2015 Viking Update Draft Review

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By Tim Yotter

CHANGES ON THE FIELD, IN OUR COVERAGE

CORDARRELLE PATTERSON

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

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hange is all around. Our last issue of the Viking Update Magazine goes digital to review every single one of the 10 draft picks that the Minnesota Vikings made, but as the Vikings make their investment in the future, so do we.

Scout.com is dedicating a heavy amount of resources into their video product, so you will notice many more of those on VikingUpdate.com as part of your membership in the future. It’s the wave of the present and we are quickly hoping to move to the forefront with check-in videos on the current state of the Vikings on a regular basis, reviewing the day’s happenings in a short-order form for your convenience in an increasingly busy world.

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Much like the Vikings on the field and with their fancy new stadium, we are focusing on a better fan experience that keeps your many interests in mind. With that, the resources are shifting from the printed magazine (this final issue of Viking Update Magazine is digital-only) to video and a better all-around online product.

The Vikings are also looking to improve and appeared to have done that during the draft. If you’ve been following our online coverage of the draft and early offseason practices, you know that speed, defense and versatility were the early keys.

The Vikings entered free agency and the predraft evaluation period feeling they needed upgrades at eight positions. That sort of outlook makes it sounds like the Vikings are further away than ever from contending for anything significant, but the view here is that in-house assessment is just head coach Mike Zimmer going all perfectionist on the future. In truth, every team has weaknesses to fill from year to year, even the Super Bowl champions.

But in the draft, Zimmer’s defense got first dibs, adding cornerback Trae Waynes, who gives the Vikings another big cornerback opposite Xavier Rhodes, and if Waynes can do what the coaches and scouts believe, it will free up Zimmer with more blitzing and disguising options with the rest of his defense.

Second-round pick Eric Kendricks filled another need at linebacker. While Zimmer admits Kendricks is shorter than the preferred norm at the position, he likes his instincts and believes he can play middle linebacker this year and be an option at weakside linebacker when Chad Greenway is ready to retire.

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Third-round pick Danielle Hunter is a bit raw, but the Vikings have embraced that sort of selection—someone with obvious athletic talent that could burgeon with good coaching and attention to detail. Hunter has an incredibly quick first move, but it appears he needs to get better with his hands to shed blocks instead of relying strictly on speed to run around them. It’s just the sort of project suited for defensive line coach Andre Patterson.

On offense, the biggest question mark is at guard, and the Vikings drafted three offensive linemen that have some versatility to play tackle or guard. T.J. Clemmings could prove to be a steal in the fourth round (he had a late first-round or early second-round grade as a tackle but apparently fell because of a foot injury he didn’t realize he even had and says doesn’t bother him now). Clemmings got early work at right guard in rookie minicamp, and if the coaches believe that is his best spot there is consideration to move Brandon Fusco to left guard, where his presence might enhance the play of left tackle Matt Kalil.

Sure, there are other positions that could use depth, and safety might still be in search of a true starter, but the Vikings’ building blocks appear to be there. They believe they have their quarterback for years to come; now it’s about building the bricks around him on both sides of the ball to get the Vikings back to championship glory behind a head coach that appears capable of producing it.

The upgrades have been getting plugged in and the new players acclimated in the second season of Zimmer’s defense and Norv Turner’s offense. The philosophies are progressing and the expectations building. The result should be an improved product on the field, and that’s exactly what we want to offer in our coverage. We hope you enjoy the changes in both realms.

(Voice your own opinion on the VikingUpdate.com forums and join thousands of Vikings fans online.)

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SPRING 2015 FINAL ISSUE 8

VIKINGS’ VALUE DRAFT?

The Vikings found speed and value throughout the 2015 draft as the roster-building continues.

10 ROUND 1: WAYNES OPENS UP

ZIMMER’S DEFENSE

The addition of cornerback Trae Waynes should give Mike Zimmer more options in his defense.

12 ROUND 2: BRUINS ’BACKERS

BACK TOGETHER

Eric Kendricks reunites with Anthony Barr at the NFL level and the Vikings are optimistic for the results.

16 ROUND 4: ‘SO-CALLED’ INJURY

LEFT CLEMMINGS FOR VIKINGS

26 ROUND 7: SHEPHERD MAKES SHARP DECISION, TRANSITION

18 ROUND 5: SWISS ARMY SALUKI

28 ROUND 7: ROBINSON A LATEROUND, SMALL-SCHOOL HOPEFUL

Danielle Hunter has impressive athleticism for a defensive lineman, but refining his technique is key.

The Vikings found a small-school tight end in MyCole Pruitt that can do much more than his position designation indicates.

20 ROUND 5: RECEIVER DIGS

HIS OPPORTUNITY

14 ROUND 3: RAW ATHLETICISM

DEFINES HUNTER

Offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings wasn’t even aware he had an injury, but it caused a precipitous draft drop.

Stefon Diggs slid beyond where most expected in the draft, but the versatile receiver is simply happy for the opportunity to prove himself.

22 ROUND 6: THOMPSON

DOESN’T MASK DISAPPOINTMENT

Family man Tyrus Thompson dropped further than expected in a deep class of offensive tackles.

24 ROUND 6: DUBOSE’S DOSSIER? ATHLETIC BUT INEXPERIENCED

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The Vikings will have to find a home for athletic defensive lineman B.J. Dubose.

Austin Shepherd figured he had plenty of game film at tackle but knew some teams were interested in him as a guard.

The Vikings ventured off the big-school route to find Newberry linebacker Edmond Robinson.

30 DRAFT REPORT CARDS

2015 NFL Draft reports cards for the NFC and AFC teams. The Vikings and Jets led their respective conferences.

DEPARTMENTS 34 36 38 40 42 48 52

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By Tim Yotter

VIKINGS’ VALUE DRAFT?

The Vikings found speed and value throughout the 2015 draft as the roster-building continues.

T

he element of surprise is a Rick Spielman specialty, but the 2015 NFL Draft left little to the imagination when it came to how the Minnesota Vikings general manager conducted business on draft weekend.

He filled roster needs. He drafted for value. He traded to have 10 picks, per usual. And the first two rounds went almost to script for the Vikings’ picks.

In most of Scout.com and VikingUpdate.com’s mock drafts, Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes was the pick. In the real draft, too, Waynes was the Vikings’ pick at No. 11 overall. The Vikings had opportunities to move down, but at that point Waynes provided both value and need, and the offers weren’t enough to entice “Trader Rick” into moving down for additional picks. At least not yet.

Those moves would come later.

While receiver was often considered one of the Vikings’ biggest needs prior to the draft, their acquisition of deep threat Mike Wallace in a trade with Miami, the emergence of Charles Johnson in 2014, and the hope that Cordarrelle Patterson’s intense offseason regimen in California would pay off were enough for the Vikings to forego selecting Teddy Bridgewater’s college teammate in Louisville, receiver DeVante Parker.

Parker was available at No. 11, but Waynes gives head coach Mike Zimmer the second tall cornerback capable of man coverage on the outside, and that should open the purple playbook for more blitzes.

The struggles of Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson last year almost required Zimmer to get help at

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the position, and Waynes will be expected to earn the starting job opposite Xavier Rhodes, allowing Munnerlyn to play to his strength as a nickel cornerback that can blitz off the edge with fresher legs.

Spielman and Zimmer worked out Waynes personally and privately.

Waynes was also part of the Vikings’ “top 30” predraft visits, and he simply made too much sense to bypass.

“When you look at his physical traits, the length, the speed, the ability to play man coverage fits exactly what we are looking for in corners in this scheme,” Spielman said. “The most important thing, and I talked about it in my press conference earlier, was that you want to get players, offensively and defensively, that are going to have the chance to excel with what type of schemes that we run on both sides of the ball. We are very excited to get Trae and can’t wait to get him started.”

But the sensible selections didn’t end there. Middle linebacker Eric Kendricks, a former teammate of last year’s top pick, Anthony Barr, was a natural choice, too. It gives the Vikings the most athletic middle linebacker they’ve had in a long time and fits the new-age thinking on middle linebackers, where athleticism appears to be replacing the tough old run-stuffers of the past.

Kendricks’ 4.61-second electronically time 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine was tied for second, just 1/100th of a second off the top time posted by the 35 linebackers at the Combine.

Kendricks and Barr discussed the Vikings’ scheme before the draft, leading to the new linebacker’s excitement to get started, a process that already began with the rookie minicamp the weekend after the draft.

“Man, I can’t wait to play in it, that’s what I’m saying,” Kendricks said. “They feed a lot to the linebackers, and you got the front going on, the four down, you got my boy AB (Anthony Barr) coming off the edge but also behind the ball sometimes. I don’t know too much, but I am eager to learn.”

Waynes was drafted 11th after being ranked No. 6 overall by Scout. com prior to the draft. Kendricks was picked 45th after being ranked 42nd.

VIKINGS FOUND VALUE As a whole, the draft was an efficient affair by time standards compared to past drafts, with the time lowered to four minutes for compensatory picks since they can’t be traded. All total, teams were on the clock a combined 13 hours and 45 minutes to work through the seven rounds in three days.

And all throughout the draft the Vikings found great value with their selections.

Waynes and Kendricks were selected after their ranked value by Scout.com and that trend continued throughout in one of the most valuebased drafts from front to back the Vikings have conducted in decades.

Third-round defensive lineman Danielle Hunter was picked 88th overall and ranked 47th overall.

Fourth-round offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings was selected 110th overall and ranked 37th overall, apparently falling because teams had concerns about a foot injury that never caused him to miss a game or practice at Pittsburgh.

Fifth-round tight end MyCole Pruitt was selected 143rd overall and ranked 94th. The Vikings plan to use him as a versatile tight end that can also play H-back.

Fifth-round receiver Stefon Diggs was taken 146th overall and ranked 155th, one of only three players taken before their Scout.com ranking, and his ability to contribute on special teams was a plus for the Vikings.

Sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson was selected 185th overall and ranked 126th, with his ability to possibly play guard an enticing asset for Spielman and company.

Sixth-round defensive end B.J. DuBose was taken 193rd overall and ranked 286th overall.

Seventh-round offensive tackle Austin Shepherd was taken 228th overall and ranked 154th overall.

Like Thompson, he could have the ability to play guard, too.

And the Vikings’ final selection in the draft, linebacker Edmond Robinson, was taken 232nd overall

and ranked 260th overall.

The Vikings were one of 13 teams that didn’t draft a player outside of the top 350 ranked players by Scout.com, finding value and need throughout.

In all, 34 of 256 draft selections made by teams weren’t ranked in our top 350 players, leaving a lot of meat on the bone for teams in undrafted free agency.

Comparing the Scout.com predraft rankings with the selections, Clemmings was the best value of the fourth round from any NFL team.

THE UNDRAFTED The Vikings only signed 10 undrafted free agents in the annual post-draft frenzy, but even there four of the 10 were ranked in the top 350.

Safety Anthony Harris (Virginia), signed at a position that is open for the taking opposite Harrison Smith, was ranked No. 210 by Scout.com.

Cornerback Justin Coleman (Tennessee) was ranked 195th, receiver DaVaris Daniels (Notre Dame) was ranked 284th, and receiver Jordan Leslie (BYU) was ranked 316th.

The Vikings also added QB Taylor Heinicke (Old Dominion), who will compete with Mike Kafka for the No. 3 spot, as an undrafted rookie free agent, along with receiver Gavin Lutman (Pittsburg State), center Tom Farniok (Iowa State), guards Jesse Somsel (Saginaw Valley State) and Bobby Vardaro (Boston College), and fullback Blake Renaud (Boise State). Somsel was released after the rookie minicamp and receiver Isaac Fruechte (Minnesota) was signed after a tryout.

DRAFTING ATHLETES One of the emerging themes from the last few Vikings drafts that was cemented this year was the team’s propensity toward athletes—some of them raw in technique—rather than position-specific players.

They did it two years ago with receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the first round. His athleticism was obvious in a pretty productive rookie season, but his lack of refined technique surfaced more prominently last year. He is hoping an intense offseason training regimen, both from the physical and technique standpoint, help to rebound his career in the right direction.

This year, for the first time in four drafts, the Vikings had only one firstround pick, and Waynes is more rote on the finer points of the cornerback position. Kendricks is also believed

Trae Waynes

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Kendricks

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

to be a starting-caliber defender in his rookie season, but after that it seems Spielman is putting his trust in the coaching staff and believing that raw athleticism based on agility drills and an increased use of analytics will give the coaches the perfect lump of clay to mold into productive players.

Vikings staff members and consultants incorporated analytics into scouting the draft prospects more than ever this year.

“They’ve done a great job,” Spielman said of the staffers and consultants working on the analytical part of scouting. “We’ve looked at the drafts over the last five or six years. It entailed all the players that are currently in the NFL and it entailed a lot of the data that we have collected in numerous areas and kind of came up with just different things … it’s more used for breaking ties.”

Spielman will still rely mostly on the scouting, but when decisions are close among which prospect might have the most success or be the best fit for the Vikings, analytics will help declare a winner.

If speed is a factor, the Vikings got it with several of their defensive picks. Waynes blew away the cornerback competition at the NFL Scouting Combine with a blazing 4.31-second 40-yard dash.

The two linebackers selected— Kendricks in the second round and Edmond Robinson in the seventh round—each tied for the secondfastest 40-yard dash time among linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine at 4.61 seconds.

Third-round defensive lineman Danielle Hunter was similarly impressive. His 4.57-second 40yard dash was bested by first-round pick Vic Beasley (4.53) but better than another first-round defensive lineman, Dante Fowler (4.60), and 3/10ths of a second or more faster than a class of defensive linemen typically running in the 4.8- to 5.1-second range.

If speed were the only predictor of NFL success, drafting would be easy, but Spielman has confidence in the coaches to turn the speed into production.

“I think when you get down, especially into the third day (of the draft) that if they have the tools that these coaches can work with, they don’t have to come in and be immediate impact players right away,” Spielman said. “Some of these guys may not make our roster, but be great practice squad guys.

Guys that we have time to develop,

as long as they have the traits and the athletic skill set to play at this level, may not be totally polished yet to where they’re going to be and have upside. I’ll take those guys every day of the week and let our coaches—that’s how much belief I have in this coaching staff in developing guys.”

Analytics helped lead the Vikings to select Jerick McKinnon in the third round of the 2014 draft and he proved to be a productive runner for the Vikings after Adrian Peterson was out for the final 15 games of the season and Matt Asiata couldn’t provide an explosive element.

In a high-stakes game where the teams that draft best are usually the ones with the sustainable success, general managers are looking for every edge they can get. Spielman, who has been one of the driving forces on information overload on players, called the increased use of analytics “another tool” yet far from the only tool, but it’s clear it’s becoming a bigger player in the evaluation of players.

“I think it does have some value. It’s not the be-all, end-all,” Spielman said, “but it’s another tool that the more and more that we use it, and the more it evolves each year, it’s becoming a pretty good tool for us.”

ODDS AND ENDS The Vikings got high grades from nearly every draft analyst, in the A’s and B’s, but that still didn’t put them as favorites to win the NFC North.

Zimmer knows how much room for improvement there is after a 7-9 season and said at the NFL Combine that he couldn’t wait to reassemble with his players to show them all the reasons they went 7-9 last year.

Las Vegas still isn’t a believer, however, giving the Vikings 9/1 odds to win the NFC North, with the Green Bay Packers the favorites at 1/3 and the Detroit Lions at 9/2 (Chicago was last at 12/1), according to Bovada.lv.

The Vikings’ odds to win the Super Bowl are even longer. They are toward the bottom of NFL teams, tied with three others at 50/1, with four others behind them at either 100/1 or 200/1. The Seahawks were installed as Super Bowl 50 favorites at 11/2 odds with the Packers second at 15/2.

At this point, it’s all high-stakes and educated conjecture, but at least most analysts feel the Vikings got significantly better with a draft that featured plenty of value throughout and scheme-specific fits.

vikingupdate.com • 9

ROUND 1

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Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

by John Holler

WAYNES OPENS UP ZIMMER’S DEFENSE The addition of cornerback Trae Waynes should give Mike Zimmer more options in his defense.

T

here weren’t many questions about who the Vikings were looking at with the 11th pick in the 2015 draft. In the weeks leading up to the draft, the focus was centered on two players–wide receiver DeVante Parker and cornerback Trae Waynes. When both were available with the Vikings on the clock, they made the choice to go with the Michigan State cornerback.

A two-year starter with the Spartans, in 27 starts, Waynes recorded 96 tackles and had six interceptions. Playing in an aggressive press coverage system at MSU that produced another firstround pick (Darqueze Dennard of the Bengals last year), Waynes was almost unanimously regarded as the top cornerback in the 2015 draft class and Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer believed his skill set was too tempting to pass up.

“I think his overall game is the combination of everything,” Zimmer said. “He’s got great speed, he’s 4.31, he’s six foot and it’s hard to find six-foot corners nowadays.

There’s a few in this draft this year, but to get big corners that can run and have good change of direction, they are hard to find.”

Many draft pundits saw the marriage of Minnesota and Waynes, but he had his own inkling that he might end up a Viking. Both Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman attended Waynes’ pro day and he was one of the top-30 visits the team scheduled prior to the draft. During that process, Waynes had a pretty good idea that the Vikings were more than

just casually interested in him, so when the call came in from Winter Park on Waynes’ phone, it came as no surprise.

“It was obvious that they liked me, but it’s a process and I had to keep an open mind,” Waynes said. “I had a great feeling when I went and visited some of them. The coaches are great and I got along with them great. I know they’re all about that business and it’s a really good feeling.”

The hope is that Waynes will be an immediate starter opposite Xavier Rhodes, who excelled in the second half of his first season in Zimmer’s defense. But Zimmer is reserving judgment on handing Waynes the starting job immediately because, like most cornerbacks transitioning to the NFL, there are some bad habits Zimmer will be looking to clean up in his game.

