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1 (23) WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss:: The Vikings have needed a big X receiver for a long time and while there are some indications they were enamored with Coleman and Fuller, other teams thankfully forced the Vikings to make the right decision and take Treadwell. The Vikings really didn't have any receivers who attack the ball and make contested catches, so Treadwell will give Teddy a much needed reliable target. He's also someone who is faster on the field than in workouts and the team feels that he is still regaining speed, so should be able to stretch the field too, though more with 50/50 balls where he can utilize his size, strength, and huge catch radius. He's also a tremendous run blocker, which will definitely have value in the Vikings run heavy offense. 2 (23) CB Mackensie Alexander, Clemson:: Some people were surprised by this pick, but I actually thought that corner was a bigger need for the Vikings than many realized. It's likely that neither Newman nor Munnerlyn will be back in 2017, you can never have enough good corners, and slot corners are essentially starters now. I think Alexander is a case of someone the Vikings weren't expecting to be there and even though he lacks ideal height, he has long arms, and plays exactly the type of coverage that Zimmer wants. Tight coverage and his goal to deny his receiver from catching the ball. Zimmer preaches tight coverage and limiting completions over taking risks to force turnovers. Excellent fit. 4 (23) G/T Willie Beavers, Western Michigan:: My least favorite pick of the draft. Beavers is capable of playing both guard and tackle, though the Vikings intend to start him out at guard. Good feet, had his best games against Ohio State and Michigan State, but he's a project, who will need a lot of coaching. The Vikings do have much better OL coaching now with Sparano, but they also have 16+ offensive linemen on the roster, so even as a 4th round draft pick, he has an uphill battle to make the roster. I don't mind spending a pick on the OL, but I was hoping for a center and I think that the DT Billings who went next would have been a better pick. 5 (21) MLB Kentrell Brothers, Missouri:: As Mayock mentioned, he's the kind of player that would have been a much higher pick a few years ago, but Brothers slid because of the emphasis on coverage ability and athleticism for linebackers. He's a very good run defender, which is a big need, takes excellent angles to the ball, and should pair well with Barr and Kendricks. 6 (6) WR Moritz Böhringer, Germany:: Böhring has been ad nauseam. Great athletic ability, still new to football, and he's the type of raw athlete that the Vikings like to develop. I could see him taking a year or two to develop, if at all, but he's also the type of guy that I don't think they can hide on the practice squad, so the pick could spell the end for Charles Johnson. 6 (13) TE David Morgan, UTSA:: Small school prospect who is known as the best blocking TE in college football and has shown to have enough athleticism to be a decent checkdown option. This is a good pick given that their primary blocking TE, Rhett Ellison is coming off of a knee injury and even if healthy, Turner likes to run out of multi TE sets, so he should be a nice piece to have. 7 (6) DE Stephen Weatherly, Vanderbilt:: This is such a Zimmer pick. Raw pass rusher, with great athleticism, and is tall with long arms. Similar players Zimmer has picked are Anthony Barr, Danielle Hunter, and Edmond Robinson. Weatherly is also apparently exceptionally smart. He plays 8 instruments, builds robots, and his Grandma has degrees from Harvard and MIT. A good player to take a chance on given their ability to develop talent on defense. 7 (23) S Jayron Kearse, Clemson:: At one point, the media view Kearse as 1st round prospect, but teams obviously felt very different about him. He was knocked for inconsistent effort, poor positioning, not having elite athleticism, and maybe defenses have issues utilizing huge safeties. That being said, Kearse did show flashes of being a good player and when you look at Kearse's combine numbers and measurements, he is extremely similar to George Iloka (Jayron Kearse | George Iloka). Zimmer was apparently banging the table for a couple rounds to take Kearse, so getting him in the 7th represents excellent value. Kearse has a ton to prove, but Minnesota is the best possible situation for him and I'd love to see Zimmer mold him into another Iloka, but as 7th rounder on a deep team, he's got a lot of work ahead of him to make the roster. Future Picks: The Vikings traded their 3rd rounder this year to Miami for their 3rd and 4th round picks next season. The 4th is conditional, they are getting a pick for sure, just a question if it's Miami's own 4th rounder or a compensatory 4th rounder if Miami is awarded one. This is a great move, since the Vikings have a deep roster and it will be tough for young players to make the team this year. That being said, they are expected to have some roster turnover in 201, so the extra picks give them the ability to maneuver in the 2017 draft, say for an OT or a HB, or it will allow them to build up depth as they let older players and some offensive linemen go.
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May 4, 2016 03:10
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