Tag: Pro Football Network

PFN ranks Vikings as one of the league’s worst defenses

After a poor showing in the 2022 season, the Minnesota Vikings defense isn’t viewed that highly in 2023.

It’s safe to say the Minnesota Vikings didn’t live up to expectations on defense last season.

The Vikings, led by defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, finished near the bottom in points allowed per game, allowing a whopping 25.1 points per game. The Vikings were also 31st in the league for total yards allowed per game.

The poor showing led to the firing of Donatell during the off-season, with the Vikings choosing to fire former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator.

Despite Flores’ hiring and multiple upgrades to the defense, many don’t expect the Vikings to see significant improvement on that side of the ball.

Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan recently ranked every team’s defense and placed the Vikings near the bottom at 26th in the league.

“The Vikings are slated to improve defensively, but not enormously. They revamped their secondary, which helps, but the turnover they’ve had makes them difficult to project,” Hasan wrote. “Losing Za’Darius Smith deals a pretty big blow to their hopes, but they’ve improved overall. Where they’re coming from wasn’t that great to begin with, though.”

None of this should come as a surprise.

Although the Vikings added two immediate starters in free agency with cornerback Byron Murphy and edge rusher Marcus Davenport, the Vikings are a finished product on defense.

While the return of players like Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth, Jr. from injuries could boost the team’s fortunes, Flores has his work cut out for him.

If the Vikings want to become one of the league’s better defenses, Flores will have to find ways to maximize the talent available while hiding some of their significant weaknesses.

Latest rankings have Vikings with 12th-best offense in NFL

Coming off a year where the Vikings were the 8th best offense in scoring, Arif Hasan has them outside the top 10.

The offense is going to be the calling card for the Minnesota Vikings this season. The defense finished 31st in the NFL last season and there is no proof that there will be any improvement.

Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan ranked every offense in the NFL and ranked the Vikings with the 12th-best unit.

Losing Adam Thielen hurts, but the model considers Jordan Addison an upgrade. The Vikings did not improve their pass protection, but they have an elite pair of tackles and a functional interior. Importantly, the combination of Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson should help the offense compete for a top-10 rank, even if they do end up losing Dalvin Cook.

What is interesting here is the statement that the Vikings didn’t improve their pass protection. I don’t how the model Hasan uses works, but it’s a good bet that Ed Ingram improves significantly from year one to year two.

The Vikings could easily end up higher on the list by the end of the season due to the talent at the most important positions on the unit.

Final mock draft simulator: Where Michigan football players get drafted

It’s getting closer!

We are now hours away from the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

We’ve done one simulated mock draft before, and now that it’s draft day, we are going to do one more. Pro Football Network has an updated draft board and we cycled through all seven rounds to see where the Wolverine football players ended up going.

In real life, the maize and blue have a couple of players who could go in the first round: DJ Turner and Mazi Smith. But in this sim. there weren’t any Michigan players to go in round one.

There will be several Wolverines to go in the middle rounds or late rounds and it will be intriguing to see where they all end up.

Without further ado, here is where all the Michigan football players ended up going during our simualted mock draft.

Vikings & NFL draft consensus board w/Arif Hasan: The Real Forno Show

On a special episode of The Real Forno Show, Arif Hasan of Pro Football Network joins to discuss the 2023 NFL Draft and the consensus board.

We are just seven days away from the start of the NFL draft and things are starting to come into focus. One of the tools that is so great to utilize is the consensus board from Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan.

He joins The Real Forno Show to discuss that and multiple other topics.

  • How does this draft stack up to those of years past?
  • How did the Vikings draft compared to the consensus board last year?
  • What can we gather from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft?

All of that and more on The Real Forno Show live at 6 pm central time or on demand on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

Power rankings: Bills near top of PFN post-free agency poll

Power rankings: #Bills near top of PFN post-free agency poll:

The Buffalo Bills haven’t made the flashiest of moves early this offseason, as promised.

General manager Brandon Beane said that might be the case because of last year’s addition of Von Miller. But Pro Football Network is not forgetting that past in their latest power rankings.

PFN ranked Buffalo as the No. 4 team in their post-free agency power rankings. A reason for that is because PFN is considering Miller an “addition” to the team in 2023 as well, referencing that the pass rusher will be back from a knee injury that ended his season early in 2022.

In PFN’s poll, the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs at the top are only teams ranking higher than Buffalo.

Here’s PFN’s full analysis on the Bills:

The Buffalo Bills lost Edmunds but kept Jordan Poyer and could still make some noise by signing a veteran linebacker to replace the former for the coming season. Getting Von Miller back certainly helps their defensive cause as well.

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Pro Football Network sends Vikings a wide receiver in latest mock draft

The Vikings taking a wide receiver in the first round is a sound strategy

There have been many discussions this offseason about which direction the Minnesota Vikings should go when it comes to their first-round pick in April’s NFL Draft.

While there is an urgency to get younger and faster on defense, there’s an argument to be made about bolstering the offense and providing Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins with another weapon they can rely on.

Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network released his mock draft Friday and felt the Vikings should go offense and select Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s tape is good — so good that even a merely respectable Combine showing could boost his chances of staying in Round 1. He’s a great fit for the Vikings, who need a dependable chain-mover to complement Justin Jefferson’s big-play ability.”

Smith-Njigba would be a player who could step in on day one and immediately impact this Vikings offense. He’s a smooth wide receiver with great hands who can give the Vikings a trio of weapons with Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson for the next decade.

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Pro Football Network has Vikings reaching for cornerback in latest mock draft

The Vikings got mocked their 12th different cornerback in the first round

The Minnesota Vikings are in dire need of bolstering their cornerback depth, as they currently only have three corners under contract for the 2023 season. With the NFL Draft and Free Agency fast approaching, the Vikings will need to focus on securing talented players to strengthen their defensive unit.

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network released a mock draft on Tuesday, attempting to help the Vikings by selecting Michigan cornerback D.J. Turner
“I like DJ Turner more than most. He’s a polished corner with outstanding ball skills despite being under the radar. Minnesota absolutely has to add more competition at the position this offseason, and Turner could be a Day 1 starter.”

There is no denying that this cornerback class is deep and that many people have varying assessments of the players. Many experts believe Turner is primarily a day-two prospect. A lot can change between now and the NFL Draft, but if the Vikings reached for a cornerback on day one, there wouldn’t be very many happy fans.

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Pro Football Network has the Vikings going a new route in latest Mock Draft

For the first time this cycle, the Vikings were mocked the local Minnesota offensive lineman

The Minnesota Vikings have 25 impending free agents this offseason that they’ll need to make a decision on. One of which is center Garrett Bradbury. While there is no official word on Bradbury’s future with the team, his potential departure would leave a significant void at the center position.

Joe Broback of Pro Football Network suggests in a recent mock draft that the Vikings could address their need at center by selecting local talent John Michael Schmitz from the University of Minnesota.

“Even if Garrett Bradbury is the guy at center, this pick still makes sense. The Vikings need help on the interior offensive line, and John Michael Schmitz gives them versatility that they desperately need.

Schmitz played both guard and center with the Gophers, and he’s one of the biggest risers after the Senior Bowl. His tenacity in the trenches sets him apart, and that is something Minnesota needs offensively to elevate the unit.”

Drafting a center in the first round might not be many fans’ dream scenario, but let me tell you, Schmitz is the real deal. This guy’s got power like you wouldn’t believe, and even when he’s not quite on his A-game in protection, he’s got the grit and determination to bounce back. Schmitz could slide right into the starting role from day one, and the Vikings could finally have the stability they’ve been craving at center for years to come.

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Pro Football Network’s has the Vikings selecting 2 positions of need in latest mock draft

The Vikings went with one player on offense and defense in the latest PFN mock draft

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. They’ll first get an opportunity to fill those holes through free agency, but after that, they’ll need to depend on the NFL Draft. On Saturday, James Fragoza of Pro Football Network released a three-round mock draft and had the Vikings selecting South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith in the first round.

“Cam Smith is an instinctual corner with quick feet and fluid hips. He was rarely tested at South Carolina, but when he was, he broke up 15 passes and intercepted four more. His prowess in press can unlock coverage looks that Minnesota couldn’t run with their personnel last season.”

In the third round, Fragoza had the Vikings selecting Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington.

“Parker Washington doesn’t garner enough attention. He’s a YAC threat with sure hands from the slot and has kick/punt return ability.”

Both of these selections would fill a need for the Vikings. They desperately need help at the cornerback spot given that they only have three players under contract for next season. Smith will help add a body to that group while bringing some physicality to a new Brian Flores defense.

As for wide receivers, the Vikings need to find someone who can pull the attention off of Justin Jefferson a bit more. While Washington isn’t a name a lot of fans know about, he’d provide the team with punt return ability and someone who can make all the catches you want.

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Pro Football Network has Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon as the latest corner mocked to the Vikings

On Thursday in their latest mock draft, Pro Football Network had the Minnesota Vikings selecting a cornerback in the first round.

The Minnesota Vikings’ cornerback room desperately needs more bodies, which is why many mock drafts have suggested the Vikings take a corner in the first round.

On Thursday, Dalton Miller of the Pro Football Network joined the club in his latest NFL mock draft by having the Vikings select Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

“Another year, another cornerback being drafted in Round 1 by the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a tale as old as time because, unfortunately, as of late, it’s blown up in the Vikings’ faces.

Minnesota has young cornerbacks on the roster, but none of them have shown they’re ready to become consistent contributors. And they’re the only three left on the roster before free agency hits.

Devon Witherspoon brings the high-end coverage tools necessary to survive in a league that has disallowed physicality in coverage. However, Witherspoon brings more than enough physicality against the run. The defensive back had a ridiculous eight tackles for loss in 2021.”

We haven’t seen Witherspoon mocked to the Vikings a whole lot, but he’d definitely help fill an immediate need. He’s an explosive corner with very fluid hips and can be an asset in the run game, which is perfect for Flores’ defense.

The Vikings will more than likely draft a corner at some point in the draft. The question is, with a loaded cornerback group, do you take one on in Round One?

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