Waynes may be ready for prime time, but Zimmer knows that things he could get away with in Big Ten play won’t fly in the NFL, where the receivers are bigger, stronger, faster and enjoy putting rookies through their own hazing process.

“I think when all college corners come into the NFL, the rules are so different where you can put your hands on receivers,” Zimmer said. “Trae has a little bit of grabby up the field, which we’ll have to correct. He does a good job in press, but there’s some things that I see on tape that I want to address with him. But he’s got the great size and the length, and he’s done a great job. Michigan State does a great job in teaching these corners anyways.

They’ve done it for a long time.”

While a lot of defenses are based on building from the front and moving backward, Zimmer’s aggressive scheme is based on having cornerbacks and safeties that can play on an island and take a player away from an opposing quarterback. Last season, the Vikings saw Rhodes step up his game and Spielman is convinced that Waynes will be ready to rumble by the time the regular season gets underway because he fits the prototype of a Zimmer-style cornerback.

“I think the biggest thing is there is no question about the athletic skill set and there is no question about his ability to play press-man,” Spielman said.

“We haven’t seen him a lot in off coverage because they play a lot of man coverage and they play a lot pressed up to the line, so some of that may be a little new to him. I love going to workouts with Coach Zim because he coaches the heck out of those kids in the workouts and he sees how they respond. So, there are some technical things that he’ll have to work on. Those are just little tweaks here and there on his feet or his shoulders, or down coming out of breaks, just little technical things. All of the physical attributes are there to do it; it’s just cleaning that part up.”

With Zimmer putting Waynes through his paces in their workout, he emphasized the points that have been his struggles. Zimmer already knows what Waynes does well. The key is minimizing the

weaknesses in his game.

Waynes was impressed with the teaching that Zimmer did during his workout and is well aware of the reputation Zim brings to the table in terms of getting the best out his defensive backs.

“He’s a DB guru,” Waynes said. “That’s the one thing I took from him. He’s a good coach and he knows what he’s talking about.

He coached up Deion (Sanders).

He coached up some other good corners, as well. If he can make me into half the player Deion Sanders is, I think we will be pretty good.”

With the Vikings looking to take the next step in trying to eradicate the stranglehold Green Bay has had atop the NFC North, one of his first priorities was to get the cornerback play to a high level, a prerequisite in his defensive scheme. Zimmer already has a budding star in Rhodes and sees the addition of Waynes as being the biggest step to opening up the defense for the front seven players, as well as strengthening the secondary.

“When you don’t have to worry too much about the corners–these guys got them covered–you don’t have to give them much help,” Zimmer said. “You don’t have to cheat the coverages. You can do numerous things that allow you to attack offenses.”

The Vikings are putting the rest of the NFC North on notice. If you’re going to pass on Minnesota, you may be doing so at your own peril now that they have a dynamic duo as cornerback bookends.

vikingupdate.com • 11

by John Holler

BRUINS ’BACKERS BACK TOGETHER Eric Kendricks reunites with Anthony Barr at the NFL level and the Vikings are optimistic for the results.

W

hen something works, the natural tendency is to stick with it. When the Vikings made the ninth pick of the 2014 draft, they saw the potential in UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, who became one of the biggest impact rookies last season.

The Vikings didn’t look far to land another linebacker from UCLA this year. In fact, they didn’t have to look beyond Barr’s old dorm room.

With a need at linebacker, the Vikings drafted Barr’s old roommate—linebacker Eric Kendricks—in the second round.

Like his old college buddy, Kendricks comes to the Vikings with an impressive college résumé.

A tackling machine at UCLA, in his final three seasons with the Bruins, Kendricks had 405 tackles, 21½ tackles for a loss, eight sacks and five interceptions. As a senior, he won both the Butkus Award and the Lott Trophy for his exploits on the field and leaves UCLA as its all-time leading tackler (481) and the only player in school history to post 100 or more tackles in three different seasons.

A battle-tested leader, Kendricks is looking to fill a void the Vikings have at linebacker and the Vikings are banking that he can make the transition into the starting lineup from the season opener if given the opportunity.

“I think I’m ready immediately,” Kendricks said. “I feel like my college prepared me thus far.

Everything I’ve done to this point

12 • vikingupdate.com

is imperative to the NFL and I just want to get my chance to shine.”

From the Vikings’ standpoint, there was plenty to love about Kendricks. With the ability to play both middle linebacker or on the weak side, where veteran Chad Greenway is likely entering his final season, the position versatility he brings to the Vikings defense will provide an immediate upgrade.

“We felt that he was the most instinctive linebacker in this draft,” Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said. “As we talked with our coaches, we feel that he can play Will or Mike. He’s very good in coverage.

He’s very instinctive against the run.

He’s not overly big as far as size, but he’s still over six feet and about 235 pounds, ran well and plays very heavyhanded to shed and get off blocks and really locate the ball. He has great range from sideline to sideline; he has the athletic skill set to be a three-down ’backer and we were kind of surprised that he fell to us where we were at.”

After Barr was drafted by the Vikings last year, he and Kendricks stayed in contact. As Barr went through his rookie season, he kept telling Kendricks how much he loved the freedom that Mike Zimmer’s defense gives him and how much he wished Kendricks was with him.

Months later, the friends are reunited and it feels so good.

Kendricks can’t wait to get his chance to operate in Zimmer’s linebacker-friendly defense, knowing that when he’s on the field he will

be in the center of the action.

“I can’t wait to play in it, that’s what I’m saying,” Kendricks said.

“They feed a lot to the linebackers, and you got the front going on, the four down, you got my boy A.B. coming off the edge but also behind the ball sometimes. I don’t know too much, but I am eager to learn.”

When Kendricks told Barr they were going to be teammates, at first Barr thought he was a pulling a prank on him. But once the reality set in, he maintained his excitement, knowing better than anyone what a difference Kendricks can make for the defense.

“He’s a very tough football player and very smart,” Barr said.

“He’s physical, hard-working and he’s a natural leader. He’s just going to do great things for us and I couldn’t be happier.”

The Vikings didn’t have a lot of contact with Kendricks prior to the draft because they were confident in what they had from the talent, intelligence and leadership standpoint. They didn’t want to tip their hand as to what they knew they saw in Kendricks, but when the time came to make their pick, nobody was going to entice them with a trade offer.

They knew they had their man and they weren’t going to listen to offers to get them off their spot in the second round.

“He was one of those guys that we had a pretty good feel for right off the bat; we didn’t

feel like we had to do any more work after that,” Spielman said.

“Watching how he played the game—his instincts, his ability to be a three-down linebacker, his ability to play multiple positions, his character and background that we felt very comfortable with, and his intelligence. I know Coach Zimmer stresses that we want to have smart, tough, passionate football players and he fit every one of those boxes.”

The Vikings hit the jackpot last year when Barr joined the team and he became a starter in Week 1. They are hoping that doubling down on Bruins linebackers will pay a similar benefit this season as they reunite the former roommates at the NFL level.

Kendricks isn’t lacking for confidence, but he isn’t anointing himself as a Week 1 starter. The NFL has humbled a lot of great college players and Kendricks doesn’t want to be one of those statistics. He has the talent. He has the ability. But he knows he has to do two things: prove it and earn it.

He wants to be a starter but knows it won’t be given to him.

“That is definitely my goal coming into this whole thing,” Kendricks said. “I am going to work for that. I am not going to say that I am going to, because I have to work for that, and that’s obvious. But I am going to prepare like I am a starter, I am going to prepare like I am going to the Super Bowl. That’s how I’ve always done it and that’s how I am going to continue to do it.”

ROUND 2

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

vikingupdate.com • 13

ROUND 3

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

14 • vikingupdate.com

by John Holler

RAW ATHLETICISM DEFINES HUNTER Danielle Hunter has impressive athleticism for a defensive lineman, but refining his technique is key.

T

here are times when freakish talent is too imposing to pass up. Vikings third-round defensive end Danielle Hunter fit that description about as much as any prospect in the 2015 draft—a talented young athlete with seemingly limitless potential that has yet to completely come together.

When the Vikings were evaluating their draft board in the third round, Hunter jumped off the page at General Manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, based in part because of the off-the-charts athleticism he has displayed both on and off the field. He clearly passed the eyeball test and was one of the stars of the Scouting Combine.

With such a tantalizing mix of athleticism and skill, Spielman felt Hunter was too good to pass up when the Vikings were on the clock.

“He’s a physical specimen,” Spielman said. “He’s 6-5 and change, weighed 252 pounds, we measured his arms at 35½, I think he had a 1010 broad jump, which is extremely unique for his size and his position.

I think he was a 36½-inch vertical jump. He plays extremely hard. He’s raw. He’s a project that I know that we’re going to have to work with.”

There was a sentiment that Hunter could have been a firstround pick had he stayed another year at LSU. In his two seasons as a starter, he was a productive player.

He registered 130 tackles, 21

tackles for a loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles in that span.

He could have made a lot more money staying one more season with the Tigers, but changes to the LSU coaching staff prompted his jump to the pros.

“I was in a situation with my coaches,” Hunter said. “They were about to leave and go to other schools and there was going to be a change in the defensive scheme. So instead of learning the defense for one year, I decided to move on to the NFL and learn a new defensive scheme for fiveplus years or how many more years that God lets me play.”

When teams worked out Hunter, they knew he would be a work in progress. Blessed with measurable talent that is rare for his position and his size, some viewed him as an outside linebacker type in a 3-4 defense, a clone in the style of Anthony Barr, but Hunter was strictly a defensive end at LSU. Despite showing off the ability to be strong in coverage at his pro day and his workout with the Vikings, Hunter was quite adamant that his talent is lining up against left tackles and cutting loose.

“I’ve been putting my hand in the dirt for the past six years,” Hunter said. “Some teams came at me to play outside linebacker, but I could see myself playing defensive end.”

The only thing missing from Hunter’s game has been consistency and sack production. He seems like

one of those players who should be making more plays than he does.

On tape, he doesn’t appear overly instinctive, but his numbers did spike from his sophomore season to his junior year—from 57 tackles, eight tackles for a loss and three sacks up to 73 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and four sacks.

Still, with all the intangibles to be a dominant player, the Vikings drafted Hunter on the hopes that their coaching staff can develop him into the player that can live up the lofty expectations they see in him. From all appearances, everything Hunter needs to be a star is already in place; it’s simply a matter of finding the magic formula to bring it all together.

“There’s tremendous upside with this kid,” Spielman said. “Coach Zimmer, (defensive coordinator) George Edwards and (defensive line coach) Andre Patterson, what they do with this kind of physical specimens and how they develop these kids, we feel that he has tremendous upside to grow as a football player. Coach Zimmer loves to work with athletic guys that have length. Characterwise, he was A-plus off the chart when we sat there and talked with him. When (we went) down there and talked to the LSU coaches about him, they had nothing but great things to say about him as a person.”

Hunter is the proverbial lump of clay that coaches embrace developing. He has very few physical limitations and has the work ethic and

love of the game that make an ideal candidate to be a willing and eager pupil ready to soak in the wisdom his coaching staff can impart.

Some viewed Hunter as an unpolished project who may always be a tease of the player he can and should be, but has yet to put all the pieces together to be a complete player. Hunter is fully aware of that and hopes to grow quickly under the tutelage of Zimmer and his staff.

He’s not expecting to be handed a starting job—considering he plays the same position as Everson Griffen, a starting job barring injury is almost out of the question.

But Hunter is prepared to come in and make it difficult for the coaching staff to keep him on the sidelines when the Vikings defense is on the field. He’s going to have to improve a lot of things in terms of technique and assignment discipline, but he’s prepared to take the challenges head on and do whatever is necessary to improve his game to the point the coaching staff won’t be able to keep him off the field because he will be that good.

“My expectations are to go out there and be a football player, take the coaching that I’m about to receive and go work my butt off,” Hunter said. “I’m a hard worker, I don’t have a bad head on my shoulders, so whatever coach tells me to do I’m going to just go out there and do it. The ultimate goal is to just aim for a starting position.”

vikingupdate.com • 15

ROUND 4

16 • vikingupdate.com

Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY

by John Holler

‘SO-CALLED’ INJURY LEFT CLEMMINGS FOR VIKINGS Offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings wasn’t even aware he had an injury, but it caused a precipitous draft drop.

P

erhaps never has a draft prospect’s foot been such a center of controversy as it was with Vikings fourth-round pick T.J. Clemmings.

A fast-rising prospect who had just two years of experience at offensive tackle, having moved from defensive end following his sophomore season, Clemmings was viewed as one of the stars in an O-line draft crop that was as strong as any in years.

Then came the foot.

Word got out during medical testing at the NFL Scouting Combine that his right foot was wrong. Something wasn’t right.

Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman was hearing it, too. But as the team did its due diligence, they learned that the injury wasn’t as bad as many had speculated—at least not in their minds.

“Everybody is questioning the injury part,” Spielman said.

“We found out about it at the Combine. We did a lot of calling on him, double-checking and triplechecking. We feel that it was an old injury that was there. It was discovered at the Combine. He didn’t miss any practices during the year at Pitt. He didn’t miss any practices down at the Senior Bowl.

He worked out at the Combine.

We had our offensive line coaches at Pitt and he worked out there at Pitt as well. We’re very excited that we were able to get a guy of that caliber, of that talent, that we were able to get him in the fourth round.”

Clemmings wasn’t supposed

to go in the fourth round. He was projected in many mock drafts—in a tackle-rich draft crop—as a firstround pick despite being a pure right tackle with limited experience.

Six offensive linemen went in the first round. Twelve more went on Day 2. One more went before the Vikings took Clemmings.

He couldn’t understand it.

“There was a concern with my foot, but I have no concerns with my so-called injury,” Clemmings said.

“I’m ready to get to work.”

He did, practicing immediately at the Vikings’ rookie minicamp the weekend after the draft and saying he doesn’t feel any difference in his foot. He often has to think about which foot is supposedly injured when people ask him about it.

The injury happened a couple years ago, but Clemmings thought it just a sprain. Injuries happen in football. This was one of them. He was as surprised as anyone when the bad news started coming out at the Combine. He had no recollection of when he could have fractured a bone in his foot that was severe enough to cause calcification around the affected area.

“I have no idea,” Clemmings said. “It’s an old injury and an old issue, but I’ve never had any problems. I have no concerns with it and I’m not worried about it. I’m ready to work.”

With the starting right side of the Vikings offensive line, Brandon Fusco and Phil Loadholt, both coming off torn pectoral muscles, having a Plan B in place was always

part of the Vikings draft process. To see Clemmings still on the board in the fourth round was something Spielman and the offensive coaches hadn’t anticipated.

“Looking at our board, there were some good offensive linemen that we knew were going to be sitting there,” Spielman said. “When we took T.J. Clemmings, you see a run on offensive linemen right away. For the rest of that fourth round, all of those big guys start coming off the board. We were fortunate enough that T.J. kind of started it and he fell down to us so we felt he was the best guy there. To be honest with you, we graded him a lot higher than what we were able to draft him.”

Clemmings was stunned by his sudden downward turn of fortunes.

He had been convinced that not every team in the league was taken in by the “buyer beware” red flag.

All he needed is one team to be convinced he’s a first-round pick and he was off the board.

Still on the board on Day 3 was the last thing he wanted, but Clemmings chose to remain positive. He had been bypassed and disrespected by all 32 teams through the first two days, as the perception of his injury was more than he could tolerate. Yet, he knew that all he needed was one team to call his name and, whether he came in with a chip on his shoulder or not, he had what it took to prove the doubters wrong and show that he belonged in the NFL and deserved to be chosen much earlier than he was.

“It felt unfortunate to me, but it

all worked out,” Clemmings said. “I knew it was going to work out in the long run. I knew that it was a minor setback, for now, and all it was going to do was place me with the right organization. After I knew that and believed that, I didn’t worry any further.”

For a player who realistically thought he would be selected in the first 25 picks and the third or fourth college offensive tackle off the board, a total of 109 players were picked before him, including 11 players at his own position. It wasn’t because of off-field issues. It wasn’t because of a lack of production. It wasn’t even due to time missed by injury. It was the perception that an old, undiagnosed injury could potentially derail his career.

The fourth round has become the clearing house for players with red flags, whether it be for players with checkered off-field histories or coming from small schools where they didn’t face elite competition.

The Vikings’ last two starting right defensive ends, Jared Allen and Everson Griffen, were fourth-round picks with something to prove.

You can add Clemmings to that list. He feels that God intended him to come to the Vikings because they showed faith where others didn’t and he’s ready to prove to the other 31 teams that they made a mistake passing on him so often.

“The (Vikings) coaching staff, they believed in me,” Clemmings said.

“They chose me and they gave me an opportunity. I’m very, very grateful for it. I’m going to make the best of it.”

vikingupdate.com • 17

by John Holler

SWISS ARMY SALUKI

The Vikings found a small-school tight end in MyCole Pruitt that can do much more than his position designation indicates.

N

ot all of the great NFL players came out of big-time programs. Talent is found at all levels of football and perhaps no brighter example of that in this year’s draft is Southern Illinois tight end MyCole Pruitt.

He didn’t get any FBS offers coming out of high school and accepted a scholarship from SIU. What followed was history.

Pruitt set Missouri Valley Conference records for receptions (211), receiving yards (2,601) and touchdowns (25) among tight ends. He was the conference’s top tight end in its 30th anniversary celebration. He was a two-time firstteam All-America and a four-time all-conference selection. He led all NCAA tight ends in receptions (81) and touchdowns (13) last year.

