NFC North – 2014 Draft Recap

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings

Let me start this by saying that I had QB Teddy Bridgewater rated as my #1 QB and #6 player overall, so the Vikings are getting an A for that pick at least. I don’t feel as great about the pick of LB Anthony Barr at 8th overall. He has a ton of potential as a pass rusher, but he’s only played linebacker for two seasons and so far has gotten by on athleticism alone. That’s not going to work in the NFL, Barr will need some time to improve his pass-rush technique and also learn the responsibilities of a 4-3 LB which he didn’t play in college (3-4). As a 3-4 OLB, Barr’s primary focus was getting to the QB, his job in a 4-3 will be more complex and will take him some time to adapt to. Barr can make an impact as a rusher on passing downs right away, but the 8th overall pick is a high price to pay for a designated pass rusher. Eventually I think he will develop into a very good, perhaps Pro Bowl level, OLB in the Vikes scheme but it’s not happening in 2014. As of today the Vikings MLB is Jasper Brinkley, I thought MLB C.J. Mosley would have been the better choice at 8.

3rd round pick DE Scott Crighton was one of the steals of the draft. I never considered him falling past the Giants at pick 43. The combination of Barr and Crighton is going to wreck havoc on the NFC North eventually, but Crighton at least is ready to make an impact right away. The Vikes gave DE Everson Griffen a big contract in the off-season, but he played less than 50% of the Vikings defense snaps last year and Crighton should have a role rotating with Griffen and keeping him fresh.

I was pretty impressed with the Vikings picks until they reached for RB Jerick McKinnon with their second 3rd rounder. This is a classic case of valuing combine numbers over game tape. McKinnon’s college film was impressive, but he was a QB in an option read offense in the Sun Belt conference. I’m not sure what position the Vikes plan on using McKinnon at, but whether it’s at running back or defensive back, he’s going to have a steep learning curve at his new position and adjusting to the major gap in game speed from the Sun Belt to the NFL won’t happen overnight. McKinnon’s combine performance was awesome, but he looked terrible at running back during Senior Bowl practices. I thought the 5th or 6th round would have been a good spot for McKinnon. Taking him in the 3rd round of a loaded draft was a mistake when running backs like Freeman, Williams, and Carey where available as well as defensive backs like Breeland, Watkins, and Desir.

I thought G David Yankey was rated a little too highly on some boards as a 2nd round pick after his disappointing combine, but only by about a round. Getting a solid guard like Yankey in the 5th is another potential steal for the Vikings. He has great size, intelligence, the versatility to play tackle in a pinch and was a team captain at Stanford. His lack of mobility would be a problem in some schemes, but he is a good fit in the Vikings power blocking scheme and should be able to beat out LG Charlie Johnson who was the only weak link on an otherwise strong O-line last year.

There were 4 guys I had going to the Bears in most of my mock drafts and the Vikings 6th round pick CB/S Antone Exum was one of them. The fact that the Vikes took him one pick before the Bears in the 6th round was salt in the wound. Exum was a top 50 overall prospect before subsequent injuries to his ACL and ankle kept him on the sidelines for most of his senior year. His junior year he had 5 interceptions, 16 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and was considered a better NFL prospect than Bears 1st round pick CB Kyle Fuller. Exum is built like a safety and that will probably be the position he ends up at in the pros. Exum can be a big time hitter in run support and an aggressive coverage guy with the size to match up with the NFC North’s taller receivers.

I had the Vikings second 6th round pick, CB Kendall James, as my 45th rated corner in the draft, so obviously I’m not a fan of this pick. Rashaad Reynolds (14), EJ Gaines (16), TJ Carrie (20), and Bennett Jackson (25) were all still available at this point in the draft. I think James may end up being a decent slot corner, but his small frame, short arms, and small hands seriously limit his ball skills and play-making ability.

As a Bears fan I was relieved when the Vikings passed on Aaron Donald, but they still ended up with a solid DT and they were able to find one in the 7th round. I had DT Shamar Stephen graded as a 4th-5th round pick and think he has a bright future in the league. Stephen (6’5, 308) is a stout run-stuffer inside who should be able to slide into the DT rotation with 2013 1st rounder Shariff Floyd and underrated free agent acquisition Linval Joseph.

