2015 NFL Draft: Too Early for First Round Wish?

Is it too early to talk about the 2015 NFL draft? Yeah, it probably is, but I already know who I want the Vikings to take in the first round.

I was drooling over Marcus Mariota, but he didn't declare for the 2014 draft, and then the Vikings drafted Teddy Bridgewater. Mariota won't happen next year, not when we traded up to get Bridgewater. But that's ok. Bridgewater is going to do things at the position we haven't had for a long time, and he fits our offensive scheme better. So I'm getting over Mariota. I am not, however, giving up on an Oregon player.

from: cbssports.com

I would love if the Vikings drafted Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. The 5'10", 190 pound cornerback from Oregon could have declared for the draft this year, just as Mariota could have. Ekpre-Olomu would have gone in the first round, too. But he chose to stay another year, to gain more experience and get his degree I would assume. I commend him for that. It's also a ripe time for the Vikings to nab him. Xavier Rhodes is going to become our number one, in charge of guarding Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson on a regular basis. Opposite him we don't really have another true starter. Munnerlyn is as close as we'll get, but expect to see him in the slot for most of the time. But with his size, is Ekpre-Olomu really a starter on the outside? 

Ok, the answer to that is iffy. He's really ideally suited for the slot, where we have Munnerlyn for a few years. But here's my thinking: with Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, and Jay Cutler in our division, there is going to be a lot of passing. We need all the coverage help we can get. He'll also be a solid replacement when/if we lose Munnerlyn. He'll probably be better. Plus, Ekpre-Olomu is great in run support. Check out the video below for some highlights. He's making great tackles, and I think I saw him covering Brandin Cooks during one of the segments, the rookie Saints receiver already getting lots of praise, and covering him well.

He's had great stats, especially in the tackles department. As a true freshman in 2011, he didn't have any interceptions, but he had 34 tackles. He played in all 14 games. In 2012, he started for all 13 games, racking up 4 interceptions and 64 tackles. The highlight of his stats, in my opinion, was the six fumbles he was credited in forcing. I know there were a lot of comparisons of Captain Munnerlyn to Antoine Winfield, but maybe Ekpre-Olomu to Winfield might be better? Just this past season, 2013, Ekpre-Olomu improved again on his tackle total, recording a whopping 84 total tackles, 54 of them solo ones. While he intercepted 3 passes during the year, to me it still seemed like he improved a lot. (stats courtesy of goducks.com)

The 2015 mock drafts that are out have Ifo Ekpre-Olomu going in a myriad of positions, but always in the first round. One site has him going as low as 25, while another one has him going at 8. The Vikings won't be the worst team in the NFL. I can almost guarantee that. But I doubt they'll be picking from 26-32. Sorry, I just think we need another couple years of experience and talent before we can make a deep playoff run. But that means Ekpre-Olomu has a good chance of being available when the Vikings pick. 

from: zimbio.com

This is obviously very early, and I'm sure I'll change my opinion of who I'd like the Vikings to take ten times over the next year, but as of now I believe Ifo Ekpre-Olomu would be a great addition to our roster at a position of need. Unless a middle linebacker shoots up the draft charts. Then maybe we should go with that pick.

The Kluwe Debacle

from: snapshot.si-apps.com

This is an issue we've all heard about; well, all the Vikings fans. Yet it's an issue I've just touched the surface of. I really liked Kluwe. He obviously wasn't the best punter in the league, but he did great work for us when he was here. And he was different. I get tired of listening to interviews and statements from players thanking God for their ability and praying to God to perform well. I get tired of them talking about just putting it all out there, trying their best, and having their hard work pay off. That's all good, and is true (except about the God thing. God doesn't care about football), but Kluwe brought something different to the table. His outspokenness was a welcome change. I remember the interview he had with Donovan McNabb where Kluwe detailed all the things McNabb had to agree to before Kluwe would give up number 5. McNabb had to mention Kluwe's band a certain number of times in public appearances, and the new quarterback had to buy Kluwe an ice cream cone. You're not going to see that from the majority of NFL players. Then the Vikings drafted Jeff Locke, Kluwe was cut, and just like that the Vikings had moved on. Until Kluwe said he was going to sue the Vikings for cutting him for his activism and not his ability as a punter.