Yet, Pruitt remained largely anonymous to the general public despite his gaudy résumé. It took standout performances at the EastWest Shrine Game and the NFL Scouting Combine to get his name on the map. He credits his week of practice at the Shrine Game for changing the perception.

“I was able to do really well in the practices and there were a lot of eyes on me out there,” Pruitt said. “I was able to perform under pressure and I feel like it helped me a lot.”

But it was at the Combine where he was able to show his athleticism and get the attention of every team in Indianapolis. If they didn’t have a

18 • vikingupdate.com

dossier on Pruitt prior to the Combine, it opened everyone’s eyes after that.

“It really got my name out there and got me talked about a little bit more,” he said. “It made guys want to go back and look at the tape and see what I was actually really about, or if I was just somebody that worked out well.”

What the Vikings saw was an offensive Swiss Army knife that has plenty of potential uses. At Southern Illinois, Pruitt lined up as a running back, a fullback, an H-back, an inline tight end, in the slot and even outside the hashes. There wasn’t a formation he wasn’t unfamiliar with and that was intriguing to Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman and offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

“He’s a very athletic halfback-type fullback,” Spielman said. “They put him out on the slot and he played some on the line of scrimmage as a tight end. I know when we talked about him, he ran very fast at the Combine and he showed up at the all-star game. He has a lot of the traits that we’re looking for, especially in Norv Turner’s offense, being able to do multiple things. He has very good hands, he’s aggressive as a blocker, and Norv, as we talked about him through the draft meetings, felt that we can do a lot of different things with him and play him at a lot of different positions.”

The Turner influence will be critical because he has a history of developing tight ends whose first love

was basketball. Antonio Gates didn’t play college football and Turner helped mold him into a likely Hall of Famer. While Pruitt turned his attention to football once he hit high school, his pro dreams surrounded basketball up until that point.

“I grew up playing basketball all of the time and I didn’t start playing football until my freshman year of high school,” Pruitt said. “But it ended up being the better route for me to go and it definitely worked out.”

In the Vikings’ system, they already have a traditional tight end in Kyle Rudolph, so there wasn’t a pressing need. Much in the way a player like Charles Clay was a versatile multi-positional player who lined up all over the field for Miami before signing a big free-agent contract in Buffalo, the Vikings envision that Pruitt can be an important tool in their offensive toolbox that can be asked to do multiple things in different formations.

It is the flexibility that Pruitt gives the offense that could make another player on the 53-man roster expendable. Being able to be plugged in at fullback, H-back or tight end, he’s one player who can hold down three jobs simultaneously and allow the coaching staff more leeway in keeping players at another position if deemed necessary.

“He can play multiple positions,” Spielman said. “I know I’ve read and I’ve heard some things on Clay from down at Miami. He

did a lot of multiple things for them and I know he played very well against us down at Miami when we were down there (in 2014). But Norv felt that to get an athlete of that caliber that can do multiple positions can give you that much more of a weapon on the offense.

So Norv can say, ‘Well, I can use him sometimes in a slot to try and create a mismatch.’ We can use him as a potential Rhett Ellison—use him in a lot of different places to try to utilize his speed and his athletic ability and his ability to catch the ball to create mismatches.”

As far as Pruitt is concerned, he hopes to translate his college game to the pros and maintain that same level of versatility. Given that he’s working under one of the most innovative offensive minds in football, especially as it relates to making the tight end a key component piece of the offense, Pruitt thinks the sky is the limit for what he can bring to the Vikings.

“At Southern, I was put all over the field and I got that experience and it helped me a lot,” Pruitt said.

“That’s what I’m ready to bring to the Vikings and make an impact wherever I’m put on the field.”

Some critics may contend that Pruitt could be a jack of all trades but a master of none. There may be some validity to that argument.

But in Turner’s offense, Pruitt may be a hidden gem that turns into an offensive weapon of mass destruction.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

ROUND 5

vikingupdate.com • 19

20 • vikingupdate.com

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

ROUND 5

by John Holler

RECEIVER DIGS HIS OPPORTUNITY Stefon Diggs slid beyond where most expected in the draft, but the versatile receiver is simply happy for the opportunity to prove himself.

W

hen the Vikings went shopping for a wide receiver in the 2015 draft, they had a player type in mind—a chain-moving possession receiver with yards-after-the-catch ability.

They’re convinced they found one in shifty Maryland wide receiver Stephon Diggs, who brings a versatile skill set as a slot receiver and a return man.

You don’t have to convince Diggs that he’s pro-ready. In three seasons with the Terrapins, he caught 150 passes for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was an all-conference selection in both the ACC and Big Ten, despite missing time due to injury in both seasons.

As a freshman receiver/returner, he averaged 172 all-purpose yards, second only to Torrey Smith in school history.

Despite being a late-round pick, Diggs isn’t lacking confidence or a competitive nature.

“I’m a playmaker and a dominant competitor, outside of the game, on the practice field and in the game. No matter where I am I like to compete at all costs,” Diggs said.

“I love to win, so that’s the type of attitude I bring to any situation. Now that I am a part of the family I look forward to working my butt off and doing everything I can.”

His biggest issue has been durability, not production. Some scouts had him ranked as a late Day 2 pick, but his injury history didn’t

play in his favor. He broke an ankle that ended his 2013 season seven games in and missed time with a lacerated kidney last year.

Still, he didn’t concern himself about where he would get drafted.

All he was looking for was an interested team willing to give him an opportunity.

“I wasn’t really worried about where I would go,” Diggs said. “I was just praying and hoping that I would fall in the best fit for me and it happened. It worked out really well, so God blessed me.”

Despite having durability red flags, there isn’t any questioning Diggs’ toughness. He was reaching for a touchdown against Kentucky in the final regular season game when he was struck with a helmet in the side, lacerating his kidney. While the injury would have sidelined a lot of players, Diggs wasn’t going to miss his bowl game and was in the lineup for the game against Georgia.

“I never had surgery on it,” Diggs said. “It was a partial lacerated kidney, so I came back and played in my bowl game. I wasn’t sitting out.

Nobody likes sitting out, but it was my last game to prove everything that I can bring to the table.”

When it came to draft weekend, despite carrying a third-round grade in the estimation of a lot of scouts, Diggs remained on the board until the fifth round. When he fell to the Vikings, they jumped at the chance because, as General Manager Rick Spielman

put it, there are too many positives in Diggs’ game to use durability issues as a red flag. Versatility is always a plus and Diggs brings versatility like few other receivers.

“He’s an extremely talented athlete,” Spielman said. “He’s a very gifted athlete with the ball in his hands. He was a guy that when we got to that point (in the draft), he can do so many things—he’s played outside, he’s played in the slot, he’s done some return stuff. He probably had a little bit of a year that was down for him and his standards (in 2014). With the multiple things he can do, any time we see an athlete and ability to develop these guys, we felt that he’d fit right in that mold.”

Diggs is the kind of player who can excite an offensive coordinator, and while he isn’t expected to play a big role in the offense, he can be used as a specialist—both as a slot receiver and return man. And you can bet Norv Turner is going to design third-down routes that play to Diggs’ strength, taking short slant passes and turning them into long gains.

The feeling is mutual on Diggs’ end of things. He is looking forward to learning the Turner offense, as well as having the opportunity to grow into an offense with secondyear quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

That combination is more than a little intriguing to Diggs.

“Teddy is a great quarterback with a great young team and I look forward to being a part of that team

and growing in this whole process,” Diggs said. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be coached by some great coaches and playing with some great guys.”

For a player that a lot of analysts viewed as a late Day 2 pick, to remain on the board until the middle of the fifth round and be the 20th wide receiver selected in the draft could have been enough to get Diggs frustrated and questioning the decision to come out a year early.

But Diggs wasn’t outwardly concerned about his draft spot when being interviewed following his selection. He knew that whatever team selected him had a plan in place for him, whether it be as a receiver, a return man or both.

In Diggs’ world, there wasn’t room for frustration. He was happy to have been chosen to take his talents to the pro level and prove his detractors wrong. He’s getting the chance to live out his NFL dream and his dream is in the process of being realized. He has been given the opportunity and that’s all he wanted. There was no room for jealousy.

“I wasn’t frustrated at all,” Diggs said. “It’s a great group of guys. Everybody got blessed with an opportunity and I am pretty sure everyone is thankful, just like me. I wasn’t so much frustrated, I was just praying for the best fit for me. This is the best fit. They took a chance on me and I look forward to working.”

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ROUND 6

22 • vikingupdate.com Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

by John Holler

THOMPSON DOESN’T MASK DISAPPOINTMENT Family man Tyrus Thompson dropped further than expected in a deep class of offensive tackles.

I

n a draft teeming with offensive tackles, Tyrus Thompson was hoping to be in the second run on offensive tackles that took place at the start of the final day of the draft.

He entered Draft Saturday expecting that it wouldn’t take long for his name to get called.

Instead, Thompson fell all the way into the sixth round. Having been convinced he would be selected earlier—25 starts at left tackle over the last two years with a power school like Oklahoma is a pretty strong résumé-builder—Thompson found it difficult to bear dropping into the sixth round. He wasn’t shy about expressing his feelings about watching other players coming off the board and making his draft experience bittersweet.

“It sucked,” Thompson said.

“It sucked a lot. I expected to go a little bit higher than that, but at the same time I’m grateful to be able to play in the NFL because everyone doesn’t get that opportunity. So I’m just really excited to be a Viking.”

The Vikings draft brass was aware of Thompson’s ability, but assistant offensive line coach Hank Fraley was the tipping point in his favor. Fraley worked out Thompson in Norman and came back with glowing reports that convinced G.M. Rick Spielman that Thompson was a guy the Vikings would like to add to their roster.

“Hank went down and worked out all the Oklahoma kids,” Spielman said. “He was a left tackle at

Oklahoma and we’re projecting him to potentially be a swing tackle or move inside to guard. He’s a guy that has great length, great size, and he’s a very mature kid. He’s married with two children. We could project him inside as a guard as well. He’s extremely sharp and we felt that he could play multiple positions for us.”

Thompson is far from the average college prospect. Born in Germany to a military family—his father was one of the soldiers that helped tear down the Berlin wall—he fell in love with another “Army brat” whose mother was an Army sniper (mother-in-law jokes told at his own peril).

His college experience was different than most. As his friends were heading downtown or to house parties, Thompson was heading home to be a husband and father.

“It’s a little different,” Thompson said. “What people have said in the past, I’ve lived the oldman lifestyle beforehand anyway. I wasn’t always out partying and stuff anyway, but it definitely kept my head really level and kept me out of a lot of trouble because I didn’t have the opportunity to go out and get in trouble and do dumb stuff with people. It just gives me a sense of responsibility.”

Thompson’s draft stock took a hit because he played through a painful Lisfranc injury that required surgery following the 2013 season.

He was a bit behind in his progress returning from surgery at the start of

the 2014 season and it showed on the field. It had scouts questioning his work ethic.

While Thompson was miffed about dropping into the late rounds of the draft, having his character, toughness and work ethic questioned had him livid. He had to explain to general managers, coaches and scouts why his performance didn’t look as sharp in 2014 as it did before his injury and he felt the best way to explain the criticism was simple—be honest.

“I just told them the truth of the situation,” Thompson said. “I hated hearing that my work ethic was being questioned, because anyone that knows me knows that that’s the last thing that sounds like me.

I played through a little bit of an injury this season, so it was slowing me down. I know it looked a little more sluggish than it should have, but the honest truth was that I was just a little banged up. We never really let that information out while I was playing through it because we didn’t want to have other teams knowing what was going on and try to take advantage of the situation.”

With experience at left tackle, the mauling size to be moved to right tackle and the ability if needed to slide to guard, Thompson was another player that gives the Vikings some versatility. Spielman hinted that he could be a candidate to slide to the guard position, which is fine

by Thompson. If it means securing a

roster spot, he’s ready to accept any role the team places upon him.

“I’m just going to be prepared to play anywhere on the line,” Thompson said. “We haven’t got that deep into the conversation yet.

I just know I got to be prepared to play anywhere on the line, so be ready to play all four positions outside of center.”

Most incoming NFL rookies share a desire to make an impact in the NFL, but most of them do it alone, not with a wife and two kids at home.

Thompson has four mouths to feed, not one, and he is motivated by the little ones he comes home to after workouts and practices.

Thompson and his wife OliviaElyse are celebrating their third anniversary in May and there isn’t going to be a better anniversary present he can give than the opportunity to have his dream job as an NFL player. If he ever needs motivation, all he has to do is look into the little faces that greet him when he returns home—his son King and his daughter Aria-Elyse.

If there was ever motivation to give everything he has every day, nothing cuts it more than a couple of toddlers at home waiting to greet him.

“It means the world to me,” Thompson said. “It gives me a chance to provide for my family and play the sport that I love so much.

It’s just two birds, one stone. It’s a great opportunity and I’m really grateful for it.”

vikingupdate.com • 23

ROUND 6

24 • vikingupdate.com

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

by John Holler

DUBOSE’S DOSSIER? ATHLETIC BUT INEXPERIENCED The Vikings will have to find a home for athletic defensive lineman B.J. Dubose.

T

here was plenty of talk coming into the 2015 draft that the Vikings were going to reunite Teddy Bridgewater with one of his former receivers.

The Vikings did that during the draft, but it wasn’t the player most anticipated it might be—dynamic Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker. It was B.J. Dubose.

Who? You won’t find Dubose on any of the stat sheets as being a receiver of Bridgewater’s because he was a defensive end for the Cardinals. But Dubose and Bridgewater go way back to being teammates in organized summer leagues in high school.

Once they met, they became fast friends and have been together ever since—from high school to college and now with the Vikings.

“Me and Teddy have an awesome relationship,” Dubose said. “We both committed to Louisville and ended up going there. I first met him back in high school. We played on the 7-on-7 team together called the South Florida Express. On that team I was playing tight end, so I actually was able to catch a few passes from him.”

One of the things Dubose can give fans is a glimpse behind the curtain surrounding Bridgewater’s commitment to making himself better and his work ethic. Scouts can tell you what they see in a player, but knowing what someone does behind the scenes is critical and Dubose knows Bridgewater as

well as anyone. His verdict? The Vikings got a winner.

“He’s one of the best guys I’ve been around,” Dubose said.

“He’s really good at taking his work serious, film study, just overall loves the game and takes it serious.”

Dubose wasn’t a full-time starter until 2014 when new head coach Bobby Petrino installed him in the starting lineup and his numbers from 2014 (41 tackles, 7½ tackles for a loss and four sacks) almost mirrored his first three seasons combined. He excelled when given a full-time opportunity, but is another late-round player that Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman is looking to find a role for. Is he a defensive end? Is he a third-down inside pass rusher? Can he drop in coverage? He did all of those things at Louisville, but he will need to find a niche in the NFL to stick around.

“He was another guy that’s a multi-position player,” Spielman said. “He can play end. When you watch him inside, he can rush a passer as an inside guy and has a three-technique. We had him here on a top-30 visit. He pulled (a hamstring) at the Combine. He was unable to work out the rest of time so that’s why we brought him in to get to know him a little bit. I was at the Florida State game and he really stuck out that night. But he has good tape all around and he’s another guy that has a lot of position flexibility that can play base end or slide inside as a nickel rusher.”

Dubose was something of a victim of circumstance. When Charlie Strong was the head coach, Dubose split his time between inside and outside, with more time being spent at defensive tackle in Strong’s 4-3 defense. When Strong left for Texas, Louisville hired Petrino and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who made his name with his attacking 3-4 defense at Georgia.

After three years honing his craft as a part-time starter in a 4-3 defense, Dubose had to learn a completely new defense with new alignments, responsibilities and assignments. It could have been overwhelming and, at times, it was clear on tape that Dubose was a work in progress in the new system.

He got better as the year progressed, and as he entered the draft there wasn’t much a coach in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 scheme could ask of him that Dubose hadn’t already seen at one time or another.

“I’m pretty versatile,” Dubose said.

“Throughout my career at Louisville I played everywhere from the nine to the zero, so I literally played everywhere on the defensive line.”

Just as he needed to overhaul his game between his junior and senior seasons at Louisville, the same is going to face Dubose as he fights for a roster spot on the Vikings. The knock against him is that he doesn’t have the experience or pass-rushing aptitude to be a 4-3 defensive end because of his lack of experience outside, and he was too inexperienced

in playing DE in a 3-4 that would give him an edge over similarly rated candidates with a wealth of experience playing in that system.

When it came to draft weekend, he seemed like a man without a country in that flaws could be seen in both the 4-3 and 3-4 sets. But that’s what has made Mike Zimmer a defensive mind that is respected throughout the league. Zimmer has a history of maximizing the most out of athletic players with some scheme versatility to find a specialty for them, whether as a run-stuffing defensive tackle or an edge-rushing third-down end.

With Dubose measuring 6-foot-4, 284 pounds, Zimmer and defensive line coach Andre Patterson will have plenty to work with, and Dubose is excited about the prospect of coming to a scheme that will maximize what he does best.

“When I came up on my visit for the Vikings I got to be around the coaching staff and met with (Patterson),” Dubose said. “I was very comfortable around them and I felt I fit their scheme playing the five-technique and the four-down front, especially versus the run, setting the edge, and then also having the ability to bump down on the inside and rush the passer on third down.”

Because of his ’tweener status, it took Dubose six rounds to find a home, but his best chance of sticking in the NFL may well be the decision to have him join Zimmer, where history is on his side.

vikingupdate.com • 25

ROUND 7

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Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

by John Holler

SHEPHERD MAKES SHARP DECISION, TRANSITION

Austin Shepherd figured he had plenty of game film at tackle but knew some teams were interested in him as a guard.

F

or some athletic, game-tested offensive tackles in college, they get the bad word before they’re done with college: Your skill set likely doesn’t translate to a tackle in the NFL. For that reason, a lot of NFL guards are converted college tackles that are viewed as having limited range to get to the outside in the run game and handle bull-rushing edge setters in the pass game.

