Posts by Brett Anderson

Welcome To The Big Show: Matt Kalil

April 30, 2012, by 4 comments

[Note: "Welcome To The Big Show" is a series where we will take an in-depth look at each of the Vikings draft selections this year. Every day will feature a new player and analysis.]

Welcome To The Big Show: Matt Kalil

1. Player Info

Name: Matt Kalil
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 306 lbs.
Position: OT
College: USC

2. Personal History

Football runs in Kalil’s blood. Both his father were studs in college and went on to have NFL careers (Frank Kalil was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1982 and his brother, Ryan Kalil, plays for the Carolina Panthers). Since high school, Matt Kalil has really excelled at football garnering honors and accolades from his earliest days at Serrvite High School in Anaheim, California until his last snap at USC. Outside of his football career, Kalil majored in Sociology at USC.

3. The Attributes

40 Yard Dash: 4.99 sec.
Bench Press: 30 reps (225 lb
Vertical Jump: 27”
3 Cone Drill: 7.33 sec.
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.65 sec.
Reported Wonderlic Score: 15

4. Skills

Strengths:
+ Dominant pass protector
+ Huge frame to grow in to
+ No durability issues
+ Quick feet
+ Athletic
+ Great technique
+ Experienced
+ Ready to play in NFL
+ NFL bloodlines

Weaknesses:
- Could improve run blocking
- Needs more power/strength

5. College Highlights

6. The Selection

Despite the smokescreens put up by General Manager Rick Spielman and the Vikings front office, it’s been well-known that the Vikings would select Matt Kalil with their first selection in the 2012 NFL Draft. Thanks to the smart maneuvering of Spielman, the Vikings were also able to swap spots with the Cleveland Browns (who had the #4 selection) and still select Kalil, gaining three additional 2012 picks in the process. Generally, Kalil’s selection is received well by fans who understand that protecting sophomore quarterback Christian Ponder is crucial to the future of this franchise. Kalil was considered by many to be the best non-quarterback in this draft class so it makes sense he was the first selection by the Vikings who had such a huge need at the left tackle position.

7. Scouting Reports

Walterfootball.com
FFToolbox.com
Draft Countdown
Sideline Scouting

8. Quotes

“Not so much of a concern, but I’m more anxious for the opportunity to compete at the highest level which is the NFL. I’m excited to go against the best defensive end in the NFL day in and day out in Jared Allen. I think he is definitely going to make me a better player and to go against a lot of other good defensive ends in the NFL. I think it’s more excitement for the challenge to really test my skills.”‘ – Matt Kalil

“I’m low key. Even though I’m from L.A. and Hollywood, that doesn’t represent my personality at all. I kind of like to hang out with my friends, play a lot of football, that’s what I love to do. My dream car is a Ford truck, a brand new Ford F-150. That’s the kind of guy I am and I also love to be a good teammate and a good family man.” – Matt Kalil

“I was pretty confident but with the draft, you never know what happens. When I first got into the green room and the pick started being traded and stuff, I didn’t know what to expect. When that pick came in, I was just staring at my phone, praying a Minnesota number would pop up and all of a sudden it started vibrating and ended up being picked there. I was excited. I think this is probably one of the only places I really wanted to play and could see myself playing so it is pretty crazy being here.” – Matt Kalil

“When you look at all the All-Pro left tackles today, Jake Long, Joe Thomas, those guys aren’t any more than 315 pounds and if you’re going against guys like Jared Allen, James Harrison, Dwight Freeney, those fast guys, you can’t be that heavy to keep up with them. It’s almost smart to be really strong but also have enough weight to handle those bull rushes but I think this is a game of speed and quickness so I think you have to have more quickness over how heavy you are.” – Matt Kalil

9. Where He Fits

Matt Kalil is expected to be an immediate starter at the Vikings left tackle position, allowing Charlie Johnson to be moved one spot to the right to left guard. The expectations both the Vikings staff and fans have for Kalil are incredibly high. Many expect him to be a pro-bowl caliber tackle who is with the team for many years to come.

10. Vikings Territory Grades

Brett’s Grade: A+
Adam’s Grade: A+

A Closer Look At Josh Robinson

April 28, 2012, by 1 comment

Earlier today, the Vikings took another step forward in improving their roster and, more specifically, bolstering their lackluster secondary. After surprising a few people and choosing to stay put with their pick at the top of the third round, the Vikings selected Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson. Robinson, although probably not an immediate starter has tons of upside and should be able to challenge some of the current starters for roster spots. Let’s take an even closer look at the pick, some of Josh Robinson’s strengths and weaknesses and how he could immediately contribute to the Minnesota Vikings.

Earlier this morning, I predicted that at some point in Day 2 of the NFL Draft, Spielman and the Vikings would participate in a trade. While it never ended up happening, there was ample opportunity for Spielman to move around. According to the Vikings General Manger, they received “plenty of calls” from other teams looking to move back into the third round and targeting them  as a potential trade partner. Instead, Spielman choose to stay patient and see what type of value would be available when the team selected at the beginning of the third

“I wanted to stay patient,” Spielman said. “I don’t want to lose all the ammunition that we have for (Saturday) and we have a lot of picks. We did get a lot of calls about trading into the second round, and when you see the board develop, you sit there and you see you have three or four options still and you’re holding your breath.”

