Heading into round-one the theme at Winter Park was set around Rick Spielman doing his best to trade down from the number 11 pick, while trying to quiet the rumors of trading away current face of the franchise Adrian Peterson. With cornerback, offensive line, and linebacker all set as the three biggest positions of need it was clear Spielman was set to address those positions but in what order and exactly who was ranked highest on their board, still remained to be seen.
As I put on my “GM hat” throughout the pre-draft process, specifically days leading up to the draft, it was the cornerback position that shined brightest as the most glaring need from the outside looking in. With free agent acquisition Captain Munnerlyn failing to meet expectations during his first year as a Minnesota Viking, moving him inside during nickel formations was where he was most comfortable and effective, was going to be a high priority for the front office.
Enter Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes. Waynes was a popular pick for the Vikings weeks leading up to the draft and was considered the consensus number one cornerback in the entire draft. While those facts rung through loud and clear, in the Vikings fan base circles it was sought as a smoke screen from Spielman, who was thought to covet a more athletically gifted player. This would fit the history and trends of the numerous Vikings players the team has drafted in years past. Knowing this and both Spielman and Zimmer’s heavy emphasis on smart, instinctive players in their secondary, combined with prospects who displayed a sense of high character, UCONN’s Byron Jones was an easy connection from my scouting lense.
From a pure schematic standpoint I along with many others had many concern about Wayne’s ability to thrive in Zimmer’s heavy emphasis on getting physical at the line of scrimmage and running with his opponent across the field in a man coverage based scheme. Remember, at Michigan State Wayne’s played in a zone scheme the majority of his time on the field, which allowed him to stay on his island and protect his side of the field without the need to stick with his man from sideline-to-sideline.
All this gave way to much concern over the player who was glued to the Vikings in nearly every mock draft known known to the internet as the fit wasn't as natural as one would expect for an early first-round pick, especially with other cornerbacks available that thrived in a much similar scheme to Zimmer’s defense like Washington’s Marcus Peters who was considered the best press cover cornerback in the draft.
When Spielman stepped onto the stage at Winter Park for his press conference he explained his desire to move down but noted the given compensation to do so simply wasn’t there and did not meet the risk versus reward. More specifically when he was asked about how Minnesota had Wayne’s ranked compared to other cornerbacks mentioned, Spielman noted from top-to-bottom Wayne’s passed all the tests. They felt he could be very effective and competitive as a press-man cornerback under coach Zimmer. Spielman did crack his first smile and even started to glow when the notion of former first-round pick Xavier Rhodes would be paired up opposite of Waynes filling the talent inside the secondary and most importantly allowing Munnerlyn to slide inside killing two birds with one pick.
In a division with wide receivers like Calvin Johnson and Alshon Jeffery adding a long-armed cornerback who brought a sense of physicality on the opposite end of Rhodes was clearly something on the minds of both Spielman and Zimmer. After the Chicago Bears drafted West Virginia’s Kevin White with the seventh overall pick only solidified that thought process and assured the entire scouting team drafting Trae Waynes was indeed the right move. The Vikings now have a talented, young nucleus in the secondary with Harrison Smith behind them for the first time in the last decade for the franchise.
When I asked coach Zimmer how the addition allows him to become more diverse in his defensive game plan from last year, he spoke confidently that putting Rhodes and Waynes on islands by themselves will open up the playbook and allow him to be more aggressive inside the front-seven. Those words should give even more hope and optimism to a Vikings fan base that watched him take the worst ranked defense into the middle tier of the majority of statistical categories, as well as seeing the exotic playbook of Zimmer open up before their eyes during the 2015 season.
Entering day-two the Vikings own the 45th pick and will be selecting in the second-round for the first time in three-years as Spielman and his staff have wiggled their way back into the first-round in just as many years. Linebacker will be targeted early on as TCU’s Paul Dawson and UCLA’s Eric Kendricks remain popular options as they both have been linked to the team during the pre-draft process. While adding a starting offensive guard and depth as a whole to the line in general remains a priority as the draft unfolds Spielman’s history shows he has had good success waiting until the later rounds to find a quality interior lineman as both starters Brandon Fusco and John Sullivan were selected with sixth-round choices.