Austin Shepherd was one of those guys. A two-year starter at the highly successful Alabama program, Shepherd spent two seasons playing behind 2013 first-round right tackle D.J. Fluker. Shepherd had big shoes to fill, but did a strong job, starting all 27 games he played in two seasons and helping keep Alabama among the top-rated college programs in the country.

But he got the word near the end of his senior season that if he wanted to have a successful pro career he was going to have to move inside.

Wanting to give scouts a chance to see what he could do at guard, when he arrived at the Senior Bowl, he didn’t play with the tackles. He did drills with the guard grouping.

It was a big adjustment, but one Shepherd felt he had to make in order to make an impression on general managers, scouts and coaches looking to add depth to their offensive lines.

“It was just a little bit different than tackle,” Shepherd said. “As a

tackle, you’re more on an island, so as a guard you have to learn how to work with the center and the tackle.

You have to work with both people on a lot of plays and the whole being by yourself part is different. There is always something you have to do now.”

It wasn’t a snap decision. When scouts were looking at him and talking to him during his senior season, he was getting mixed signals about where he should be expected to play in the NFL when the time arrived. He was hearing it from both sides and it got a little confusing.

“Half of the teams told me tackle, half told me guard,” Shepherd said. “I figured that since I have 27 games of film at tackle I would give a shot at guard.”

There were some who felt he was convinced by head coach Nick Saban to make the switch to guard at the Senior Bowl, an effort from his head coach to maximize the chance that Shepherd would get drafted. But that wasn’t the case. Shepherd made up his mind to sink or swim at the Senior Bowl and the Combine with his decision to give guard a shot and show what he could do.

“I kind of came up with the idea,” Shepherd said. “I heard so many people asking if I have ever played guard. Almost every team asked me if I played guard or center, so I told my agent this is what I am going to do (and) do you think it’s a good idea?

He said, ‘Yeah, it wouldn’t hurt at all.

Go ahead and do it.’”

It may have been a wise decision, because one of the people who took notice of him at the Senior Bowl was Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. Spielman had seen plenty of game tape on Shepherd as a right tackle and was a bit surprised to see him working at guard.

But Spielman and the Vikings coaches were impressed with his decision, as well as his play during the practice drills. It convinced Spielman that Shepherd has the ability to play guard and compete for a spot on the Vikings roster.

“Austin Shepherd is another multi-position guy,” Spielman said.

“He played right tackle at Alabama.

He can slide inside and we’ll probably start him out at guard once our coaches get their hands on him.

He played some guard at the Senior Bowl as well. He’s a very tough, physical and aggressive kid. He comes from a big-time program. He’s a kid that’s well-coached and we felt like we got great value with where he was at in the seventh round.”

The offensive line depth chart is going to be crowded as the Vikings hit Mankato for training camp, and Shepherd knows that he will likely be on one of the bottom lines at either guard, tackle or both. But coming from a power program at Alabama is something he views as a positive, because the Crimson Tide ran a pro-style offense the entire

time he was there and he doesn’t see the transition to the NFL as being a big a jump for him like it will be for some other prospects coming from spread offenses.

“I think it’s a huge advantage,” Shepherd said. “I consider Coach Saban a pro coach at a pro program, so I think that’s a huge advantage because a lot of these guys play in spreads and all these other offenses.

Being in a pro-style offense for five years, I think helps a ton.”

The competition will be fierce for roster spots along the offensive line and that competition only got deeper on draft weekend. On Draft Saturday alone, the Vikings added three offensive tackles and none of them come with any guarantees of sticking with the team or knowing where they’re going to play.

Shepherd made the decision to show he has position flexibility and believes that will make him more attractive to the coaching staff when the inevitable cut-downs to 53 take place. He knows the battles for roster spots won’t come easy, but he isn’t concerning himself with the numbers game. He plans to show the coaches that he’s willing and able to accept any role given him and make the most of it.

“I am not worried about that,” Shepherd said. “I’m worried about myself and going in there and learning the playbook and getting better every single day. Everything will work out in the end.”

vikingupdate.com • 27

by John Holler

ROBINSON A LATEROUND, SMALLSCHOOL HOPEFUL The Vikings ventured off the big-school route to find Newberry linebacker Edmond Robinson.

D

uring the scouting process, there are very few prospects that completely fly under the radar, even if they are from colleges most fans have never heard of. If there is talent to be found, somebody from some NFL organization will beat the bushes and drive the backroads to find it.

The Vikings found one of those players in linebacker Edmond Robinson from Newberry (S.C.) College. Coming from a Division II school that has just 1,100 students, there wasn’t a lot of attention being paid to Robinson. In fact, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said linebackers coach Adam Zimmer made a side trip to get a firsthand look at Robinson.

“He’s a very talented athlete that’s a little raw,” Spielman said.

“Adam Zimmer worked him out after the South Carolina pro day. He went over to Newberry to work this kid out.

He has great length, he has great speed, range, and he’s going to be another guy that has a lot of athletic tools to work with. It’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve. But you can’t teach his length, you can’t teach his speed and you can’t teach his athletic ability.”

Robinson had made a name for himself at Newberry, starting 29 of 41 career games, improving his production every year and finishing his college career with 200 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss and 12 passes defensed. But to the majority of the football world he

28 • vikingupdate.com

was a big fish in a very small pond. He needed to get a chance to show the coaching and scouting communities what he could do.

That opportunity came when he was invited to take part in the East-West Shrine Game and, more importantly, the NFL Scouting Combine. He was the first player from his school ever invited to Indianapolis for the annual NFL cattle call and he knew this was his make-or-break opportunity.

“It was a pretty big deal,” Robinson said. “A lot of guys were excited and happy for me. I’m just glad that I did what I could at the Combine and the East-West (Shrine) Game. Being the first to get drafted from Newberry in 40 to 50 years is an amazing feeling.”

What Robinson was able to accomplish with the bright lights upon him was nothing short of miraculous. As one of only two Division II prospects invited to the Combine, his numbers were at or near the top in just about every category, including the 40 (4.65 seconds), vertical jump (34½ inches), broad jump (10-foot-1) and 20-yard shuttle (4.38 seconds).

He came to Indianapolis motivated to make a statement not just for himself, but for Division II players everywhere, that talent is talent regardless of the enrollment numbers at a school or the number of fans in the stands on game day.

“I was just coming to prove

my point,” Robinson said. “I just wanted to show that the difference between Division I and Division II were the logos on the helmet. I’m not sure if any other D-II player was drafted, but I’m just excited to get the opportunity to go out there and show what I can do in front of the Vikings coaching staff.”

One of the reasons Robinson didn’t receive D-I offers out of high school was that he hadn’t yet started growing into his lanky frame—NFL. com referred to his body type as that of a praying mantis. At 6-foot3, 245 pounds with long arms, the belief is that he can add up to 10-15 pounds of muscle and core strength, but the road to the NFL is going to be a long one.

The learning curve won’t be easy, but the one element that intimidates a lot of college players—the speed of the NFL game—doesn’t seem to have an impact on Robinson. He has a lot of learning to do but feels he has the speed element of the transition already mastered.

“I think the challenge is maybe just the size of the offensive and defensive lines,” Robinson said. “I think the speed is the exact same.

We had the same skill-position guys with their size, but the interior linemen are just maybe a little bigger. I don’t think there’s too much of a big difference.”

With change expected to be coming in the linebacker corps over the next year or two, head coach Mike

Zimmer is looking for young, athletic players to make their mark and earn their spots on the roster. Robinson is a raw prospect who may have to earn his stripes on special teams if he makes the final roster, but he believes he can adapt to any coaching style and is intrigued by the attacking nature of the Zimmer defense he thinks plays to his strengths.

“I think it fits in pretty well,” Robinson said. “I feel like I can fit in to any defense and I feel like I can contribute to whatever position they want me to play. I’m just happy and excited to get the opportunity.”

The reality of being a seventhround pick is that more of them don’t make NFL rosters than do.

It’s just a fact of life. Veterans with experience in a system have an advantage going in. Even rookies from power conference schools come in with a lot more fanfare and game tape for coaches to examine and break down.

Robinson has none of that.

He’s a kid from a small school with big dreams. He doesn’t have the pedigree a lot of the others he will be competing with have, but one thing that separates him is that he comes in with a giant chip on his shoulder that somebody will have to knock off.

“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder,” Robinson said. “I’m just happy that I got the opportunity, but I do want to come in there and prove that I do belong and I can do what I have to do to make this ball club.”

ROUND 7

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

vikingupdate.com • 29

By Jamie Newberg, Scout.com

DRAFT REPORT C NFC EAST Dallas Cowboys

NFC NORTH

C+

(CB) Byron Jones (UConn) Round 1 (27) (DE) Randy Gregory (Nebraska) Round 2 (60) (OT) Chaz Green (Florida) Round 3 (91) (ILB) Damien Wilson (Minnesota) Round 4 (127) (DE) Ryan Russell (Purdue) Round 5 (163) (OLB) Mark Nzeocha (Wyoming) Round 7 (236) (OT) Laurence Gibson (Virginia Tech) Round 7 (243) (TE) Geoff Swain (Texas) Round 7 (246) The Cowboys opted to address their defense with the additions of the versatile cornerback in Jones and the free-falling pass rusher in Gregory.

Green should bolster their offensive front at right tackle. Dallas failed to draft a running back. It’s a solid group, with Dallas really taking a chance with Gregory. He has boom or bust written all over him.

New York Giants

B-

Chicago Bears

B

(WR) Kevin White (West Virginia) Round 1 (7) (DT) Eddie Goldman (FSU) Round 2 (39) (C) Hronnis Grasu (Oregon) Round 3 (71) (RB) Jeremy Langford (Michigan State) Round 4 (106) (S) Adrian Amos (Penn State) Round 5 (142) (OT) Tayo Fabuluje (TCU) Round 6 (183) White should develop into a huge home run threat in Chicago while Goldman will bring some versatility to the Bears’ new defensive front. Grasu will be a nice upgrade on the other side of the ball and play alongside his college teammate Long. Langford could be a steal and a potential every-down back because of his ability to catch the football. Amos is a nice find at safety in Round 5. I like this group by the Bears.

Detroit Lions

C-

(OT) Ereck Flowers (Miami) Round 1 (9) (S) Landon Collins (Alabama) Round 2 (33) (DE) Owamagbe Odighizuwa (UCLA) Round 3 (74) (S) Mykkele Thompson (Texas) Round 5 (144) (WR) Geremy Davis (UConn) Round 6 (186) (OG) Bobby Hart (FSU) Round 7 (226) We could look back on this Giants draft and say, ‘Wow.’ New York scored three first-round talents in Flowers, Landon Collins and Odighizuwa. Flowers has enormous potential on the offensive front while Collins was this class’s top-rated safety. The question on Odighizuwa is the health of his surgically repaired hips.

(OG) Laken Tomlinson (Duke) Round 1 (28) (RB) Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) Round 2 (54) (CB) Alex Carter (Stanford) Round 3 (80) (DT) Gabe Wright (Auburn) Round 4 (113) (FB) Michael Burton (Rutgers) Round 5 (168) (CB) Quandre Diggs (Texas) Round 6 (200) (OT) Corey Robinson (South Carolina) Round 7 (240) The Lions surprised many, first drafting a guard in Tomlinson. Abdullah is an outstanding fit into the Detroit offense while Carter will bolster their secondary at cornerback. Wright will be expected to make early contributions in the D-tackle rotation. I like Diggs at slot cornerback and Robinson could be a find with their final pick in the seventh round.

Philadelphia Eagles

Green Bay Packers

(WR) Nelson Agholor (USC) Round 1 (20) (CB) Eric Rowe (Utah) Round 2 (47) (LB) Jordan Hicks (Texas) Round 3 (84) (CB) JaCorey Shepherd (Kansas) Round 6 (191) (CB) Randall Evans (Kansas State) Round 6 (196) (DE) Brian Mihalik (Boston College) Round 7 (237) I love the first two Eagles picks in Agholor and Rowe. They fit their scheme and fill two big needs. Hicks is a good player that needs to stay healthy. Aside from Agholor, the rest of the draft was spent on defense. Hicks seems like a nice piece to their linebacker corps. If he can stay healthy, that’s a good pick.

C

Washington Redskins

(OL) Brandon Scherff (Iowa) Round 1 (5) (DE) Preston Smith (Mississippi State) Round 2 (38) (RB) Matt Jones (Florida) Round 3 (95) (WR) Jamison Crowder (Duke) Round 4 (105) (OG) Arie Kouandijo (Alabama) Round 4 (112) (OLB) Martrell Spaight (Arkansas) Round 5 (141) (S) Kyshoen Jarrett (Virginia Tech) Round 6 (181) (CB) Tevin Mitchell (Arkansas) Round 6 (182) (WR) Evan Spencer (Ohio State) Round 6 (187) (C) Austin Reiter (USF) Round 7 (222) Interesting draft in Washington. Offensive lineman Scherff appears to be one of the safer picks. I wonder if Preston Smith is the ideal piece for their defense standing up as an outside ’backer. Jones is a big, tough runner who’s had some durability issues in college. Crowder and Kouandijo should impact the Washington offense.

B-

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(S) Damarious Randall (Arizona State) Round 1 (30) (CB) Quinten Rollins (Miami-OH) Round 2 (62) (WR) Ty Montgomery (Stanford) Round 3 (94) (OLB) Jake Ryan (Michigan) Round 4 (129) (QB) Brett Hundley (UCLA) Round 5 (147) (FB) Aaron Ripkowski (Oklahoma) Round 6 (206) (DE) Christian Ringo (Louisiana-Lafayette) Round 6 (210) (TE) Kennard Backman (UAB) Round 6 (213) The first two picks are all about the secondary, as the Packers find a safety and cornerback. Obviously Green Bay wants and needs to get better on the back end. Montgomery has size and length at wide receiver, but his stock dropped off, as he showed inconsistent hands at receiver. Ryan could be a nice find in the middle rounds and I liked the drafting of QB Hundley.

C

Minnesota Vikings

(CB) Trae Waynes (Michigan State) Round 1 (11) (ILB) Eric Kendricks (UCLA) Round 2 (45) (DE) Danielle Hunter (LSU) Round 3 (88) (OT) T.J. Clemmings (Pitt) Round 4 (110) (TE) MyCole Pruitt (Southern Illinois) Round 5 (143) (WR) Stefon Diggs (Maryland) Round 5 (146) (OT) Tyrus Thompson (Oklahoma) Round 6 (185) (DE) B.J. Dubose (Louisville) Round 6 (193) (OT) Austin Shepherd (Alabama) Round 7 (228) (OLB) Edmond Robinson (Newberry) Round 7 (232) The Vikings bolstered every level of their defense with the additions of this draft’s top cornerback in Waynes, inside ’backer in Kendricks and then grabbing an athletic edge talent in Hunter from LSU. Clemmings could be a steal at tackle. The same can be said of Diggs, an explosive talent from Maryland. Pruitt, Shepherd and Thompson should have a great chance of making the team. I like this haul a lot by Minnesota, as they filled needs, grabbed some really good athletes and picked players with a lot of upside.

A-

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

CARDS NFC SOUTH Atlanta Falcons

NFC WEST

B

(OLB) Vic Beasley (Clemson) Round 1 (8) (CB) Jalen Collins (LSU) Round 2 (42) (RB) Tevin Coleman (Indiana) Round 3 (73) (WR) Justin Hardy (East Carolina) Round 4 (108) (NT) Grady Jarrett (Clemson) Round 5 (137) (OT) Jake Rodgers (Eastern Washington) Round 7 (225) (S) Akeem King (San Jose State) Round 7 (249) This is a draft well done by the Falcons, especially their first five picks. First it’s a pass rusher in Beasley. Then Atlanta goes and gets a first-round talent in the second in the big cornerback from LSU, Jalen Collins. Coleman was a highly productive running back from Indiana with some explosiveness. Hardy was as productive as any college player over the past four years while Jarrett is a nice find late who should be able to jump right in the defensive front rotation.

Carolina Panthers

C

(WLB) Shaq Thompson (Washington) Round 1 (25) (WR/TE) Devin Funchess (Michigan) Round 2 (41) (OT) Daryl Williams (Oklahoma) Round 4 (102) (LB) David Mayo (Texas State) Round 5 (169) (RB) Cameron Artis-Payne (Auburn) Round 5 (174) The Panthers found a great fit for their defense in Thompson and clearly went with who they feel was the best player on the board. They are going to love him. Then you have another big wide receiver target in Funchess. Offensive tackle Williams will be expected to come in and play yesterday, as he could be the key for making or breaking this small Panthers draft class.

New Orleans Saints

B

(OT) Andrus Peat (Stanford) Round 1 (13) (ILB) Stephone Anthony (Clemson) Round 1 (31) (OLB) Hau’oli Kikaha (Washington) Round 2 (44) (QB) Garrett Grayson (Colorado State) Round 3 (75) (CB) P.J. Williams (FSU) Round 3 (78) (OLB) Davis Tull (UTC) Round 5 (148) (DT) Tyler Davison (Fresno State) Round 5 (158) (CB) Damian Swann (Georgia) Round 5 (167) (RB) Marcus Murphy (Missouri) Round 7 (230) The only piece missing from this draft class is a wide receiver. The Saints bypassed that position altogether and went for immediate help for their defense with linebackers Anthony and Kikaha and cornerback P.J. Williams. Davison could be a fifth-round steal. First-round pick Peat has an incredibly bright future in the NFL. The Saints may have their QB of the future in Grayson.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Here are the 2015 NFL Draft reports cards for the NFC and AFC teams. The Vikings and Jets led their respective conferences.