At our Live Draft Chat, we were holding our breath, too. One of those options a majority of us were hoping would still be available for the Vikings pick was LSU wide receiver Reuben Randle who strangely fell much further down than expected by most. Reuben Randle was selected by the New York Giants right before the Vikings selection. Another player the team coveted and have met with at Winter Park was cornerback Trumaine Johnson who was also selected right before the Vikings were on the clock by the St. Louis Rams. Fortunately, the Vikings were still able to nab a great talent like Josh Robinson with their pick.

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Day 2 Draft Predictions

April 27, 2012, by 24 comments

There will be a Vikings trade in Day 2.

I think Spielman showed yesterday that he his not afraid to move around and make risky moves to get the players he wants. While moving up to grab Harrison Smith at the end of the first round yesterday may have been made easier after acquiring extra picks through the trade with the Cleveland Browns, it is likely that Spielman would have still made that trade anyway. The Vikings still had 10 picks in the draft before this thing even got started. That’s plenty of ammo to wheel and deal.

When asked about the trades he orchestrated on Vikings announcer Paul Allen’s KFAN radio show this morning, Spielman (unprompted) suggested the team may move again in Day 2. “Don’t be surprised with that third round pick if we move back up in to the second round to get a player we covet.” Spielman also suggested that it’s possible the team could even move back again to collect more picks.

Headed into Day 2, the Vikings still have ten draft picks, seven eight of which can be traded. I expect that we will see the Vikings move around again before the day is over.

The Vikings will add a wide receiver to the roster in Day 2.

There are some great wide receivers that fell out of the first round which could mean great things for the Vikings in Day 2. Having already addressed two of our biggest needs (left tackle and safety) with great players, I expect the Vikings to use their next pick, wherever it may be, to add another weapon to the roster for Christian Ponder.

Spielman has publicly stated that the team wants to simply stick to their board and select the best player available when they’re on the clock. That may be true, but players at positions of need tend to move up on your board because your desire to fill that spot can tend to bolster how you evaluate them. I imagine there are quite a few wide receivers still available that could be pretty high up on the Vikings board. Whether the Vikings stay put or they move forward or backward, expect the next pick to be a receiver.

Players to watch.

If the Vikings stay where they are and select with the third pick in the third round, here are some names to keep an eye on at various positions of need that could be available.

Wide Receiver:

Mohamed Sanu
Juron Criner
Marvin Jones
(It would be amazing if someone like Stephen Hill, Reuben Randle or Alshon Jeffery somehow fell, but that is highly unlikely)

Cornerback:

Janoris Jenkins
Alfonzo Dennard
Jayron Hosley
Josh Robinson

 

Defensive Tackle:

Kendall Reyes
Alameda Ta’amu
Jared Crick

Safety:

Antonio Allen

The first three picks of the second round.

The credibility of my mock draft was absolutely destroyed yesterday after all of the trades. Granted, you can’t predict all the trades, especially when they take place at the magnitude they did yesterday. But typically, there are one to two trades and you have a fair chance of hitting on the other selections. Not my mock draft! I only had four selections correct… And two of them were the obvious Luck and Griffin picks. (Which, honestly, shouldn’t even count). With that being said, here’s my prediction for the first three picks of the second round. I am 90% sure that this is 65% likely to happen.

St. Louis Rams – Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

The Rams missed out on Justin Blackmon when the Jaguars moved ahead of them through their trade with the Buccaneers. They won’t miss out this time on a potential #1 receiver who will provide an aerial threat for Sam Bradford. Personally, I would have loved to add Stephen Hill. Luckily though, this draft is ripe with talent at that position and we will have plenty of opportunities with our plethora of picks to address the need. They could also take Jonathan Martin to provide some protection for Bradford’s blind side.

Indianapolis Colts – Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

A tight end is a young, rookie quarterback’s best friend. The fact that Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener already have a strong connection through playing together at Stanford only sweetens the deal.

Baltimore Ravens – Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

This is the hardest to predict of the first three selections and it will be interesting to see what the Ravens do with the pick they got from us. My gut feeling is that the Ravens choose to take Jonathan Martin, who I never thought would fall out of the first round. We have Martin as the second best offensive tackle on our Vikings Territory board and the Ravens need somebody who can replace the aging, record label CEO Bryant McKinnie. My “Plan B” here is that the Ravens take the best center in the draft, Peter Konz, to replace ex-Viking Matt Birk after he retires.

Make sure to join us today for our Day 2 Live Chat. Yesterday was a blast and today should be just as exciting. Plus, if you hang out in the chat, you can make fun of me when I’m inevitably wrong about all of the above.

Matt Kalil Is Who We Thought He Was… A Viking!

