The Minnesota Vikings were looking to build on the 2009 season when the made it an interception away from the Super Bowl. Then things got strange, weird and bad all at the same time.
Brett Favre finally had age catch up with him and his incredible consecutive games played streak came to an end at 297. Percy Harvin suffered from migraines all season, and Sidney Rice suffered a severe hip injury. Then the roof caved in. Literally. A snowstorm of epic proportions, even for Minnesota, caved in the roof of the Metrodome. The Vikings final two home games were played in Detroit and outside at the University of Minnesota.
Going into the draft, the Vikings starting quarterback who was actually under contract was Joe Webb. There was no doubt that Minnesota would draft a quarterback, but they got gasps from a lot of observers when they called the name of Christian Ponder at #12 overall. It may have been a case of the Vikings not being able to find a trading partner and panicking that the quarterback they wanted may not be there in Round 2. Ponder was seen as a reach, but he fits the offense that Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave is going to install, and with Adrian Peterson in the backfield the transition should be made easier.
In Round 2, many thought the Vikings would look to upgrade the offensive line, defensive line, or defensive secondary. The pick turned out to be Kyle Rudolph, the tight end out of Notre Dame. Rudolph was the top rated tight end in the draft, and he will eventually be the successor to Visanthe Shiancoe. In Round 4, the Vikings got help on the defensive line with the selection of Christian Ballard out of Iowa. Ballard saw his draft stock fall when word of a possible failed drug test at the NFL Combine started to make the rounds. Ballard has first round talent and should move into the lineup if he can stay out of trouble.
A late round sleeper looks to be Demarcus Love, an offensive lineman selected in Round 6 out of Arkansas. Love looks to move into the interior of the line and is seen as a developmental project but with the athletic upside to make the move.
Draft Grade: C+
Showing posts with label Kyle Rudolph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyle Rudolph. Show all posts
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
2011 NFL Mock Draft 1.0
I have put together my first Mock Draft for the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft. The first DSA Player Rankings had Nick Fairley as the unanimous #1 Overall Selection. The data gathered for the second round of DSA's has Fairley sharing time at the top with Da'Quan Bowers. I have already made a case for Bowers to go first, and that is where I have him at this time. So here is the first TMG DraftZone Mock Draft for 2011:
1) Carolina Da'Quan Bowers DE
2) Denver Patrick Peterson CB
3) Buffalo Cam Newton QB
4) Cincinnati A.J. Green WR
5) Arizona Nick Fairley DT
6) Cleveland Prince Amukamara CB
7) San Francisco Blaine Gabbert QB
8) Tennessee Marcell Dareus DT
9) Dallas Von Miller LB
10) Washington Jake Locker QB
11) Houston Robert Quinn DE
12) Minnesota J.J. Watt DE
13) Detroit Nate Solder OT
14) St. Louis Julio Jones WR
15) Miami Mark Ingram RB
16) Jacksonville Ryan Kerrigan DE
17) New England Cameron Heyward DE
18) San Diego Aldon Smith DE
19) NY Giants Anthony Castanzo OT
20) Tampa Bay Adrian Clayborn DE
21) Kansas City Justin Houston LB
22) Indianapolis Mike Pouncey OG
23) Philadelphia Akeem Ayers LB
24) New Orleans Tyron Smith OT
25) Seattle Jimmy Smith CB
26) Baltimore Brandon Harris CB
27) Atlanta Kyle Rudolph TE
28) New England Mikel Leshoure RB
29) Chicago Jonathon Baldwin WR
30) NY Jets Cameron Jordan DE
31) Pittsburgh Phil Taylor DT
32) Green Bay Gabe Carimi OT
Any mock draft will place players based on two main criteria: team need and gut instinct. I can see Buffalo taking Cam Newton at #3, and a lot of other draftniks are going in that direction. An exceptional workout at the NFL Scouting Combine might very well move him up to the top of the draft. I also think that Jake Locker will be moving up as well after the combine, and with the premium placed on quarterbacks, I see Washington taking him at #10.
One player that may seem to be a stretch is Kyle Rudolph at #27 to Atlanta. But as good as Tony Gonzalez has been, he won't play forever. Rudolph would make an exceptional target for Matt Ryan, and would eventually take over for the future Hall of Famer Gonzalez. Another player who for now might be a reach is Nate Solder at #13 to Detroit. But the Lions would not need to put him in the starting lineup right away, and with more polishing and seasoning he would be the protector for Matthew Stafford's blind side for years. The Lions need to protect their most valuable asset, and Solder could be the long term answer.
One player that got lost in the shuffle of a deep position is Cameron Jordan. The defensive end position is loaded, and I have 8 players at that position going in the first round. You could easily shuffle those players around (with the possible exception of Bowers), and you won't get an argument from anyone. Jordan could easily go in the top 15, and if he does fall down into the 20's, the team that is able to select him will be one that the post-draft experts will say had one of the best drafts of 2011.
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and this weekend will go a long way to determining which players will be moving up or down the boards of mock drafters everywhere. To what extent we shall see.
