Vikings have big hopes for McKinnon

[Purple bruise]

Dare I say that I see a lot of "Percy Harvin" type ability in him, yeah I will say it.

[Slick Rick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVaKsRcYsLE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9M87YZeTQU

Speed Kills .. man with this guy we have a ton of speed Peterson, Wright, Mckinnon, and Patterson ...

wow think how much speed that is ..

Crossing routes, Double moves etc etc

Man McKinnon's jukes were insane. Just a really good athlete it looks like. Apparently he can play defense too, I didn't realize that, but it sounds like his highest ceiling is as a RB.

[dead_poet]

He intrigues me. I do have some reservations about him and I don't think his ceiling is very high (it would be impressive if he ever matched Sproles' production). His change of direction is impressive but he seems to lack that "extra gear" at the top and he runs stiff. His vision is also suspect, not to mention he's incredibly raw as a running back as well as pass-catcher. His development will be fun to watch.

[Eli]

He intrigues me. I do have some reservations about him and I don't think his ceiling is very high (it would be impressive if he ever matched Sproles' production). His change of direction is impressive but he seems to lack that "extra gear" at the top and he runs stiff. His vision is also suspect, not to mention he's incredibly raw as a running back as well as pass-catcher. His development will be fun to watch.

He has a jump cut, but you're right, he mostly looks like a one-speed downhill runner. I think the stiffness is a matter of carrying a somewhat muscle-bound 210+ pounds on a 5'9" frame.

[dead_poet]

Jerick McKinnon - RB - Vikings

Vikings GM Rick Spielman reiterated on NFL Insiders that he envisions third-round pick Jerick McKinnon as a "third-down type back."

Spielman added he believes McKinnon has "a lot of unique traits," likely stemming from his otherworldly measurables. Spielman did not specifically say the Vikings envision McKinnon as Adrian Peterson's heir apparent, but the Georgia Southern product does have size and speed to eventually become a feature-caliber NFL running back. Spielman said he sees Peterson, Matt Asiata, and McKinnon as the Vikings' top-three tailback options entering 2014.

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McKinnon has a LONG ways to go in my eyes before he's even a remote possibility of being a starting-caliber running back.

[dead_poet]

2014 MINNESOTA VIKINGS DRAFT PROFILE: JERICK MCKINNON BREAKDOWN

http://vikingsterritory.com/2014/analys ... -breakdown

[King James]

I think McKinnon is in the best position to improve. Obviously he's not going to be a feature-caliber running back anytime soon. However, he gets to learn from the best running back in the game. I think Peterson is at that point of his career where he can show running backs below him on the depth chart some of his techniques. With AD still being in his prime, there's no pressure on McKinnon this season to show he's the next franchise RB, seeing as his only job is 3rd down//scat back. I think he may be able to spell AD as well but we will see. Thing is he's playing under Peterson, he gets to see every single rep that Peterson takes that we don't see when the cameras are not rolling. He is bound to learn something from Peterson.

[UltraNasty850]

Offseason talk is funny. I am a realist, truly a realist but my god some of you "vikings fans" sound like you hate the team. Have faith, any team can win on Sunday.

McKinnon looks like he will be very productive. I hate using the word athletic (they should all be athletic, they ARE athletes lol), but he seems very athletic and elusive. Knows the game from multiple angles. I will be looking for him on 3rd and long this year. Screen passes, dumps, #### maybe even a HB pass once or twice. Will be fun.

SKOL!

[soflavike]

Running back is a crapshoot... remember Jarvis Redwine (2nd Round) and D.J. Dozier (1st round)? They were both dominant feature backs in college, and proceeded to cover themselves in mediocrity as pros.

I just hope McKinnon can fit into some niche roles and grow into the ability to provide a change of pace and give AD a breather now and then. He looks very quick and elusive.

[dkoby]

It's funny how we all get different takes on players. I think McKinnon has a ton of upside. He was a triple threat in college so he had to learn many different positions. He does look a bit stiff but he is very powerful in a smaller package. He can become a very versatile player in a lot of different roles.

As far as learning from AD....It's hard to teach what AD does well. You can't teach size, speed and power. Those are God given talents. However He has speed and power and is more elusive than AD. And AD isn't much of a blocker. He should be a great addition to the special teams for a few years. I bet he can cover a kick and make a tackle. Hopefully the staff will use him, unlike last year's staff with Patterson.

[Eli]

As far as learning from AD....It's hard to teach what AD does well. You can't teach size, speed and power.

Nor can you teach vision, instinct, natural cutting ability. That's not to say Peterson can't teach him a lot, but you don't have to be Barry Sanders to be a great RB coach in the NFL, nor Joe Montana to coach QBs.

[Slick Rick]

Nor can you teach vision, instinct, natural cutting ability. That's not to say Peterson can't teach him a lot, but you don't have to be Barry Sanders to be a great RB coach in the NFL, nor Joe Montana to coach QBs.

You can teach techniques for enhancing your peripherals, and you can kind of teach things like how to make better cuts and even instinct. Heck, they say even speed and quickness can be taught with little things that you can do with your feet. Not that AP's going to be able to notice those things, that's more of a coaches job. What I see AP being able to help him with is by just playing next to him, and maybe just telling him some things that he has picked up over the years I guess.

McKinnon is a superior athlete. I don't know how good he's going to be, but I think he's going to be a good 3rd down running back at the very least. He has the talent to be a lot more than that, though.

[Eli]

You can teach techniques for enhancing your peripherals, and you can kind of teach things like how to make better cuts and even instinct. Heck, they say even speed and quickness can be taught with little things that you can do with your feet.

Instinct? By definition, it's not coachable.

The rest, to a degree. It's why every running back goes through the drills they do in every football camp and practice from Pop Warner to the NFL. McKinnon has probably been doing those drills since he was eight years old.

[King James]

Man you guys act like Peterson came out of his mother's womb one of the greatest RBs ever. Everything Peterson does can be taught. Vision, running through cuts, and etc can be taught. He can also teach McKinnon his workout plans and diets. I think Peterson's strength is the biggest part of his game. He benched over 345 pounds at his combine. That's over 100 more pounds than guys like Clay Matthews, Patrick Willis, Jon Beason, and Ernie Sims. But that's just bench. I can only imagine how strong his legs are, even after the ACL surgery. Dude is a workhorse, and I honestly think the average football player, even some of the elite do not hit the weight room as hard as Peterson, that's why he's so successful in my opinion. You can have all the natural instinct, vision, and cuts you want but without the right strength you will fail.

All that being said, McKinnon will thrive excellent under Peterson. You better believe he will be watching every movement Peterson makes on a play. As a football player it's common that guys watch tapes of players who have excelled at said position to try and emulate some of that players style to their play.

[Slick Rick]

Instinct? By definition, it's not coachable.

The rest, to a degree. It's why every running back goes through the drills they do in every football camp and practice from Pop Warner to the NFL. McKinnon has probably been doing those drills since he was eight years old.

Well by definition, it's not even quantifiable. It's just a natural "feel", it's the way that your mind senses things. You can teach people to watch for certain things that they should react to, or just little tricks to keeping a step ahead of defenders.

Bruce Lee wasn't a very instinctual fighter when he first started, and he used to lose quite a bit. What he did was he taught himself about body movements (not sure if it was scientific or just through his own observation) and developed his own style of martial arts based around what he learned. We all have instincts, but sometimes we neglect them. I'm certain that it is at least possible to sharpen these instincts.