B

(QB) Jameis Winston (FSU) Round 1 (1) (OT) Donovan Smith (Penn State) Round 2 (34) (OG) Ali Marpet (Hobart) Round 2 (61) (OLB) Kwon Alexander (LSU) Round 4 (124) (WR) Kenny Bell (Nebraska) Round 5 (162) (WR) Kaelin Clay (Utah) Round 6 (184) (FB) Joey Iosefa (Hawaii) Round 7 (231) I have to give it to Tampa Bay, they have stuck to filling needs on the offensive side of the ball once again. The Bucs scored huge drafting Winston, a player from FSU that they hope is their future and franchise quarterback.

But Winston will do nothing if they first can’t protect him and can’t develop a run game. Their OL was putrid in 2014 and the Bucs got a tackle and guard/ center in round two. Alexander will add depth to their linebacker corps while the speedy Bell will do the same to Tampa’s wide receivers. Clay will have a chance to be the Bucs’ return specialists.

Arizona Cardinals

B-

(OT) D.J. Humphries (Florida) Round 1 (24) (OLB) Markus Golden (Missouri) Round 2 (58) (RB) David Johnson (Northern Iowa) Round 3 (86) (DT) Rodney Gunter (Delaware State) Round 4 (116) (DE) Shaquille Riddick (West Virginia) Round 5 (158) (TE) Gerald Christian (Louisville) Round 7 (256) The Cardinals added some nice pieces to both sides of the ball in a tackle (Humphries), running back (Johnson) and pass rusher (Golden) with their first three picks. Humphries has all the tools and just needs time to develop. Running back David Johnson could be one of the steals of the draft. He’s an under-theradar talent who has a chance to be the ideal complement to Andre Ellington.

San Francisco 49ers

B-

(DE) Arik Armstead (Oregon) Round 1 (17) (S) Jaquiski Tartt (Samford) Round 2 (46) (OLB) Eli Harold (Virginia) Round 3 (79) (TE) Blake Bell (Oklahoma) Round 4 (117) (RB) Mike Davis (South Carolina) Round 4 (126) (WR) DeAndre Smelter (Georgia Tech) Round 4 (132) (P) Bradley Pinion (Clemson) Round 5 (165) (OT) Ian Silberman (Boston College) Round 6 (190) (OG) Trenton Brown (Florida) Round 7 (244) (TE) Rory Anderson (South Carolina) Round 7 (254) The 49ers addressed their defense early, getting help up front, finding a pass rusher in Armstead and a center fielder in Tartt, although they could have snagged him a little later. Harold is a third-round steal. So, too, is Smelter from Georgia Tech and Brown from Florida. Running back Davis is a good, tough runner.

St. Louis Rams

(RB) Todd Gurley (Georgia) Round 1 (10) (OT) Robert Havenstein (Wisconsin) Round 2 (57) (OT) Jamon Brown (Louisville) Round 3 (72) (QB) Sean Mannion (Oregon State) Round 3 (89) (OT) Andrew Donnal (Iowa) Round 4 (119) (WR) Bud Sasser (Missouri) Round 6 (201) (OG) Cody Wichmann (Freson State) Round 6 (215) (ILB) Bryce Hager (Baylor) Round 7 (224) (DE) Martin Ifedi (Memphis) Round 7 (227) Gurley was a first-round surprise, but the Rams scored a difference-maker at running back. The OL is a mess, but St. Louis spent two picks on a right tackle in Havenstein and an interior guy in Brown. They can both move people off the line of scrimmage. The Rams drafted four OL in all. The only thing missing from this draft class was a dangerous wide receiver threat.

B

Seattle Seahawks

(DE) Frank Clark (Michigan) Round 2 (63) (WR) Tyler Lockett (Kansas State) Round 3 (69) (OG) Tyler Poole (San Diego State) Round 4 (130) (OG) Mark Glowinski (West Virginia) Round 4 (134) (CB) Tye Smith (Townson) Round 5 (170) (DE) Obum Gwacham (Oregon State) Round 6 (209) (DE) Kristjan Sokoli (Buffalo) Round 6 (214) (S) Ryan Murphy (Oregon State) Round 7 (248) This looks like a Seahawks draft, rolling the dice on a former Wolverine with some upside who was thrown off the Michigan team for domestic violence and then trading up for a highly productive and versatile football player in wide receiver Lockett. Of course, Seattle didn’t have a first-round pick after trading for super tight end Jimmy Graham. Pete Carroll and company were looking to create DL depth with this group.

C-

vikingupdate.com • 31

By Jamie Newberg, Scout.com

DRAFT REPORT CARDS AFC EAST Buffalo Bills

AFC NORTH Baltimore Ravens

C-

(CB) Ronald Darby (FSU) Round 2 (50) (OG) John Miller (Louisville) Round 3 (81) (RB) Karlos Williams (FSU) Round 5 (155) (OLB) Tony Steward (Clemson) Round 6 (188) (TE) Nick O’Leary (FSU) Round 6 (194) (WR) Dezmin Lewis (Central Arkansas) Round 7 (234) The Bills surprised with their first pick in drafting a speedy corner from Tallahassee in Darby. Miller should help bolster the Buffalo run game from the guard position. Williams has a chance to be a good role player in the running back rotation. O’Leary lacks ideal size and speed but he just makes plays and is a good football player. I think he’s the steal of this lackluster group for the Bills. Buffalo traded away their first-round pick a year ago to move up and select wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Miami Dolphins

C+

(WR) DeVante Parker (Louisville) Round 1 (14) (DT) Jordan Phillips (Oklahoma) Round 2 (52) (OG) Jamil Douglas (Arizona State) Round 4 (114) (CB) Bobby McCain (Memphis) Round 5 (145) (RB) Jay Ajayi (Boise State) Round 5 (149) (FS) Cedric Thompson (Minnesota) Round 5 (150) (WR) Tony Lippett (Michigan State) Round 5 (156) Parker is a super pick with a chance to shine in South Beach with Ryan Tannehill throwing him the ball. Phillips has to realize his superior talent and play with consistency. Their next three picks—guard Jamil Douglas, cornerback Bobby McCain and running back Jay Ajayi—are good players that fill needs.

New England Patriots

C

(DT) Malcom Brown (Texas) Round 1 (32) (S) Jordan Richards (Stanford) Round 2 (64) (DE) Geneo Grissom (Oklahoma) Round 3 (97) (DE) Trey Flowers (Arkansas) Round 4 (101) (OG) Tre Jackson (FSU) Round 4 (111) (C) Shaq Mason (Georgia Tech) Round 4 (131) (LS) Joe Cardona (Navy) Round 5 (166) (LB) Matthew Wells (Mississippi State) Round 6 (178) (TE) A.J. Derby (Arkansas) Round 6 (202) (CB) Darryl Roberts (Marshall) Round 7 (247) (DE) Xzavier Dickson (Alabama) Round 7 (253) For New England, I love the addition of defensive tackle Malcom Brown. He’s a steal and fills a major need. Grissom and Flowers will also help bolster the defensive front. Jackson and Mason are two dominant run blockers.

New York Jets

A-

(DT) Leonard Williams (USC) Round 1 (6) (WR) Devin Smith (Ohio State) Round 2 (37) (OLB) Lorenzo Mauldin (Louisville) Round 3 (82) (QB) Bryce Petty (Baylor) Round 4 (103) (OG) Jarvis Harrison (Texas A&M) Round 5 (152) (NT) Deon Simon (NW State) Round 7 (223) I absolutely love what the Jets did with their first three picks. The draft’s top prospect in Leonard Williams falls to them at No. 6, adding his talents to an already deep rotation. Smith was one of college football’s most productive players while outside linebacker Mauldin is a supreme talent on the edge. It’s the only team I gave an A in the AFC.

32 • vikingupdate.com

C+

(WR) Breshad Perriman (UCF) Round 1 (26) (TE) Maxx Williams (Minnesota) Round 2 (55) (DT) Carl Davis (Iowa) Round 3 (90) (DE) Za’Darius Smith (Kentucky) Round 4 (122) (RB) Javorius Allen (USC) Round 5 (125) (CB) Tray Walker (Texas Southern) Round 4 (136) (TE) Nick Boyle (Delaware) Round 5 (171) (OG) Robert Myers (Tennessee State) Round 5 (176) (WR) Darren Waller (Georgia Tech) Round 6 (204) I think Perrimann will be a feast or famine wide receiver. He has outstanding size and speed but has dropped too many balls and needs to become more consistent. I didn’t think there was a tight end in the draft that warranted Round 2 status, though Williams was the best of an adequate crop. I love what Baltimore did with their next three picks in defensive end Smith, defensive tackle Davis and running back Allen.

Cincinnati Bengals

B

(OT) Cedric Ogbuehi (Texas A&M) Round 1 (21) (OT) Jake Fisher (Oregon) Round 2 (53) (TE) Tyler Croft (Rutgers) Round 3 (85) (LB) Paul Dawson (TCU) Round 3 (99) (CB) Josh Shaw (USC) Round 4 (120) (DE) Marcus Hardison (Arizona State) Round 4 (135) (TE) C.J. Uzomah (Auburn) Round 5 (157) (S) Derron Smith (Fresno State) Round 6 (197) (WR) Mario Alford (West Virginia) Round 7 (238) The Bengals reached a bit to grab their first pick in Ogbuehi because of his injury, and then grabbed another very talented tackle in Fisher. Croft is an underrated tight end while Dawson is as productive as any linebacker in this draft. Safety Smith, defensive end Hardison, cornerback Shaw and wide receiver Alford are nice mid- to late-round finds. This is as deep of a draft class as you will find. If those two O-tackles work out, then WOW!

Cleveland Browns

B+

(NT) Danny Shelton (Washington) Round 1 (12) (OL) Cameron Erving (FSU) Round 1 (19) (OLB) Nate Orchard (Utah) Round 2 (51) (RB) Duke Johnson (Miami) Round 3 (77) (DT) Xavier Cooper (Washington State) Round 3 (96) (SS) Ibraheim Campbell (Northwestern) Round 4 (115) (WR) Vince Mayle (Washington State) Round 4 (123) (CB) Charles Gaines (Louisville) Round 6 (189) (TE) Malcolm Johnson (Mississippi State) Round 6 (195) (TE) Randall Telfer (USC) Round 6 (198) (ILB) Hayes Pullard (USC) Round 7 (219) (CB) Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon) Round 7 (241) The Browns had a strong first two days. It’s not sexy, but Cleveland drafted guys working from the inside-out. Shelton will be an immediate anchor in the middle of the defense, joined by two other pieces for their defense in end Cooper and pass rusher Orchard. Then you add an offensive line piece in Erving, who can play anywhere on the line, and one of the draft’s most explosive players in running back Duke Johnson. Linebacker Pullard and cornerback Ekpre-Olomu are two good rolls of the dice in round seven.

Pittsburgh Steelers

B

OLB) Alvin Dupree (Kentucky) Round 1 (22) (CB) Sequez Golson (Ole Miss) Round 2 (56) (WR) Sammie Coates (Auburn) Round 3 (87) (CB) Doran Grant (Ohio State) Round 4 (121) (TE) Jesse James (Penn State) Round 5 (160) (DT) Leterrius Walton (Central Michigan) Round 6 (199) (DE) Anthony Chickillo (Miami) Round 6 (212) (S) Gerod Holliman (Louisville) Round 7 (239) Dupree is a freak and could develop into a big-time talent as a pass rusher in the Pitt defense. Golson lacks ideal size, but the kid from Ole Miss makes plays. Coates has size and speed but needs to develop better consistency.

Cornerback Grant is a great pick in Round 5 while defensive end Chickillo has the playing mentality of a Steeler. Don’t sleep on safety Holliman.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

AFC SOUTH Houston Texans

C

(CB) Kevin Johnson (Wake Forest) Round 1 (16) (LB) Benardrick McKinney (Mississippi State) Round 2 (43) (WR) Jaelen Strong (Arizona State) Round 3 (70) (WR) Keith Mumphrey (Michigan State) Round 5 (175) (OLB) Reshard Cliett (USF) Round 6 (211) (DT) Christian Covington (Rice) Round 6 (216) (RB) Kenny Hilliard (LSU) Round 7 (235) The Texans did a nice job of showing patience and being aggressive within each round. All the while they filled needs with some outstanding players, especially with their first three picks. Strong was a third-round steal.

McKinney is just the linebacker that they covet because he’s big and athletic.

Johnson should be plug-and-play at cornerback.

Indianapolis Colts

C+

(WR) Phillip Dorsett (Miami) Round 1 (29) (CB) D’Joun Smith (FAU) Round 3 (65) (DE) Henry Anderson (Stanford) Round 3 (93) (S) Clayton Geathers (UCF) Round 4 (109) (NT) David Parry (Stanford) Round 5 (151) (RB) Josh Robinson (Mississippi State) Round 6 (205) (ILB) Amarlo Herrera (Georgia) Round 6 (207) (OT) Denzell Goode (Mars Hill) Round 7 (255) I like this draft by the Colts—first adding the speedy Dorsett and then getting two pieces that really fit their defense well in Smith and Anderson. These two will turn into steals. Geathers is a nice-looking safety while Robinson is a bowling ball of a running back. Herrera is a good round-six find. This class would have graded out higher if Indy would have drafted a true pass rusher.

Jacksonville Jaguars

B+

(OLB) Dante Fowler (Florida) Round 1 (3) (RB) T.J. Yeldon (Alabama) Round 2 (36) (OG) A.J. Cann (South Carolina) Round 3 (67) (S) James Sample (Louisville) Round 4 (104) (WR) Rashad Greene (FSU) Round 5 (139) (DT) Michael Bennett (Ohio State) Round 6 (180) (WR) Neal Sterling (Monmouth-NJ) Round 7 (220) (TE) Ben Koyack (Notre Dame) Round 7 (229) The Jags helped both sides of the ball with their first three picks. Fowler is the best pass rusher in this draft while Cann should develop into a quality guard/ center. Yeldon is a potential every-down back for Jacksonville, taking the load off Denard Robinson. I love the two mid-round picks of wide receiver Rashad Greene and defensive tackle Michael Bennett. It’s just a shame Fowler tore his ACL at rookie minicamp and won’t have a chance to showcase his talents in 2015.

Tennessee Titans

(QB) Marcus Mariota (Oregon) Round 1 (2) (WR) Dorial Green-Beckham (Oklahoma) Round 2 (40) (OT) Jeremiah Poutasi (Utah) Round 3 (66) (DT) Angelo Blackson (Auburn) Round 4 (100) (FB) Jalston Fowler (Alabama) Round 4 (108) (RB) David Cobb (Minnesota) Round 4 (138) (OLB) Deontrez Mount (Louisville) Round 6 (177) (C) Andy Galik (Boston College) Round 6 (208) (WR) Tre McBride (William & Mary) Round 7 (245) There’s no way Tennessee could have walked away from a franchise signal caller even if Mariota is truly not the right fit in Nashville. It’s Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt’s job to cater his system and style around the talents of his new quarterback. I love trading down in the second and still securing an outside weapon in wide receiver Green-Beckham and then drafting an OL in Poutasi. Fullback Fowler and slot receiver McBride could make impacts on the Titans offense as well.

B

AFC WEST Denver Broncos

C

Kansas City Chiefs

C

(DE) Shane Ray (Missouri) Round 1 (23) (OT) Ty Sambrailo (Colorado State) Round 2 (59) (TE) Jeff Heuerman (Ohio State) Round 3 (92) (C) Max Garcia (Florida) Round 4 (133) (CB) Lorenzo Doss (Tulane) Round 5 (164) (NT) Darius Kilgo (Maryland) Round 6 (203) (QB) Trevor Siemian (Northwestern) Round 7 (250) (DB) Taurean Nixon (Tulane) Round 7 (251) (S) Josh Furman (Oklahoma State) Round 7 (252) Good picks here for Denver that fill needs. Ray is one of the top pass rushers in this draft, as Denver made an aggressive move to go up to get him.

Sambrailo has upside as a tackle and Heuerman should bring the Broncos offense versatility. Quarterback Siemian could be a sneaky good player that can sit and develop in the Mile High city.

(CB) Marcus Peters (Washington) Round 1 (18) (C) Mitch Morse (Missouri) Round 2 (49) (WR) Chris Conley (Georgia) Round 3 (76) (CB) Steven Nelson (Oregon State) Round 3 (98) (ILB) Ramik Wilson (Georgia) Round 4 (118) (OLB) D.J. Alexander (Oregon State) Round 5 (172) (TE) James O’Shaughnessy (Illinois State) Round 5 (173) (DT) Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Southern Miss) Round 6 (217) (WR) Da’Ron Brown (Northern Illinois) Round 7 (233) Peters could be a secondary steal for KC with that first pick while Morse will need to transition to the inside as a center. Conley is a terrific athlete that needs to show he can make more plays. Nelson is a versatile defensive back and Wilson could be a great get in Round 4 at linebacker. The one thing missing is a ready-to-go wide receiver in this class.

Oakland Raiders

B-

(WR) Amari Cooper (Alabama) Round 1 (4) (DE) Mario Edwards, Jr. (FSU) Round 2 (35) (TE) Clive Walford (Miami) Round 3 (68) (OG) John Feliciano (Miami) Round 4 (128) (ILB) Ben Heeney (Kansas) Round 5 (140) (OLB) Neiron Ball (Florida) Round 5 (161) (OLB) Max Valles (Virginia) Round 6 (179) (OL) Anthony Morris (Tennessee State) Round 7 (218) (WR) Andre Debose (Florida) Round 7 (221) (CB) Dexter McDonald (Kansas) Round 7 (242) The Raiders got some immediate offensive help for their young and promising quarterback in wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end Clive Walford.

