As expected, the Vikings focused mainly on improving their porous defense on day 3 of the 2014 NFL Draft. They did also pick up a stud offensive lineman with their 5th round draft choice. I absolutely love the selection of Stanford OG David Yankey in the 5th round, that's tremendous value, I can envision him taking over for Charlie Johnson in short order. After the Yankey selection it was all defense, 3 promising young CB's, a LB and a DT. They've also added 15 UDFA's. It'll be interesting to see how the roster shakes out comes fall.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Minnesota Vikings Draft - Day 2
The Vikings didn't have a 2nd round draft pick this year. In round 3, they grabbed Oregon State DE Scott Crichton at pick #72. Like Anthony Barr yesterday, Crichton can really get to the QB, he'll immediately crack that D-Line rotation. You can see what Mike Zimmer is wanting to do here can't you? Pressure, pressure, pressure!! With their second 3rd round pick the Vikings picked Georgia Southern RB Jerick McKinnon. He put up some impressive combine numbers and has been considered to be one of the drafts top RB sleepers by many. Personally, I would have probably gone with Ka'Deem Carey or even Marion Grice over McKinnon, but I guess time will tell, I'll hope for the best. It was an interesting day 2 for the Vikings.
Arizona Cardinals Draft - Day 2
The Cardinals used their second round draft pick today on Notre Dame TE Troy Niklas. Bruce Arians likes big TE's who can block and he got a good one in Niklas, who could very well be the best blocking TE in the draft. Niklas is pretty good catching the ball too. He should make for a nice compliment to Rob Housler. In round 3, the Cardinals picked up tall, rangy DE Kareem Martin out of North Carolina. Hopefully, he can crack the DL rotation. With their second 3rd round pick the Cardinals took a chance on small college WR John Brown out of Pittsburg State, he's a blazer, he timed at 4.34 in the 40 at the combine and Arians and company really need a blazer for their deep strike offense, I love this pick! 3 picks, 3 needs filled, good day 2 for the Cards.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Vikings Draft Teddy Bridgewater
Vikings GM Rick Speilman grabbed an extra first round draft pick for the third year in row tonight when they dealt a second round and a fourth round pick to the Seahawks for the 32nd overall pick in the draft. The Vikings then selected Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater. Personally, I would have probably gone with Derek Carr over Bridgewater but I can live with this selection, he fills a huge need at QB for the Vikings. Hopefully, the game tape is more of an indication of future success for Bridgewater than his pro-day. Nice day 1 for the Vikings!
Cardinals Draft Deone Bucannon
The Arizona Cardinals swapped first round picks with the New Orleans Saints (and picked up an additional 3rd round pick in the process) and then used the #27 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Washington State DB Deone Bucannon. Some may consider it to be a bit of a reach but who knows? He's looks like a great athlete, he's got nice size, he hits like a Mack truck and most importantly he fills a need. I like the pick (especially given that they got an extra draft pick out of the deal)! Nice job Steve Keim!
Vikings Draft Anthony Barr
The Vikings traded down one spot in the draft with the Cleveland Browns and used their first round draft pick (#9 overall) on UCLA LB/DE Anthony Barr. I'm not sure that's the direction I would have gone, but still, Barr's a heckuva athlete and has a knack for getting to the QB, there's always a premium on those types of guys. It'll be interesting to see how the Vikings use him.
Vikings Draft Thoughts
Just some quick Vikings thoughts going into tonights draft.
The Vikings need to grab a QB somewhere along the way, I suspect that they will, probably somewhere in rounds 1-3. As much as I'd like to watch Johnny Manziel in purple, I don't see him being a good fit in Norv Turner's offense. The chance to take a big, strong armed QB like Blake Bortles has to be appealing to the Vikings and the given the lack of recent noise coming out about the Vikings and a QB at number 8, it actually makes me think there is a chance of it happening. I think they like Teddy Bridgewater too but not at number 8, I don't think he lasts until their 2nd round choice either so if they want him they'll have to trade into the middle/late first round to get him (the same could also be said of Derek Carr). Luckily, this is a great year for QB's, if they pass on a QB in round 1 they can still grab a guy like AJ McCarron, Aaron Murray, Tom Savage, Zack Mettenberger or Logan Thomas in rounds 2-4.