I am hopelessly addicted to the Vikings. Hopelessly. As in, we could lose our top ten best players and I would still be a Vikings fan. Purple and gold will always be my favorite colors. I can't play as another team in Madden for more than a year without having to go back to the Vikings. I feel guilty, like I'm betraying the Vikings. But this whole thing with Preifer and how the Vikings handled it has made me slightly ill. Not my Vikings, I said. My Vikings couldn't do this. 

from: thevikingage.com

Kluwe was cut after the 2012 season, one year shy of the end of his contract. In early January of 2013 he posted an article he wrote, which included a journal-esque account of the past season's events, on deadspin.com about how his reputation with the team and the staff's general feel towards him was steadily going down hill, that his political activism and view on homosexuality played a large part in his being fired. I hadn't read the article until recently. You can read it here: http://deadspin.com/i-was-an-nfl-player-until-i-was-fired-by-two-cowards-an-1493208214. Granted, all of this can't be taken as fact; or at least, one needs to keep an open mind throughout it all. The one thing that really stuck with me, however, is how Priefer acted through all of this. The one comment that is all over the place whenever this situation is brought up claims that Priefer said "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows."

Kluwe then said he would sue the Vikings for $10 million, but he held off in the hopes that tensions could be resolved without going to court. So far that's been avoided, but Kluwe has expressed his disgust with what the Vikings have given so far. After a six month investigation into Priefer and the organization, and a 150 page review, Priefer has been suspended for 2 games and a 29 page summary of that 150 page review has been released.

Oh yeah, and you've heard about some of Kluwe's not so appropriate actions as well, right? How he cut a hole in his pants and wore them around Tom Kanavy, the strength and conditioning coach for the Vikings and a former coach of Penn State, then told him to stay away while he was exposed? In a twitter response, Kluwe said he did make fun of Kanavy in that manner, but that it was only one time, and that other players continued to make similar jokes for another month. I have no idea what happens in locker rooms, but that seems somewhat hypocritical coming from a man whose activism and gay rights support is well known. Check out this great article that includes many of Kluwe's tweets: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/07/21/chris-kluwes-battle-with-the-vikings-takes-an-ugly-turn/.

I'm not quite sure where I stand on this issue. I can't abandon the Vikings. After all, one person or a small group doesn't make the team. The Minnesota Vikings are an entire organization made up of thousands of people. I really like Kluwe, but I question how much of what he's said is true. However, something is obviously going on, and I think Priefer definitely may have said some very inappropriate things. Then you get into more tweets from Kluwe, including one that said a couple Vikings players were "caught in a compromising situation with an underage girl". The Vikings are about a lot more than simply playing football, and I lose sight of that 98% of the time. These players and staff are people, and they have lives outside of football. What are they doing with those lives? I hope they aren't doing anything like Kluwe hints at. But I don't know, and I probably won't ever know. A report like that, more specifics at least, most likely won't be released to the media, meaning I'll never hear about it. 

from: joystiq.com

So I'm back to where I started. The Vikings are my team, even though that was never up for debate. I thank Kluwe for the great play he provided the Vikings while he was here, and wish him luck in the future. I hope nothing too serious results from this situation, but I also hope and wish that those responsible get punished fairly. I would preferably see Priefer suspended for much longer, but I don't make those decisions. The 2014 season is coming fast, and I'm excited for football! Skol, Vikings!

Get to Know: Tight End Kyle Rudolph

from: Advocare.com

With Norv Turner coming to the Vikings, everyone has talked about how Cordarrelle Patterson will flourish in Turner's down field passing scheme. I really believe that will happen, though maybe not on the level of Josh Gordon last year. Not yet. But the other player that came out of nowhere last year in Norv Turner's offense with the Browns was tight end Jordan Cameron. The 6'5", 250 pound tight end caught 80 passes for 917 yards and 7 touchdowns. And guess what else? That came while catching passes from three different quarterbacks throughout the season. Yea, for Vikings receivers that's 'been there, done that'. But with a new offense and a little more stability at the quarterback position, all the signs are pointed in the right direction for a breakout season for Kyle Rudolph.

Kyle Rudolph played three years of college football at the University of Notre Dame, a school that's produced very good tight ends over the years. He played well enough that he felt confident he'd get drafted if he left a year early. 

from: blogs.ajc.com

When the Vikings drafted Kyle Rudolph in the second round of the 2011 draft, we still had an aging yet good pass-catching tight end in Visanthe Shiancoe on the roster. I expected more two tight end sets than what was actually used, and Rudolph ended the season with only 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. 2012 gave us a glimpse of what we could expect from the 2nd round tight end, as he caught passes for 493 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He even went to the pro bowl as a replacement for Tony Gonzalez. Things were moving in the right direction.  

Then 2013 happened. Rudolph only caught 30 passes for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns, beating out his stats from his rookie year by just a bit. I've heard lots of whisperings that this past year was a bad sign, that maybe he wasn't go to be very good. But he only played in 8 games! He broke his foot in the week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys, on a large touchdown reception no less.  He didn't play the rest of the season.

