Category: Offseason

Vikings select Georgia offensive lineman Andrew Thomas in CBS Sports mock draft

Would you want the Vikings to draft an offensive lineman in the first round?

CBS released a mock draft that has the Vikings drafting a position they had “big problems” with last year.

The outlet predicted that Georgia offensive lineman Andrew Thomas would go to the Vikings at pick No. 25. In addition to saying that offensive line was a problem for the team, CBS said that Minnesota needed to get bigger at that position group. Thomas is listed at 6-5, 320 pounds.

CBS ranked Andrew Thomas as the 10th best prospect and the second best offensive linemen in the draft this year.

“Thomas could play guard or tackle since some scouts think he needs to kick inside,” the outlet stated.

On top of some thinking the offensive line struggled last year, there could also be an opening due to the salary cap situation. The Vikings can save $8.8 million if they cut tackle Riley Reiff, so that could be an open position on the team next year.

Eric Kendricks picked as Vikings’ most-improved player by Pro Football Focus. Was he?

Among Vikings players, Eric Kendricks was named the most-improved by Pro Football Focus. Here are some other possible candidates from the 2019-20 season.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks was a force on pass defense last year, but he didn’t do so by tallying double-digit sacks.

Instead, Kendricks dropped back into coverage and shut down opposing receivers. Pro Football Focus liked what they saw, giving Kendricks a 90 rating when it came to pass coverage as a linebacker, in addition to awarding him most-improved Minnesota player for the 2019-20 season.

Kendricks had more interceptions, with two, than he did this year when he had zero. But that only tells part of the story when it comes to pass coverage. Kendricks had more pass deflections this year (12) than last year (7) and according to Pro Football Focus, he forced a total of 14 incompletions, which was first among linebackers.

The Vikings were not a team with a consensus most-improved played. Kendricks seems like a good candidate, but there were definitely some prime candidates on the other side of ball, too.

Kirk Cousins had 162 less passing attempts this season than he did last year, but only threw four less touchdown passes and had a better QBR. He definitely showed that he’s capable of making the offense explosive at times.

One of the reasons Cousins threw the ball a lot less was because Minnesota was a lot better at establishing the run and staying with it. Dalvin Cook was a big reason why. His 2018-19 was marred by injury and a system that emphasized passing more, tallying just 615 yards and 2 touchdowns. This season, however, Cook went for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns.

There’s also Everson Griffen, who struggled with his mental health in 2018-19, but had a resurgent season in 2019-20, totaling eight sacks and an interception.

With Griffen, though, it’s hard to determine whether his on-field progress was made by playing all but week 17 (when reserves played) and having more continuity than the previous season. Either way, I think he deserves to be in the running.

Kendricks had 70 solo tackles and still managed .5 sacks despite a role that relied less on getting the quarterback. He took home All-Pro accolades for his performance this season. I have no problem with choosing him as most-improved player on the team, but there were some other candidates who were pretty close to him in terms of improvement.

Vikings select Bryce Hall in Bleacher Report mock draft

Bleacher Report thinks the Vikings will draft cornerback Bryce Hall in the first round. Do you agree?

Xavier Rhodes could very well be a candidate to get cut due to the salary cap situation. Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander are also both entering free agency.

It’s possible none of those players return to the Vikings, and it’s almost a certainty that at least one of them doesn’t. So how are the Vikings going to fill in the cornerback position?

Bleacher Report thinks they can do so with their first round pick. The outlet chose Bryce Hall, a cornerback out of Virginia, to go to the Vikings at No. 25 overall. 

Hall had five career interceptions and 44 pass deflections in his collegiate career. He probably could have improved upon those numbers, if it wasn’t for a season-ending ankle injury during his senior year. He played in just six games for the Cavaliers as a senior.

Hall is a combine invitee, so he’s a guy who can possibly raise his stock by showing teams the ankle is just fine.

Former Vikings receiver Josh Doctson signs with Jets

Former Vikings wide receiver Josh Doctson has found a new team.

