Grading The Vikings 2015 Draft

[CbusVikesFan]

This draft is an A+ for me. To finally get a decent MLB and the kid is a tackling machine who can also cover? Frickin smashing!!!!
What a boon. And to get another top CB while his counterpart is still young and on the upswing? Man, I don't know about anyone else, but I am excited for this year. If a team cannot score a ton of points, it sure helps to keep the opposing offense from doing the same. Just three years ago the biggest liabilities on the team were defensive backfield and QB. Now look at the new look Vikings. Man, we even have some Linebacker talent now. Holy Smokes.
I hope that AP comes around and sees what will be a promising year and much more so if he is all in from the start of training camp, or now would be great. I have to give much props to Spiels and Zimmer for doing a great job.
Don't worry about Waynes. With Zimmer teaching and Newman mentoring, he'll turn out just fine.

[dead_poet]

Draft Grades: NFC North

http://www.draftinsider.net/blog/?p=10566

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings had a bunch of holes to fill entering the draft and ten selections to find players to plug those holes. Speculation ran high as to which direction they would go with their first pick, the eleventh overall. In the end they went with cornerback Trae Waynes. Moving towards the draft I felt Waynes was slightly overrated but there’s no denying he was one of the best press cornerbacks available and is a perfect hit for Mike Zimmer. Late in March I reported the feeling was Minnesota would select a linebacker in the early rounds and they did exactly that choosing Eric Kendricks in the second frame. The senior should quickly slide into the starting role at middle linebacker and should complete what is a terrific unit with Anthony Barr and veteran Chad Greenway. I firmly believe Danielle Hunter was a major bargain with the 88th pick and his skills and upside were more top 40 worthy. Hunter is a physical beast with the ability to disrupt the action and will only get better as he physically matures and receives more playing experience. Fourth round pick T.J. Clemmings was another steal. The athletic lineman offers starting potential at a number of positions on the line. Why did he fall so far? Immediately after the draft sources told me the stress fracture in Clemmings foot is one that could be catastrophic to his career if it breaks again. Still, he was worth a roll of the dice in round four. The team went with a pair of pass catchers in round five. Tight end/H-back MyCole Pruitt offers variety when the team lines-up two tight ends while receiver Stefon Diggs is a vertical threat with potential as a return specialist. Sixth round selection Tyrus Thompson was another value pick. I stamped the Oklahoma senior as fourth round value and he could offer the team flexibility at left tackle in the future. Their final three choices, B.J. Dubose, Austin Shepard and Edmond Robinson, may struggle to make it off the practice roster. Keep an eye on receiver Jordan Leslie, who the team signed as a UDFA. He has the size and speed to play at the next level and really developed his game in 2014.

Grade A-: I’m not a big Trae Waynes guy but understand the importance of the position he plays and also realize his upside. They selected three more potential starters through the fourth round and a pair of players who should make the two deep in the fifth frame. I was not overly impressed with their late round picks but I see a lot of production coming from this draft.

[808vikingsfan]

Another report card

Minnesota Vikings: Grading Each Pick Of The 2015 NFL Draft

If he (Waynes) lives up to expectations and Rhodes continues to get better, the Vikings could sport one of the best secondaries in the league.

Paired with last year's first-round pick, Anthony Barr, the Vikings have one of the most athletic backer duos

Fun to think that the Vikings two weak areas on defense may become near tops in the league.

[Texas Vike]

Another report card

Minnesota Vikings: Grading Each Pick Of The 2015 NFL Draft


Fun to think that the Vikings two weak areas on defense may become near tops in the league.

I agree. I would love to turn our weaknesses into strengths. I so much prefer Zimmer's defensive strategies and style to the previous regime's and the fact that he's made it a point to go get the correct players for his scheme. I can't wait to watch our D this year.

[Pondering Her Percy]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... r-rankings

It still baffles me that guys on here ranked our draft in the "C" range. I haven't seen one site come even close to a "C". This is a very interesting read based off of the top 100 players in this years draft class. We ranked #1 and shattered the second place team by 42 points. We had 6 players out of 10 ranked in the top 100 which is more than any other team. You really can't ask for better value than that especially in later rounds.

This is now 3-4 good draft classes Spielman has brought in over the past few years yet guys still continue to complain about him. Honestly, it would have been tough to draft any better than he has over the past few years. You look at all the GMs that have missed on picks recently. Something Spielman has rarely done recently. This is why I don't understand why some on here continue to throw digs at him on a consistent basis.

[Purple bruise]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... r-rankings

It still baffles me that guys on here ranked our draft in the "C" range. I haven't seen one site come even close to a "C". This is a very interesting read based off of the top 100 players in this years draft class. We ranked #1 and shattered the second place team by 42 points. We had 6 players out of 10 ranked in the top 100 which is more than any other team. You really can't ask for better value than that especially in later rounds.

