Tag: Pat Elflein

Players the Vikings could have drafted instead of Pat Elflein

There were plenty of skilled players available, however, that wasn’t a huge need for the Vikings at the time.

The Vikings released guard Pat Elflein on Saturday after three-plus disappointing seasons in Minnesota.

Considering the Vikings drafted Elflein in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, it’s worth wondering who the Vikings could have drafted instead of Elflein.

Before we do this exercise, it’s important to note that the Vikings really needed offensive line help in this draft. The Elflein pick was not considered a reach at the time.

George Kittle went in the fifth round, as did Aaron Jones, but let’s focus on players who were taken after Elflein in the third round to stay realistic with who was actually slotted to go at that point in the draft.

Chris Godwin or Kenny Golladay

It’s worth noting that in the 2017 draft, the Vikings did not need a wide receiver. In 2016, Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph all had more than 900 yards receiving. Plus, the previous season, the team had drafted Laqoun Treadwell in the first round.

Godwin and Golladay both look like complete steals right now considering where they were drafted and this Vikings’ offense would be that much more dynamic with either of these two.

Kareem Hunt or James Conner

Again, the Vikings just drafted Dalvin Cook a round earlier in this draft, so it seems silly to draft either of these two a round later.

With that being said, the Vikings did draft Alexander Mattison in the third round of the 2019 draft, so maybe it wouldn’t be that crazy.

Had the Vikings drafted Hunt, it’s hard to imagine he’d still be on the team.

Dan Feeney

Feeney, also a guard, was picked right after Elflein by the Chargers.

Since being drafted, Feeney has started 49 games and is currently starting at center for the Chargers.

This would have been a better pick than Elflein, but the two players were both projected in the third round so it wasn’t a huge miss at the time for Rick Spielman and Co.

Either way, the Vikings gave up on yet another offensive line prospect. That has been Spielman’s biggest weakness during his tenure in Minnesota.

Other notable players that were available include tight end Jonnu Smith and safety John Johnson.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talks about Pat Elflein’s release

“We just felt like we had some better options,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said of the right guard spot.

Vikings have dealt with plenty of problems at the guard position this season.

In Pat Elflein’s absence, Dru Samia initially filled in and struggled in that role. However, when Samia went down, Ezra Cleveland stepped in.

He was a tad inconsistent against the Falcons, but since then, Cleveland has found his stride as a starting offensive lineman.

With Cleveland in that role and Elflein back from injury, the Vikings made the decision to waive Elflein. Why did the team do it?

“We just felt like we had some better options,” Zimmer said of the right guard spot, via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.

“It’s always tough. These guys come in and compete and work real hard. But at times, you just got to make those decisions.”

It seems like Cleveland will be the presumptive starter at right guard for 2020 anyway. That said, the move to get rid of Elflein was a confusing one, because he could have added depth to that spot and now it seems like Samia will be the backup option.

Vikings waive G Pat Elflein

You said welcome back to Vikings right guard Pat Elflein. Now, say goodbye

There won’t be any serious competition at the Vikings’ right guard spot.

When Elflein went down with an injury, Dru Samia stepped in. When Samia went down, it was Ezra Cleveland’s turn to take over the starting spot.

Cleveland, a rookie, has played so well these last two games, that Minnesota was left with a difficult decision when Elflein would return.

Well, now that Elflein has been activated, the Vikings ultimately decided to waive him. It seems like Cleveland will be the presumptive starter at right guard, at least for this season. After that, it remains to be seen whether the team will move him to tackle or not. Cleveland played tackle when he was at Boise State.

Minnesota had some good news for the special teams unit. The Vikings activated Austin Cutting from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Cutting’s absence could have left a struggling special teams without a key player.

Vikings activate guard Pat Elflein off IR

Welcome back, Vikings guard Pat Elflein.

The Vikings’ right guard spot has been a wild ride since Pat Elflein went down with a thumb injury.

Elflein went to IR. Dru Samia filled in at first. Samia looked overpowered and not ready to start. Despite certain Vikings fans calling for Samia to play this year, it seemed like Elflein couldn’t come back soon enough.

Now that Elflein is back, the Vikings appear to have a tough decision to make. Minnesota activated Elflein off of IR on Friday, the team announced on Twitter.

After Samia went down with an injury, Ezra Cleveland has played right guard. Cleveland has been great recently. He’s been part of a dominant offensive line in run blocking. As for pass blocking, Cleveland is a much needed presence on a Vikings interior offensive line that struggles in that area.

It remains to be seen what the team will do at right guard vs. the Bears on Monday, but honestly, I think it could go either way.

What do the Vikings do if Pat Elflein comes back this season?

Ezra Cleveland has played well at right guard. If Pat Elflein returns for this season, the Vikings may have a tough decision to make.

Minnesota desperately needed Pat Elflein back when Dru Samia was the starting right guard.

Samia was clearly not ready for the starting position. The Vikings interior offensive line struggled in pass protection and the offense sputtered in Elflein’s absence for the most part.

Elflein remains on IR, but when Samia went down with an injury, the Vikings gave a rookie offensive lineman a chance: Ezra Cleveland.

Cleveland, a second-round pick in this year’s draft, has filled the void at right guard despite playing tackle in college. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been good in pass protection, which helps the Minnesota interior quite a bit.

He’s also been stellar at times in run blocking and it’s shown in the Vikings offense as a whole. Dalvin Cook has ran for over 160 rushing yards in each of the last two games.

Cook is used to making his offensive line look better than they actually are, but recently, the Vikings blockers, Irv Smith Jr. and C.J. Ham included, have been making Cook look good.

