justin Melo with The Draft Network called safety Lewis Cine the Vikings make it or make-it-or-break-it player in 2024. The former 32nd-overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has had a rough time in the NFL. Between injuries, adjustment to the league, and coaching changes, Cine has produced much of anything for the Vikings’ defense.

Cine suffered a major leg injury in Week 4 of his rookie season and was forced to miss the rest of the year. Ed Donatell, his first defensive coordinator, was fired and entered Brian Flores. While trying to recover from the leg injury, Cine had to learn a new defensive scheme and had difficulty transitioning when healthy.

During the 2023 season, Cine was a healthy scratch for most of the season and had just one tackle in ’23—the only one of his two-year career.

Not only has Cine been seen as a disappointment in the league, but Melo went on to talk about the rest of the 2022 NFL Draft class, and he didn’t hold back.

In truth, the entire 2022 Vikings draft class has been disastrous. Second-round cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. has battled injury and been passed over in favor of lower-drafted players like Akayleb Evans and Mekhi Blackmon when healthy. Fellow second-rounder Ed Ingram has played consistent snaps but has been below-average to league-average at best. Linebacker Brian Asamoah II was selected in the third round. He’s been outshined by an undrafted player in Ivan Pace Jr. Asamoah totaled a whopping 36 defensive snaps in 2023.

Most of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s other 2022 draft picks are no longer on the team with fifth-round running back Ty Chandler qualifying as the other consistent contributor. Adofo-Mensah didn’t draft a single high-end starter, let alone a blue-chipper despite making four top-66 picks.

Reports from OTAs haven’t favored Andrew Booth Jr., who may not make the Vikings’ 53-man roster in 2024. While there have been a few promising signs from Cine, neither player has lived up to the big hype they had coming out of college.

Albert Breer believes the Vikings are long-term contenders

Albert Breer with SI believes the Vikings are going to be a long-term contender in the NFL.

Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Breer was asked during a mailbag which teams are set up for long-term success, and he didn’t just choose one team. Breer named a few teams that he thinks will be contenders for a while, but he threw a curveball at the end and brought the Vikings into the conversation.

“The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, the two Super Bowl teams, stick out as easy picks. I still love where the Cincinnati Bengals are, so long as Joe Burrow’s injury luck turns. The Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles have all earned the benefit of the doubt over the years. Jim Harbaugh’s track record and Justin Herbert’s talent would earn the Los Angeles Chargers a spot on the list. The Houston Texans are there for me, too, given the acumen of C.J. Stroud, DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio. And if you want one curveball, I really like how the Minnesota Vikings are positioned moving forward.”

While a few of the draft picks Kwesi Adofo-Mensah picked in previous NFL Drafts don’t appear they will turn into quality pros, it feels like the 2024 NFL Draft selections will be slam dunk picks. J.J. McCarthy, the 10th pick, was 27-1 as a starting quarterback at Michigan and is a proven winner. Dallas Turner, an Edge rusher out of Alabama, was Minnesota’s second first-round pick and can step right in for Danielle Hunter.

The Vikings have plenty of youthful talent and some good veterans. It may take a year, but the Vikings have the team to be in contention for the next several years.

The Athletic predicts the value of Christian Darrisaw’s extension

The Vikings will be working toward an extension with Christian Darrisaw and The Athletic predicted what he may get.

Now that Justin Jefferson signed his major contract extension with the Vikings and will be wearing purple and gold for a while, the question remains: What’s next for Minnesota?

One of the first thoughts is to go straight to the left tackle, Christian Darrisaw. The former first-round pick in 2021 is signed through 2025, but the Vikings have reportedly been in contact with their franchise tackle on a long-term deal.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis took a stab at predicting what Minnesota would have to pay Darrisaw to keep him a Viking for the long haul. While injuries are a little concerning, the Vikings would have to pay him a lot of money to keep him.

Lewis predicts Minnesota will pay Darrisaw $87 million guaranteed on a four-year extension.

Darrisaw has yet to play a full season during the three years he’s been a Viking. But when healthy, there is no denying he is one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL. Per PFF, Darrisaw was the fifth-best tackle at pass blocking with an 85.3 grade in 2023. Run blocking took a little dip last season, with a 73.9 grade, but Darrisaw has been a consistent player since he entered the NFL out of Virginia Tech.

Where did PFF rank Garrett Bradbury among the other centers in the NFL?

Pro Football Focus ranked its top centers heading into the 2024 season. Garrett Bradbury came in almost right in the middle.

Garrett Bradbury has been the Vikings’ starting center since he was drafted 18th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft out of NC State. Minnesota was looking for its next decade-long starting center, and so far, Bradbury has started them all. But the former Rimington Trophy Award-winner has had some down moments while wearing purple and gold. Injuries have nagged Bradbury, causing him to have missed 10 games over the past three seasons. He has sometimes struggled in pass blocking because he is a touch undersized.

But according to Pro Football Focus, Bradbury is a middle-of-the-pack center. PFF ranked him 15th in its top-32 center rankings.

As a former first-round pick, Bradbury has been the Vikings’ starting center since day one but has struggled to stay healthy in the past three seasons. Despite his pass-blocking grade dropping to 56.8 in 2023, he has averaged a 68.5 run-blocking grade over the past four seasons.

Bradbury signed a three-year extension with Minnesota, and the hopes are that the Vikings can keep him around for quite a while, holding down the center spot. Minnesota is still working on a contract extension with tackle Christian Darrisaw to try and keep the Vikings’ line together as one of the top offensive lines in football.