1) Carolina Da'Quan Bowers DE
2) Denver Patrick Peterson CB
3) Buffalo Cam Newton QB
4) Cincinnati A.J. Green WR
5) Arizona Nick Fairley DT
6) Cleveland Prince Amukamara CB
7) San Francisco Blaine Gabbert QB
8) Tennessee Marcell Dareus DT
9) Dallas Von Miller LB
10) Washington Jake Locker QB
11) Houston Robert Quinn DE
12) Minnesota J.J. Watt DE
13) Detroit Nate Solder OT
14) St. Louis Julio Jones WR
15) Miami Mark Ingram RB
16) Jacksonville Ryan Kerrigan DE
17) New England Cameron Heyward DE
18) San Diego Aldon Smith DE
19) NY Giants Anthony Castanzo OT
20) Tampa Bay Adrian Clayborn DE
21) Kansas City Justin Houston LB
22) Indianapolis Mike Pouncey OG
23) Philadelphia Akeem Ayers LB
24) New Orleans Tyron Smith OT
25) Seattle Jimmy Smith CB
26) Baltimore Brandon Harris CB
27) Atlanta Kyle Rudolph TE
28) New England Mikel Leshoure RB
29) Chicago Jonathon Baldwin WR
30) NY Jets Cameron Jordan DE
31) Pittsburgh Phil Taylor DT
32) Green Bay Gabe Carimi OT
Any mock draft will place players based on two main criteria: team need and gut instinct. I can see Buffalo taking Cam Newton at #3, and a lot of other draftniks are going in that direction. An exceptional workout at the NFL Scouting Combine might very well move him up to the top of the draft. I also think that Jake Locker will be moving up as well after the combine, and with the premium placed on quarterbacks, I see Washington taking him at #10.
One player that may seem to be a stretch is Kyle Rudolph at #27 to Atlanta. But as good as Tony Gonzalez has been, he won't play forever. Rudolph would make an exceptional target for Matt Ryan, and would eventually take over for the future Hall of Famer Gonzalez. Another player who for now might be a reach is Nate Solder at #13 to Detroit. But the Lions would not need to put him in the starting lineup right away, and with more polishing and seasoning he would be the protector for Matthew Stafford's blind side for years. The Lions need to protect their most valuable asset, and Solder could be the long term answer.
One player that got lost in the shuffle of a deep position is Cameron Jordan. The defensive end position is loaded, and I have 8 players at that position going in the first round. You could easily shuffle those players around (with the possible exception of Bowers), and you won't get an argument from anyone. Jordan could easily go in the top 15, and if he does fall down into the 20's, the team that is able to select him will be one that the post-draft experts will say had one of the best drafts of 2011.
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and this weekend will go a long way to determining which players will be moving up or down the boards of mock drafters everywhere. To what extent we shall see.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Depths of the Draft (Or lack thereof)
The 2011 NFL Draft is starting to take shape. Mock Drafts have been rolling out for a month now, even though underclassmen have until the 15th to declare. I have started accumulating data on prospects for my Draft Slot Average rankings and I have noticed a severe lack of depth at one position. Tight End.
In the 2010 NFL Draft, there were 10 tight ends taken in the first 132 selections. Many of these players had a significant impact on their team. Jermaine Gresham was the first off the board, and he became a favorite target for Carson Palmer late in the year. Jimmy Graham developed very nicely for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints, even with his lack of experience at the collegiate level. Tony Moeaki made significant contributions for the Kansas City Chiefs in their run to the AFC West title, and Michael Hoomanawanui did as well for the resurgent St. Louis Rams.
But there is no denying the impact that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez had with the New England Patriots. With a sulking Randy Moss shipped out in midseason, Tom Brady looked towards his two young targets and they put up numbers that no one could have expected. They combined for 87 receptions for 1109 yards and 16 touchdowns. It can be argued that Brady had a better season than his record setting year in 2007, and you won't get any argument from me. Two tight end sets have been popular with power running teams for many years, but the Patriots used the formation to operate a dominant passing game. The NFL has always been known as a copycat league, so you can expect many teams to follow suit on what the Patriots had success with this season.
But the 2011 NFL Draft appears to be lacking at depth for the tight end position. Extremely lacking. From the data I've gathered so far on the top prospects, of the 107 players I have listed for the DSAs the only tight end at the top of the draft is Kyle Rudolph from Notre Dame.
Rudolph looks to have all the physical tools to play in the NFL, and he looks to be a late first or early second round pick. A good fit of Rudolph looks to be Atlanta, where he can learn from the great Tony Gonzalez and provide the second option at the position for Matt Ryan. But if teams are looking to expand their passing games with a two tight end set, and if they are looking for help from the draft, they may be looking to Day 3 to find the help they are want at the position.
In the 2010 NFL Draft, there were 10 tight ends taken in the first 132 selections. Many of these players had a significant impact on their team. Jermaine Gresham was the first off the board, and he became a favorite target for Carson Palmer late in the year. Jimmy Graham developed very nicely for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints, even with his lack of experience at the collegiate level. Tony Moeaki made significant contributions for the Kansas City Chiefs in their run to the AFC West title, and Michael Hoomanawanui did as well for the resurgent St. Louis Rams.
But there is no denying the impact that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez had with the New England Patriots. With a sulking Randy Moss shipped out in midseason, Tom Brady looked towards his two young targets and they put up numbers that no one could have expected. They combined for 87 receptions for 1109 yards and 16 touchdowns. It can be argued that Brady had a better season than his record setting year in 2007, and you won't get any argument from me. Two tight end sets have been popular with power running teams for many years, but the Patriots used the formation to operate a dominant passing game. The NFL has always been known as a copycat league, so you can expect many teams to follow suit on what the Patriots had success with this season.
But the 2011 NFL Draft appears to be lacking at depth for the tight end position. Extremely lacking. From the data I've gathered so far on the top prospects, of the 107 players I have listed for the DSAs the only tight end at the top of the draft is Kyle Rudolph from Notre Dame.
Rudolph looks to have all the physical tools to play in the NFL, and he looks to be a late first or early second round pick. A good fit of Rudolph looks to be Atlanta, where he can learn from the great Tony Gonzalez and provide the second option at the position for Matt Ryan. But if teams are looking to expand their passing games with a two tight end set, and if they are looking for help from the draft, they may be looking to Day 3 to find the help they are want at the position.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)