The 2013 NFL Draft is drawing nearer and we here at VT are giddy as can be, like kids before Christmas.
One of the things we’ve done in recent years is create a “Big Board” that stacks up all the NFL Draft prospects in a unique way, and will allow you to follow along throughout Draft Weekend to see who we have remaining as our top rated prospects as the weekend progresses.
The Big Board is not necessarily strictly our rankings. We use boards of all our favorite draft analysts, some mainstream and some not, and then factor in our own Vikings-specific rankings, to create a unique board that averages the opinions of everyone we include. You can view the entire board here, where we have ranked 229 players, and can access it at any time from the menu section at the top of our main page. Brett even put together a nifty little option for those that might be interested in printing it off to follow along during the event.
Since the Vikings have two of the top 25 picks in this Draft, here is how we stack the top 25 players of this year’s class:
Much is being made about a recentreport from Peter King noting that Vikings G.M. Rick Spielman dined with Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o on the eve of the college’s pro day. The Vikings also reportedly interviewed Te’o at the Scouting Combine and invited him to their “Top 30″ event at Winter Park.
Some are going to take the seemingly excessive vetting process as a sign of the Vikings level of interest in Te’o, but it may be a better indication of the level of concern teams have with Te’o's plentiful question marks. I have been spouting off all offseason about how much sense a marriage between the Vikings and Te’o makes, and I don’t mean to send mixed signals here, but I would caution the readers of VT to not read too much into these visits.
The truth is that the Vikings probably have some level of interest in the players they have interviewed, including Te’o, but are trying to dig as deep as they can into some of these red flags to try and find out which ones are worth the investment of a high draft pick. The list of attendees that visited Winter Park, or at least the ones we know about, should be all the evidence you need to consider these visits as the Vikings simply doing their due diligence with guys carrying some baggage.
Manti Te’o: The whole fake girlfriend thing.
Alec Ogletree: Injuries and arrests in the past.
Keenan Allen: Worrisome knee injury.
Tyrann Mathieu: Dismissed from LSU, history of drug issues.
We have profiled each of these prospects as we view them as potential targets for the Vikings later this month, and their visits make sense, but how the visits went is far more important (and secretive) than the fact that these guys visited.
Hello, everybody. Brett here back from the dead. I apologize for being so M.IA. lately… “Real life” stuff has been non-stop and it’s been difficult to find time to even think about football. I’ve stayed in the loop as much as I can and have been lurking but just really haven’t had time to contribute. Hopefully things will be slowing down though as the 2013 draft ramps up and I can dedicate more time here.
I’m back today with an updated Mock Draft. This is my second of the year and I’m feeling a little bit better about this one. My last one was posted all the way back in January and [obviously] there were still a lot of unknowns at that point. Of course, there are still unknowns. But at least we’ve gotten through important events that could impact things come draft day like free agency, the combine and some pro days.
This is also the first mock I’ve done since we acquired pick 1.25 from the Seahawks as a result of the Harvin trade. Boy, does having two first round back-t0-back picks sure make things exciting!
There are a lot of different directions the Vikings can go come April 25th and I think the signing of Greg Jennings and the addition of pick #25 really opens things up for the Vikings and they are no longer pidgeon-holed into basically having to go wide receiver in the first round.
Nevertheless, that is exactly what I did. What happened with pick #25 I’m sure you all will find a little more interesting.
I’ll just say this – the closer and closer I got to mocking the Vikings picks, the more I realized that there is a lot of great talent that could potentially fall to us. And there are a lot of different routes we can take.
Of course, it’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen a month from today but it sure is fun to try. Click here to check out my new mock draft and make sure to let me know what you think. Good to be back.
In free agency, the Vikings have really only made moves on the offensive side of the football, other than their decision to dump Antoine Winfield. This suggests to me, combined with Rick Spielman’s praise for the defensive talent in this class, that the Vikings plan to address their needs on defense early and often.
For the first time since the Percy Harvin trade, where the Vikings acquired a second first round selection from Seattle, I have updated my 2013 Mock Draft and you can take a look at it by clicking here.
I’ll leave the discussion portion up to you all, for now. Just know this: I was torn on both picks but decided to try and predict what the Vikings will do, not necessarily what I think they should do.
[Note: Want to see a list of every player featured in our "Draft Target" segment? Click here to visit the Offseason Tracker where there will be a list of all these players. Check back often as there are plenty more to come!]
With Keenan Allen now reportedly planning to be absent for California’s pro day because of a lingering knee issue, I have been advised by a number of our great Twitter followers that the first-round-receiver bandwagon is now full of DeAndre Hopkins advocates. Of course I planned on featuring Hopkins in this reoccurring segment at some point, but those Twitter conversations convinced me that tonight should be the night.