But he's all better now. He better be, as the Vikings just gave him a 5 year, $36.5 million extension. Like Everson Griffin, Rudolph is being paid for potential. I love Everson Griffin and believe he will live up to expectations, but I believe the chances that Kyle Rudolph becomes the player the Vikings envision are greater than for Everson Griffin. 

from: m.1500espn.com

I think Rudolph will have a great year as long as he stays healthy. I'm predicting 700-800 yards receiving, and 10 touchdowns. Quite a jump, I know, but we don't really have a true redzone receiver, as in someone 6'3" to 6'5" who can make those ridiculous leaping catches. We've got Rudolph, and I think he'll produce nicely. At 6'6" and 259 pounds, he's a bit taller than Jordan Cameron, but also a bit heavier. He's not as fast as Jordan Cameron-Rudolph ran a 4.78 at the combine, while Cameron ran a 4.59-but Rudolph has been a great run blocker. As long as we have Adrian Pederson, that's a necessity. In Rudolph, we have a a great, soon to be the best, all-around tight end. With great quarterback play, Rudolph could easily be as good as Rob Gronkowski. His future with the Vikings will be great.

I really struggled to find information about Rudolph off the football field. What I did find comes from minnesota.cbslocal.com. Rudolph seems to have adapted to life in Minnesota quite well, which shouldn't be too surprising as he is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Same region but more snow. Rudolph likes bass fishing and wakeboarding, two things I don't get much enjoyment out of, but I'd still love to hang out with him for a while. He also likes Kenny Chesney, so there's another thing we don't agree on. But hey, I still want him on my fantasy team.

from: espn.go.com

Kyle Rudolph definitely has some proving to do this year and for years to come, but I truly believe he will live up to his hype. Whether Cassel or Bridgewater starts this year, we should have more continuity at the quarterback position. Then especially with the new offense Norv Turner will be running, AP's carries should be slightly reduced, meaning we'll be throwing it more and throwing it farther down field. Rudolph will definitely be a player to watch this year. 

And just to throw this in, 'cuz I know you all want to know, Rudolph is my favorite Vikings player. I'm ecstatic we locked him up for another five years!

Vikings Expected Defensive Scheme

I will be creating a page specifically for the Vikings Defensive Scheme, but until we know for sure what that is, I'm going to surmise in a blog post.

The Vikings have and will continue to run a base 4-3 defense. In it's very basic that means there are four down lineman (down meaning they have their hands on the ground) and three linebackers. See the image below.

from: bleacherreport.com

For many years the Vikings had run a cover two 4-3 defense, which meant that the four down lineman were relied upon to provide the pass rush while the linebackers were in pass coverage and run support. On a run play, each player of the defensive line and each linebacker would be in charge of a specific gap, such as between the guard and center or between the tackle and tight end (the image above examples this very nicely. For more information, you'll have to go to bleacherreport.com). We fared well with that when we had Pat and Kevin Williams and Jared Allen. With the loss of Pat Williams, though, we didn't have the big run stuffing nose tackle to go along with the 3 technique pass rushing defensive tackle of Kevin Williams. Now, before the 2014 season, the cover two is gone, replaced by Mike Zimmer's more aggressive, bringing-pressure-from-other-positions 4-3. Finally. We need this.

 While I am not completely sure what Zimmer is going to do with our defense, I can surmise based on personnel, what he's said, and what he's done in the past. Defensive Coordinator George Edwards should help a bunch as well, as he has extensive experience on the defensive side of the ball. 

Based on personnel, we will be putting Linval Joseph at the nose guard position. He will line up between the center and guard most often and be expected to take on double teams. He'll shift from side to side based on where the tight end lines up if there's a tight end. Shariff Floyd will play the 3-technique, lined up opposite Joseph but between the guard and tackle for most base sets. He'll be leaned upon for interior pass rush and run support. Then we have Everson Griffin and Brian Robison. Plan for Griffin to play the right defensive end spot to replace Jared Allen. In his first full season as a starter, Griffin will be relied upon to bring a lot of pressure from the typical pass-rushing end spot (I hope to be seeing a lot of the below image from Griffin). Brian Robison will play the left end spot, where he's been solid ever since we chose not to resign Ray Edwards in 2011. Robison doesn't usually put up flashy numbers, but he's always been solid against the pass and the run.