Defensive end Mario Edwards was taken a tad high, but if he can keep his weight down he can be a very productive player on the edge. Ball and Valles are two good outside ’backers with some talent.

San Diego Chargers

C+

(RB) Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) Round 1 (15) (ILB) Denzel Perryman (Miami) Round 2 (48) (CB) Craig Mager (Texas State) Round 3 (83) (OLB) Kyle Emanuel (North Dakota State) Round 5 (153) (DT) Darius Philon (Arkansas) Round 6 (192) The Chargers landed three playmakers. San Diego moved up in the first to make sure they secured running back Melvin Gordon. Perryman is a physical player who excels versus the run while Mager is a small-school corner with promise. I love the additions of their first two selections. Philon will have a really good chance to make the team. He’s a good player.

vikingupdate.com • 33

2015 NFL DRAFT SELECTIONS ROUND 1

Buccaneers Titans Jaguars Raiders Redskins Jets Bears Falcons Giants Rams Vikings Browns Saints Dolphins Chargers Texans 49ers Chiefs Browns Eagles Bengals Steelers Broncos Cardinals Panthers Ravens Cowboys Lions Colts Packers Saints Patriots

ROUND 2 1(33) 2(34) 3(35) 4(36) 5(37) 6(38) 7(39) 8(40) 9(41) 10(42) 11(43) 12(44) 13(45) 14(46) 15(47) 16(48) 17(49) 18(50) 19(51) 20(52) 21(53) 22(54) 23(55) 24(56) 25(57) 26(58) 27(59) 28(60) 29(61) 30(62) 31(63) 32(64)

Giants Buccaneers Raiders Jaguars Jets Redskins Bears Titans Panthers Falcons Texans Saints Vikings 49ers Eagles Chargers Chiefs Bills Browns Dolphins Bengals Lions Ravens Steelers Rams Cardinals Broncos Cowboys Buccaneers Packers Seahawks Patriots

34 • vikingupdate.com

Winston, Jameis Mariota, Marcus Fowler, Jr., Dante Cooper, Amari Scherff, Brandon Williams, Leonard White, Kevin Beasley, Vic Flowers, Ereck Gurley, Todd Waynes, Trae Shelton, Danny Peat, Andrus Parker, DeVante Gordon, Melvin Johnson, Kevin Armstead, Arik Peters, Marcus Erving, Cameron Agholor, Nelson Ogbuehi, Cedric Dupree, Bud Ray, Shane Humphries, D.J. Thompson, Shaq Perriman, Breshad Jones, Byron Tomlinson, Laken Dorsett, Phillip Randall, Damarious Anthony, Stephone Brown, Malcom

QB QB OLB WR OG DE WR OLB OG RB CB NT OT WR RB CB DT CB C WR OT OLB DE OT OLB WR CB OG WR FS ILB DT

6’4” 6’4” 6’3” 6’1” 6’5” 6’5” 6’3” 6’3” 6’6” 6’1” 6’0” 6’2” 6’7” 6’3” 6’1” 6’0” 6’7” 6’0” 6’5” 6’0” 6’5” 6’4” 6’3” 6’5” 6’0” 6’2” 6’1” 6’3” 5’10” 5’11” 6’3” 6’2”

231 222 261 211 319 302 215 246 329 222 186 339 313 209 215 188 292 197 313 198 306 269 245 307 228 212 199 323 185 196 243 319

Florida St Oregon Florida Alabama Iowa USC West Virginia Clemson Miami Georgia Michigan St. Washington Stanford Louisville Wisconsin Wake Forest Oregon Washington Florida St. USC Texas A&M Kentucky Missouri Florida Washington Central Florida Connecticut Duke Miami Arizona State Clemson Texas

Collins, Landon Smith, Donovan Edwards, Jr., Mario Yeldon, T.J. Smith, Devin Smith, Preston Goldman, Eddie Green-Beckham, Dorial Funchess, Devin Collins, Jalen McKinney, Benardrick Kikaha, Hau’oli Kendricks, Eric Tartt, Jaquiski Rowe, Eric Perryman, Denzel Morse, Mitch Darby, Ronald Orchard, Nate Phillips, Jordan Fisher, Jake Abdullah, Ameer Williams, Maxx Golson, Senquez Havenstein, Rob Golden, Markus Sambrailo, Ty Gregory, Randy Marpet, Ali Rollins, Quinten Clark, Frank Richards, Jordan

SS OT DT RB WR DE DT WR WR CB ILB OLB ILB SS CB ILB OG CB DE NT OT RB TE CB OT DE OT OLB C CB DE SS

6’0” 6’6” 6’3” 6’1” 6’0” 6’5” 6’4” 6’5” 6’4” 6’1” 6’4” 6’2” 6’0” 6’1” 6’1” 5’11” 6’5” 5’11” 6’3” 6’5” 6’6” 5’9” 6’4” 5’9” 6’7” 6’2” 6’6” 6’5” 6’4” 5’11” 6’3” 5’11”

228 Alabama 338 Penn St. 279 Florida St. 226 Alabama 196 Ohio St. 271 Mississippi St. 336 Florida St. 237 Missouri 232 Michigan 203 LSU 246 Mississippi St. 253 Washington 232 UCLA 221 Samford 205 Utah 236 Miami 305 Missouri 193 Florida St. 250 Utah 329 Oklahoma 306 Oregon 205 Nebraska 249 Minnesota 176 Mississippi 321 Wisconsin 260 Missouri 311 Colorado St. 235 Nebraska 307 Hobart & William Smith 195 Miami (OH) 271 Michigan 211 Stanford

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

1(1) 2(2) 3(3) 4(4) 5(5) 6(6) 7(7) 8(8) 9(9) 10(10) 11(11) 12(12) 13(13) 14(14) 15(15) 16(16) 17(17) 18(18) 19(19) 20(20) 21(21) 22(22) 23(23) 24(24) 25(25) 26(26) 27(27) 28(28) 29(29) 30(30) 31(31) 32(32)

ROUND 3 1(65) 2(66) 3(67) 4(68) 5(69) 6(70) 7(71) 8(72) 9(73) 10(74) 11(75) 12(76) 13(77) 14(78) 15(79) 16(80) 17(81) 18(82) 19(83) 20(84) 21(85) 22(86) 23(87) 24(88) 25(89) 26(90) 27(91) 28(92) 29(93) 30(94) 31(95) 32(96) 33(97) 34(98) 35(99)

Colts Titans Jaguars Raiders Seahawks Texans Bears Rams Falcons Giants Saints Chiefs Browns Saints 49ers Lions Bills Jets Chargers Eagles Bengals Cardinals Steelers Vikings Rams Ravens Cowboys Broncos Colts Packers Redskins Browns Patriots* Chiefs* Bengals*

Smith, D’Joun Poutasi, Jeremiah Cann, A.J. Walford, Clive Lockett, Tyler Strong, Jaelen Grasu, Hroniss Brown, Jamon Coleman, Tevin Odighizuwa, Owamagbe Grayson, Garrett Conley, Chris Johnson, Duke Williams, P.J. Harold, Eli Carter, Alex Miller, John Mauldin, Lorenzo Mager, Craig Hicks, Jordan Kroft, Tyler Johnson, David Coates, Sammie Hunter, Danielle Mannion, Sean Davis, Carl Green, Chaz Heuerman, Jeff Anderson, Henry Montgomery, Ty Jones, Matt Cooper, Xavier Grissom, Geneo Nelson, Steven Dawson, Paul

CB OG OG TE WR WR C OT RB DE QB WR RB CB OLB CB OG OLB CB OLB TE RB WR DE QB DT OT TE DE WR RB DT DE CB ILB

5’10” 6’5” 6’3” 6’4” 5’10” 6’2” 6’3” 6’4” 5’11” 6’3” 6’2” 6’2” 5’9” 6’0” 6’3” 6’0” 6’2” 6’4” 5’11” 6’1” 6’5” 6’1” 6’1” 6’5” 6’6” 6’5” 6’5” 6’5” 6’6” 6’0” 6’2” 6’3” 6’3” 5’10” 6’0”

187 335 313 251 182 217 297 323 206 267 213 213 207 194 247 196 303 259 201 236 246 224 212 252 229 320 314 254 294 221 231 293 262 197 235

Florida Atlantic Utah South Carolina Miami Kansas St. Arizona State Oregon Louisville Indiana UCLA Colorado St. Georgia Miami Florida St. Virginia Stanford Louisville Louisville Texas St. Texas Rutgers Northern Iowa Auburn LSU Oregon St. Iowa Florida Ohio St. Stanford Stanford Florida Washington St. Oklahoma Oregon St. TCU

ROUND 6 ROUND 4 1(100) 2(101) 3(102) 4(103) 5(104) 6(105) 7(106) 8(107) 9(108) 10(109) 11(110) 12(111) 13(112) 14(113) 15(114) 16(115) 17(116) 18(117) 19(118) 20(119) 21(120) 22(121) 23(122) 24(123) 25(124) 26(125) 27(126) 28(127) 29(128) 30(129) 31(130) 32(131) 33(132) 34(133) 35(134) 36(135) 37(136)

Titans Patriots Panthers Jets Jaguars Redskins Bears Falcons Titans Colts Vikings Patriots Redskins Lions Dolphins Browns Cardinals 49ers Chiefs Rams Bengals Steelers Ravens Browns Buccaneers Ravens 49ers Cowboys Raiders Packers Seahawks Patriots 49ers* Broncos* Seahawks* Bengals* Ravens*

ROUND 5 1(137) 2(138) 3(139) 4(140) 5(141) 6(142) 7(143) 8(144) 9(145) 10(146) 11(147) 12(148) 13(149) 14(150) 15(151) 16(152) 17(153) 18(154) 19(155) 20(156) 21(157) 22(158) 23(159) 24(160) 25(161) 26(162) 27(163) 28(164) 29(165) 30(166) 31(167) 32(168) 33(169) 34(170) 35(171) 36(172) 37(173) 38(174) 39(175) 40(176)

Falcons Titans Jaguars Raiders Redskins Bears Vikings Giants Dolphins Vikings Packers Saints Dolphins Dolphins Colts Jets Chargers Saints Bills Dolphins Bengals Cardinals Cardinals Steelers Raiders Buccaneers Cowboys Broncos 49ers Patriots Saints Lions Panthers* Seahawks* Ravens* Chiefs* Chiefs* Panthers* Texans* Ravens*

Blackson, Angelo Flowers, Trey Williams, Daryl Petty, Bryce Sample, James Crowder, Jamison Langford, Jeremy Hardy, Justin Fowler, Jalston Geathers, Clayton Clemmings, T.J. Jackson, Tre’ Kouandjio, Arie Wright, Gabe Douglas, Jamil Campbell, Ibraheim Gunter, Rodney Bell, Blake Wilson, Ramik Donnal, Andrew Shaw, Josh Grant, Doran Smith, Za’Darius Mayle, Vince Alexander, Kwon Allen, Javorius Davis, Mike Wilson, Damien Feliciano, Jon Ryan, Jake Poole, Terry Mason, Shaq Smelter, DeAndre Garcia, Max Glowinski, Mark Hardison, Marcus Walker, Tray

DT DE OG QB SS WR RB WR FB SS OT OG OG DT OG SS DT TE ILB OT CB CB DE WR OLB RB RB ILB OG OLB OG C WR C OG DE CB

6’4” 6’2” 6’5” 6’3” 6’2” 5’8” 6’0” 5’10” 5’11” 6’2” 6’5” 6’4” 6’5” 6’3” 6’4” 5’11” 6’5” 6’6” 6’2” 6’6” 6’0” 5’10” 6’4” 6’2” 6’1” 6’0” 5’9” 6’0” 6’4” 6’2” 6’5” 6’1” 6’2” 6’4” 6’4” 6’3” 6’2”

318 266 327 230 209 185 208 192 254 218 309 330 310 300 304 208 305 252 237 313 201 200 274 224 227 221 217 245 323 240 307 300 226 309 307 307 180

Auburn Arkansas Oklahoma Baylor Louisville Duke Michigan St. East Carolina Alabama Central Florida Pittsburgh Florida St. Alabama Auburn Arizona State Northwestern Delaware St. Oklahoma Georgia Iowa USC Ohio St. Kentucky Washington St. LSU USC South Carolina Minnesota Miami Michigan San Diego St. Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Florida West Virginia Arizona State Texas Southern

Jarrett, Grady Cobb, David Greene, Rashad Heeney, Ben Spaight, Martrell Amos, Adrian Pruitt, MyCole Thompson, Mykkele McCain, Bobby Diggs, Stefon Hundley, Brett Tull, Davis Ajayi, Jay Thompson, Cedric Parry, David Harrison, Jarvis Emanuel, Kyle Davison, Tyeler Williams, Karlos Lippett, Tony Uzomah, C.J. Riddick, Shaquille Nelson, J.J. James, Jesse Ball, Neiron Bell, Kenny Russell, Ryan Doss, Lorenzo Pinion, Bradley Cardona, Joe Swann, Damian Burton, Michael Mayo, David Smith, Tye Boyle, Nick Alexander, D.J. O’Shaughnessy, James Artis-Payne, Cameron Mumphery, Keith Myers, Robert

NT RB WR ILB OLB FS TE S CB WR QB OLB RB FS NT OG OLB DT RB WR TE DE WR TE OLB WR DE CB P LS CB FB LB CB TE OLB TE RB WR OG

6’1” 5’11” 5’11” 6’0” 6’0” 6’0” 6’2” 6’2” 5’9” 6’0” 6’3” 6’2” 6’0” 6’0” 6’1” 6’4” 6’3” 6’2” 6’1” 6’2” 6’5” 6’6” 5’10” 6’7” 6’2” 6’1” 6’4” 5’10” 6’5” 6’2” 6’0” 5’11” 6’2” 6’0” 6’4” 6’2” 6’4” 5’10” 6’0” 6’5”

304 Clemson 229 Minnesota 182 Florida St. 231 Kansas 236 Arkansas 218 Penn St. 251 Southern Illinois 191 Texas 195 Memphis 195 Maryland 226 UCLA 246 Tennessee-Chattanooga 221 Boise St. 208 Minnesota 308 Stanford 330 Texas A&M 255 North Dakota St. 316 Fresno St. 230 Florida St. 192 Michigan St. 264 Auburn 242 West Virginia 156 UAB 261 Penn St. 236 Florida 197 Nebraska 269 Purdue 182 Tulane 229 Clemson 242 Navy 189 Georgia 242 Rutgers 228 Texas St. 195 Towson 268 Delaware 233 Oregon St. 245 Illinois St. 212 Auburn 215 Michigan St. 326 Tennessee St.

1(177) 2(178) 3(179) 4(180) 5(181) 6(182) 7(183) 8(184) 9(185) 10(186) 11(187) 12(188) 13(189) 14(190) 15(191) 16(192) 17(193) 18(194) 19(195) 20(196) 21(197) 22(198) 23(199) 24(200) 25(201) 26(202) 27(203) 28(204) 29(205) 30(206) 31(207) 32(208) 33(209) 34(210) 35(211) 36(212) 37(213) 38(214) 39(215) 40(216) 41(217) 40(176)

Titans Patriots Raiders Jaguars Redskins Redskins Bears Buccaneers Vikings Giants Redskins Bills Browns 49ers Eagles Chargers Vikings Bills Browns Eagles Bengals Browns Steelers Lions Rams Patriots Broncos Ravens Colts Packers Colts Titans Seahawks* Packers* Texans* Steelers* Packers* Seahawks* Rams* Texans* Chiefs* Ravens*

ROUND 7 1(218) 2(219) 3(220) 4(221) 5(222) 6(223) 7(224) 8(225) 9(226) 10(227) 11(228) 12(229) 13(230) 14(231) 15(232) 16(233) 17(234) 18(235) 19(236) 20(237) 21(238) 22(239) 23(240) 24(241) 25(242) 26(243) 27(244) 28(245) 29(246) 30(247) 31(248) 32(249) 33(250) 34(251) 35(252) 36(253) 37(254) 38(255) 39(256)

Raiders Browns Jaguars Raiders Redskins Jets Rams Falcons Giants Rams Vikings Jaguars Saints Buccaneers Vikings Chiefs Bills Texans Cowboys Eagles Bengals Steelers Lions Browns Raiders Cowboys 49ers Titans Cowboys Patriots Seahawks Falcons Broncos* Broncos* Broncos* Patriots* 49ers* Colts* Cardinals*

Mount, Deiontrez Wells, Matthew Valles, Max Bennett, Michael Jarrett, Kyshoen Mitchel, Tevin Fabuluje, Tayo Clay, Kaelin Thompson, Tyrus Davis, Geremy Spencer, Evan Steward, Tony Gaines, Charles Silberman, Ian Shepherd, JaCorey Philon, Darius Dubose, B.J. O’Leary, Nick Johnson, Malcolm Evans, Randall Smith, Derron Telfer, Randall Walton, Leterrius Diggs, Quandre Sasser, Bud Derby, A.J. Kilgo, Darius Waller, Darren Robinson, Josh Ripkowski, Aaron Herrera, Amarlo Gallik, Andy Gwacham, Obum Ringo, Christian Cliett, Reshard Chickillo, Anthony Backman, Kennard Sokoli, Kristjan Wichmann, Cody Covington, Christian Nunez-Roches, Rakeem Myers, Robert

OLB LB OLB DT SS CB OT WR OT WR WR OLB CB OG CB DT DE TE TE CB FS TE DT CB WR TE NT WR RB FB ILB C DE DE OLB DE TE DT OG DT DT OG

6’5” 6’2” 6’5” 6’2” 5’10” 6’0” 6’6” 5’10” 6’5” 6’2” 6’2” 6’0” 5’10” 6’5” 5’11” 6’1” 6’4” 6’3” 6’2” 6’0” 5’10” 6’4” 6’5” 5’9” 6’2” 6’4” 6’3” 6’6” 5’8” 6’1” 6’1” 6’2” 6’5” 6’1” 6’2” 6’3” 6’3” 6’5” 6’6” 6’2” 6’2” 6’5”

243 222 251 293 200 190 353 195 324 216 208 235 180 294 199 298 284 252 231 190 200 250 319 196 210 255 319 238 217 257 244 306 246 277 235 267 258 300 315 289 307 326

Louisville Mississippi St. Virginia Ohio St. Virginia Tech Arkansas TCU Utah Oklahoma Connecticut Ohio St. Clemson Louisville Boston College Kansas Arkansas Louisville Florida St. Mississippi St. Kansas St. Fresno St. USC Central Michigan Texas Missouri Arkansas Maryland Georgia Tech Mississippi St. Oklahoma Georgia Boston College Oregon St. Louisiana-Lafayette South Florida Miami UAB Buffalo Fresno St. Rice Southern Miss Tennessee St.