After finding some success with Kirk Cousins in Washington, wide receiver Josh Doctson reunited with his quarterback in Minnesota this season.

But the move didn’t go as planned, and now Doctson has found a new team.

The wide receiver has signed with the Jets after the Vikings released him in November.

After he signed a one-year deal with Minnesota, Doctson had to sit out much of last year due to injury. He played just one game and was not targeted.

The Redskins drafted Doctson in the first round of the 2016 draft. He had two seasons where he totaled more than 500 yards receiving. One of those seasons was when Cousins was still with the Redskins.

For a first round pick, the Redskins probably expected him to be near the 1,000 yard territory. He had eight touchdowns in his time with Washington as well. Maybe the Jets will be able to utilize some of Doctson’s untapped potential.

Daily Norseman predicts that Vikings draft Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts

Would you like to see Jalen Hurts in purple and gold?

A writer at Daily Norseman recently compiled a mock draft that has a popular college player heading to Minnesota.

The article hypothesized that the Vikings might draft Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the third round.

Hurts was the runner-up for the Heisman trophy after he had transferred from Alabama to the Sooners. He threw for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his final collegiate season.

Personally, I think this move could work. The Vikings need a backup quarterback, and there are definitely some unknowns about Hurts’ game translating to the next level, but he’s worth taking a chance on.

The Sooners showed that Hurts, under the right system and coaching, could be used very effectively. And as Daily Norseman points out, he is a mobile quarterback, which gives the Vikings another dimension to their offense.

There’s definitely a possibility that Hurts doesn’t become a star in the NFL, but that’s not necessarily what the Vikings need at this present time. If he falls to Minnesota in the third round, I say take him.

Vikings center Garrett Bradbury ranked as the 23rd best rookie on Touchdown Wire list

Now that the season is over, Touchdown Wire has released a ranking of the top rookies. Vikings center Garrett Bradbury comes in at No. 23.

With the success of Dalvin Cook in the rushing attack and Kirk Cousins having more time in the pocket to make plays, the offensive line looked like it had taken a leap in 2019-20.

Garrett Bradbury, the Vikings’ most-recent first round pick, started every game this season. He was part of an offensive line that had 2133 rushing yards.

Touchdown Wire liked what they saw, ranking Bradbury the 23rd best rookie in the 2019 class.

Bradbury was the 18th overall pick in the draft. He ranked as the third best rookie offensive linemen on the list, behind only the Packers’ Elgton Jenkins and the Saints’ Erik McCoy.

Bradbury was the third linemen taken in the 2019 draft, but neither of the two players picked before him — the Bengals’ Jonah Williams and the Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom — were ranked ahead of him on the list. However, both those players suffered injuries last season.

Nick Bosa, the edge rusher for the 49ers, was ranked No. 1 among all rookies. See the rest of the rankings here.

CBS Sports predicts in a mock draft that the Vikings will trade Diggs, draft his brother

CBS Sports has the Vikings trading one Diggs for another in its latest mock draft. Do you agree with that decision?

With the draft only a few months away and the stocks of each college player ever changing, mock draft season is in full swing.

And CBS Sports came in hot with predictions about the Vikings in its latest mock draft.

The outlet thinks that the Vikings will trade Stefon Diggs to Baltimore in exchange for the No. 28 overall pick that the Ravens have this year. Not only that, but then the Vikings will draft his brother, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs, at pick No. 28 to shore up depth at the cornerback position.

Here’s what the outlet had to say about the prediction:

“Lamar Jackson gets another weapon to help stretch the field on offense. Meanwhile, the Vikings draft [Diggs’] younger brother with the pick acquired. Cornerback is a big need for them.”

With the No. 25 pick in the CBS Sports mock draft, the Vikings took Neville Gallimore, a defensive linemen out of Oklahoma.

Former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway thinks Stefon Diggs wants a trade

Greenway, who played all 11 of his NFL seasons with Minnesota, thinks that Stefon Diggs wants to be traded from the team.