from: bleacherreport.com

The linebackers are much more of a mystery. Chad Greenway will definitely be starting at one position, but whether that's on the left side or the right side remains to be seen. Anthony Barr, the Vikings first, first round draft pick will most likely get the start on the other side. However, I can see him and Greenway being shifted around based on the opposing personnel and situation. Don't expect Barr to be in pass coverage very often, though with his athletic ability, I hope that gets better quickly (see my breakdown on his skillset: http://theinconsistentviking.blogspot.com/2014/05/first-round-analysis-anthony-barr.html). He was drafted for his athletic ability and potential, but the best way he can contribute immediately is with his pass rushing skills. The middle linebacker is more of a mystery. Typically in a cover two the linebackers would be smaller and quicker, able to get to a running back but also to cover a specific zone on the field. Expect that to change a bunch in Zimmer's scheme. In the past Zimmer has run more man coverage. With our corners being put into man coverage more often, our linebackers will be free to blitz. Expect Anthony Barr to be blitzing at least sixty percent of the time during his rookie season. Greenway could see some blitzing as well, as will our middle linebacker, but the pass rush from the linebacker position should focus on Barr.

If we're comparing what to expect to what was in the past, Barr would play a similar position to what James Harrison played for the Bengals. Harrison, however, was a situational pass rusher and didn't play often. The Vikings want Barr to play much more than that. Zimmer has already said he envisions Barr in a similar role to the one Von Miller plays for the Broncos. Miller is a superstar, rushing the passer from the linebacker position in some sets and from the defensive end position in other sets. One thing we could see coming is shifting Barr down to the right defensive end spot, taking Linval Joseph off the field, and sliding Everson Griffin into the defensive tackle spot. That gets four great pass rushers on the field at once. I'm seeing the Giants NASCAR set, where they would have their four best pass rushers down on the line, oftentimes that being four defensive ends. It's a thought that gives me chills. And the air conditioning isn't even running. They could also play only three down lineman and play Barr as a linebacker up against the line of scrimmage, like James Harrison is doing in the image below.

from: cincyjungle.com

Greenway could play a spot more similar to Vontaze Burfict of the Bengals. Granted, their skillsets are much different. Greenway is no longer the athlete he used to be, but he is still the Vikings smartest defender by a long shot. He should still break triple digits in tackles, meaning he may often be playing mop up duty. I'm very comfortable with that role for him. As to the middle linebacker, that's harder to predict. For the Bengals, Rey Maualuga was the starter for the last few years. He's big, able to dish out huge hits, but slow. They also had Emmanuel Lamur, who played a lot on passing downs as he was smaller and much faster than Maualuga. Who could play those roles for the Vikings. Well, returning from a year stint with the Cardinals is Jasper Brinkley. He's good in run defense but that's it. He's not fast and he's terrible in pass coverage. Then we have Audie Cole, seen below, who could be very solid, though he's not nearly the athlete that Lamur is. Cole has very little experience, yet what he does have has been very promising. We also have Michael Mauti, and Gerald Hodges will need to find a position somewhere. I really have no idea what could happen (though honestly, I'd prefer if Jasper Brinkley was our third or fourth option).

from: thevikingage.com

Obviously, a major part of this defense working is our secondary's ability to switch to man coverage. One thing we have going for us is that Xavier Rhodes should actually be more comfortable in man than in zone. The Vikings are relying heavily on the second year corner to guard the likes of Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Jordy Nelson. Captain Munnerlyn is a good addition in this aspect. He and Josh Robinson should compete for covering the slot corner. From what I've seen (and I will be shocked if I'm actually right), Josh Robinson has been better on the outside even with his blazing speed. That will allow Munnerlyn to play in the slot, where he should be very good. With Harrison Smith playing amazing-typical-we do still need a little help from the other side. Jamarca Sanford has not been great-about average at best, which is better than not even close to average-and his time may be coming to a close. Antone Exum may be a long shot for the other safety spot-he's only a year removed from a severe lower body injury-but his experience working out of the corner could translate nicely to what the Vikings may be doing. Give him a year or two to bounce back from the injury and learn the defense, then plug him beside Harrison Smith. Giving him some reps this year, even three or four snaps a game, could go a long way towards his development.

Just as our offense will benefit from a complete overhaul, our defense is going to benefit from the shift from the traditional cover two to a more aggressive, more man coverage dominated 4-3. Expectations are always high this time of year. I know the Jaguars and Raiders are super psyched about their rosters and their chances. They should be. No one has played a game yet. But the Vikings were long overdue for this change. With most defenses today throwing in exotic sets and blitz packages, and seeing the success that many of them have had (see Jets, Patriots, Bengals, Broncos, Seahawks), it was time the Vikings start doing something more unpredictable. What? You mean all three of our linebackers are going to drop into zone coverage again? I really didn't expect that. How shall they ever combat the four down lineman blitzing straight ahead like they have for the last eight games of the season? I'm very excited to see how our new defense fairs. Even if we aren't great this year, I see great things for the future. But we will be great. I mean, come one. We're undefeated so far this season. We're practically the best team in the league.