In 2009, the Minnesota Vikings used their first-round pick in the NFL's entry draft to select arguably the most dynamic player remaining on the draft board. That pick, Florida running back Percy Harvin, became the league's rookie of the year and a major contributor to the Vikings' potent offense.
With significant holes created by injuries in 2009 and the off-season departure of running back Chester Taylor, the Vikings found themselves in a far different environment this year, an environment that compelled the team to draft for need rather than taking either the best player available or a player that could provide depth immediately and a starter for years to come.
After swapping picks with the Detroit Lions--a move that allowed the Lions to draft the running back that they lacked last season--the Vikings set their sights on Florida State cornerback Patrick Robinson.
When Robinson went to the Saints, the Vikings shifted their focus to the sole remaining offensive lineman that they still coveted as a first-round prospect. That player, Indiana guard Rodger Saffold, went to the Rams, however, with the first pick in round two.
By trading down a mere four spots, the Vikings believed that they would do no worse than being left to select one of the two players whom they still coveted as a first-round talent. When the Saints and Rams combined to thwart that vision, however, the Vikings were compelled to look to filling needs, rather than losing any more ground in this year's draft.
Minnesota's curious first-round move--a move that neither saved the Vikings much money nor netted them any significant return, while ensuring that the team would not have the opportunity to select from between two players that the team considered first-round talent--provided Minnesota a player who certainly fills a team need and probably came to Minnesota in the right round, if not necessarily at the right spot within that round.
After missing part of one season with injury and another entire season due to academic issues, Virginia cornerback Chris Cook played well enough in 2009 to be considered a player potentially capable of starting in the NFL as a rookie. His name was not uttered in the same breath as that of Devin McCourty, Joe Haden, Kareem Jackson, Kyle Wilson, or the aforementioned Robinson, but he was not regarded as measurably behind these players, either.
With Lito Shephard in the fold, the Vikings might be able to buy one more year without resorting to Cook as a full-time starter in the base package. That is, unless the team is committed to using Antoine Winfield in the nickel package and/or Cedric Griffin is unable to contribute this season. In short, despite Shephard's signing, the Vikings were in far more dire straits at cornerback than they currently are anywhere along the offensive line.
After selecting Cook, the Vikings immediately moved to shore up their other glaring hole, that left by Taylor's departure to the Chicago Bears. Not surprisingly, the Vikings were not nearly as keen on entering the season with Albert Young serving as Adrian Peterson's fill-in on third-down plays or whenever Peterson fails to protect the ball in a critical situation.
The team's selection of Stanford running back Toby Gerhart as intended understudy to Peterson does not surprise with respect to the team's motivation, but it does surprise with respect to the Vikings' earlier dealings. To obtain Gerhart, the Vikings once again dealt. This time the move was up in the draft.
Had the Vikings committed themselves to need at the outset, they could have retained their first-round pick, and either taken the cornerback that they wanted in Robinson, and then traded up to take Gerhart or they could have traded down to second in round two, taken Dexter McCluster at that point, and then taken Cook with their own second-round pick where, by most accounts, Cook still would have been available.
Clearly, the Vikings have weaknesses, just as do all other teams in the NFL. Drafting Cook and Gerhart ostensibly address those weaknesses, in some fashion or another. And if Chris Degeare measures up as a starting offensive tackle, the Vikings might still show well in this draft. But, had the team opted to be smart over being cute, they might have ended up not only with the players that they needed, but more of those players and players of even higher caliber.
Up Next: The Cost of Being Bad.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Vikings Facing Draft Quandary?
Sources close to the Minnesota Vikings are suggesting that the team is prepared to select Florida quarterback Tim Tebow should the record-setting collegian be available when the Vikings select near the end of the first round on Thursday evening. While predictions regarding Tebow's likelihood of success in the NFL run the gamut, the Vikings, thus, appear to be one of the few teams--if not the only team--to so highly regard Tebow.
The Vikings' reported infatuation with Tebow's upside is not exactly akin to the team's increasingly piqued interest in Troy Williamson in 2005, but it does suggest similar shaky ground. With glaring holes along the offensive line, at cornerback, and, to a lesser though substantial degree, at both safety positions, the Vikings would be well advised to fill immediate needs rather than filling a future need. That note of caution ought to be particularly salient in the Vikings' draft room this year, given that the team expects Brett Favre to return, has a capable back-up in Sage Rosenfels, and, for what it is worth, recently re-signed Tarvaris Jackson. Those options, at a minimum, buy the Vikings some time at the quarterback position--a luxury the team does not have at cornerback and may not have along the offensive line.
