A vastly different and very important draft for Vikings this week
By Jeff Diamond, former Vikings GM who co-hosted Monday Night Purple and Purple Sunday Postgame last season on News Talk 830 WCCO. Jeff will be participating in WCCO’s NFL Draft coverage during the first three rounds this coming Thursday and Friday nights
I’m excited for the NFL Draft coming up Thursday, Friday and Saturday for many reasons. First, there’s my work with IFA, the Minneapolis based agent firm and the fact that we represent seven draft-eligible players including former Gophers star receiver Tyler Johnson. So I’m eager to see where our players are picked and by which teams.
Then there’s the Vikings angle. In this draft, there’s more pressure than usual on the Vikings to land some big-time players with several likely needed to step in as first year starters to replace players lost in free agency or via trade. So we will be closely watching the Vikings moves with their 12 picks that include two No. 1 selections and five picks in the first three rounds.
Like sports fans nation-wide, I’m looking forward to seeing a live sports event after the sports world has been shut down for the past six weeks—even if it’s a draft as opposed to on-field action.
It’s sad not to see this year’s public draft headquarters in Las Vegas where 600,000 people had been expected to descend on Sin City after an estimated 300,000 people added to the hoopla of last year’s draft coverage in Nashville. But as a former NFL GM and team president who sat in draft rooms for 20 plus years, I’m intrigued to see how this highly unusual virtual draft caused by the pandemic plays out logistically.
NFL GMs will be connected to their scouts, coaches, other GMs and the league office via videoconference, computer, cell phone, texting and email (and likely an old school land line to boot). It was interesting to hear that Vikings GM Rick Spielman has a six screen draft board in his home office and amusing to read of Chargers’ GM Tom Telesco setup with a total of seven computers, monitors and TVs in his home office.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will announce picks from the basement of his New York home and 58 of the top players will be shown in their homes as they are selected with a handful of fans of each team also visible to the ABC, ESPN and NFL Network audiences. There will probably be some of the usual booing of Goodell and team selections, at least in the case of the always caustic Jets fans. The 32 GMs and head coaches working remotely also will be on live feeds to the telecast.
The draft telecast will begin with a tribute by Peyton Manning to those on the front lines of COVID-19 response and he also will talk of how the NFL and football can play a role during these rough times. Then the question is whether tech glitches will mess up the draft and the usual time limits of 10 minutes per pick in the first round on Thursday night (7 pm CT start), seven minutes in the second round and five minutes in the third round on Friday night (6 pm CT start), five minutes in Rounds 4-6 and four minutes in Round 7 on Saturday (11 am CT start). The NFL office wisely has said the clock will be stopped during picks if necessary due to glitches or if the process of completing trades complicates matters. If I’m a team exec, I’m nervous about my wifi holding up and my ability to connect with everyone during crunch time leading up to selections or trades during the draft so I’d have my cell phone handy if needed.
It's terrific to see the NFL using their high profile stage to conduct a Draft-a-Thon to raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts. Fundraising will occur on all of the league’s social media platforms—Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, NFL.com and team websites. There will be six COVID-19 Response beneficiaries of draft weekend—American Red Cross, CDC Foundation’s All of Us, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army and United Way.
My Draft Vision for Vikings: As I said, it’s a critical draft for Minnesota GM Rick Spielman and his scouting staff along with Coach Mike Zimmer and his assistants with major needs at cornerback, offensive line and wide receiver and depth needed elsewhere.
I always say teams should pick the best player available regardless of position over a need position unless the need matches up very closely with best available and then it’s wise to go need (unless the best player is a quarterback and the team is set there as is the case for the Vikings with Kirk Cousins signed for three more years).
So here’s my vision for a perfect Vikings draft position-wise if the needs match up closely with best player available (the 12 picks below will likely change with some trading by Spielman):
Round 1, Overall Pick No. 22—Offensive tackle…a cornerback would be fine here but top OTs usually are picked earlier and selecting a highly rated tackle who can step in quickly as a starter would allow the team to move Riley Reiff to guard.
Round 1, No. 25—Cornerback…there are plenty of first round caliber corners for a team that lost three starting corners in free agency.
Round 2, No. 58—Wide receiver…this is a deep wide receiver group and the Vikings can probably land a first round talent in the second round to compete for the open starting spot or the No. 3 receiver role as a rookie. And remember, the league’s top receiver last year—Michael Thomas of the Saints—was a second round pick and Adam Thielen was undrafted.
Round 3, No. 89—Defensive end/edge rusher to rotate with Danielle Hunter and Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Round 3, No. 105—Cornerback…as Zimmer says, you can never have enough good corners.
Round 4, No. 132—Offensive guard…even if Reiff moves inside, the Vikings need a rookie guard for depth and to compete with Pat Elflein and last year’s fourth rounder Dru Samia to be an eventual starter.
Round 5, No. 155—Safety…no backups on the current roster and special teams help is needed to replace several key special teamers who left in free agency.
Round 6, No. 201—Linebacker…to add depth and special teams help.
Round 6, No. 205—Defensive tackle…a good prospect as a run stopper and inside pass rusher to compete for a roster spot and eventually join the D-line rotation.
Round 7, No. 219—Quarterback…to be developed and compete with Sean Mannion and Jake Browning for the No. 3 and possibly No. 2 spot on the roster.
Round 7, No. 249—Running back or wide receiver…a decent prospect for some future play time who also can play special teams.
Round 7, No. 253—Cornerback…see Round 3 comment above re: Zimmer’s philosophy on corners.
COVID-19 and Around the Vikings/NFL Observations:
1.The Wilf family have surpassed $5 million in donations to COVID-19 related causes after their $1 million contribution to United Way Worldwide. “There are extraordinary individuals and organizations who are courageously working together to navigate COVID-19,” Vikings owner/chairman Zygi Wilf said. “We are focused on trying to provide as many resources as possible to meet their needs and assist some of the most vulnerable populations during this unprecedented time.”
2. Four time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski, a three-time Super Bowl champion in New England, is planning to return to the NFL after one year off and the Patriots have accommodated his desire to be reunited with Tom Brady. New England has traded the 30 year old Gronkowski and a seventh round pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth round pick in this week’s draft. It’s good for the NFL to have the talented and colorful Gronk back in the league but if he stays healthy and plays at his former all pro level, it won’t be good for the Vikings and the rest of the NFC teams who could be competing with the Buccaneers for a playoff spot.
3. The player of most interest to watch in the draft is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He could go anywhere from No. 3 if Detroit trades the pick down to No. 9 if he falls due to concerns about his recovery from last year’s dislocated hip and teams not being confident he can stay healthy in the NFL after several injuries at Alabama. I expect the Dolphins to trade up from No. 5 to No. 3 and select Tua.
Speaking of Miami, I think they’re the team to watch with their three first round picks at No. 5, No. 18 and No. 26. Dolphins GM Chris Grier and Coach Brian Flores must draft several future stars after trading away top vets in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and tackle Laremy Tunsil to get the extra two first round picks.
Jeff Diamond was the NFL Executive of the Year in 1998 after the Vikings' 15-1 season. He also is former president of the Tennessee Titans. He does sports/business consulting, media and speaking work including corporate and college speaking on Negotiation, Management, Leadership and Sports Business--contact him at diamondj4@comcast.net