This is now 3-4 good draft classes Spielman has brought in over the past few years yet guys still continue to complain about him. Honestly, it would have been tough to draft any better than he has over the past few years. You look at all the GMs that have missed on picks recently. Something Spielman has rarely done recently. This is why I don't understand why some on here continue to throw digs at him on a consistent basis.

Just make a mental note of those who complain about the draft and you can readily see that they complain and criticize every move all the time

[DK Sweets]

Just make a mental note of those who complain about the draft and you can readily see that they complain and criticize every move all the time

False. I am usually as optimistic about the Vikings as anybody and I would rate it somewhere between a B and a C-.

I wasn't impressed with what I saw out of Trae Waynes. Danielle Hunter looked like an underperformer. If one of those guys doesn't pan out, I feel like we left a lot of talent on the board. I did like the Kendricks pick and I think Clemmings was a good value, but time will tell.

Nobody will be happier than me if I'm completely wrong and we had an amazing draft, but I'm not giving them an A just because we got some highly ranked prospects and I'm hardly the type of guy to criticize and complain about every move.

[John_Viveiros]

False. I am usually as optimistic about the Vikings as anybody and I would rate it somewhere between a B and a C-.

I wasn't impressed with what I saw out of Trae Waynes. Danielle Hunter looked like an underperformer. If one of those guys doesn't pan out, I feel like we left a lot of talent on the board. I did like the Kendricks pick and I think Clemmings was a good value, but time will tell.

Nobody will be happier than me if I'm completely wrong and we had an amazing draft, but I'm not giving them an A just because we got some highly ranked prospects and I'm hardly the type of guy to criticize and complain about every move.

Same here. I was one of the C grades. I just didn't like what I saw from the "highlights" tapes for Waynes and Hunter - and those are two of the three guys with the best chance to be starters (after day two, you are really stretching to find starters, and you almost never find guys who can step in right away). To be honest, I like all the day three guys except for Dubose.

So I'm guessing that we got a great starter in Hendricks, and a bunch of projects with high ceilings and a variety of chances of getting there. I liked the strategy late, but was hoping for picks that were a little more of a sure thing (I know that doesn't really exist in the draft) in rounds 1 and 3.

Am I a guy who complains and criticizes after every move? Don't think so. I'm pretty high on the Vikings now (and last year) so most of the discussion in 2014 seemed to focus on whether my outlook was a little too rosy.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... r-rankings

It still baffles me that guys on here ranked our draft in the "C" range. I haven't seen one site come even close to a "C". This is a very interesting read based off of the top 100 players in this years draft class. We ranked #1 and shattered the second place team by 42 points. We had 6 players out of 10 ranked in the top 100 which is more than any other team. You really can't ask for better value than that especially in later rounds.

This is now 3-4 good draft classes Spielman has brought in over the past few years yet guys still continue to complain about him. Honestly, it would have been tough to draft any better than he has over the past few years. You look at all the GMs that have missed on picks recently. Something Spielman has rarely done recently. This is why I don't understand why some on here continue to throw digs at him on a consistent basis.

People dig on Spielman because of his prior history. Right or wrong, people will judge him until this team wins a Super Bowl.

I am more of a wait and see type of fan. I will LOVE the Minnesota Vikings until the day I die, but, I am not the type to be overly optimistic about every aspect of the team. I thought we had a solid draft. I am not a huge Trae Waynes fan, but, it would absolutely asinine to count the guy out before he has even played a snap with the Viikings. This year will be telling.


SKOL Vikings!!!

[Pondering Her Percy]

False. I am usually as optimistic about the Vikings as anybody and I would rate it somewhere between a B and a C-.

I wasn't impressed with what I saw out of Trae Waynes. Danielle Hunter looked like an underperformer. If one of those guys doesn't pan out, I feel like we left a lot of talent on the board. I did like the Kendricks pick and I think Clemmings was a good value, but time will tell.

Nobody will be happier than me if I'm completely wrong and we had an amazing draft, but I'm not giving them an A just because we got some highly ranked prospects and I'm hardly the type of guy to criticize and complain about every move.

No offense Dakota, but I will take the opinions of those that watch legitimate film on these guys and were impressed with what they saw. I've watched draft breakdowns of Waynes and still liked what I saw. The guy only gave up two TDs in over 2 years. Even Darqueze Dennard (his former teammate and first round pick) came out and said that Waynes will be 10x the CB he will ever be.

What I think you're overlooking is the fact that Waynes fits this scheme so well and has legitimate talent that Mike Zimmer can work with. IMO, there was no better option for us right there. Some are going to say Parker but did we honestly need Parker at this point?? Johnson can be a legitimate X guy IMO, we have Wallace, Wright, CP and now Diggs who might be the biggest sleeper out of anyone we drafted. So what good does Parker really do us?? Fill the X spot that is occupied by a young, talented, no-cap hit type player??

