5th Round
De'Anthony Thomas, OW Oregon. As we all know, Toby Gerhart left in free agency. He was a solid backup for Adrian Petersen, but I don't blame him for wanting to see what he can do in a starting role. Matt Asiata may turn out to be ok, but the Vikings could use someone else. How about an offensive weapon type back that could fill a Darren Sproles? I'm sure Norv Turner could think of something to do with him. Thomas is small, 5'9" and about 175 lbs, but he's shifty. The Vikings are set at returners with Cordarrelle Patterson and Marcus Sherels but having another dynamic returner can't be a bad thing. The Vikings will hopefully use Patterson more in the deep and intermediate passing game and the screen passing game, but Thomas could be used in that same manner coming out of the backfield or shifted out wide like the Saints did with Sproles last year.
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| from: bleacherreport.com |
Charles Sims, RB WVU. Sims rushed for just over 1000 yards last year with 11 touchdowns and had 401 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns (nfl.com). At 6' and 214 lbs, he has great size and speed. His receiving ability is also great, so he could help on third downs, blocking and catching screens. He won't be breaking too many tackles at the next level, though. Nfl.com says he needs to bulk up more and run with a lower pad level.
Justin Ellis, DT Louisiana Tech. At 6'1" and 334 lbs, Ellis would add another huge lineman that could backup Linval Joseph. The Vikings defensive line would be in a good spot with this pick. He'd mainly be used to occupy blockers while others attack the gaps, as nfl.com says he tires easily and is not good at rushing the passer.
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| from: news.yahoo.com |
6th Round
Dontae Johnson, FS NC State. At 6'2" and 200 lbs, he has good size for the position. He goes for tackles aggressively and plays great in zone or shadowing a tight end. The main knock on him I got from nfl.com is that he struggles against the faster receivers. I'm betting if he plays safety in the NFL, he won't be asked to cover a slot in man too often.
James Hurst, OT North Carolina. At 6'5 and 296 lbs, he's almost the same size as Matt Kalil was coming out of college. James Hurst isn't going to be Matt Kalil, though. He's limited athletically but is very smart. He could be a decent backup tackle. If the Vikings take Billy Turner in an earlier round, they could play Turner or Hurst at guard or tackle.
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| from: cbssports.com |
7th Round
Hakeem Smith, SS Louisville. He's not going to hit like Harrison Smith does, but Hakeem will show up admirably in zone coverage. He's a bit small at 6' and 190 lbs, but he has room to bulk up. May prove to be a good rotational player.
Alden Darby, SS Arizona State. He's another smaller safety at 5'10 and 192 lbs, but he's smart and versatile. He played all the positions in the secondary during his college career, and he could be a good special teams player. Not great in man coverage, so it depends on what Zimmer and Edwards decide to do with the defense.
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| from: bleacherreport.com |
Isaiah Johnson, SS Georgia Tech. Another safety? Why, yes. The Vikings need one, but I hope it's not something they decide to address early on. Jamarca Sanford isn't great, but he is serviceable. At 6'2" and 205 lbs, Johnson has great size but is coming off knee surgery (bleacherreport.com). He could be solid if he's healthy. Another one that would have to help on special teams.
Taylor Martinez, QB Nebraska. Two quarterbacks for the Vikings? The Redskins did it in 2011, and it worked out well; rumors of trade offers for Kirk Cousins are floating around about now. But I don't see Taylor Martinez making it very far if he stays at the quarterback position. Like Logan Thomas, I would love to see what he could do at a different position. According to nfl.com he was worked as a receiver and a cornerback at his pro day. I understand the Vikings tried the quarterback-to-receiver thing with Joe Webb (bring him back!) and Webb, in my opinion, was a much better athlete than Martinez. But Martinez is a better quarterback than Joe Webb was. The Vikings probably don't need a developmental receiver or cornerback, but Martinez probably has the knowledge there even if he doesn't have the skills yet. He could be interesting if he's willing to switch positions.
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| from: espn.go.com |
I'm thinking the Vikings will go running back and safety in these rounds. They only need depth at running back, so I would prefer they draft players at other positions who could potentially start in the other rounds. As far as safety, Jamarca Sanford is serviceable, so if they find someone who can beat him out in these later rounds, that's all the better. May 11th usually isn't nearly as exciting as the first couple days; most of the big names are off the board. But this year Logan Thomas could still be around, and there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the extremely athletic but troubled tight end from Oregon, Colt Lyerla. There's Tajh Boyd, the quarterback from Clemson who I once thought I'd like the Vikings to take in the first or second round (shamefully) who had receivers Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant to throw to. And biggest of all, Michael Sam, the Missouri defensive end who became the first [potential] NFL player to be openly gay, will probably go in these rounds. It could be exciting, and I'll definitely be watching.
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