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

Did Ron Yary Spill The Beans?

April 26, 2012, by 2 comments

Let me start that I really recommend reading this interview at the Pioneer Press of which Hall of Fame lineman Rony Yary is the subject.

In the interview, Yary talks about the “hocus pocus” that is this idea that protecting a quarterback’s blind side is somehow more important than protecting his front.  He calls Matt Kalil a future Hall of Famer, slams Bryant McKinnie, and talks about the stadium position.

I’ll let you click that link and read about that stuff, but I want to highlight on specific line penned by Charley Walters.

“The Vikings asked Yary, 65, to fly to Minnesota for the draft, but he can’t because of the health of his middle son, Grant, 7, whose leukemia has resurfaced.”

First off, it is so sad to hear about the misfortune that has fallen upon the Yary family and we wish young Grant (nice choice of name) a speedy and permanent recovery.

Secondly, are the Vikings simply extending a courtesy invite to one of their most decorated former players or is there more motive behind the invite?  After all, why would they specifically invite Yary if they planned on selecting a cornerback from LSU?

Yary played for USC prior to his 14 seasons playing right tackle for the Vikings.  He was 6’ 5” and 262 pounds in his playing days.

USC left tackle weighs in at 295 pounds (give or take) and stands at 6’ 7”.

Simple invite?

Or hoping for an excellent P.R. opportunity and photo shoot?

Buffalo Represents Trade Partner, But Also Competition

April 26, 2012, by 3 comments

The other day, I went through a number of trade scenarios for the Vikings first round pick and I never once mentioned the Buffalo Bills who currently own the 10th overall pick.

It appears that may have been an oversight.

Charley Casserly reported via Twitter that the Bills “would like to” package the 10th pick with their second rounder to trade up and grab left tackle Matt Kalil.

This could represent an interesting twist in the Vikings first round fate.

On one hand, the Bills could represent an attractive trade partner for the Vikings if they were really willing to part ways with Kalil.  Buffalo would have to give up a lot more than their second rounder to move up to the three spot, but they may just covet Kalil enough to make Rick Spielman that offer he cannot refuse.  Any deal, of course, would still keep the Vikings in the top ten but would also likely drop them out of contention for one of the three players they admittedly covet.

Conversely, the Bills rumored interest in Kalil should plant some fear into Spielman’s mind.  If the Vikings trade back, they may risk losing out on Kalil completely if the Bills can find another trade partner slated ahead of the Vikings new position.  If Spielman covets Kalil above all other players, then the Bills just put a warning shot across the bow.

Soon, very soon actually, we will find out exactly how this will play out.

Welcome To Draft Day!

April 26, 2012, by 3 comments

Well, it is finally here!

Every football fan’s personal, weird version of Christmas morning arrives tonight and we are all anxious to see the Vikings unwrap that shiny new gift… or perhaps go the Chinese Auction route and trade around until they get the gift they like.

Anyways, we are here for you all day.

The blog will be updated as quickly and as often as we can kick out posts.  The Live Chat will begin about an hour before the Colts are officially on the clock.  Our Big Board and Trade Value Charts are posted.  Everything can be accessed by using the menu at the top of the screen.

We know you are looking forward to the first round of the Draft tonight, and we want you to know that we are just as excited and glad you chose to hang out with us during it.

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.

Roster Expansion Is An Interesting Twist

April 25, 2012, by 6 comments

We failed to mention this earlier because so much other stuff was going on this week, but I wanted to be sure to come back to the news that broke earlier this week regarding roster limits.

The NFL announced recently that the offseason roster limit has increased from 80 players to 90.  Teams will be required to decrease to 80 players after the third preseason game, and then down to 53 on “Cut Day” after the final preseason game.

This is interesting news and could have a huge impact on strategies this year, and especially in the future.

The most obvious thing to note is that just before the season begins, the free agency market will be flooded with about 1,184 more players.  While many names could very well be no-names, this only increases the odds that teams make some signings just before week one… or shortly thereafter.

Secondly, this increases the importance of scouting and visiting with prospects considered to be later round “sleepers” or undrafted free agents with potential.  Teams will get a chance to look at ten more players in the preseason, and they are going to want to maximize the potential behind that by filling the roster to the brim with as much talent as they possibly can.

Then there is the issue of free agency.  The increased roster size may help aging veterans get a shot in training camp with a team when they previously weren’t worth giving up a roster spot for.  Conversely, teams will be going crazy to bring in undrafted free agents when the Draft ends and quarterbacks seem highly likely to be targeted even more.

Fourth, it could decrease the amount of reps taken by starters and roster locks in training camp and in the preseason.  After all, there are 10 more guys that now need reps.  This could be good from a wear and tear standpoint, but could also be viewed as a negative from a preparation standpoint.

The increase, overall, should be viewed as a positive by teams.  There is a lot of value in being allowed to develop a first-hand file on 10 extra players per year, even if they don’t stand a chance of making the team.

Minneapolis Joins In On Stadium Fun

April 25, 2012, by 4 comments

A contentious stadium debate took place Tuesday night at a Minneapolis City Council meeting.

The symbolic vote is used as a signal to the State Legislature that the City of Minneapolis has enough support for the bill to make it worth passing at the State level.  The plan calls to use $150 million for the initial construction of the stadium and calls for them to kick in another $198 million for operations.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s proposal uses an existing sales tax to fund the City’s portion of the costs, and this point was of particular controversy Tuesday night as many feel strongly that a financial decision like this has to be decided by a public vote.  Rybak’s plan bypasses that vote.

The plan was voted on and passed by a count of seven to six.

The Vikings have now cleared yet another hurdle on their way to getting this thing done.