The Bengals and Mixon

After his team made the controversial decision to select Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon in the second round of the NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown felt compelled to send this letter to the fans of his team.

In the NFL draft last Friday, the Cincinnati Bengals selected a very talented football player who did a terrible thing his freshman year at college.

The player – Joe Mixon – is a top level football player by everyone’s account. Joe’s regrettable deed was that he struck a young woman, another student, shortly after arriving on campus in Norman, Oklahoma, three years ago.

Joe and this young woman recently met in person, came to terms with the incident, and they agreed to resolve their differences so they could move forward with their lives. While the circumstances that led up to the incident are unclear – what is clear is that it is unacceptable for a man to strike a woman.

Since the incident three years ago, Joe was suspended by the football team, pleaded guilty in court, and accepted the consequences of his actions. He later went on to become a good citizen in Norman, a popular teammate, a player respected by his coaches, and one of the most talented players in college football.

This has been a difficult topic for me and NFL dilemmas such as this have bounced about my mind far too often in recent years. Once is too often. Michael Vick, Ray Rice, Joe Mixon. For the most part I don't think that Mixon should have the opportunity to play in the NFL. Then as soon as I want to banish him forever I think that a person deserves a second chance. A person shouldn't be permanently judged by one poor decision. Then I think again about his crime. Striking a woman as Mixon did simply shouldn't be done. There's no decision that needs to be made. There's a whole host of things that Mixon could've done in that situation and punching her shouldn't even make the list. Yet, that's what he chose to do. And now he's a second round pick in the draft. I'm glad that I'm not the one that has to decide whether Joe Mixon gets to join the NFL's little club. I'm also glad that the Minnesota Vikings weren't the team to give him his opportunity. There were some draft analysts that connected Mixon with the Vikings. That was mostly due to the attention that the team paid to him at the Oklahoma Pro Day. He's a tremendous football talent and head coach Mike Zimmer and team decision-makers were simply trying to see if the person matched the crime. They were doing their job. I never bought the possibility of Mixon in Minnesota simply because I couldn't imagine the Vikings owners signing off on it and drafting a player with this sort of baggage is ultimately an owner's decision. The Vikings and Bengals did swap picks in the second round. The Vikings moved up to pick Florida State running back Dalvin Cook at #41 overall and the Bengals dropped back to pick Mixon at #48. So there was a Minnesota-Mixon connection after all. Thankfully, he's the Bengals problem now. A Cincinnati television station has encouraged a boycott of the games. There's been enough outrage over the pick that the owner had to address it. If Mixon's football talent shows on the field and he stays clean off of it, many fans that are outraged now will be less so later.

Should a person that did what Joe Mixon did be rewarded with his football dream? Neither option seems right. I suppose that if he's answered for his crime in a satisfactory manner he shouldn't be kept from that dream. As long as it's in Cincinnati.

Early Signings

Former offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz tweeted this about the rookie wage scale created by the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

"One positive, and there aren't many, of the rookie wage scale is deals getting done early. Guys get some $ sooner, and all report for camp."

I can't think of too many, if any, negatives with the rookie wage scale. The pre-CBA contracts that were being handed to players that had yet to take an NFL snap were getting ridiculous. The top picks were getting more money at signing than many accomplished, veteran players earned in a decade. Too many of those top picks never came close to earning even a fraction of that money. It was a horribly backward system that had to change. A lot of players don't like the change because it takes a large sum of money away from a particular group of players. Since teams have to spend up to the salary cap the money saved on rookies is spread to the veteran players. Those contracts have gone up as the rookie contracts have gone down. That creates an NFL where all players have an increased incentive to play at a high level. The rookie has to play at level that earns him that big second contract. The veteran has to play at a level to earn his contract and keep his job because there's always a cheaper player on a rookie contract waiting behind him. Or they become free agents and open bidding allows average players to get huge contracts but that's another story. This story has a better ending. The current rookie wage scale is a blessing and two positives of it stand out.

-Rookie contracts are under control. It's still a nice contract, just not a crazy contract. 