Morris, Anthony Pullard, Hayes Sterling, Neal Debose, Andre Reiter, Austin Simon, Deon Hager, Bryce Rodgers, Jake Hart, Bobby Ifedi, Martin Shepherd, Austin Koyack, Ben Murphy, Marcus Iosefa, Joey Robinson, Edmond Brown, Da’Ron Lewis, Dezmin Hilliard, Kenny Nzeocha, Mark Mihalik, Brian Alford, Mario Holliman, Gerod Robinson, Corey Ekpre-Olomu, Ifo McDonald, Dexter Gibson, Laurence Brown, Trenton McBride, Tre Swaim, Geoff Roberts, Darryl Murphy, Ryan King, Akeem Siemian, Trevor Nixon, Taurean Furman, Josh Dickson, Xzavier Anderson, Rory ‘Busta’ Good, Denzelle Christian, Gerald

OL ILB WR WR C NT ILB OT OG DE OT TE RB FB OLB WR WR RB OLB DE WR FS OT CB CB OT OG WR TE CB DB DB QB DB DB OLB TE OT TE

6’6” 6’0” 6’4” 6’0” 6’3” 6’4” 6’1” 6’6” 6’5” 6’3” 6’4” 6’5” 5’8” 6’0” 6’3” 6’0” 6’4” 6’0” 6’2” 6’9” 5’8” 6’0” 6’7” 5’9” 6’1” 6’6” 6’8” 6’0” 6’4” 6’0” 6’3” 6’3” 6’3” 6’0” 6’2” 6’3” 6’5” 6’7” 6’3”

290 Tennessee St. 240 USC 235 Monmouth (NJ) 190 Florida 296 South Florida 321 Northwestern St. (LA) 234 Baylor 320 Eastern Washington 329 Florida St. 275 Memphis 315 Alabama 255 Notre Dame 193 Missouri 247 Hawaii 245 Newberry 205 Northern Illinois 214 Central Arkansas 226 LSU 232 Wyoming 295 Boston College 180 West Virginia 218 Louisville 324 South Carolina 192 Oregon 200 Kansas 305 Virginia Tech 355 Florida 210 William & Mary 250 Texas 182 Marshall 214 Oregon St. 212 San Jose St. 215 Northwestern 183 Tulane 202 Oklahoma St. 260 Alabama 244 South Carolina 320 Mars Hill 244 Louisville

* compensatory pick

vikingupdate.com • 35

W

ith draft season upon us, it seems only fitting that we ask our ritual “3 Questions” about what the draft meant to players, most of whom were drafted by the Vikings when they joined the NFL. Our cross-section of a dozen players included everyone from first-round draft picks to late-round picks to one undrafted player. The questions were pretty straightforward.

Question 1: What was your draft weekend experience like? The expectation was that no two experiences would be identical and we were right. The answers were varied because of the length of time it took some of them to be selected, and nobody had the exact same path to the Vikings or the NFL. Question 2: What did you know about Minnesota or the Vikings before you got signed? Over the years, we’ve learned that many players that become Vikings had never been to the state prior to being drafted. As one would expect, horror stories of the cold weather would be a recurring theme, but not the only one.

Question 3: What was the strangest part of the draft process from the Combine to pro days to team interviews? There have been a lot of stories shared by players about the strange things they had to go through during the draft process, from being probed by doctors to bizarre interviews to unique drills invented by assistant coaches. Everybody had something that made them shake their heads.

None of their experiences were identical and this is what our dozen Vikings had to say about their draft experience.

Harrison Smith

MATT ASIATA

1. “It was long. Too long. It was frustrating. I was convinced I was going to get drafted and, when I didn’t, it was a humbling experience.”

2. “All I knew was that Adrian Peterson was here. I thought it was going to be a great opportunity to learn from one of the best that has ever played the game.”

3. “There were a bunch of questions that I got asked during the process that I didn’t understand why they were asking them. What kind of animal would you be if you could choose? I still don’t know what that means.”

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

THE ANXIOUS DRAFT WAIT

Current players talk about their predraft experience: The waiting game on draft weekend, what they knew about Minnesota and the strange questions they were asked prior to the draft.

By John Holler

36 • vikingupdate.com

JOE BERGER

1. “It was a two-day draft then and I knew I wasn’t going on Saturday. On Sunday, I went to church, and when we got home we just waited. I didn’t know when it was going to happen. I actually went higher than I thought. I was told I might be a seventh-rounder or undrafted. When Carolina called late in the sixth round, nobody was happier than me.”

2. “I’m from Michigan and went to school in the Upper Peninsula. I had a science design project in school with Boise Paper that took me to International Falls, so I knew about Minnesota. I was glad Minneapolis was different from there, but I knew what I was getting into when I came here.”

3. “The strangest thing was the Division II all-star game. The scouts didn’t want to be there and most of them were crabby. You felt like they drew the short straw and had to go to the D-II all-star game. That was kind of uncomfortable.”

MATT KALIL

1. “I got super sick on my flight to New York. I got a temperature of almost 105 on the plane. They had to cart me off the plane on a wheelchair and took me to a hospital to give me I.V.’s. I had to spend a couple of days there, so I missed out on a lot of the activities. I was feeling better by draft day and it was surreal sitting backstage. It was fun despite the bad times.”

2. “I didn’t really watch much NFL football growing up, so I didn’t have a favorite team or follow it very closely. I knew about the ’90s teams with Randy Moss, (Cris) Carter, (John) Randle, those guys. I knew it was a cold place, but I didn’t know it was this cold. When I first came here after the draft it was like 30 degrees and I was complaining about how cold it was. I was told by the guys that I haven’t seen anything yet. They were right.”

3. “When I went to Buffalo—first I was like, ‘Please, God, don’t send me out here’—the O-line coach spent three hours going through their whole offense and we ran out of time. They had me spend like 10 minutes writing what I learned on a blackboard. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me, man?’ It was horrible. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

JEFF LOCKE

1. “It was interesting because my best friend in college got married on the second day of the draft. Punters and kickers usually don’t get picked until the third day.

I went to the wedding and was sitting in a hotel room in California with my family when I got picked.”

2. “I heard great things about the city and that they had a fan base that was passionate and loyal. There were a lot of places I wanted to come to less and I’ve come to love Minnesota after spending time here.”

3. “The cat-dog question was always weird—do you consider yourself a cat or a dog and explain why. I got that same question from three different teams. I figured dog was the safe answer. If you pick cat you have a lot of explaining to do.”

CAPTAIN MUNNERLYN

1. “When I came out, it was a two-day draft so you didn’t have to wait like you do now. It was kind of hurtful for me because I came out as a junior and didn’t go as high as I thought I was going to. It worked out, though. Being a late-round pick, I came in with a chip on my shoulder looking to prove everybody wrong and that’s what got me to where I am today.”

2. “I didn’t know anything about Minnesota. All I knew was that it gets really cold.

I knew they had the Mall of America. That was about it. It was a concern and when I found out we were playing outside for two years, it was a red flag. But I’m glad I did and I think I’ve actually gotten a little bit used to this weather.”

3. “The weirdest thing for me was at the Combine. They put you on the hot seat. But the thing for me was the doctors. I had a Lisfranc injury and I was in the room and had different doctors checking out different parts of my body. I was really strange.

Different team doctors would check something, someone would say, ‘Switch!’ and they would rotate. That was craziest thing—six or seven doctors on me at one time.”

CHRISTIAN PONDER

1. “We never had a definitive answer as to where I would go. I was invited to New York but didn’t go. I didn’t want to risk being that guy who’s in the green room forever. I stayed in Dallas and had a small gathering at my parents’ house. My brother and I went golfing that morning. I just remember being nervous that whole day.”

2. “I remember Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper, but in Dallas we didn’t get that many Vikings games on television. I didn’t know much about Minnesota other than it’s cold and there are a lot of lakes. That was about it. I just imagined a cold wilderness. It was a pleasant surprise when I got here.”

3. “I was actually kind of boring. No teams did stuff to me. Blaine Gabbert was asked if he had ever worn women’s panties. I have no clue why they asked him that. I wasn’t a fan of the doctors checking you out, but I didn’t have a cool story that other guys do.”

JOSH ROBINSON

1. “I had it at my church back in Florida. It was a big party. It was awesome. All my family and friends were there and it was a great experience for all of us.”

2. “I knew it was close to Canada. That was about it. I was preparing myself to be cold. But that didn’t really matter. I knew this was going to be a great opportunity and I figured if my chance is coming in Minnesota, I need to make the most of it.”

3. “For me, what was difficult was with Cincinnati. They asked a bunch of bizarre questions like, ‘Who was Mona Lisa?’ I was like, ‘The movie?’ Then I was like, ‘Oh, they probably mean the lady in the picture.’ They had a bunch of off-the wall random questions.”

HARRISON SMITH

1. “Most of what I hear are horror stories about not going as high as you thought you would. I was just the opposite. I thought I was going to go later than I did. I got lucky and went earlier than I thought, personally. I didn’t have a ton of people at my house that I didn’t intend for that first day of the draft because I easily could have not been taken. I wasn’t hyping myself up.”

2. “I didn’t know much. Rudy (Kyle Rudolph) was here. Sully (John Sullivan) was here. I knew a little through Rudy and I had watched them when Moss was here and when (Brett) Favre showed up, but I didn’t know much about the team or the area before I got here.”

3. “I think it’s the questions you get. Some didn’t make any sense, like if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? Or if you could meet one person dead or alive, who would it be? I’m not sure what they were able to get from that, but they asked it.”

JOHN SULLIVAN

1. “Stressful. I thought I would go higher than I did, but it was a huge relief when they called my name and I knew I was heading to the NFL.” 2. “There were no Notre Dame guys here when I came to the Vikings, so I didn’t have the in that Kyle (Rudolph) and Harry (Harrison Smith) had. I was familiar with Matt Birk, so I knew I was going to be backing up a Pro Bowl player. I knew nothing about Minnesota, but I was happy to come here.”

3. “The personality tests at the Combine. The teams are trying to gauge what kind of person you are as much as what kind of player you are. There were questions like, ‘Are you a dog or a cat?’ Maybe they were trying to say that a dog is a pack animal and a cat is solitary. I had no idea.”

BLAIR WALSH

1. “I was just at home with my family waiting to see if my name was going to get called. The first two days were irrelevant because it was too early for me to go, but it was nerve-wracking on the third day waiting and hoping I’d get the call, especially when guys at my position started getting picked. You wonder if you’re going to get picked once that happens.”

2. “I knew about Cris Carter because he lives in my hometown. I actually had a Vikings hat back in the day. I had no idea why I had it. I knew a little about the franchise, especially when Brett Favre showed up. I knew nothing about Minnesota.

I knew where it was on a map of the United States, but that was about it.”

3. “One of the craziest things was the phone calls and the time you would get them. Some teams would call you at 6 in the morning and ask, ‘Hey, are you up working?’ I thought it was a strange thing to call me and ask.”

COREY WOOTTON

1. “It was kind of crazy because I expected to get picked in the second or third round. It didn’t work out that way. I was home in New Jersey and got a call from Lovie Smith. It was definitely a good experience to go to Northwestern and getting drafted by Chicago.”

2. “I knew about the Purple People Eaters and guys that followed them like John Randle and Chris Doleman. They have a great history of defense here and it’s something I wanted to be a part of if I got the opportunity.”

3. “The biggest thing was the meetings. Some coaches played tape of your worst plays in college and then got on you about it to see how you react. That was the craziest thing for me because I didn’t know why they did it.”

DAVID YANKEY

1. “I just went home and hung out with my family. It can get pretty hectic and you just wait for your name to get called. I had thought I would go earlier than I did so the waiting wasn’t easy, but once the Vikings called I knew it would be fine and that I was coming to the NFL.” 2. “I had a friend who has lived here for a while and he always said Minnesota was the greatest state to live in. I always gave him a hard time about that, so I think it’s funny that I ended up here. I’ve really enjoyed my time here so far.”

3. “The whole process is weird. The Combine was really strange because it’s a human meat market. There were 250 guys being shuffled around. The doctors were really strange. At the same time I had one doctor checking out my knee, another one checking my left shoulder and a third one working on my right shoulder. You don’t see that very often.”

vikingupdate.com • 37

VIKINGS 2015 ROSTER Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

NO.

NAME

POS

HT

WT

BIRTHDATE

EXP

COLLEGE

HS HOMETOWN

ACQUIRED

2 3 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

Donte Foster Blair Walsh Mike Kafka Teddy Bridgewater Taylor Heinicke Gavin Lutman Jordan Leslie Mike Wallace Charles Johnson Shaun Hill Stefon Diggs Isaac Fruechte DaVaris Daniels Jarius Wright Jeff Locke Adam Thielen DuJuan Harris Josh Robinson Harrison Smith Joe Banyard Captain Munnerlyn Jabari Price Trae Waynes Shaun Prater Adrian Peterson Xavier Rhodes Terence Newman Jerick McKinnon Antone Exum Jr. Andrew Sendejo Marcus Sherels Robert Blanton DeMarcus Van Dyke Justin Coleman Jalil Carter Edmond Robinson Anthony Harris Taylor Mays Dominique Williams Matt Asiata Brian Peters Cullen Loeffler Kevin McDermott Zach Line Blake Renaud Gerald Hodges Josh Kaddu

WR K QB QB QB WR WR WR WR QB WR WR WR WR P WR RB CB S RB CB CB CB CB RB CB CB RB S S CB S CB CB CB LB S S RB RB LB LS LS FB FB LB LB

6-1 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-2 5-7 5-10 6-2 5-10 5-9 5-11 6-0 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-10 5-9 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-11 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-3 5-9 6-0 6-3 6-5 6-5 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-3

193 192 230 210 214 206 204 200 217 220 191 202 201 180 203 195 206 199 214 205 195 200 186 190 217 210 197 208 219 200 175 200 185 185 205 245 183 225 205 234 235 241 250 233 246 243 245

11/10/90 1/8/90 7/25/87 11/10/92 3/15/93 3/27/91 10/31/91 8/1/86 2/27/89 1/9/80 11/29/93 3/7/91 12/18/92 11/25/89 9/27/89 8/22/90 9/3/88 1/8/91 2/2/89 11/12/88 4/10/88 8/31/92 7/25/92 10/27/89 3/21/85 6/19/90 9/4/78 5/3/92 2/27/91 9/9/87 9/30/87 9/7/89 1/17/89 3/27/93 7/18/89 2/23/92 10/9/91 2/7/88 9/2/90 7/24/87 10/31/88 1/27/81 1/12/90 4/26/90 10/6/92 1/17/91 3/12/90

1 4 4 2 R R R 7 3 14 R R R 4 3 2 5 4 4 3 7 2 R 4 9 3 13 2 2 5 5 4 4 R 1 R R 6 1 4 R 12 3 3 R 3 4

Ohio Georgia Northwestern Louisville Old Dominion Pittsburg State BYU Mississippi Grand Valley State Maryland Maryland Minnesota Notre Dame Arkansas UCLA Minnesota State Troy Central Florida Notre Dame Texas-El Paso South Carolina North Carolina Michigan State Iowa Oklahoma Florida State Kansas State Georgia Southern Virginia Tech Rice Minnesota Notre Dame Miami Tennessee Akron Newberry Virginia Southern California Wagner Utah Northwestern Texas UCLA SMU Boise State Penn State Oregon

Guthrie, OK Boca Raton, FL Chicago, IL Miami, FL Suwanee, GA Peculiar, MO Tomball, TX New Orleans, LA Erlanger, KY Parsons, KS Gaithersburg, MD Caledonia, MN Vernon Hills, IL Warren, AR Glendale, AZ Detroit Lakes, MN Brooksville, FL Sunrise, FL Knoxville, TN Sweetwater, TX Mobile, AL Pompano Beach, FL Kenosha, WI Omaha, NE Palestine, TX Miami, FL Salina, KS Marietta, GA Glen Allen, VA San Antonio, TX Rochester, MN Matthews, N.C. Miami, FL Brunswick, GA Toledo, OH Wadmalaw Island, SC Chesterfield, VA Seattle, WA Bridgeton, NJ Santa Ana, CA Pickerington, OH Ingram, TX Nashville, TN Oxford, MI Concord, CA Paulsboro, N.J. Vacaville, CA

UDFA ‘14 D6 ‘12 FA ‘15 D1b ‘14 UDFA ‘15 UDFA ‘15 UDFA ‘15 T (Mia.) ‘15 PS (Cle.) ‘14 FA ‘15 D5b ‘15 UDFA ‘15 UDFA ‘15 D4a ‘12 D5 ‘13 UDFA ‘13 FA ‘15 D3 ‘12 D1b ‘12 PS ‘12 FA ‘14 D7c ‘14 D1 ‘15 W (Phi.) ‘13 D1 ‘07 D1b ‘13 FA ‘15 D3b ‘14 D6a ‘14 FA ‘11 FA ‘10 D5 ‘12 FA ‘15 UDFA ‘15 FA ‘15 D7b ‘15 UDFA ‘15 UFA ‘15 UDFA ‘14 FA ‘12 UDFA ‘15 UDFA ‘04 FA ‘15 UDFA ‘13 UDFA ‘15 D4 ‘13 PS ‘14

38 • vikingupdate.com

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

NO.

