With one day and change remaining until this year's NFL draft, nearly everyone on the planet has a mock draft posted on the web. And while those mocks range from conventional--with teams taking the best player that they most need--to fanciful--with teams landing players they have no hope of landing, nearly all blogs have one thing in common--they all tend to agree on who the top eight prospects are in this year's draft.
In no particular order, the consensus appears to be that the top eight players in this year's draft are JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, LaRon Landry, Gaines Adams, and Amobi Okoye, with Okoye the only player of the eight borderline consensus. Of these eight, the consensus also appears to be that all eight will be impact players in the NFL. That means that, no matter what the other teams in the draft do, the Vikings will be in a position to draft a highly regarded player in this year's draft. What the options will be is all that remains to be seen.
Peterson Pickle
This week, word leaked that Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson re-injured his collarbone during the Sooners' bowl game. Peterson long ago revealed the issue to pro scouts but, apparently, word never made it beyond those usually loose lips. The additional rumor is that Peterson will require therapy and possibly surgery on his collarbone, a situation that could lead him to miss training camp--or worse.
Whether Peterson's injury will keep him out of camp or off the field for an extended period is uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the Minnesota Vikings cannot afford to miss with this year's first-round pick. With an agitated fan base and a draft history that has its last four first round selections two players with injury histories who have missed significant playing time, another first-round pick who missed all of last season with an injury, and a fourth first-rounder with, as of yet, no proven ability, the Vikings need to get it right this year.
In my most previous column, I suggested that, given other teams' needs and what is likely to be on the board when the Vikings select at number seven in the draft, the Vikings best three options in this year's draft appear to be Peterson, LSU safety LaRon Landry, and Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye. With concerns arising about Peterson's re-injured collarbone, however, that list should be pared to the two defensive players.
The Vikings would be well-served drafting Landry, a player who could help solidify a shaky pass defense, provide support for a revamped linebacking corps with an inexperienced middle linebacker, and give new defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier some options for running the blitz packages that he has promised to install in Minnesota's defensive system.
If the Vikings want Landry, they likely will need to use their seventh pick to take him as several teams selecting immediately after Minnesota would love to have Landry, making it difficult to trade down and still pick-up Landry. If the Vikings are interested in Okoye, however, they might be able to trade down as many as six slots, pick up a second-round pick, and still add the powerful defensive lineman.
Moving down to take Okoye could leave the Vikings without Okoye, Landry, or any of the other consensus starters in this year's draft. But even that might be a blessing in disguise for a team in desperate need of capable players along the offensive line, at wide receiver, at cornerback, and at defensive end. Trading down and missing out on Okoye and Landry would still give the Vikings the opportunity to select Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem or LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe--two highly regarded receivers--and give the team an additional pick in the middle of the second round, where they should be able to find a quality safety or corner.
Up Next: Final Pre-Draft. Plus, Post-Draft Review.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Draft Final Take One
Three days away from the 2007 NFL college entry draft, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in both an enviable and an uneviable position. Selecting number seven overall, Minnesota is assured of having at least two bona fide starters available when they draft. Unfortunately, as seems so often to be the case for the Vikings, those two bona fide starters probably will not be players who can fill any of Minnesota's pressing needs, as numerous as those needs might be.
Two Givens
The two players in the draft on whom the Vikings could most count to be long-term starters beginninng in 2007 are Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas and LSU safety LaRon Landry. Thomas would do fine as a converted right tackle until the Vikings come to their senses and move the highly overrated Bryant McKinnie. Given Arizona's desperate need for an offensive tackle, however, there is virtually zero chance that Thomas will be available when the Vikings draft at number seven.
Landry should be available at seven, however, making him a tempting selection for the Purple. Despite depth at safety, the Vikings could be excused for selecting Landry with the plan of moving one of their younger safeties to corner and using Landry at safety in 2007. Landry won't be the highest reward selection that the Vikings could make at number seven, but he should be a safe pick and a great stopper for some time, as safeties tend to wear well in the NFL.
The Next Two
After Thomas and Landry, the next two most certain picks are Adrian Peterson and Amobi Akoye. What Peterson loses in years of service by playing a punishing position, he should make up for in production over the short haul. If the Vikings are in a three-year rebuilding mode, as owner Zygi Wilf recently suggested, selecting Peterson would be an odd choice. Of course, odd choices are what this franchise is all about the past few seasons, so Peterson might fit in nicely regardless of the short-term team prospects.
Akoye, on the other hand, offers both production and longevity, assuming his growth stays within reasonable bounds. At only nineteen years old, Akoye toyed with his college opponents in 2006. He's big, he's strong, he's reasonably intelligent, and he gets to the quarterback playing the interior. That's something that certainly can compensate for a weak outside pass rush. And with Patrick Williams probably looking at retirement sometime in the next two years, Akoye would be a nice full-time replacement and a very nice short-term sub.
USA Today-Like Summary
If the Vikings want long-term contribution from their seventh overall pick in this year's draft and want to limit the risk in their selection, the best two options likely to be available to them are Landry and Akoye. If they want great short-term production from a player with a higher risk attached to his selection, Peterson would be a good selection.
Up Next: Weeding Through the Best of the Rest in Round One. Plus, the picks.
Two Givens
The two players in the draft on whom the Vikings could most count to be long-term starters beginninng in 2007 are Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas and LSU safety LaRon Landry. Thomas would do fine as a converted right tackle until the Vikings come to their senses and move the highly overrated Bryant McKinnie. Given Arizona's desperate need for an offensive tackle, however, there is virtually zero chance that Thomas will be available when the Vikings draft at number seven.
Landry should be available at seven, however, making him a tempting selection for the Purple. Despite depth at safety, the Vikings could be excused for selecting Landry with the plan of moving one of their younger safeties to corner and using Landry at safety in 2007. Landry won't be the highest reward selection that the Vikings could make at number seven, but he should be a safe pick and a great stopper for some time, as safeties tend to wear well in the NFL.
The Next Two
After Thomas and Landry, the next two most certain picks are Adrian Peterson and Amobi Akoye. What Peterson loses in years of service by playing a punishing position, he should make up for in production over the short haul. If the Vikings are in a three-year rebuilding mode, as owner Zygi Wilf recently suggested, selecting Peterson would be an odd choice. Of course, odd choices are what this franchise is all about the past few seasons, so Peterson might fit in nicely regardless of the short-term team prospects.
Akoye, on the other hand, offers both production and longevity, assuming his growth stays within reasonable bounds. At only nineteen years old, Akoye toyed with his college opponents in 2006. He's big, he's strong, he's reasonably intelligent, and he gets to the quarterback playing the interior. That's something that certainly can compensate for a weak outside pass rush. And with Patrick Williams probably looking at retirement sometime in the next two years, Akoye would be a nice full-time replacement and a very nice short-term sub.
USA Today-Like Summary
If the Vikings want long-term contribution from their seventh overall pick in this year's draft and want to limit the risk in their selection, the best two options likely to be available to them are Landry and Akoye. If they want great short-term production from a player with a higher risk attached to his selection, Peterson would be a good selection.
Up Next: Weeding Through the Best of the Rest in Round One. Plus, the picks.
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