Speaking of QB's, there's also been some buzz that the Vikings could deal for a QB (Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon's names have been thrown around, and you have to believe that the Patriots will be shopping Ryan Mallet), so keep an eye on that too, especially if the price for any is just a middle round pick or two. Maybe they can deal Christian Ponder too.
The case against going for a QB in round 1? Did you watch the Vikings last year? Their defense was absolutely horrid. Granted, IMO much of their problems last year came from running Leslie Frazier's outdated cover-2 schemes most of the time, but they also desperately need to upgrade the talent level on the defensive side of the ball. Mike Zimmer is a defensive guy too, so you have to think he'll want to shore up that side of the ball.
My guess on the Vikings Top 8 (which is a balance between talent and need, minus the QB's): 1) Jadeveon Clowney, 2) Khalil Mack, 3) Sammy Watkins, 4) Mike Evans, 5) Justin Gilbert, 6) Anthony Barr, 7) C.J. Mosley, and 8) Aaron Donald.
Outside of QB, I look for the Vikings to address LB, CB, DB, OG and RB at some point in the draft. Throwing some names out to fill those needs? Ka'Deem Carey-RB-Arizona, Kyle Van Noy-LB-BYU, David Yankey-OL-Stanford, Chris Watt-OG-Notre Dame, Shayne Skov-LB-Stanford.
The Vikings need to grab a QB somewhere along the way, I suspect that they will, probably somewhere in rounds 1-3. As much as I'd like to watch Johnny Manziel in purple, I don't see him being a good fit in Norv Turner's offense. The chance to take a big, strong armed QB like Blake Bortles has to be appealing to the Vikings and the given the lack of recent noise coming out about the Vikings and a QB at number 8, it actually makes me think there is a chance of it happening. I think they like Teddy Bridgewater too but not at number 8, I don't think he lasts until their 2nd round choice either so if they want him they'll have to trade into the middle/late first round to get him (the same could also be said of Derek Carr). Luckily, this is a great year for QB's, if they pass on a QB in round 1 they can still grab a guy like AJ McCarron, Aaron Murray, Tom Savage, Zack Mettenberger or Logan Thomas in rounds 2-4.
Speaking of QB's, there's also been some buzz that the Vikings could deal for a QB (Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon's names have been thrown around, and you have to believe that the Patriots will be shopping Ryan Mallet), so keep an eye on that too, especially if the price for any is just a middle round pick or two. Maybe they can deal Christian Ponder too.
The case against going for a QB in round 1? Did you watch the Vikings last year? Their defense was absolutely horrid. Granted, IMO much of their problems last year came from running Leslie Frazier's outdated cover-2 schemes most of the time, but they also desperately need to upgrade the talent level on the defensive side of the ball. Mike Zimmer is a defensive guy too, so you have to think he'll want to shore up that side of the ball.
My guess on the Vikings Top 8 (which is a balance between talent and need, minus the QB's): 1) Jadeveon Clowney, 2) Khalil Mack, 3) Sammy Watkins, 4) Mike Evans, 5) Justin Gilbert, 6) Anthony Barr, 7) C.J. Mosley, and 8) Aaron Donald.
Outside of QB, I look for the Vikings to address LB, CB, DB, OG and RB at some point in the draft. Throwing some names out to fill those needs? Ka'Deem Carey-RB-Arizona, Kyle Van Noy-LB-BYU, David Yankey-OL-Stanford, Chris Watt-OG-Notre Dame, Shayne Skov-LB-Stanford.
2014 TPSG NFL Mock Draft 6.0
It's 2014 NFL Draft day! Finally! How about one final Mock Draft.
***Correct picks
Notes:
Previous Mocks: Mock Draft 1.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 4.0. & Mock Draft 5.0.
