Mock Draft

[CharVike]

I feel that we HAVE to replace Cleveland 6'6" 312 and Bradbury 6'3" 300. Cleveland is a Tackle who I have never been sold on. Too early to move on from Ingram who was a rookie and will definitely get better. IF we could somehow come away with 2 of G O'Cyress Torrence 6'5 337, C John Michael Schmitz 6'4 306, OG Andrew Vorhees 6'6 325, C Ricky Stromberg 6'4 315, and IOL Steve Avila 6'4 332, that would be amazing. According to NFL Draft Blitz, they are prospect ranked 34,50,56,79, and 88. IMO, that adds a lot of size and beef to the OL. After watching us get absolutely manhandled on the interior OL, this is where I target the draft. Problem is that we have so many needs on the defensive side of the ball, but the CB class is deep this year. LBs are everywhere and there are quite a few players there. S is a position that can also be addressed later in the draft.

G O'Cyress Torrence that's the guy I like. He's a big player. Cleveland is a T. Moving him to G was wrong. I would look to move O'neil and play Cleveland in his spot. Perhaps O'Neil could get us a pick for Stromberg.

[CharVike]

When I think about Richardson as a QB prospect and KAM taking him at #23, I think about that scene from Lord of the Rings where Smeagol beseeches Frodo not to try to take the Ring of Power into Mordor through the Black Gate. I wish I could find that clip on Youtube, but apparently that scene wasn't as popular or memorable as others from that movie.

Richardson is a prototypical athletic QB. He's tall. He's big. He's got a strong arm and can make all the throws. He can run. He's dynamic.

But he's not going to be a reliable starting QB as a pro and this is why - he's not a student of the game and he's not good at reading the field, plus his athleticism often leads to him making a lot of off-kilter throws because he doesn't possess solid fundamentals IMHO. He's going to wow at the Combine and get scouts lathered up. In fact, I expect he'll make the chances of anyone taking him lower than the 15th pick a moot point as someone will get overly excited about what he brings to the table and believe they can coach him into a becoming a good pro. Good luck. It might happen. I just don't want the Vikings to be the team that takes that chance.

I think Stump hit it on the head with his mock on Hendon Hooker in the 3rd or if the Vikings move up in the later 2nd, maybe get him there. He's consistently trended upwards during his college career. He's accurate, can make things happen with his feet, and has demonstrated an ability to rise to the challenge in big games. His big issue is an ACL injury that will require rehab for much or all of his rookie season, which means he can't get on the field right away for the team that drafts him, and that will push him down boards. It is exactly that sort of thing, though, that could be a huge gift to a team like the Vikings, because if he were healthy he'd be a sure first round pick and probably a top 15 pick.

If this upcoming draft were to somehow deposit Bijan Robinson to the Vikings in the first round and KAM managed to snag Hendon Hooker somehow, wow, what a bonanza of a draft that would be. The Vikings would get a generational RB talent and a QB prospect that I think could become a legit franchise impact starter. That would be very impressive.

For those who aren't familiar with Hendon Hooker, I highly recommend looking up his highlights on Youtube.

Great post. I caught some of Hooker's games and really liked what I saw.

I'm not sold at all on Hooker. Yes Tennessee could score points with the best of them. 50 was basically a given and 60+ was handed out a few times also. The 1st game Hooker was out they put up 56. His biggest challenge was Georgia and he didn't do much. He's a one look QB. Throw it or take off. That's not KOC offense with us or the Rams. But maybe it should be.
Zach Ragan from A to Z sports.
Josh Heupel’s offense isn’t going to do Hooker any favors in the eyes of evaluators. The no-huddle, go-ball heavy attack is no stranger to putting up big passing numbers. Dillon Gabriel had monster years as a true freshman and sophomore at UCF in the same offense. It’s often asking the quarterback to do little more than count numbers to decide which route to throw. Because of the ultra-wide spread attack’s propensity to “break” coverages, Hooker led the Power-Five in completions targeted 20-plus yards downfield that earned only a .5 grade or below (19). That means those throws weren’t anything special, but rather, his receivers were wide-open.
As a runner, he’s obviously very gifted, but when he breaks the pocket, he’s looking almost exclusively to run, not pass. On 151 dropbacks the past two seasons where he was moved off his spot, Hooker completed only seven passes!

[Pondering Her Percy]

Great post. I caught some of Hooker's games and really liked what I saw.

I'm not sold at all on Hooker. Yes Tennessee could score points with the best of them. 50 was basically a given and 60+ was handed out a few times also. The 1st game Hooker was out they put up 56. His biggest challenge was Georgia and he didn't do much. He's a one look QB. Throw it or take off. That's not KOC offense with us or the Rams. But maybe it should be.
Zach Ragan from A to Z sports.
Josh Heupel’s offense isn’t going to do Hooker any favors in the eyes of evaluators. The no-huddle, go-ball heavy attack is no stranger to putting up big passing numbers. Dillon Gabriel had monster years as a true freshman and sophomore at UCF in the same offense. It’s often asking the quarterback to do little more than count numbers to decide which route to throw. Because of the ultra-wide spread attack’s propensity to “break” coverages, Hooker led the Power-Five in completions targeted 20-plus yards downfield that earned only a .5 grade or below (19). That means those throws weren’t anything special, but rather, his receivers were wide-open.
As a runner, he’s obviously very gifted, but when he breaks the pocket, he’s looking almost exclusively to run, not pass. On 151 dropbacks the past two seasons where he was moved off his spot, Hooker completed only seven passes!

Funny this is conversation right now because I have my draft just about finished for my offseason mock I’ll be posting (just finishing the depth chart and I’ll be posting) and you might be seeing Hooker in my draft

….only sneak peak im giving! Lol

[CharVike]

I'm not sold at all on Hooker. Yes Tennessee could score points with the best of them. 50 was basically a given and 60+ was handed out a few times also. The 1st game Hooker was out they put up 56. His biggest challenge was Georgia and he didn't do much. He's a one look QB. Throw it or take off. That's not KOC offense with us or the Rams. But maybe it should be.
Zach Ragan from A to Z sports.
Josh Heupel’s offense isn’t going to do Hooker any favors in the eyes of evaluators. The no-huddle, go-ball heavy attack is no stranger to putting up big passing numbers. Dillon Gabriel had monster years as a true freshman and sophomore at UCF in the same offense. It’s often asking the quarterback to do little more than count numbers to decide which route to throw. Because of the ultra-wide spread attack’s propensity to “break” coverages, Hooker led the Power-Five in completions targeted 20-plus yards downfield that earned only a .5 grade or below (19). That means those throws weren’t anything special, but rather, his receivers were wide-open.
As a runner, he’s obviously very gifted, but when he breaks the pocket, he’s looking almost exclusively to run, not pass. On 151 dropbacks the past two seasons where he was moved off his spot, Hooker completed only seven passes!

Funny this is conversation right now because I have my draft just about finished for my offseason mock I’ll be posting (just finishing the depth chart and I’ll be posting) and you might be seeing Hooker in my draft

….only sneak peak im giving! Lol

That's ok he's a player you like and there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't see KOC chasing him based on his past and current QBs. Reading posters picks is always good. We all have our favorites. I have mine also and he's not one of them. Matter of fact a CB I like is Kelee Ringo from Georgia. I watched a highlight of him picking off Hooker and he was as tight as you can get on the WR. Turned and ran down the sideline stride for stride. Very impressive. I saw a mock with him coming to us. But we need help in the trenches first.