Minnesota Vikings Prospect Engagement Tracker: 2019

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• This is GREAT, Sean! A fabulous resource! Here's my quick take on the offensive skill positions:

  Why on God's Green Earth did the team meet with Drew Lock, a projected first or second round QB, amidst all of those projected 4th-7th rounders?

  I like what I've read about both Ozigbo and Samuel (a bigger Stefon Diggs?), and both sound like solid Day 3 investments.

  Of the tight ends, it sounds like Fant and Sternberger are speedy TE2 candidates who seem uninterested in blocking and are therefore meant to complement, not replace, Rudolph. Oliver sounds like he's a more willing but still raw blocker. Sample, on the other hand, sounds like a clone of David Morgan: a top blocker who can be a productive safety net receiver, but won't stretch the field (like Rudolph, he excelled at basketball, which I like). Am I right in assuming, from their size, that Beck and Blanton are also primarily blockers? Honestly, Fant sounds like the only Day 2 prospect; the rest all seem like mid- to low-round picks to me.

• Defensive Line - Omenihu is an athletically gifted (I know, I'm sure we're all "stunned" that the Vikings are interested in such a quality) DE/DT hybrid who seems to project as a pass rusher and a Day 2 pick, while Collier is a bit shorter, stouter and perhaps not quite as athletic and projects as a run defender inside (3-tech) or out, and a late Day 3 pick or UDFA. Garcia-Williams is the PERFECT Zimmer/Edwards/Patterson developmental prospect: 6 foot 8 inches, 245 or 255 pounds, raw as hell, imperfect athleticism, with a dad and older brother with NFL experience. A very late Day 3 pick or UDFA, and if it's the latter, if I were his dad or brother, I'd be steering him hard to Minnesota and its practice squad.

  No Day 1 prospects, no big names, no nose tackles (1-tech) at all. I don't think we draft Omenihu; I think Collier or Garcia-Williams is drafted late or signed, maybe the both of them, Collier to be developed into the next Shamar Stephen, and Garcia-Williams into...the next Stephen Weatherly or, dare I say it (it's the name I was thinking of when I read up on Garcia-Williams on-line), Danielle Hunter.

• Cornerbacks: Baity and Johnson are both tall, although Johnson appears to have maybe an inch and a good 10 to 15 pounds on Baity. Baity has considerably more experience as a corner than Johnson, who played wide receiver his first two years at the University of Houston. It's funny, Pro Football Weekly's draft guide favors Baity's "experience and strong production" and much more polished skill-set over Johnson's raw upside, average play and under-developed skills, while Lindy's is all about Johnson's upside. One salient difference: Baity is described as a press corner while Johnson is criticized for giving up too much cushion. Amusingly, neither makes Athlon's printed draft guide.

  My guess is that both guys end up being drafted on Day 3. The higher Baity goes, the more he will be seen as contributing sooner (Year 1 or 2) than later (Year 3). The higher Johnson goes, the higher his upside is viewed, but I doubt he makes much of an impact on defense for the first year or two of his career.

  Safeties: If the Vikings want to replace Andrew Sendejo, either Hooker or Abram would fill the bill, except Sendejo was a UDFA while both of these aggressive tacklers are looking like Day 2 draftees. Both can be overly-aggressive, Abram looking for the hit and Hooker with his angles, and both have experience at strong and free safety, although from the sound of it, Hooker has the better ball skills. They also share the same problem, though, being under six feet tall. Grimsley is another hard-hitting tackler, but he's a likely UDFA or, maybe, Day 3 draftee, as he's another native Minnesotan who went to North Dakota State (yeah, yeah, Wentz and Goedert), where he amassed 18 career interceptions and defended 25 passes his first three seasons. He's six feet tall but played between 185 and 195 pounds, from the sound of it, and while he's described as speedy on one sight, I haven't seen a 40 time yet.

  If either Hooker or Abram is drafted, I'd lay odds that Harris is NOT seen as a long-term answer in Zimmer's D and will not be extended after 2019. If Grimsley is either drafted or signed, it's to be a developmental back-up and I wouldn't rule out a year on the practice squad, and Harris should start planning to spend the next three or four years after 2019 as a Viking.

• CORRECTION: Tre Watson, the All-American linebacker with five interceptions last season, one for a touchdown, is from the University of Maryland, Sean. Tre Watson from the University of Texas is a running back.