-Since the rookie contracts are pretty much scripted by the spot in which a player is drafted there's little to negotiate. The players are signed early and easily. 

As a Minnesota Vikings fan I remember the incredible frustration of waiting until October for 2002 first-round tackle Bryant McKinnie to finally sign his rookie contract and show up for work. October! It was the first of many frustrations that McKinnie would bring but that's beside the point. The point is that rookie holdouts were an annual occurrence before 2011. It never made sense for a football player that had never done a thing in the NFL to skip part, most, or all of his first training camp. The player and the team will probably never need practices more than those first practices. Many of these players were holding out for money that they'd never really earn. Some players play football only for the money, McKinnie always looked like there were hundreds of places he'd rather be, and they were having it a lot of money handed to them immediately. Where's their incentive after that? There might be problems with the player salary structure of the NFL but the current rookie wage scale isn't one of them. As teams and agents have gotten the hang of these easier negotiations training camp holdouts have become rare. It's even gotten to the point where teams are getting many of their new players signed before the draft is a week old. The San Francisco 49ers signed fourth-round running back Joe Williams signed on Wednesday after being drafted on Saturday. The 49ers have about half of their draft class signed. The Carolina Panthers topped that by getting their entire class under contract in time for their rookie mini-camp. The Vikings managed that last year but didn't hit that targeted mark this year. It was a surprise. Before 2011 it was a surprise if they had a single rookie signed before the middle of July.

It's a whole new rookie-signing world for the NFL and there are a lot of positives to it. 

AFC Draft Picks That I Liked

To continue the exercise started yesterday here are the draft picks that I liked the most from the AFC teams.

Pittsburgh Steelers
T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin, first round
It's fun to watch the Steelers draft. They rarely trade and always let the draft come to them. Six Lombardi Trophies show that it can work. They often have a bunch of picks that I like. This year's no exception. Cameron Sutton, James Conner, Joshus Dobbs, Keion Adams. I'll go the easy route and pick their first one. Watt, like his brother, has a motor that's always running hot. In a few years this Watt might be the pass rusher to come out of this draft.

Baltimore Ravens
Nico Siragusa, G, San Diego State, fourth round
The Ravens are another team that makes a lot of picks that I like. As with a lot of my favoritepicks Siragusa is a player that I hoped the Minnesota Vikings might land. No matter how many offensive linemen the Ravens lose in free agency they always field a solid front five. That's because of players like Siragusa. The Ravens always seem to have their next solid lineman on the roster, waiting for his shot.

Clevelend Browns
Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan, first round
The Browns have been a drafting laughing-stock for nearly all of their years since re-joining the league in 1999. So much so that this new front office will have to have many great drafts to shake that reputation. At least on paper, their 2017 draft looks like a step in the right direction. They may have found difference-makers throughout the draft and my favorite is Peppers. He can do it all. Defense, offense, special teams. Michigan took advantage of it. The Browns probably will too. It's probably best if he initially focuses on one position on defense, return punts, and maybe pepper him into the offense.

Cincinnati Bengals
John Ross, WR, Washington, first round
If I had any doubts about Ross' receiving talents before this past college season that ended when I watched the way he handled Cal's defensive backs last November. Now, taking apart Cal's defense hasn't been too difficult for anyone over the past few years but the way Ross did it was stunning. It was such a mismatch. I've seen Paul Richardson, Nelson Agholor, Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, Brandin Cooks, Ju Ju Smith-Schuster, and so many others have their way with Cal's defensive backs but Ross looked like he was playing a whole other sport. Ross teamed with A.J. Green could be real scary.

Miami Dolphins
Isaac Asiata, G, Utah, fifth round
Asiata was one of my favorite guards in the draft. So much so, that he was a fixture of every Vikings mock that I did prior to the draft. In my mind, he was already a Vikings. Reality played out differently and now Asiata's my favorite Dolphins pick.

Buffalo Bills
Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina, second round
It's easy to like Jones based on his abilities on the football field. It's even easier to like his personality and attitude off the football field. It's easy to like Zay Jones.