In 2019, Elflein was pretty inconsistent. He was probably the worst Minnesota offensive lineman. In his one game against Green Bay this season, he was actually pretty good.

So the Vikings are left with a decision to make: Do you give Elflein his starting job back or do you play Cleveland to help him develop?

Cleveland might not be a right guard long term, and Elflein could very well come back and be better than Cleveland is right now. I think it really just comes down to how the season plays out. If Elflein hypothetically comes back and the Vikings look out of the playoff picture, it may help to leave Cleveland in.

But I think if Minnesota wins in Chicago, this season’s outlook could drastically change. The Vikings should play their five best offensive linemen in an effort to make the playoffs. I’m not sure if it is Cleveland or Elflein at this point, but I think it’s close if Elflein can play like he did vs. the Packers.

Elflein needs to be cleared by Nov. 16, or he’ll have to stay on the injured reserve. That means we will find out soon whether Minnesota will have to make a decision or not. Maybe Elflein stays on IR, and Cleveland continues to grow.

NFL trade deadline: 9 players on offense the Bills could target

Potential trade deadline targets for the Buffalo Bills on offense ahead of the 2020 NFL Trade Deadline.

The 2020 NFL trade deadline is right around the corner. It’s slated for Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Sitting at 5-2 overall and in control of their own destiny at this point, could the Buffalo Bills add to their arsenal to solidify themselves as a legitimate contender in the AFC? Despite their record, the Bills do certainly have a hole or two they could stand to fill in their roster.

In this part of Bills Wire’s trade deadline coverage, we’ll take a look at a couple of players just on offense in general that the Bills could target as Tuesday inches closer and closer:

Report: Vikings are sellers, but not holding fire sale

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly been listening on anyone in regards to a trade.

There’s an awful lot to glean from the Vikings trading Yannick Ngakoue.

Minnesota acquired the defensive end in a trade with Jacksonville just before the season. The Vikings ended up giving him to the Ravens for less than what they gave to the Jaguars, basically.

That’s a sign that the team is rebuilding as opposed to retooling.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Vikings are sellers, but the team is not having a fire sale, per se. Here’s what else Breer said:

“They’ve let teams know they’ll listen on anyone, which is how Thursday’s Yannick Ngakoue deal came about. They’re open for business on guys in contract years, and teams have asked on veteran TE Kyle Rudolph (who isn’t in a contract year) as well. Pat Elflein, a 2017 third-round pick who has been a disappointment, could be another name to watch, with lots of teams hungry for O-line help. And Tajae Sharpe is one more name that I’ve heard out there.”

Sharpe is a surprising one, but maybe some teams will take a chance on his upside. Pat Elflein and Kyle Rudolph aren’t shocking names to be out there, though, despite inconsistent play. With guard Ezra Cleveland and tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the waiting, you could rationalize both decisions.

The Athletic: Unlikely that the Vikings will make a move at the trade deadline

The Athletic doesn’t think the Minnesota Vikings will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

The NFL Trade Deadline is Nov. 3. With the Vikings relatively out of contention, and plenty of other teams in need of an upgrade, a move at the deadline wouldn’t be shocking.

That said, The Athletic has hypothesized that Minnesota will be quiet in the trade market. Here’s what The Athletic’s Chad Graff said about the Vikings:

“The Vikings have the least salary cap space in the NFL and are stuck somewhere between buyers and sellers. It would be hard for them to make a move even if they wanted, and I don’t get the sense that they want to.”

Graff did add that Pet Elflein is a player to keep an eye on. If Elflein can come back soon, the Vikings probably won’t try and get a guard at the deadline.

Report: Vikings won’t activate G Pat Elflein, LB Troy Dye off IR this week

The Minnesota Vikings will reportedly be without Pat Elflein and Troy Dye for the upcoming Falcons game.

Before the season, Vikings fans had been calling for Dru Samia to replace Pat Elflein at guard for 2020. But sometimes an unknown quantity isn’t a better one.

Samia has had his chance to start due to Elflein’s injury. He is currently tabbed as the worst-performing guard among qualifying candidates on PFF’s season grades.

According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, it looks like the Vikings will have to play without Elflein yet again. Tomasson reported the team will not activate him off IR.

Unless the Vikings make a change to the starting lineup, that means the team will leave Samia out there for yet another game.

Tomasson also said that the rookie Troy Dye will remain on IR as well, which makes the linebacker position group all the more thin for Minnesota.

Minnesota has not had the best of luck with injuries this season, but the Vikings also didn’t do much in the offseason to upgrade at offensive line or linebacker. Without Elflein, the Vikings are a worse offense. Without Dye, the team doesn’t have as much depth on defense.

Who will take Vikings OL Pat Elflein’s spot at right guard?

Now that Vikings guard, Pat Elflein is on IR, Minnesota OL Dru Samia will likely step up, according to a report.

The Vikings moved Pat Elflein over to right guard for this season. He played pretty well there against the Packers, but now the team will be on the search for a replacement.

Elflein has been placed on the injured reserve, meaning he’ll be out for at least three weeks. Elflein will reportedly require surgery on his thumb and is expected to be out longer than three games, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

So who will take Elflein’s place? Tomasson reported that second-year offensive lineman Dru Samia has been working with the first team in practice at right guard. Samia is expected to start on Sunday vs. the Colts, according to Tomasson.

There are also options like Ezra Cleveland, Brett Jones and Aviante Collins. Collins seems like a long shot at this point, because he’s on the practice squad still. Jones, however, has been reportedly signed to the 53-man roster.