Linebacker Chad Greenway played all 11 of his NFL seasons with the Vikings, and so far Stefon Diggs has played the entirety of his professional career with Minnesota, too.

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But Greenway thinks that Diggs’ situation could change, the linebacker said on the Minnesota radio station KFAN. (H/T Adam Patrick of thevikingage.com)

Greenway had this to say about Diggs’ current situation: “To me, it’s just a cry out to say, ‘I’m trying to get out of here. I want to go be the guy somewhere else because I can’t be the guy here with (Adam) Thielen here,’” Greenway said. “That’s how I see it and I don’t know how it could mean anything different than that.”

Greenway isn’t the only one speculating about Diggs’ unhappiness. From cryptic tweets to taking down Instagram photos, Diggs has been acting fishy on social media and fans have taken notice.

Diggs finished last season as the Vikings leading receiver, going for 1,130 yards. He also had six touchdowns.

Vikings take Utah’s Jaylon Johnson in Touchdown Wire mock draft

In its most recent mock draft, Touchdown Wire predicted that the Vikings No. 25 overall pick will be … cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Our friends over at Touchdown Wire have predicted that the Vikings will shore up some depth at cornerback in the first round.

Jaylon Johnson, a corner out of Utah, was the 25th overall pick in Touchdown Wire’s latest mock draft.

Johnson was a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 select at the cornerback position. He had seven career interceptions.

As Touchdown Wire pointed out, the Vikings’ Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes combined for just one interception all of last year. Also, Rhodes could be a candidate to get cut or have a restructured contract due to the Vikings’ salary cap situation. Waynes is set to enter free agency.

It could be crucial to add more depth at that position if both those guys leave, regardless of how you feel about their level of play as of late.

Read the rest of Touchdown Wire’s mock draft here.

Minnesota radio show suggests a trade between Vikings, Patriots

In the hypothetical trade, the Patriots would give up a first round pick, a third round pick and Mohamed Sanu in exchange for Stefon Diggs.

Mackey and Judd with Ramie, a show on the radio station SKOR North, suggested a Stefon Diggs trade where the Vikings wide receiver landed on the Patriots.

In the trade, the Patriots would give up a first round pick, a third round pick and Mohamed Sanu in exchange for Diggs.

Given the Vikings current cap situation, this trade would be hard to sort out. I also think if you’re the Vikings, you ask for a better talent than Sanu. As the Athletic’s Chad Graff said on Twitter, “the Vikings would *add* $1M to their cap for a worse/older WR when they already have no cap space.” That just seems too tough to manage.

Sanu has had a great career, don’t get me wrong, but the 30-year old is coming off a season in which he had just 520 receiving yards. That’s a pretty big statistical drop off from Diggs, who finished with 1,130 yards last season.

I think the reason Diggs-related trades are so hard to determine is because a case could be made that both teams might enter into a situation where they’re at a disadvantage in the trade market.

In the Vikings’ case, Stefon Diggs has been acting suspicious on social media. He could just go to them one day and demand a trade.

The Vikings would likely be looking for a price that would blow them away, considering the need for a wide receiver that some teams have and Diggs’ resume.

Also, Diggs was at least frustrated with the team last year and still put together a very good season, so the Vikings could wait to deal Diggs and see how this year plays out, giving them more leverage than if they knew he wouldn’t play well for them in 2020-21.

In the Patriots’ case, Tom Brady may just go to them and say he needs more weapons on offense. If that happened, they would likely be pressed to find a trade that might hurt them longterm, but puts them in a win-now state of mind. That’s why I think that if a trade were to happen, Diggs’ return haul would be really good.

As Judd Zulgad put it, on the Minnesota sports radio show, talking about the trade involving Sanu and Diggs: “It would have to be a situation where I didn’t think Stefon Diggs would play for me.”

Sure, maybe other teams say no to a colossal deal for Diggs, but I just don’t see it happening otherwise with all the factors in play.

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