New York Jets
Chad Hansen, WR, Cal, fourth
I have to go with the Cal guy over the two excellent safeties that the Jets picked to start their draft. Hansen was a receiving revelation last season for the Bears. It would've been nice if it wasn't his only season in Berkeley.

New England Patriots
Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State, third round
For a while it looked like the Patriots might sit out this draft. They made their first pick in the third round and Rivers was their man. It'll be fun to see how Bill Belichick and Mike Patricia use their new pass rusher.

Indianapolis Colts
Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State, first round
Hooker was one of several first round players that went later than expected. The Colts benefited. Hooker roams and makes play like former Baltimore Ravens great Ed Reed. I loved watching Reed play football so it only follows that I love watching Hooker play football.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU, first round
Looking at and thinking about the drafts of the Jacksonville Jaguars has become a frustrating thing in recent years. They keep picking excellent players and there's annual hope that the team is heading in the right direction and then they go out and win four games and end up with a top-5 pick. Again. Maybe Fournette is the pick to change that pattern.

Houston Texans
D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas, third round
I liked what I saw of Foreman last season and through the draft evaluation process. I liked him even more after watching NFL Network's intimate profile of him aired before the second round. It's easy to like a kid like Foreman.

Tennessee Titans
Khalfani Muhammad, RB, Cal, seventh round
The final of three Cal players selected. Go Bears! Muhammad is considered one of the top prep athletes in California state history. He was a top recruit that came to Berkeley with a lot of hype and simply did everything asked of him to help the team win. Which wasn't very often. Muhammad has terrific speed and can produce big plays at any time from anywhere on the field.

Denver Broncos
Jake Butt, TE, Michigan, fifth round
How can you not like a football player named Butt. But this isn't just about his name. Butt would probably have been drafted much higher if he hadn't torn his ACL in the Orange Bowl. Butt played in that game for the love of his team. Something that many are speaking against these days. Butt's a terrific player with a bright NFL future.

Kansas City Chiefs
Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo, third round
As I was looking at potential mid-round running backs for the Minnesota Vikings Hunt emerged as my favorite. I just liked the no-nonsense. physical manner with which he ran with the football. It seemed fitting that the Chiefs selected him with a pick that they received from the Vikings.

Los Angeles Chargers
Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky, second round
Due to the Vikings serious need at the position and his play at it, Lamp was one of my favorite players in the entire draft. If the Vikings had a first round pick he was the player I wanted them to pick with it. When Lamp slid into the second round there was a flicker of hope that he'd slide a bit farther. The Chargers dashed that with the sixth pick of the second round. I love Lamp.

Oakland Raiders
Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut, second round
I just like saying Obi Melifonwu. Who doesn't? If Melifonwu can earn a starting gig in the back of the Raiders defense, it's going to be a gas to see him paired with last year's top pick Karl Joseph. The height difference will be striking.

NFC Draft Picks That I Liked

Grading draft classes immediately after the picks are made is a foolish exercise. Instead of the grades I'll simply pick the picks that I liked best in each team's class.

Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State, second round
The Vikings didn't have a first round pick but they ended up with a first round talent. Off-the-field concerns caused teams to pass on Cook and the Vikings benefited. Third-round center/guard Pat Elflein is a consideration due to the giant need to improve the line and his ability to help fill that need. Sixth-round tight end Bucky Hodges is also a consideration due to his freaky physical talents. Cook's the pick because the Vikings weren't supposed to come close to landing him.

Green Bay Packers
Kevin King, CB, Washington, second round
King gets the nod for the Packers because he's a skilled corner with terrific size. As a Vikings fan I don't like that they have him but he's a very talented football player. I also love that he was the only Green Room player that stuck around after not being selected in the first round. He didn't have to wait long. The Packers took him with the first pick of the second round.

Detroit Lions
Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida, first round
Davis is another player that I'd prefer to see spend his NFL career outside of the NFC North. He should control the middle of the Lions defense for years.

