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| On 11 years ago

Early Bowl Weekend: Three Seniors To Watch On Saturday

By Carl Knowles

 Fresno State’s QB Derek Carr takes on USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. USC has a solid defensive front, so it will be interesting to see if Derek can rise to the occasion and prove he is worthy of a top 10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Nothing wrong with his arm strength or production, but I will be watching to see if he’s a big game performer in the clutch. His 4,866 yards passing this season with 48 touchdowns and 7 interceptions has me hoping the Vikings are in position to draft him.

Ranked just outside the top 50 on some draft boards is Washington State’s hard hitting SS Deone Bucannon. Spielman likes his defensive backs big, and Bucannon fits the mold at 6-1 215 lbs. Not only is he big enough to rattle some bones, but he is also a turnover machine with 5 interceptions on the year and 14 for his career. Bucannon is also the leading tackler for Washington State with 74 solo stops. With a solid bowl and combine performance, Bucannon could see his stock rise.

Washington State takes on Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl in the early Satuday game. The Rams have the 2nd ranked center in the country in Weston Richburg. With Charlie Johnson and Joe Burger set to be free agents, the Vikings are sure to take a look at this talented center from Colorado State. Weston has good NFL size at 6-4 300 lbs and has started 49 consecutive games. Weston blocks for the nation’s eight-leading rusher Kapri Bibbs who gained 1,572 yards this year. If Weston can prove he is versatile enough to also play guard, he just might be a guy Spielman will be tempted to target between rounds 2 and 4.

Carl Knowles

Carl Knowles (Contributor) is a former member of the Professional Bowler Association and an avid lifelong Vikings fan. When he is not bowling you can find him on websites and forum pages sharing his creative insight and enthusiasm for the Minnesota Vikings any chance he gets. Carl was a Phoenix Institute of Technology and Purdue University standout who currently enjoys the challenge of being a graphic director in the printing business. You can follow him on twitter @carlknowles_vt.

Tags: Bowl prospects charlie johnson Las Vegas bowl Rick Spielman Vikings

View Comments

  • GREAT win BISON!!! Vikings need to draft Billy Turner as Loadholt's replacement. Vikings also need to sign Brock Jensen as UDFA.

      • WTF,
        I didn't know this... but Maurice Turner was drafted by the Vikings in the twelfth round in 1983.
        J Marcus Webb and Levi Horn are also set to become free agents, so I will be rooting for Billy Turner to land with the Viking in the later rounds of the draft.

        I didn't get a chance to see him play, but it looks like Billy has good size at 6'6 314 with over 40 starts under his belt... and all kinds of accolades.

        I will be sure to keep my eye on him as the all-star games and draft gets closer.

        Thanks for pointing him out!

  • Correction!
    Levi is not with the Viking anymore, my bad.

    But Turner would certainly be an upgrade over Mike Remmers and T Murphy at the back end of the Vikings tackle depth chart.

  • One other things I just noticed was that the Panthers signed our 2012 7th round pick OT/G Travis Bond off the practice squad back on November 13th.

    I think the Vikings will be in the market to find quality offensive lineman this offseason.

  • penultimate

    just don't get to use that word enough, but that's for sure where we're at. sad