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Brad H -> RE: NFL Draft 2020 (4/26/2020 9:20:43 AM)
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Okay, here's my take on the draft:
First off, most people know I am a "need" guy. I see no point in having a draft, if teams are not there to fill obvious needs. As I have said before, drafting for best-player-available is a luxury that only a handful of teams can enjoy on any given year. If a team has no or few immediate needs, they have that luxury.
Secondly, for some teams, it is nearly impossible to fill all of their needs through the draft. There is also free agency, trades, etc...
Thirdly, I view the draft as a four-round ordeal. Very infrequently does a player become an all-pro caliber player from the later rounds. There are those that are exceptions, but they aren't the rule. However, with COVID-19, I think there will be a handful more that come out of this draft.
First off we need to identify needs. My opinion was that the Vikings had four glaring needs....offensive line, corner, wide receiver and a mobile quarterback. It is nearly impossible through a draft to efficiently fill all of those needs. Having said that, there is ways to make one of the needs less apparent as a result of filling one of the other needs. If you want your quarterback to be more successful, give him some help up front and some great weapons to disguise his deficiencies.
As a result, I listed in order the needs of the Vikings as (1) offensive linemen, (2) corner, (3) wide receiver. How did they do?
IMO, the Vikings get a B overall grade. I think they clearly addressed their needs, I'm just not sure they did it well enough to get an "A" on the test. Only time will tell.
First round pick Justin Jefferson (A-) looks like a solid pick. The problem with drafting a wide receiver early is that they, generally speaking, do not produce a lot in their first year. Jefferson is likely going to be pressed into early action, giving him a chance to have a solid rookie campaign. I would have rather had a pure burner to clear up the inside of the field, but he's considered one of the better route-runners in the draft and LSU has been a great resource for wide receivers in recent years. Whether or not he has potential outside is still up in the air, but clearly he had some of the best pass-catching and route-running skills in the draft.
Jeff Gladley (B+) looks like a solid corner in a spot where they have immediate needs. Is he an immediate star, a potential star or just a guy? I would label him as potential star. Nonetheless, corner is a must-have if you want to have a great defense, and he looks like a guy with a lot of potential.
Ezra Cleveland (A-) was a solid pick when the Vikings drafted him. Am I ecstatic about the pick? No. But given the needs up front I was happy he was there. My biggest question mark on Cleveland is the big jump from Boise State to the NFL. He occasionally saw NFL guys in the games he played, but wasn't tested like some of the other linemen in the draft. I would have rather seen the Vikings draft a lineman with their first pick, but only time will tell if the guys in front of him will be exponentially better. Is he a day one starter? That's a big question. I would hope he is, but COVID-19 could have an impact on that.
The Cameron Dantzler (B+) pick was a solid pick where they got him. Again, the Vikings clearly made a point that they understand the need for corners, and they went and found a tested guy. At the end of the day, he has good size, mediocre speed and is a competitor. The Vikings have done a pretty good job at taking corners and developing their skills, so I trust he could be a some-day starter.
I did not like the fourth round at all (D). DJ Wonnum looks like a guy with some upside, but I would have filled an inside offensive line position with this pick. Wonnum looks like a reach to me. Most sites I found did not have a lot of great things to say about him. He's not a great pass rusher and looks like a rotational guy, at-best. James Lynch is just a guy. He doesn't look like a great athlete, but probably gives it 100% at all times. I don't see Lynch as an impact player, but has the potential to be a rotational guy with his effort. Troy Dye is arguably the most interesting pick in the fourth round. He clearly isn't big enough to play inside at linebacker, but looks like a good enough athlete where he could be disruptive from the outside and you can move him around as a result of his athleticism. At the end of the day, the Vikings completely whiffed at addressing interior offensive linemen in the fourth round, and they had three chances.
After the fourth round, I see nothing but practice dummies. All of the movement after the fourth round with trades and such is just arrogance and nonsense. No need to have that many fifth, sixth and seventh round picks. Most of the guys would have been available as UDFA.
OVERALL GRADE "B"
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