RealGM

Now that the Allen trade is finalized who do you think we will draft with our 2nd round pick?

Best player available. OT or DB would be my guess, but I could see S, DT, DE still... maybe hometown TE John Carlson, although that may be a bit of a reach.

Yeah I agree. We should go BPA. I wouldnt mind drafting Fred Davis or Malcolm Kelly if he falls that far.

One of my best friends went to school with Carlson.

BPA

I went to school with Trevor Laws, he is two years older than me. He's rated as a top five DT prospect in this draft and is probably a 4-6th rounder. The Vikes brought him in for a visit. I wouldn't mind drafting him to provide some D-line depth even if Scott doesn't return. Laws is versatile and can basically play all the positions on the line.

But since we're talking about our second rounder...

If Limas Sweed dropped to us I would be ecstatic. Malcom Kelly looks like he will drop too many balls.

deeney0 wrote:Best player available. OT or DB would be my guess, but I could see S, DT, DE still... maybe hometown TE John Carlson, although that may be a bit of a reach.

Isn't a S also a DB?

with both 3rds gone, the 2nd and 4th need to be critical depth acquisitions. OL (preferably one who can play all over the line) and DB (preferably one who can play both CB and FS). I'd also like to grab a C in the 6th (my sleeper of the draft Jamey Richard, U Buffalo, described as Birk-ish supersmart, and needs technique teaching, two years behind MB should be just right, 6-5 could play G temporarily). The 5th, or that early 6th, should be the dvlpmntal QB (Dixon? OConnell?) if avail. What is Bollinger's status now with Gus in as the b/u?

I just wrote a huge piece and realgm ate it.

screw it, i will do it in the draft thread.

I hate that. When I remember, I try to compose anything longer than a paragraph in Word.

I did not mean for it to get long.

I posted my mock in the draft thread. I include some guys I know we have talked to and like. Let me get your thoughts on it deeney.

I still think we go TE in round 2/

i thought there wasn't any TE worth taking in the first 4 rounds

A.J. wrote:I still think we go TE in round 2/

hermes wrote:i thought there wasn't any TE worth taking in the first 4 rounds

Exactly. (Ice has been quoted as saying that btw--No TE is worth the first 3 rounds)

--Here is an example. Lets take Carlson since we know him well. In an average draft year he would be a late 3rd prospect. Being that he does not have the great burst or short-area explosion of seperation you like in a catch-first TE. He lacks base and bulk for a blocker. Does not play with any power either.

That kind of TE prospect is a late 3rd rd guy. Now, using that logic there is 2 more facts we need to look at

1.) We are going BPA-focused on depth at the Oline, but simply BPA. Thus in the second no TE is going to be BPA
2.) If the top TE prospect is simply a 3rd rd talent wise then we need to start accepting some of the love the team has for Garrett Mills. WHo was a 4th rd pick and is still young. Being that Shiancoe will be given a chance to prove boom or bust and we like the young Mills I do not see a TE in the 2nd. (Now if Carlson is in the 4th perhaps)

A final point is the responsabilty of the TE blocking with a runner like AD. None of the top TE's this year are blockers. We are better off using Sausage in that rotation then taking a hit on a rookie when the value is not there.

I think the only way we go TE in the 2nd round is if Dustin Keller's sitting on the board. He's not a great blocker, but he is a vertical threat, was pretty productive in college, and measured out well at the combine. I don't think he'll be ther when we pick, though. I'd be pretty surprised if we didn't go OL or secondary in the 2nd round.

Vikes could very well move down for Carlson, maybe moving to the end of the 2nd and picking up another 6th. Carlson could go anywhere in the 3rd round, I don't think the last few picks of the 2nd would be much of a reach (like it would be in the middle of the 2nd). They could use the extra pick. I don't see Carlson lasting to the fourth, and I see the Vikes wanting their only first day selection to have some story to it, "the hometown guy." Vikes are building a contender, but they're also building a story. Jared Allen is going to be great with the media. One of the goals this year is going to be to really, really sell this team to the fans, which ought to help with the stadium.

Keller, Davis, and Carlson are the only 2 TE's worth taking in round 2.

Most likely Keller will be gone, so I wouldnt mind taking Davis.

deeney0 wrote:Vikes could very well move down for Carlson, maybe moving to the end of the 2nd and picking up another 6th. Carlson could go anywhere in the 3rd round, I don't think the last few picks of the 2nd would be much of a reach (like it would be in the middle of the 2nd). They could use the extra pick. I don't see Carlson lasting to the fourth, and I see the Vikes wanting their only first day selection to have some story to it, "the hometown guy." Vikes are building a contender, but they're also building a story. Jared Allen is going to be great with the media. One of the goals this year is going to be to really, really sell this team to the fans, which ought to help with the stadium.

I don't really buy the whole "build a story" bit. Winning sells more than hometown connections. If Carlson's the pick, it'll be because he's viewed as the best player available, not the best story available (just about every prospect has a story that can be told).

Also, if the Vikes move down in the 2nd round, they could probably get more than an extra 6th, especially if we're trading down to the end of the round. We picked up a future 3rd for moving down 3 picks in the 2nd last year. I'd expect at least a 4th for moving down to the end of the round this year.

It is simple logic. We are going BPA in the second round and none of the TE's are the BPA in the second round. Thus we do not go TE. I like Carlson and I could deal with Keller, but in the 4th not the second.

Of course winning sells, the story isn't a major thing, but to me it clearly seems to be part of the puzzle.