- Houston Texans - Jadeveon Clowney - DE - South Carolina ***
- St Louis Rams - Greg Robinson - OT - Auburn ***
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Khalil Mack - LB - Buffalo ***
- Cleveland Browns - Sammy Watkins - WR - Clemson
- Oakland Raiders - Johnny Manziel - QB - Texas A&M
- Atlanta Falcons - Jake Matthews - OT - Texas A&M ***
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mike Evans - WR - Texas A&M ***
- Minnesota Vikings - Blake Bortles - QB - Central Florida
- Buffalo Bills - Taylor Lewan - OT - Michigan
- Detroit Lions - Justin Gilbert - CB - Oklahoma State
- Tennessee Titans - Anthony Barr - LB - UCLA
- New York Giants - Aaron Donald - DT - Pittsburgh
- St Louis Rams - Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix - DB - Alabama
- Chicago Bears - Calvin Pryor - DB - Louisville
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Darqueze Dennard - CB - Michigan State
- Dallas Cowboys - Timmy Jernigan - DT - Florida State
- Baltimore Ravens - Eric Ebron - TE - North Carolina
- New York Jets - Odell Beckham - WR - LSU
- Miami Dolphins - Zach Martin - OT - Notre Dame
- Arizona Cardinals - Kony Ealy - DE - Missouri
- Green Bay Packers - C.J. Mosley - LB - Alabama
- Philadelphia Eagles - Marqise Lee - WR - USC
- Kansas City Chiefs - Bradin Cooks - WR - Oregon State
- Cincinnati Bengals - Kyle Fuller - CB - Virginia Tech
- San Diego Chargers - Louis Nix - DT - Notre Dame
- Cleveland Browns - Derek Carr - QB - Fresno State
- New Orleans Saints - Dee Ford - DE - Auburn
- Carolina Panthers - Cody Latimore - WR - Indiana
- New England Patriots - Ra'Shede Hageman - DT - Minnesota
- San Francisco 49ers - Jason Verrett - CB - TCU
- Denver Broncos - Xavier Su'Filo - OG - UCLA
- Seattle Seahawks - Kelvin Benjamin - WR - Florida State
***Correct picks
Notes:
- Clowney is going number 1 overall, it's just a matter of where he lands now.
- If the Rams are going to keep Bradford, they'd better protect him.
- It'll be interesting to see where Manziel winds up. He could go anywhere from pick #2 down to round 2. He seems to fit the Raiders mold, I assume they've also watched some video of Matt Schaub from last year.
- I'm no scout but the more I watch Bortles, the more I like him. Grab him Vikings! If Khalil Mack or Mike Evans drop to number 8, I could see either of them being the pick too. Zimmer may also prefer going defense too, in which case I could see Justin Gilbert, Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, Darqueze Dennard, C.J. Mosely or Ha'Sean Clinton-Nix going here too. I also wouldn't be shocked to see the Vikings trade down.
- I wouldn't be opposed to Derek Carr to the Cardinals, I think they go defense though. Steve Keim is not going to reach, I'm betting he watches how the draft plays out and then takes the best player available.
Previous Mocks: Mock Draft 1.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 4.0. & Mock Draft 5.0.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier - starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Samuel L Jackson & Robert Redford. Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers in this sequel to "Captain America: The First Avenger". This time Captain America teams with the Black Widow (Johannson) to take down a shadow agency bent on global domination. I really enjoyed this one, it was fast moving, action packed, full of twist and turns and the cast was great. If you enjoy the Marvel movies, I have no doubt that you'll like this one.
I will give it 4 out of 4 stars (*****).
I will give it 4 out of 4 stars (*****).
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
POTpourri
- It's okay to travel alone all you single people!
- The American middle class is no longer the world's richest.
- I think it's safe to say that racism is still a problem in the U.S.
- Yay! New Catalina Otalvaro pictures!
- Book recommendation: Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the Twenty-First Century".
- Oh my! I must find out more about Caitlin Rice!
- RIP Jack Ramsey, Earl Morrall & Bob Hoskins.
- Craig Ferguson announces that he is stepping down as host of the "Late Late Show".
- Randi Rhodes ends her radio show. I for one will miss her.
- The NBA announces lifetime ban for Donald Sterling.
- It seems time for a Republican reality check on Russia.
- New study finds that at least 4% of death row inmates are innocent.