Chicago Bears
Tarik Cohen, RB, North Carolina A&T, fourth round
Whenever draft analysts were physically and mentally drained from watching film they'd often get re-energized by calling up the ridiculous highlights of this little runner. It's video game stuff. The 5'6" Cohen is a thrill to watch. Again, as a Vikings fan, the hope here is that Cohen doesn't bring about the sort of gameday fear that Devin Hester often brought.

New York Giants
Davis Webb, QB, Cal, third round
It's gotta be the Cal player. Webb played a single season in Berkeley but he provided many offensive thrills. There's no doubt that Webb will put in the work to be the quarterback that follows Eli Manning.

Philadelphia Eagles
Sidney Jones, CB, Washington, second round
The Eagles had several picks that I liked. Jones was a favorite of mine throughout his time at Washington and his short involvement in the draft evaluation. If not for his torn achilles at his Pro Day Jones would probably have been a top-10 pick. At least he didn't fall too far.

Washington Redskins
Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA, third round
Like Sidney Jones, Moreau suffered an injury at his Pro Day. Also like Jones, he has the talent to be a terrific corner in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys
Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado, second round
Another Pac-12 corner. Awuzie has the talent and versatility to be a bigger Antoine Winfield. If Awuzie can hit that high mark the Cowboys will be very happy.

Atlanta Falcons
Duke Riley, LB, LSU, third round
This pick was a surprise to me as the Falcons drafted a couple of versatile, run-and-chase linebackers in the draft last year in De'Vondre Campbell and Riley's former LSU teammate Deion Jones. I like Riley because he's a versatile, run-and-chase linebacker. The Falcons apparently do as well.

New Orleans Saints
Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic, third round
It's easy to fall for high energy pass rushers and Hendrickson most certainly is one. The Saints really helped their defense with this draft.

Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford, first round
Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State, second round
Other than Vikings stuff, the two things that I'm most looking forward to seeing this season is how the San Francisco 49ers use those pieces on their defensive line and how the Carolina Panthers plan to use McCaffrey and Samuel. Despite having Cam Newton at quarterback the Panthers offense was mostly a predictable, power offense. Big backs, big receivers. McCaffrey and Samuel change that. Considerably. I'm just glad that McCaffrey is no longer able to shred Cal's defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State, fifth round
I like O.J. Howard but I'm going with the running back. McNichols gives the Buccaneers another short, versatile running back from Boise State. Doug Martin hasn't been too reliable. The Buccaneers are hoping that McNichols will be more so. He'll have his chance.

San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle, TE, Iowa, fourth round
Just as I like versatile, run-and-chase linebackers I really like "move" tight ends. Kittle is one of those players. He can be moved around the formation. In line, split wide, in the backfield. Ever since the days of Jim Kleinsasser I've enjoyed and appreciated these players that do a lot of the dirty work so that others can shine. Kittle is a terrific blocker and he gives the 49ers offense more versatility.

Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington, third round
How can you not like a receiver with excellent hands that runs great routes? It's amazing how many are in the NFL that don't have the former and can't do the latter.

Arizona Cardinals
Budda Baker, S, Washington, second round
I might've cried a little when the Cardinals took Baker off the board early in the second round. I didn't see much chance that he'd last until the Vikings pick but one can dream. I might've seen a little of Antoine Winfield in Chidobe Awuzie. I see a lot of Winfield in Baker. It's partly in the size of the two but it's mostly in the play. I didn't see the Cardinals making this pick because they already have a similar player in Tyrann Mathieu. That secondary should be a lot of fun to watch.

Seattle Seahawks
Tedric Thompson, S, Colorado, fourth round
I like this pick of Seattle's the best simply because Thompson is a rangy safety that I liked for the Vikings in the mid-rounds. It looks like the Seahawks are getting an early start on reloading their talented secondary. Thompson is a nice start.

Vikings' Rookie Free Agents

The work wasn't done when the draft was done. Even before the last selection was made the Minnesota Vikings, and all teams, started contacting players that might slide through the draft. Here are the 13 rookie free agents that the Vikings signed.