Vikings Top-Five Targets
Paul Dawson, Linebacker, TCU
A guy who has been linked with the Vikings throughout the pre-draft process Dawson has incredible instincts for the inside linebacker position filling a giant need while adding a quality talent. Don’t be surprised if the team makes a move up for Dawson early on day two.
Erik Kendricks, Linebacker, UCLA
Another inside linebacker that wins with his football IQ and instinctual habits Kendricks was labeled as a first-round pick and top-20 talent to many heading into Thursday night. To still see him available and on the board is surprising to many and could be a great steal if he were to minute to fall as day-two progresses.
La’el Collins, Offensive Tackle, LSU
A top-10 player on many scouts boards Collins is a unique and unfortunate case as he was brought in for questioning in the murder of his pregnant ex girlfriend. While its been said Collins is not a suspect the timing of the case was too close for comfort for any team to touch him with their day-one selection however, there will come a certain point where the risk outweighs the reward. Collins would slide into the vacant left guard position and immediately fill a need as a nasty mauling lineman turning a weakness into a strength.
Preston Smith, Defensive Lineman, Mississippi State
While he may not fill a huge need at the moment given Zimmer’s heavy emphasis on rotating his lineman throughout the game Smith’s talents would add a new dimension to the playbook with his versatility alone as an effective defensive tackle and outside edge rusher are valuable in their own right. If still on the board Smith will be tough to pass on even with greater needs still a priority.
Landon Collins, Safety, Alabama
Ask me two months ago and I would have slapped you in the face for just the thought that Collins wouldn’t be a first-round pick let alone the second safety taken. Still, here we are two months later and its Collins’ one-dimensional playing style as an in-the-box safety that has dropped him down many big boards. In a league that demands safeties to be able to fill the hole in run support and drop back in coverage Collins has many questions to answer in the passing game. A tough decision will remain at pick 45 though if he is still on the board as his ability to play next to Harrison Smith and add a physical dimension to an overall weak running stopping unit last year would be more than justifiable to pull the trigger on this Alabama product.
Day-One Buzz
Best Pick: Malcom Brown, DT, New England Patriots
Typical isn't it? The defending Super Bowl champs let top-tier talent slide into their lap at pick 32 where one of the best interior lineman was welcome with open arms. Brown looks the part of an NFL defensive tackle and bullies around his opponents both in the run and the pass game. In a league that all starts up front the Patriots add another effective piece to the puzzle to pair up with last years first-round pick Dom Easley.
Worst Pick: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Dumb. Keep going? The Colts are one of the few teams that have a quarterback so talented they don’t need to give him much talent to make him better and succeed. Instead the game plan and heavy emphasis should be to turn his defense behind him into a solid and respectable unit that can close out games in the fourth quarter. To make this pick worse Dorsett adds to an already crowded position on the Colts roster already possess Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, and TY Hilton, who has eerily similar traits and attributes as Dorset does making this a very one-dimensional and unbalanced unit.
Best Available Offensive Player: Jalen Strong, Wide Receiver, Arizona State
A bit of a one-trick pony Strong is damn good at that one trick which is getting physical and winning one-on-one matchups outside the hashes. The odd man out on a run of wideouts Strong should hear his name called early on day-two to a team like the Buffalo Bills or New York Jets.
Best Available Defensive Player: Randy Gregory, Edge Rusher, Nebraska
Where do you start with this kid who watched his stock fall between his light combine weight and failed drug test. If you can get past that however, Gregory offers an exceptional presence off the edge in a league that craves getting after the quarterback. It wasn’t long ago Gregory was labeled as a “can’t miss” top-10 player and I have a hard time imagining he gets past the first ten picks Friday.
Stayed tuned as the best may be yet to come as the 2015 NFL draft continues to unfold throughout the weekend.