- Federal judges reject Wisconsin & Florida voter suppression acts.
- Trivago is a pretty good travel website, check it out next time you travel.
- Star Wars: Episode VII cast revealed.
- California Chrome wins the 2014 Kentucky Derby.
- You have to love Chris Collabello's perseverance.
- George Clooney is doing okay for himself.
- We really need to do something about the growing influence of 'dark money'.
- You can find SI's Top 100 NFL Draft prospects here.
- Why aren't the Tea Party groups supporting Tea Party candidates.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
2014 TPSG NFL Mock Draft 5.0
We are getting closer, the 2014 NFL Draft is a week from today! I can't wait! It seems like a good time to update my NFL Mock Draft.
Notes:
Previous Mocks: Mock Draft 1.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 3.0 & Mock Draft 4.0.
- Houston Texans - Jadeveon Clowney - DE - South Carolina
- St Louis Rams - Greg Robinson - OT - Auburn
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Khalil Mack - LB - Buffalo
- Cleveland Browns - Sammy Watkins - WR - Clemson
- Oakland Raiders - Johnny Manziel - QB - Texas A&M
- Atlanta Falcons - Jake Matthews - OT - Texas A&M
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mike Evans - WR - Texas A&M
- Minnesota Vikings - Blake Bortles - QB - Central Florida
- Buffalo Bills - Taylor Lewan - OT - Michigan
- Detroit Lions - Justin Gilbert - CB - Oklahoma State
- Tennessee Titans - Anthony Barr - LB - UCLA
- New York Giants - Aaron Donald - DT - Pittsburgh
- St Louis Rams - Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix - DB - Alabama
- Chicago Bears - Timmy Jernigan - DT - Florida State
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Darqueze Dennard - CB - Michigan State
- Dallas Cowboys - Calvin Pryor - DB - Louisville
- Baltimore Ravens - Eric Ebron - TE - North Carolina
- New York Jets - Odell Beckham - WR - LSU
- Miami Dolphins - Zach Martin - OT - Notre Dame
- Arizona Cardinals - Kony Ealy - DE - Missouri
- Green Bay Packers - C.J. Mosley - LB - Alabama
- Philadelphia Eagles - Marqise Lee - WR - USC
- Kansas City Chiefs - Bradin Cooks - WR - Oregon State
- Cincinnati Bengals - Kyle Fuller - CB - Virginia Tech
- San Diego Chargers - Louis Nix - DT - Notre Dame
- Cleveland Browns - Derek Carr - QB - Fresno State
- New Orleans Saints - Demarcus Lawrence - DE- Boise State
- Carolina Panthers - Cody Latimore - WR - Indiana
- New England Patriots - Ra'Shede Hageman - DT - Minnesota
- San Francisco 49ers - Jason Verrett - CB - TCU
- Denver Broncos - Xavier Su'Filo - OG - UCLA
- Seattle Seahawks - Kelvin Benjamin - WR - Florida State
Notes:
- Jadeveon Clowney now seems to sound like the consensus number 1 overall pick, it now seems to be more of a question of whether it's the Texans making that selection or if the Texans trade down and someone else makes that selection.
- Greg Robinson seems like a no-brainer for the Rams at number 2.
- The Raiders are a wildcard, they could do anything.
- I'm not convinced that the Vikings will go with a QB in round 1, but given the way my mock unfolded, I don't know what over direction they'd go at that point (Justin Gilbert? Anthony Barr? Aaron Donald? Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix?).
- The Cardinals could go a lot of different directions, DL, DB, LB, QB, I'm of the belief that they go DL though (I could see them target Zach Mettenberger, Tom Savage , AJ McCarron or Logan Thomas later in the draft if they are intent on grabbing a QB).
- I'm not sure what to make of Teddy Bridgewater, he could go anywhere from pick 5 to pick 40. I fear that his pro-day workout really hurt him, at this point I'm guessing he lands somewhere early in round 2. Who knows though, perhaps it's all just a case of paralysis by analysis.
Previous Mocks: Mock Draft 1.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 3.0 & Mock Draft 4.0.
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