Tashan Bower, DE, LSU
Dylan Bradley, DT, Southern Mississippi
Aviante Collins, T, TCU
Nick Fett, T, Iowa State
Eric Wilson, LB, Cincinnati
Caleb Kidder, DE, Montana
Wes Lunt, QB, Illinois
Sam McCaskill, DE, Boise State
Terrell Newby, RB, Nebraska
Josiah Price, TE, Michigan State
Horace Richardson, CB, SMU
R.J. Shelton, WR, Michigan State
Shaam Washington, LB, Texas A&M

Undrafted free agents are long-shots but all they need is a shot. Impact players have taken all sorts of routes to the NFL.

The Vikings may or may not have invited the following players to tryout at the this weekend's mini camp. Reporting can get sketchy at this stage.

Dylan Utter, OL, Nebraska
Tommy Armstrong, QB/RB/WR, Nebraska
Derrick Griffen, Jr., TE, Texas Southern
Austin Tennessee, CB, Stevenson
Jack Nelson, QB, Winona State
Freddie Tagaloa, OL, Arizona
Jack Lynn, LB, Minnesota
Noor Davis, LB, Stanford
Nick D'Avanzo, DT, New Mexico
Dakota Cox, LB, New Mexico
Gena Adams, WR, Bemidji State
Drew Wolitarsky, WR, Minnesota
John Guy, OL, Pittsburgh
Sam Hahn, OL, Nebraska
Zack Johnson, G, North Dakota State
Ryan Reid, CB, Baylor

It sure looks like the Vikings put in a lot of calls to Nebraska.

The shot is even longer for the players with invites. But they still have their shot. Current Vikings Adam Thielen and Marcus Sherels were once camp invites.

Vikings Draft Picks

Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and his personnel pals danced around the draft for the two days in which they had picks. They entered the draft festivities with no first round picks, a second, two thirds, two fourths, and a single pick in the remaining rounds. Eight picks in all. Spielman and pals traded like never before. In making seven trades they moved up in the second round, up in the third, and back in the remaining rounds. They turned eight picks into 11.

The Minnesota Vikings 2017 Draft Class.

Round 2, Pick 9 (41)	Dalvin Cook	RB	5'10" 210	Florida State
Round 3, Pick 6 (70)	Pat Elflein	C	6'3" 303	Ohio State
Round 4, Pick 2 (109)	Jaleel Johnson	DT	6'3" 316	Iowa
Round 4, Pick 14 (120)	Ben Gedeon	LB	6'2" 244	Michigan
Round 5, Pick 27 (170)	Rodney Adams	WR	6'1" 189	South Florida
Round 5, Pick 37 (180)	Danny Isidora	G	6'3" 306	Miami
Round 6, Pick 17 (201)	Bucky Hodges	TE	6'6" 257	Virginia Tech
Round 7, Pick 1 (219)	Stacy Coley	WR	6'0" 195	Miami
Round 7, Pick 2 (220)	Ifeadi Odenigbo	DE	6'3" 258	Northwestern
Round 7, Pick 14 (232)	Elijah Lee	LB	6'3" 228	Kansas State
Round 7, Pick 27 (245)	Jack Tocho	DB	6'0" 202	N.C. State

The 11 picks and seven trades (2 up and 5 back) are the most with Spielman calling the shots.

Many of the 11 picks could see immediate and significant playing time as soon as this season. Dalvin Cook should be a big factor in the running back rotation, if not the starter. Pat Elflein may be penciled in as the starting center right now. Jaleel Johnson should be part of the interior defensive line rotation. Ben Gedeon and Elijah Lee should grab immediate roles on special teams. Both could be part of the competition for the starting weakside linebacker spot that opened when Chad Greenway retired after the 2016 season. Rodney Harris and Stacy Coley will be part of the open competition to return kicks and punts in addition to opportunities at receiver. Bucky Hodges is a freaky height/speed athlete. He could be an immediate mismatch for defenses and an excellent red zone option. Scoring from that prime part of the was real problem last year. Hodges should help fix that. Ifeadi Odenigbo is a developmental defensive end. The Vikings are fairly set at the position but if Odenigbo can make his presence felt now he can be a factor later. I have to think that Jack Tocho's future in the NFL is at safety due to his high football IQ and the Vikings desire to find a versatile player to pair with Harrison Smith in the back of the defense.