April 26, 2012, by 6 comments

We’ve been saying it a while here at Vikings Territory: The Minnesota Vikings will select offensive tackle, Matt Kalil. Well, that’s exactly what they did. With the third pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Matt Kalil, USC. And, to sweeten the deal, the Vikings were also able to scare the Browns enough to swap picks with us and amass some later picks in the draft.

If Kalil turns out as projected by almost everyone, the Vikings left tackle position will be solidified for many years to come.

We have to give Rick Spielman and the Vikings staff some credit here for orchestrating an outstanding first round thus far.

Inside Our War Room: #MockFour Remaining Rounds

April 26, 2012, by No comments yet

(Note: This is a continuation of a series where we take you inside our War Room for the #MockOne draft series. This particular version is for #MockFour. If you are unfamiliar with what it is all about, you should probably start off by reading about what we did in the previous #MockThree. For prior #MockFour posts, check out #MockFour Begins and The Risks Continue.)

Alright guys, I have to be absolutely honest here. I kind of dropped the ball on this one. Things got very busy at work and I ended up going out of town last weekend so I wasn’t able to keep you all updated with #MockFour as much as I wanted to. Nevertheless, I wanted to get our draft out there before the actual Vikings have theirs. (You know, just so we look like geniuses when the real Vikings draft looks exactly like ours!)

So, here’s how we’re going to do things this time around. I’m going to list out how the draft went, the trades we made, who was selected, etc… Then Adam and I are giving to give our input and background on each pick.

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Coin Toss: Mock Draft Matchup

April 26, 2012, by 4 comments

This week’s Coin Toss segment comes a little earlier due to the subject matter of the “debate” coupled with the fact that the 2012 NFL Draft is tonight. There is no real argument this week. Instead, we thought it would be fun to list both of our final mock drafts side by side for comparison and have you all vote on which one you think will have the most correct picks. After the draft is over, we will follow up and report back with whose mock was actually more accurate. Alright, so no back-and-forth banter this week. Just check out our first round picks and then participate in the poll below.

Team

1. Indianapolis
2. Washington
3. Minnesota
4. Cleveland
5. Tampa Bay
6. St. Louis
7. Jacksonville
8. Miami
9. Carolina
10. Buffalo
11. Kansas City
12. Seattle
13. Arizona
14. Dallas
15. Philadelphia
16. New York Jets
17. Cincinnati
18. San Diego
19. Chicago
20. Tennessee
21. Cincinnati
22. Cleveland
23. Detroit
24. Pittsburgh
25. Denver
26. Houston
27. New England
28. Green Bay
29. Baltimore
30. San Francisco
31. New England
32. New York Giants

Adam’s Picks

Andrew Luck, QB
Robert Griffin III, QB
Matt Kalil, OT
Trent Richardson, RB
Morris Claiborne, CB
Justin Blackmon, WR
Kendall Wright, WR
Ryan Tannehill, QB
Fletcher Cox, DT
Riley Reiff, OT
Luke Kuechly, MLB
Melvin Ingram, DE
Michael Floyd, WR
Mark Barron, S
Michael Brockers, DT
Quinton Coples, DE
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB
David DeCastro, G
Amini Silaolu, G
Dontari Poe, DT
Whitney Mercilus, DE
Stephen Gilmore, CB
Jonathan Martin, OT
Chandler Jones, DE
Reuben Randle, WR
Nick Perry, DE
Courtney Upshaw, OLB
Harrison Smith, S
Cordy Glenn, G
Janoris Jenkins, CB
Shea McClellin, OLB
Doug Martin, RB

Brett’s Picks

Andrew Luck, QB
Robert Griffin III, QB
Matt Kalil, OT
Trent Richardson, RB
Morris Claiborne, CB
Justin Blackmon, WR
Michael Floyd, WR
Ryan Tannehill, QB
David DeCastro, OG
Riley Reiff, OT
Fletcher Cox, DT
Melvin Ingram, DE
Luke Kuechly, MLB
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB
Stephon Gilmore, CB
Kendall Wright, WR
Quinton Coples, DE
Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB
Jonathan Martin, OT
Peter Konz, C
Mark Barron, S
Mike Adams, OT
Janoris Jenkins, CB
Michael Brockers, DT
Cordy Glenn, OG
Stephen Hill, WR
Dontari Poe, DT
Nick Perry, DE
Dont’a Hightower, ILB
Reuben Randle, WR
Whitney Mercilus, DE
Harrison Smith, S

Final Mock Draft

April 25, 2012, by 3 comments

Well, this is it, ladies and gentleman. We are less than 24 hours away from the start of the 2012 NFL Draft. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to get my final mock draft up before it all begins. I still have the Vikings taking Kalil tomorrow but after that, there are quite a few changes. Because of a lack of time and the work we’re doing to prepare for the live chat tomorrow, I wasn’t able to include any analysis this time around.

So, go check it out and leave your opinion/criticism in the comments there or the comments on this post.