Whether intentional or not the Minnesota Vikings have taken an unusual path to stocking their receiver and defensive end positions. These are two of the most important positions in today's NFL. The league's best defensive ends are typically selected during the first two days of the draft. Productive receivers can be found throughout the draft but teams usually have a top pick or two or more on their roster. The Vikings have a single first round pick among their receivers and defensive ends and he's considered a long-shot to make the team. In fact, most fans and many in the media are surprised that Laquon Treadwell is still on the roster. Here are the mostly modest beginnings of the Vikings receivers and defensive ends.
Receivers
Stefon Diggs: 5th round pick
Adam Thielen: UDFA
Chad Beebe: UDFA
Laquon Treadwell: 1st round pick
Jordan Taylor: UDFA
Olabisi Johnson: 7th round pick
Brandon Zylstra:UDFA
Dillon Mitchell: 7th round pick
Jeff Badet: UDFA
Davion Davis: UDFA
Alexander Hollins: UDFA
Defensive Ends
Everson Griffen: 4th round pick
Danielle Hunter: 3rd round pick
Stephen Weatherly: 7th round pick
Ifeadi Odenigbo: 7th round pick
Ade Aruna: 6th round pick
Tashawn Bower: UDFA
Karter Schult: UDFA
Stacy Keely: UDFA
Anree Saint-Amour: UDFA
20 combined players
1 first round pick
1 third round pick
1 fourth round pick
1 fifth round pick
1 sixth round pick
4 seventh round picks
11 undrafted free agents
I don't think that stocking these two critical positions with late-round picks and undrafted free agents was the plan of general manager Rick Speilman, head coach Mike Zimmer, and the rest of the Vikings' decision-makers. I think that they lucked into a good situation and went with it. One can say that it was terrific drafting and scouting. One can say that they turned over a lot of remote rocks and discovered gems that other teams missed. Drafting Treadwell is a drafting blemish that's tough to hide. I hate to call any player a bust but his production is "bust" level. One thing that might've hurt Treadwell was that he came to the team at the same time that two of the team's "luckiest" scouting and drafting gems started to shine. If Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen hadn't turned into such damn fine receivers maybe Treadwell gets more of an opportunity. Diggs was productive as soon as he stepped on the field for the Vikings. He did so well so fast that it was a mystery as to why it took a few games for him to get into one. Diggs was drafted in the fifth round despite having first round talent. He showed that talent at Maryland but was injured often enough that he had draft day questions. Sometimes teams have to look more at the nature of the injuries than just the fact that a player had them. Diggs missed games to a broken leg and a lacerated kidney. Those aren't the type of injuries that saddle a player with the "injury-prone" label. If teams passed on Diggs because of those injuries the Vikings benefited greatly from it. Thielen's story is different and everyone knows it by now. In short, the Vikings found an overlooked gem in their own backyard but his place in the NFL is more on him. He persisted and took advantage of every opportunity. Diggs and Thielen are so productive that the remaining receivers on the team are something of an afterthought. Those two allowed the team to stock the position with late-round picks and are now tasked with developing them. And possibly finding another Thielen.
As a defensive-minded head coach, Mike Zimmer prioritizes talent at defensive end. When he was hired in 2014, he inherited a solid defensive end situation with Everson Griffen and Brian Robison. The Vikings' 2015 Draft Class was a good one. A couple highlights of that draft were Diggs in the fifth round and defensive end Danielle Hunter in the third. If players were drafted solely for their production in college, Hunter might've gone undrafted. If players were drafted solely for their athletic potential, Hunter might've gone in the first round. The Vikings split the difference and selected him in the third. If he continues to play at this current pace, Hunter could join franchise defensive end legends Carl Eller and Chris Doleman in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For three years the defensive end depth chart was topped by Griffen, Robison, and Hunter. That's a stout group. This allowed the team's decision-makers to supplement the position with players in Zimmer's image for a defensive end, long and freakishly athletic. Players like Stephen Weatherly, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Tashawn Bower, and Ade Aruna. Since they were raw, the Vikings were able to find them late in the draft and after the draft. They didn't have to play right away so they had time to learn and develop. It's appeared to have worked for Weatherly as he played well when he was needed last year. Odenigbo has finally looked the part this training camp and preseason. Bower has shown potential but is injured now. Aruna is also dealing with an injury. His freakish athletic ability might be the closest to that of Hunter's.
It's a little funny (funny might not be the best word for it) that the one player of these two position groups that was a high end draft pick has been the biggest disappointment. But, I think that's the point. The Vikings found or "lucked" into talent at these two critical positions so they weren't forced to find players in the first round. In today's NFL, teams must have talent at receiver and defensive end. Diggs and Thielen were on the roster when the Vikings selected Treadwell. They had a pretty good idea by then that Diggs was going to be, at worst, pretty good. They still didn't know that Thielen would be anything more than a terrific special teams player. They would know it by the end of the 2016 season but they didn't know it when they selected Treadwell with the 23rd pick of the first round. If they had known what they'd have in Diggs and Thielen, maybe they pick Mississippi State defensive tackle Chris Jones with that pick. Imagine Jones on a line with Linval Joseph, Griffen, and Hunter. That's dreamy. This is about what did happen. And the Vikings stocked two of the most important positions on a football team with later-round and undrafted talent.
No comments:
Post a Comment