  Linebackers: A whole HOST of Day 3 or UDFA talent, with Terrill Hanks seemingly the only guy who might sneak onto Day 2. You want speed? Cashman was the third-fastest LB at the Combine with a 4.50 40, and that only barely edges out Summers' (non-Combine?) 4.51, but Cashman comes with shoulder injury, strength and tackling concerns, while Summers' instincts seemed to dry up during his college career (on the other hand, Pete Carroll met with him). Oh, and Hanks had a 4.62 40 and is supposed to have good coverage skills. The Wisconsin trio appears to be led by Edwards, who had 10 career interceptions but may lack the speed to be more than a 2-down ILB in a 3-4 system. Connelly also lacks speed and may be limited to special teams. Van Ginkel has the speed and length the Vikes might like behind Barr, and he's shown some zone coverage skills, but he's a raw JUCO transfer. Takitaki sounds like more of a Kendricks physical-type, being a small'ish "Mike" LB who in the old days would have probably played weakside linebacker ("Will"). Raw and athletic, he seems to have matured a LOT since being suspended for the whole 2016 season (yeah, it's BYU, but that wasn't his only disciplinary incident). I like the fact that C. Barton played in a two-linebacker system at Utah, stood out at the East-West Shrine Game and is considered a sound linebacker, but the lack of height and size might still limit him to special teams duties. Watson and Gifford may also be limited to special teams by their lack of speed, but Watson is a proven play-maker and Gifford might be useful in short-yardage situations.

  The Vikings appear to be looking to increase competition within both their linebacking corps and special teams. I can't see them spending a Day 3 pick on a linebacker who'll be lucky to play even 25% of all defensive snaps, but I could see them taking a flier on a guy like Van Ginkel as a future back-up to Barr, and given how badly Gedeon's PFF run defense grade fell from 2017 to 2018 (16 whole points, from 89.9 to 73.9, Thanks, Sean!), if they want to run another guy at him besides last year's 7th rounder Devante Downs, who'd been tearing up the Pac-12 before a knee injury, Edwards, Barton, Watson or even Gifford might be options. Besides Barr and Kendricks, I think the only Vikings linebacker who is probably safe for 2019 is Eric Wilson, and I'd be especially worried if I were Gedeon or special teams specialist Kentrell Brothers (although Brothers did pick up a sack on one of his five defensive snaps last year, and had eight more snaps in 2018 on 109 fewer combined special teams and defensive snaps in 2017).

  Alright, alright, I'll get to the offensive line tomorrow or Friday, I promise.

• Ah! The Vikes COACHED the E-W Shrine Game this year! I'd forgotten that! Say hello, Cody Barton.

• The five special teamers listed are all placekickers, with Gay a consensus All-American and Lou Groza Award-winner as the best kicker in college football last year. He and Baron both appeared in the E-W Shrine Game, but while Baron was coached by the Vikes, I'm not sure if Gay was, although Gay kicked a 47-yarder in the game. He's got a powerful leg, and at 230 pounds, I'm praying that he likes to tackle, but he has only two years of placekicking experience. Tracy seems clutch and to have a short memory. He was a Division II transfer and had an excellent senior season. Seibert ended his college career as the highest-scoring kicker in Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (Really? That's what FBS stands for? HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!) history and impressed at the Senior Bowl. However, shades of Blair Walsh and Daniel Carlson, he had a somewhat erratic college career, with only his senior season really standing out. Left-footed "Lord" John Baron II kicked for San Diego State, was also at the E-W Shrine Game and was twice a Groza Award-finalist, while Casey Bednarksi is a former delivery man for Rosati's Pizza in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, a JUCO transfer and Mankato State (sorry, Minnesota State University, Mankato) graduate. All five of these guys have shown power, but Tracy's kicks are said to be a little low and he didn't do kick-offs his last year, Gay benefited from kicking in high altitudes at Utah, and Seibert's in-game long in four years at Oklahoma (D'uh? It's Oklahoma) was only 51 yards long. Nevertheless, each of these three men are considered possible Day 3 picks, and Walter Football's Charlie Campbell ranks Baron as his 2nd best kicker in the draft class.

  Someone's going to be brought in to challenge Dan Bailey for the Vikings' place-kicking duties. If I had to guess, I'd put my money on Baron because of his long experience as a placekicker, including a redshirt season at SDSU and three years in high school.

• I can not wait on this draft~Head will be rolling and fans will be screaming in pain as their heads explode~

  I don't really know who this is going to all work out~I just will the draft was a one day event~

  Not really on it being one day event~But I do will they would start it earlier~

  Here is my mock draft~
  1} OL
  2} OL
  3)OL
  4}RB
  5} N\A
  6} FG Kicker
  7A} WR
  7B} OL

  Oh you want names do you~Well never mind then~ Smiley Face :-)

• Now with my joking out of the way~Thank you Mr. Sean Borman for all your time and effort~This is and will be very useful in the near future~I bookmarked it for save keeping~

• Walter Football has the Vikings meeting w Jonah Williams at the Combine as well.