The 2016 NFL Draft is Finally Here, Vikings Fans!

by Austin Belisle - Apr 28, 2016

VT QOTW

Minnesota Vikings Fanspeak Mock Draft — Image courtesy of Vikings.com

The long hiatus from football is finally over, and in a little under five hours, Roger Goodell will take the stage in Chicago to kick off the 2016 NFL Draft. Fans have waited months for this night, when the 32 NFL franchises jostle, negotiate, and maneuver their way through the first round. Trades will be made, teams will reach for players, and picks will shock the football world — it’s just the cyclical nature of the draft.

Some general managers will surprise, but others, like the Minnesota Vikings’ Rick Spielman, will likely make the most of their limited draft picks. Spielman has an opportunity to make a splash — like drafting a top-tier wide receiver — with the 23rd-overall selection, but he also has seven other picks at his disposal.

At Vikings Territory, we’ve focused on the pick he’ll make tonight, not the players Spielman could draft on Friday and Saturday. So today, we’re each looking ahead and picking one player we believe the Vikings will select at some point this weekend.

Who is one player the Vikings will select in the 2016 draft?

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One Page To Rule Them All: Big Board, Live Chat, Real Time Updates From Winter Park

by Adam Warwas - Apr 28, 2016

The day has arrived and the 2016 NFL Draft is just hours away from getting underway. Here at Vikings Territory we celebrate this annual harvesting of rookie talent like no other and this year we’ve put together one heck of a page that will be a nice spot for you to camp all weekend long.

THE 2016 DRAFT PAGE

The link above will take you to our Draft Page which features all of the following:

A big board that goes 300 players deep and will be updated in real time.
A live chat that will be live throughout the entire Draft each day and hosted by an array of our VT staff. More importantly, the best Vikings fans on the internet will be in the live chat, so don’t miss out!
A widget with all of the best Draft minds feeding directly to the page including our own Austin Belisle who will be camped out at Winter Park all three days to bring us the inside scoop.
The latest coverage, polls, and articles regarding every pick and trade will be automatically displayed on the page so that you don’t feel the need to go searching for the analysis you will surely crave.

Come one, come all! You are all invited to join in on the fun and we would love to have you!

THE 2016 DRAFT PAGE

The Versatility Of Sheldon Day

NFL Draft 2016

by Carl Knowles - Apr 27, 2016

Sheldon Day returned to Notre Dame for his senior season in 2015 to improve his craft as a disruptive interior force and build upon his leadership skills as a two-time team captain. He wrapped up his college career in fine fashion finishing the year with a Pro Football Focus grade second only to DeForest Buckner among interior lineman. Day is an intriguing prospect that some mock drafts have the Vikings targeting in the mid-rounds.

At 6’1” 296 pounds, Day has been labeled as “undersized” for the NFL. One could even say he is underrated and unappreciated in a draft class loaded with outstanding defensive line talent. Nonetheless, there is no denying that the USA Today first-team All-American is one of the safest and most versatile players in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Where Day lacks in size he more than makes up for with his explosive quickness off the snap and violent hands. He has a non-stop motor with the athleticism to elude blockers with his great lateral movement. Day’s outstanding quickness has most analysts projecting him as an excellent interior pass rusher at the next level. His burst, impressive agility, great closing speed and his relentless attacking effort is certainly fun to watch.

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Final Mock Draft (Probably) From Adam

NFL Draft 2016

by Adam Warwas - Apr 27, 2016

purplegift — It is almost time to open up those purple presents!

The buzz is almost unbearable as the 2016 NFL Draft is nearly upon us. Tomorrow night will feature the first round and so I am obligated to present the final version of my 2016 NFL Mock Draft.

I think my mock (view the whole thing here) feels in accordance with much of the consensus thinking out there right, with a few exceptions. Somewhat predictably, however, it was after pick number 20 that the wide receivers started flying off the board… and, boy, did they.

The Vikings end up snagging one of the wide outs in my final version of the mock (I had given them a tight end, a linebacker, and a different wide out in previous versions) and it is a name that would likely make a large portion of the fan base happy enough.

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They’re Back: Vikings Players Address the Media

General News

by Austin Belisle - Apr 26, 2016

Vikings Players Address the Media — Image courtesy of Vikings.com

Blink and you’ll miss it, but the Minnesota Vikings have been training at Winter Park for over a week now. Lost in the hype for the 2016 NFL Draft is the fact that Vikings players are right in the swing of the annual offseason training program. And today, a handful of names — new and old — spoke to the media for the first time in months.

The hot topic was general manager Rick Spielman’s assertion that the Vikings could deal their first-round selection, the 23rd-overall pick, once the draft begins on Thursday. According to Spielman, two teams have already called about moving up, but the decision to trade likely won’t be made until Minnesota is actually on the clock.

Let’s rewind, though. The draft is less than 48 hours away, and we’re talking about players who aren’t even on the roster yet. For the Vikings currently working out in Winter Park, the offseason presents an opportunity to focus on improvements and speculate on a potentially exciting future. After a long hiatus from the spotlight, what were some of the best comments from earlier today?

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