We had NOBODY to start opposite of Rhodes outside of maybe Newman who isn't someone we should be relying on given his age. To have the #1 CB on most boards, the guy that fits this scheme perfectly and has shutdown potential fall right on our laps, how do you not take him?? It was a "can't pass" type decision. You know Spielman loves to trade down to gain picks to trade back into the first but obviously nobody in that war room thought they should pass on that pick. I trust the opinions of Spielman, Zimmer, Edwards and staff more than anything.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I mean there are analysts out there that have been breaking these down for months and I have seen multiple articles saying Waynes was the best pick in the NFC North. Now either the Packers, Bears and Lions drafted that bad or we drafted good. Given the grades everyone has been giving them, I would say we drafted that good. I have yet to see worse than a straight B and have looked at at least 10-15 articles coming from ESPN, NFL.com/NFL Network, B/R, FOX sports, PFT, Rotoworld, etc.

So where the "C" stuff is coming from is beyond me. Especially given the value we got in later rounds with guys like Clemmings, Diggs, Pruitt and Thompson. Those are huge hits that late in the draft

[DK Sweets]

First off, I would like to say that I'm not offended that you take more sock in other people's opinion than mine. I openly admit that I don't follow college ball or study the draft much.

But this is why I don't take too much stock in draft grades:

Fox 2010 Draft Grades
Teams of note: Panthers (A+), Miami (A), Oakland (A+)

Football Outsiders 2010 Draft Grades
Team of note: Baltimore, Oakland

Fox 2011 Draft Grades
Teams of Note: Denver (C+), Dallas (C+), San Fransisco (C+), Seattle (D)

Football Outsiders 2011 Draft Grades
Teams of note: Detroit, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Dallas, Seattle

It's not that you shouldn't have faith in my opinion, it's that you shouldn't put so much faith in anybody's opinion because even the best in the business are wrong very often.

If you're excited about our draft and it matches what you were seeing going into the process, then that's great and I'm happy for you...honestly, I wish I felt that way, too. But no amount of "expert" analysis or draft graes that say we did awesome is going to alter my opinion on this...because like I said, it's not like these experts are even *usually* right.

I saw some things that didn't excite me. I saw some things that look very promising. To me, that means that this has to be no higher than a B- until the players SHOW me how they fit with the rest of our team and respond to coaching.

[Texas Vike]

First off, I would like to say that I'm not offended that you take more sock in other people's opinion than mine. I openly admit that I don't follow college ball or study the draft much.

But this is why I don't take too much stock in draft grades:

Fox 2010 Draft Grades
Teams of note: Panthers (A+), Miami (A), Oakland (A+)

Football Outsiders 2010 Draft Grades
Team of note: Baltimore, Oakland

Fox 2011 Draft Grades
Teams of Note: Denver (C+), Dallas (C+), San Fransisco (C+), Seattle (D)

Football Outsiders 2011 Draft Grades
Teams of note: Detroit, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Dallas, Seattle

It's not that you shouldn't have faith in my opinion, it's that you shouldn't put so much faith in anybody's opinion because even the best in the business are wrong very often.

If you're excited about our draft and it matches what you were seeing going into the process, then that's great and I'm happy for you...honestly, I wish I felt that way, too. But no amount of "expert" analysis or draft graes that say we did awesome is going to alter my opinion on this...because like I said, it's not like these experts are even *usually* right.

I saw some things that didn't excite me. I saw some things that look very promising. To me, that means that this has to be no higher than a B- until the players SHOW me how they fit with the rest of our team and respond to coaching.

I gave them a B, but Dakota's thoughts here reflect my own. I don't really care what grade analysts give us right now, I think the key is to grade players' performance in the NFL on the field. This kind of thing is fun in a very hypothetical/ speculative way, but I don't put too much stock into it.

[fiestavike]

To be honest, I like all the day three guys except for Dubose.

I honestly don't know anything about Dubose or his draft stock, but I did find it interesting that he was working at LDE during rookie OTAs.

He was a DT in college(?), so its just another reminder (along with drafting Crichton) that they are looking for a pocket collapsing run defender at the LDE spot.

I'm really excited to see this defense develop over the next year or two.

[PsyDanny]

I honestly don't know anything about Dubose or his draft stock, but I did find it interesting that he was working at LDE during rookie OTAs.

He was a DT in college(?), so its just another reminder (along with drafting Crichton) that they are looking for a pocket collapsing run defender at the LDE spot.

I'm really excited to see this defense develop over the next year or two.

I'm with you on this, thinking the next few years are going to be so much fun. Expecting great things on both sides of the ball.