Hopkins is 6′ 1″ tall and weighs 214 pounds and displayed great speed and hands during his time at Clemson. He ran the forty in the 4.50 to 4.57 range at both the Combine and his pro day (which was Thursday) which only confirms he has the speed it takes to be a top receiver in the NFL. His big hands and long wingspan only add to the traits Hopkins possesses that will attract plenty of attention.
Hopkins is known as a receiver that runs very precise routes and displays solid instincts after making the catch, with the ability to make the most of every pass heading his way. He takes good care of the football, protecting it to prevent turnovers, while also showing incredible body control which allows him to make tough catches on jump balls or near the sideline. His presence of mind, combined with a very good vertical leap, makes him a genuine red zone threat.
Hopkins has had troubles with catching the football with his body throughout his college years, but any scout is also going to have to give him credit for improving as a hands catcher over time. This shows that he works to improve himself and is a coachable young man.
More worrisome, to me, is that he seems to be manhandled by defensive backs too often and is rerouted too easily. He may need to bulk up a bit in the NFL, which could cost him some speed, but he also needs to improve aspects of his fundamentals to make sure he isn’t consistently jammed at the line by bigger defensive backs. The coachability that I mentioned earlier, however, provides hope that Hopkins could improve his technique in this area over time.
Hopkins doesn’t really have any injury history or character issues that plague him as he enters the NFL, and actually has gained quite the reputation as a leader within Clemson’s offense. He’s the type of guy that is going to haul in that deep over-the-shoulder ball, make the occasional toe tapper on the sideline, and be a constant threat when the game is on the line.
Most seem to project Hopkins as a second round talent, like so many other receivers in this class, but the lack of red flags makes it very possible that he sneaks into the first round. A number of teams, like the Vikings, could end up feeling very comfortable investing their top pick in Hopkins.
[NOTE FROM ADAM:The ever-valuable website DraftSeason.com recently ran out of options, or made a big mistake somehow, and invited me to take part in their All-Bloggers Mock Draft where I was able to grab defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson on behalf of the Vikings. Whatever led them to generously include me will hopefully prove to be the beginning of a good relationship with one of the top Draft resources available. I asked Matt Falk, Draftnik Extraordinaire to bestow us with some knowledge. He opted to do the ever-popular seven round mock draft that highlights some of the players he thinks the Vikings will draft. Enjoy, and don't forget to check out Draft Season for even more information on this year's prospects. Besides, Matt lives in Minnesota, so we know he must be a good guy.]
The Minnesota Vikings will be one of the more intriguing teams to watch come draft weekend. With a handful of needs Minnesota could go in a handful of directions in the early rounds. While many peg the Vikings to go either wide receiver or defensive line, never count out the wildcard of them going for flat out the best player available. Below is a full mock draft for each of the Vikings picks in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft.
The theme of this 7 round mock is simple for the Vikings. Fill some glaring needs at wide receiver and add some players on the defensive side of the ball that compete day 1 for a starting job.
While the 2013 NFL Draft might not be top heavy with superstars it is full of depth at many positions and will allow teams like the Vikings to fill some holes, not only in the early rounds, but also in the mid to late rounds.
On the offensive side of the ball it will be very surprising to watch the Vikings not grab at least 2 receivers throughout the draft weekend. Along with receiver I would be mildly surprised if they didn’t nab a quarterback even if it is in round 5 or later, not to necessarily compete, but to at least have in their back pocket for future use or even be a possible future number 2.
Defensively Minnesota needs to add some depth throughout the entire defense. I see free agency helping with this issue, but getting younger at a few positions will almost be a must. Depending on what free agency brings, we could see more than 1 linebacker and or defensive lineman go to Minnesota.
Soak up the full 7 round projection below, noting that all could change once free agency gets into full swing. For more NFL Mock Drafts and analysis hit up DraftSeason.com or follow us @matt_falk
1. Keenan Allen WR, CAL If Keenan Allen manages to stick on the board until pick 23 it might be too tempting for the Vikings to pass on the possible number 1 receiver. Allen isn’t a burner but the type of receiver that can make big plays and move the sticks. Has the mold of an Anquan Boldin and depending on Harvin’s status, could instantly become the Vikings number 1 receiver. Allen is one of the big wildcards in the 2013 NFL Draft, he is a player that could end up going top 10, OR be a guy who ends up falling into the 20′s due to other team’s needs.
In a normal year I tend to stick with the same pick for the Vikings for at least a month or so in my mock draft, but this year seems very different. I don’t know if it is how late the Vikings are picking, or if this is just a difficult class to properly tier, but I have now mocked four different players to the Vikings over the last two months.
Sheldon Richardson, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Manti Te’o were all previous selections in my mock draft versions but today’s update brings up yet another name.
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