It took quite a bit of dancing, some of which drove fans nuts, by Spielman and his pals but the Vikings came away with a large, versatile draft class. They brought some young talent to the team. Most of them in areas in which the Vikings needed young talent.

Some Post-Draft Thoughts

Just some thoughts on another draft.

The draft is sometimes compared to Christmas. The lead-up to both seems to take so long and it's in your face the whole time and then suddenly it's over.

Now it's time to clean up and put everything in it's place.

It sure looked like the 2017 NFL Draft was a hit in Philadelphia. Just as it was in Chicago. It sure looks like the draft will remain on the road and Dallas could be the next stop. The NFL is loving this Roadshow thing.

An estimated 250,000 people attended the draft in Philadelphia. Yea, the draft is staying on the road.

As the NFL makes the Draft more of a show on the scene it becomes less of a show for those viewing on television. The pick announcements were often 4-5 picks behind on the second and third days. The ridiculous number of commercials were a big reason for the delays and frustrations. Two picks. Commercials. Three picks. Commercials. One pick. More commercials. It's ridiculous. The whole process was much more smooth a few years ago. The NFL should be able to do it just as smoothly on the road. Just get rid of some of the crap. Last year in Chicago, Roger Goodell had to cross some road to get to the stage to announce each pick. Who could possibly think that was a wise idea? Maybe I'll get used to all of the bells and whistles that the league has added. I didn't like it when the draft was moved to prime time but have since softened that stance. The NFL Draft is fun. I just have to remember that.

I liked Washington corner Kevin King going into the draft. I like him even more now. He was one of five players remaining in the Green Room when the first round ended. He was the only one of the five that came back for the second round. He said that he came to Philadelphia to walk across that stage and that's what he was going to do. King didn't have to wait long to make that walk. The Green Bay Packers selected him with the first pick of the second round. The only thing that I didn't like was that it was the Packers that picked him.

Trades. The 2017 NFL Draft had them. The 38 trades this year broke the record of 34 set in 2008. This was the first year that Compensatory Picks could be traded and teams took advantage. The Minnesota Vikings did their part. They made seven trades. They traded so many times that they used only one of the eight picks that they had entering the draft. The Vikings started with those eight picks and ended up with 11 players.

Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly, the nephew of Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, was Mr. Irrelevant. He was the 253rd and last player drafted. The Denver Broncos did the drafting of the talented, but sometimes troubled, quarterback. As Mr. Irrelevant, Kelly will be wined and dined, roasted and toasted in Newport Beach this summer. All he needs is a shot and the Broncos have given him one. Even if he was selected much later than he expected.

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson was one of the stars of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was a boisterous presence in front of the rowdy Philadelphia fans as he announced the Cowboys second round pick. In doing so he received more attention than he's experienced since he pushed off of Vikings corner Nate Wright in the 1975 playoffs.

Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive but it struck me as very insensitive to vulnerable Oakland fans when the NFL announced a couple of Raiders picks from Las Vegas.

The Buffalo Bills fired general manager Doug Whaley hours the draft ended. The Vikings did the same thing in 2006 when they fired Fran Foley soon after that draft. I don't understand going into a draft with a person that a team intends to fire. It just seems like a distraction that just isn't needed at such a franchise-changing time.

The practice of immediately giving draft grades is even more pointless than mock drafts. No one knows how the youngsters just selected will adjust to the NFL. We might not know for a year, two years, maybe more. No one knows anything right now. How can anyone grade the picks?

Forget the grades for now. It's a forced practice anyway. The NFL Draft is fun. This one was no different. Good luck to all 253 of the drafted players. As well as the many undrafted players that have a shot. Their dream is alive.