These concerns notwithstanding, there might yet be reason for the Vikings to select a quarterback in the first round. In the wake of the Jackson experiment, however, that reason should not be that the Vikings see upside in a quarterback who essentially filled the role of a Sid Luckman-esque running back for four years of college football. Rather, the determination to select a quarterback in round one should obtain for Minnesota if, and only if, Jimmy Clausen is still available when the Vikings pick. That's because Clausen is the one quarterback who could fall to Minnesota in round one who appears ready to play in the NFL with only one or two seasons of nurturing and who also almost certainly would be off the board when the Vikings select in round two.
Barring Clausen's availability in round one, the Vikings must address their cornerback and offensive line issues in the first round, though not necessarily in that order. The general consensus among draft wonks is that there will be a considerable run on offensive linemen in the first round. That suggests one of two things--either the Vikings can wait until the second round to take a lineman in the belief that the teams needing an offensive lineman already have so selected or that the Vikings need to take an offensive lineman early, to avoid having no viable NFL-ready offensive linemen from which to select when drafting later in the draft. Likely, the latter proposition is more accurate.
Drafting an offensive lineman in the first round probably would mean that the Vikings would miss out on drafting a bona fide starter at cornerback--someone like Devin McCourty or Kareem Jackson--but it probably would allow the team to draft Maurkice Pouncey or Rodger Saffold, shoring up the offensive line and, thereby, protecting Favre and making Favre's return for year three with the team that much more appealing.
As Cedric Griffin somewhat demonstrated, taking a cornerback in round two can provide fairly strong, immediate returns. If the Vikings move on an offensive lineman in round one, the subsequent improvement in the offensive line should also reduce the premium otherwise placed on cornerback play and buy some time for Griffin to return to health and playing condition.
Up Next: The Picks.
The Vikings' reported infatuation with Tebow's upside is not exactly akin to the team's increasingly piqued interest in Troy Williamson in 2005, but it does suggest similar shaky ground. With glaring holes along the offensive line, at cornerback, and, to a lesser though substantial degree, at both safety positions, the Vikings would be well advised to fill immediate needs rather than filling a future need. That note of caution ought to be particularly salient in the Vikings' draft room this year, given that the team expects Brett Favre to return, has a capable back-up in Sage Rosenfels, and, for what it is worth, recently re-signed Tarvaris Jackson. Those options, at a minimum, buy the Vikings some time at the quarterback position--a luxury the team does not have at cornerback and may not have along the offensive line.
These concerns notwithstanding, there might yet be reason for the Vikings to select a quarterback in the first round. In the wake of the Jackson experiment, however, that reason should not be that the Vikings see upside in a quarterback who essentially filled the role of a Sid Luckman-esque running back for four years of college football. Rather, the determination to select a quarterback in round one should obtain for Minnesota if, and only if, Jimmy Clausen is still available when the Vikings pick. That's because Clausen is the one quarterback who could fall to Minnesota in round one who appears ready to play in the NFL with only one or two seasons of nurturing and who also almost certainly would be off the board when the Vikings select in round two.
Barring Clausen's availability in round one, the Vikings must address their cornerback and offensive line issues in the first round, though not necessarily in that order. The general consensus among draft wonks is that there will be a considerable run on offensive linemen in the first round. That suggests one of two things--either the Vikings can wait until the second round to take a lineman in the belief that the teams needing an offensive lineman already have so selected or that the Vikings need to take an offensive lineman early, to avoid having no viable NFL-ready offensive linemen from which to select when drafting later in the draft. Likely, the latter proposition is more accurate.
Drafting an offensive lineman in the first round probably would mean that the Vikings would miss out on drafting a bona fide starter at cornerback--someone like Devin McCourty or Kareem Jackson--but it probably would allow the team to draft Maurkice Pouncey or Rodger Saffold, shoring up the offensive line and, thereby, protecting Favre and making Favre's return for year three with the team that much more appealing.
As Cedric Griffin somewhat demonstrated, taking a cornerback in round two can provide fairly strong, immediate returns. If the Vikings move on an offensive lineman in round one, the subsequent improvement in the offensive line should also reduce the premium otherwise placed on cornerback play and buy some time for Griffin to return to health and playing condition.
Up Next: The Picks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)