The second of the Vikings three 7th round picks, OLB Brandon Watts, is a guy scouts were mixed on. I’ve seen him as high as the 5th round and as low as a rookie camp try-out option. Personally, I think the 7th round is just about right. Watts has the speed and athleticism to be a sideline-to-sideline run defender. What Watts is missing is the strength to take on blockers. I think Watts will be a good fit opposite pass-rushing OLB Anthony Barr but not until 2015 at the earliest.

The Vikings finished off their draft with CB Jabari Price. I ranked 50 corners in the draft and the Vikings ended with the 45th, Kendall James, and the 47th, Jabari Price, who is a great athlete but very raw when it comes to coverage technique and ball skills. In 30 starts, Price only had 2 INTs. He does have the athleticism to play in the league, but he needs a lot of technique work before he can contribute. There were 15 corners available that I had rated higher than Price, so no I don’t like this pick at all.

UDFAs:

The Vikings might have had the best UDFA haul of any team in the NFL. Of the 46 available UDFAs that I had ranked as draftable, the Vikings ended up with 6 (so did the Saints, Broncos, & Jags). The Vikings actually waived four players from their current roster so they could sign more UDFAs. I respect that kind of decisive move. They realized the UDFA talent pool was one of the best ever and moved quickly to make sure they could get as many of them as possible. Here is a breakdown of the Vikings UDFA signings. If it wasn’t clear already, the Vikings get an A for this portion of their draft.

Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

T Antonio Richardson was no worse than a 4th round pick in every mock draft I saw in the last few months and most had him as an early 2nd rounder. He is a massive specimen (6’6, 336) who was an all-SEC left tackle the last two seasons. His technique is flawed, but he moves very well for his size and has shown flashes of being a dominant blocker on both run and pass plays. There are too many mental mistakes and his technique gets sloppy when he tires, but there is a ton of potential here. The fact that Seantrel Henderson was drafted and Richardson wasn’t is ridiculous.

TE A.C Leonard was on my top 5 UDFA list for the Bears and it stings to see him end up in Minnesota. Leonard is an elite athlete who had a disappointing college career due to off-field incidents, but has stayed out of trouble the last few years. He runs like a wide out (4.5) and has a high ceiling.

With starting RT Phil Loadholt (6’8, 343), Antonio Richardson (6’6, 336) and T Max Hall (6’9, 325) the Vikings might have the 3 biggest RTs in the league. Hall is raw and at this point is nothing more than a size prospect, but he moves well for his size and has a shot at contributing eventually.

G/C Conner Boffeli from Iowa is another O-lineman with good size (6’4, 298) and is a hard worker with good feet and solid technique who I think will be a starting caliber interior lineman in the next year or two.

WR Kain Colter is another college QB who the Vikings are going to move to another position. Colter ran a 4.7 40 at his pro day, but has been timed as low as 4.52. He may lack deep speed, but has good quickness and huge hands (10″+). It will probably take a year or two for Colter to convert from QB to WR but he is a good football player, very intelligent and has the skill and athleticism to be a solid 3rd-4th receiver in the league.

Last but not least, the Vikings signed underrated WR Erik Lora who was Jimmy Garropolo’s main target at Eastern Illinois. Lora had 259 catches, 3,208 yards, and 31 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He’s small (5’11, 190) and not a burner (4.57) but is a sharp route-runner, has sticky hands and the toughness to take a hit over the middle and hold on to the ball. I would be surprised if Lora doesn’t become a decent possession receiver in the league at some point.

Grade: A-

There is a reason my Vikings breakdown was twice as long as the other two, they added a ton of talent last weekend. In my opinion they got the best QB in the draft, two of the top pass rushers, a good player on both the offensive and defensive lines and at least one good defensive back. Then they went and added three solid O-line prospects and a dynamic TE prospect in the UDFA portion of the draft. I would have made a few different picks, but Mike Zimmer definitely put his stamp on the team and significantly upgraded the Vikings talent level. What kept it from an A is the Barr over Mosley choice, McKinnon in the 3rd round, and the fact that I don’t like either of their late round CBs. Overall though, I think the Vikings had the best draft in the division.

 Twitter: @MikeFlannery_