NAME

POS

HT

WT

BIRTHDATE

EXP

COLLEGE

HS HOMETOWN

ACQUIRED

52 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 71 72 73 74 75 76 78 79 81 82 83 84 85 86 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Chad Greenway Eric Kendricks Anthony Barr Michael Mauti Audie Cole Brandon Watts Casey Matthews Carter Bykowski Joe Berger Chigbo Anunoby Tom Farniok Brandon Fusco Bob Vardaro John Sullivan David Yankey Zac Kerin T.J. Clemmings Babatunde Aiyegbusi Phil Loadholt Tyrus Thompson Sharrif Floyd Austin Shepherd Matt Kalil Isame Faciane Leon Mackey Mike Harris Brandon Bostick Kyle Rudolph MyCole Pruitt Cordarrelle Patterson Rhett Ellison Chase Ford B.J. Dubose Caesar Rayford Tom Johnson Shamar Stephen Justin Trattou Scott Crichton Brian Robison Everson Griffen Linval Joseph Danielle Hunter

LB LB LB LB LB LB LB T C DT C G G C G C T T T T DT G T G DE T TE TE TE WR TE TE DE DE DT DT DE DE DE DE DT DE

6-3 6-0 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-7 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-9 6-8 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-6 6-4 6-7 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-5

237 232 255 243 239 231 242 306 305 320 301 306 310 301 315 305 309 351 343 324 305 315 308 302 260 318 250 259 251 220 250 255 284 267 288 310 250 273 259 273 323 252

1/12/83 2/29/92 3/18/92 1/19/90 6/1/89 1/21/91 1/16/89 7/25/90 5/25/82 1/4/89 8/31/91 7/26/88 11/26/91 8/8/85 1/18/92 8/13/91 11/18/91 5/26/88 1/21/86 11/17/91 5/28/91 5/28/92 7/6/89 5/11/91 2/28/89 12/5/88 5/3/89 11/9/89 3/24/92 3/17/91 10/3/88 7/19/90 1/19/92 3/4/86 8/30/84 2/25/91 8/28/88 10/30/91 4/27/83 12/22/87 10/10/88 10/29/94

10 R 2 3 4 2 5 2 11 2 R 5 R 8 2 1 R R 7 R 3 R 4 1 R 4 3 5 R 3 4 3 R 2 5 2 4 2 9 6 6 R

Iowa UCLA UCLA Penn State NC State Georgia Tech Oregon Iowa State Michigan Tech Morehouse Iowa State Slippery Rock Boston College Notre Dame Stanford Toledo Pittsburgh None Oklahoma Oklahoma Florida Alabama Southern California Florida International Texas Tech UCLA Newberry Notre Dame Southern Illinois Tennessee Southern California Miami Louisville Washington Southern Mississippi Connecticut Florida Oregon State Texas Southern California East Carolina LSU

Mt. Vernon, SD D1 ‘06 Fresno, CA D2 ‘15 San Pedro, CA D1a ‘14 Mandeville, LA D7a ‘13 Monroe, MI D7a ‘12 Tennille, GA D7b ‘14 Westlake Village, CA UFA ‘15 Eden Prairie, MN PS (SF) ‘14 Newaygo, MI FA ‘11 Jefferson City, MO FA ‘15 Sioux Falls, SD UDFA ‘15 Cranberry Township, PA D6c ‘11 North Reading, MA UDFA ‘15 Old Greenwich, CT D6a ‘08 Roswell, GA D5 ‘14 Lewis Center, OH UDFA ‘14 Teaneck, NJ D4 ‘15 Olesnica, Poland UDFA ‘15 Fountain, CO D2 ‘09 Pflugerville, TX D6a ‘15 Philadelphia, PA D1a ‘13 Buford, GA D7a ‘15 Corona, CA D1a ‘12 Sidell, LA UDFA ‘14 Wilmington, DE UDFA ‘15 Duarte, CA W (SD) ‘14 Florence, S.C. W (GB) ‘15 Cincinnati, OH D2 ‘11 St. Louis, MO D5a ‘15 Rockhill, S.C. D1c ‘13 Portola Valley, CA D4b ‘12 Corrigan, TX PS ‘12 Oakland Park, FL D6b ‘15 Spanaway, WA FA ‘15 Moss Point, MS FA ‘14 Westbury, NY D7a ‘14 Ramsey, NJ FA ‘13 Tacoma, WA D3a ‘14 Splendora, TX D4 ‘07 Avondale, AZ D4 ‘10 Gainesville, FL FA ‘14 Katy, TX D3 ‘15

COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Mike Zimmer; Coordinators: George Edwards (Defensive Coordinator), Mike Priefer (Special Teams Coordinator),

Norv Turner (Offensive Coordinator); Assistants: Jeff Davidson (Offensive Line), Ryan Ficken (Assistant Special Teams), Hank Fraley (Assistant Offensive Line), Jonathan Gannon (Assistant Defensive Backs), Jerry Gray (Defensive Backs), Jeff Howard (Defensive Assistant), Jeff Hurd (Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach), Andrew Janocko (Quality Control - Offense), Evan Marcus (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Andre Patterson (Defensive Line), Drew Petzing (Assistant Wide Receivers), Robert Rodriguez (Assistant Defensive Line), Kevin Stefanski (Tight Ends), George Stewart (Wide Receivers), Scott Turner (Quarterbacks), Kirby Wilson (Running Backs), Adam Zimmer (Linebackers).

vikingupdate.com • 39

VIKINGS OFFSEASON DEPTH CHART

After a look at the rookies and how they were being used, here is our unofficial offseason depth chart for the Minnesota Vikings, along with their NFL experience.

OFFENSE QB:

5-Teddy Bridgewater (2), 13-Shaun Hill (14), 4-Mike Kafka (4), 16-Taylor Heinicke (R)

RB:

28-Adrian Peterson (9), 31-Jerick McKinnon (2), 44-Matt Asiata (4), 23-Joe Banyard (3), 20-DuJuan Harris (5), 43-Dominique Williams (1)

FB:

48-Zach Line (3), 49-Blake Renaud (R)

WR:

11-Mike Wallace (7), 84-Cordarrelle Patterson (3), 2-Donte Foster (1), 9-Jordan Leslie (R), 8-Gavin Lutman (R), Isaac Fruechte

WR:

12-Charles Johnson (3), 17-Jarius Wright (4), 14-Stefon Diggs (R), 19-Adam Thielen (2), 87-DaVaris Daniels (R)

TE:

82-Kyle Rudolph (5), 40-Rhett Ellison (4), 86-Chase Ford (3),

83-MyCole Pruitt (R), 81-Brandon Bostick (3)

LT:

75-Matt Kalil (4), 79-Mike Harris (4), 69-Aiyegbusi Babatunde (R)

LG:

61-Joe Berger (11), 66-David Yankey (2), 72-Tyrus Thompson (R), 64-Bobby Vardaro

C:

65-John Sullivan (8), 61-Joe Berger (11), 67-Zac Kerin (1), 62-Tom Farniok (R)

RG:

63-Brandon Fusco, 68-T.J. Clemmings (R)

RT:

71-Phil Loadholt (7), 60-Carter Bykowski (2), 74-Austin Shepherd (R)

DEFENSE LDE: 96-Brian Robison (9), 95-Scott Crichton (2), 90-B.J. DuBose (R),

94-Justin Trattou (4), 78-Leon Mackey (R)

NT:

98-Linval Joseph (6), 93-Shamar Stephen (2), 62-Chigbo Anunoby (2)

UT:

73-Sharrif Floyd (3), 92-Tom Johnson (5), 76-Isame Faciane (1)

RDE: 97-Everson Griffen (6), 99-Danielle Hunter (R), 91-Caesar Rayford (2) WLB: 52-Chad Greenway (10), 50-Gerald Hodges (3), 40-Edmond Robinson (R) MLB: 54-Eric Kendricks (R), 56-Audie Cole (4), 59-Casey Matthews (5), 56-Michael Mauti (3) SLB: 55-Anthony Barr (2), 58-Brandon Watts (2), 51-Josh Kaddu (4), 45-Brian Peters (R) LCB: 26-Trae Waynes (R), 24-Captain Munnerlyn (7), 21-Josh Robinson (4), 35-Marcus Sherels (5), 38-Justin Coleman (R), 37-DeMarcus Van Dyke (4) SS:

36-Robert Blanton (4), 32-Antone Exum (2), 42-Taylor Mays (6)

FS:

22-Harrison Smith (4), 34-Andrew Sendejo (5), 41-Anthony Harris (R)

RCB: 29-Xavier Rhodes (3), 30-Terrence Newman (13), 39-Jabari Price (2),

27-Shaun Prater (4), 39-Jalil Carter (1)

SPECIALISTS P:

18-Jeff Locke (3)

K:

3-Blair Walsh (4)

LS:

46-Cullen Loeffler (12), 47-Kevin McDermott (3)

H:

12-Jeff Locke (3)

KR:

84-Cordarrelle Patterson (3), 35-Marcus Sherels (5), 14-Stefon Diggs (R)

PR:

35-Marcus Sherels (5), 19-Adam Thielen (2) ,14-Stefon Diggs (R)

40 • vikingupdate.com

DATE

OPPONENT

TIME (CT)

TV

PRESEASON

Sun. Sat. Sat. Sat. Thu.

Aug. 9 Aug. 15 Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Sept. 3

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans

7 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

NBC KARE-11 KARE-11 KARE-11 KARE-11

REGULAR SEASON

Mon. Sept. 14 Sun. Sept. 20 Sun. Sept. 27 Sun. Oct. 4

Sun. Oct. 18 Sun. Oct. 25 Sun. Nov. 1 Sun. Nov. 8 Sun. Nov. 15 Sun. Nov. 22 Sun. Nov. 29 Sun. Dec. 6 Thu. Dec. 10 Sun. Dec. 20 Sun. Dec. 27 Sun. Jan. 3

at San Francisco 49ers Detroit Lions San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos BYE Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears St. Louis Rams at Oakland Raiders Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals Chicago Bears New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

9:20 p.m.

Noon Noon 3:25 p.m.

ESPN FOX CBS FOX

Noon Noon Noon Noon 3:05 p.m.

Noon Noon* Noon* 7:25 p.m.

Noon* Noon* Noon*

CBS FOX FOX FOX FOX FOX FOX FOX NFLN FOX FOX FOX

PLAYOFFS

VIKINGS SCHEDULE 2015

DAY

Wild Card Weekend Divisional Playoffs Conference Championships Super Bowl 50, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.

Jan. 9-10 Jan. 16-17 Jan. 24 Feb. 7

(Canton, OH)

* Game time subject to change/flexible scheduling.

vikingupdate.com • 41 Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

By Tom Speicher

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Jeff Dugan started preparing for life after football well before that became a reality, and that has paid dividends.

J

eff Dugan didn’t have many shifty moves on the field, but he was nimble enough to avoid “the Turk” for seven successful seasons as a Minnesota Viking. Each fall, Dugan relied on his versatility and dedication to the team to ward off the NFL’s version of the Grim Reaper. When “the Turk” finally nabbed him in 2011, Dugan reacted in a way befitting his laconic, matter-of-fact demeanor.

The rugged tight end and fullback summarized his feelings on that early September day by telling Twin Cities sports scribes, “In the end, the Reaper is going to come for everybody and it was just my time.”

His gridiron career did die that day, but Dugan’s life off the field has flourished.

After turning in his playbook, Dugan continued to hit the books at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he earned an MBA in 2012.

Today, Dugan is an investment associate with FBR Capital Markets, a component of FBR, an investment bank based in Washington, D.C. “I really enjoy what I’m doing,” says Dugan, 34, in a phone interview. “It’s a great first job out of school. I’m really happy I’m here.”

FBR Capital Markets provides investment banking, merger and acquisition advisory, institutional brokerage and research services. The company focuses on many sectors, ranging from energy and natural resources to technology, media and telecom.

“I have exposure to a lot of different things,” says Dugan, who resides in Annapolis, Md., with his wife Lisa and their three kids.

“It requires a lot of reading to stay current. It’s very dynamic. Always have to learn new things, develop new skills.”

Some skills essential for football success transfer to his current role. Dugan just wears a shirt and tie instead of a helmet and shoulder pads.

“Football teaches you work ethic and teamwork,” he says. “If you work hard, listen and do what you’re supposed to do, you will go as far as your potential can take you.”

Thanks to the fluctuating financial climate he encounters daily, Dugan feels pressure as an investment associate. But it’s not nearly as intense as his days in the NFL crunching middle linebackers and seeking head-on collisions while racing down the field on special teams.

“You have more time to think about things and do the work that is necessary to come to a successful conclusion,” he says. “If I have a bad day now, I know I still have a job tomorrow. If you have a bad day in the NFL, you’re lucky to have a job the next week. At least that’s the way it was for me. I was very replaceable.”

42 • vikingupdate.com

Tom Dahlin/Getty Images

vikingupdate.com • 43

“YOU JUST WANT TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A TEAM AND CONTRIBUTE. YOU JUST TAKE IT DAY BY DAY,” JEFF DUGAN SAYS. “YOU HANG IN THERE, DO YOUR BEST AND SEE WHERE THE CHIPS FALL. IT’S HARD NOT TO THINK BIG-PICTURE LONG-TERM, BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO THINK ONE DAY AT A TIME.” A 2004 seventh-round pick out of the University of Maryland, where he played with future Minnesota teammates E.J. Henderson and Shaun Hill, Dugan had no guarantees he would make the Vikings’ talented roster. Only an inexplicable last-second collapse against the Arizona Cardinals in the 2003 season finale kept the 9-7 Vikings out of the postseason.

“You just want to be in a situation where you can make a team and contribute.

You just take it day by day,” he says. “You hang in there, do your best and see where the chips fall. It’s hard not to think big-picture long-term, but you just have to think one day at a time.”

Dugan’s methodical approach worked. The All-ACC second-team selection stuck with Minnesota as a reserve tight end with a twist. He also had to learn to play fullback.

The Vikings during the Mike Tice era didn’t employ a pure fullback. Instead, the team relied on versatile tight ends like Jim Kleinsasser to fulfill that role.

A tight end since his days at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, the alma mater of Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, Dugan had to learn new responsibilities.

“As a fullback, you have to see the whole picture and see how things fit together more,” he says. “In college, we ran a pretty complex scheme, so while fullback was an adjustment for me, it wasn’t French.”

An early-season injury to Kleinsasser resulted in extensive playing time for the rookie during the Vikings’ topsy-turvy season. Minnesota lost seven of its final 10 games to stumble into the playoffs with an 8-8 mark before stunning Green Bay, 31-17, at Lambeau Field in the first round.

“Daunte (Culpepper) was playing lights-out that year and the offense was clicking,” Dugan says. “It was just a matter of trying to put it all together at the right time.”

Dugan relished his playing time, but admits he never lobbied to carry the ball when he lined up at fullback.

“I didn’t mind it, but it wasn’t my favorite thing to do,” he says with a chuckle.

During his career, Dugan carried 11 times for 23 yards.

Kleinsasser’s return to health in 2005 sent Dugan back to the bench. The Vikings activated him for just one game that year.

“They only kept three tight ends up, and I was the odd man out,” he says. “I spent most of that year playing fullback on the scout team. I was just happy to be around and contribute when called upon.”

That season vividly reinforced the tenuous nature of NFL employment. Dugan responded in the offseason by enrolling in the league’s executive education program focusing on entrepreneurship and business management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Since his college days interning at Morgan Stanley, Dugan knew a financial career would be in his future. It was just a matter of when. He graduated from Maryland with a double major in business and finance.

“It’s always moving. Tomorrow is not like today or the following day,” Dugan says in explaining his interest in the financial field. “There’s a lot of thought required. You have to connect the dots, and I find that interesting.”

The executive education program at the Wharton School and the following offseason at the Harvard Business School exposed him to the “nuts and bolts” of the financial sector. Dugan remains grateful for that opportunity.

“If players care and they are interested in preparing for what’s next, the NFL and the NFL Players Association offer great tools that a player can use,” he says.

“They are at your disposal if you want to put the time in.”

Dugan’s playing time with the Vikings expanded in 2006 under new head coach Brad Childress, hired to replace the fired Tice. The Vikings had signed a true fullback, Tony Richardson, to block for free-agent acquisition Chester Taylor, but an injury to Richardson meant more action for Dugan at fullback.

“Playing fullback absolutely helped my longevity,” Dugan says. “It probably doubled my career. Even growing up, I wasn’t a big factor in catching a lot of passes. I’ve always enjoyed the one-on-one battle more when it’s supremely obvious if you won or lost. If you lost, the play didn’t work.”

With Dugan helping to pave the way, Taylor’s first season in Minnesota was the lone bright spot in a rather dismal 6-10 campaign. Taylor rushed for 1,216 yards,

44 • vikingupdate.com

at the time the fourth-highest, single-season rushing total in Vikings history.

“He had a great year,” Dugan says. “He could run the ball well, catch it out of the backfield. He was a professional. Then Adrian was available the next year, and he was still a valuable part of the team.”

“Adrian,” of course, is Adrian Peterson, the Vikings’ top pick in 2007 who in short order would become the club’s all-time leading rusher.

Asked if he knew Peterson was special when the rookie first stepped on the sun-baked Mankato practice field, Dugan didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah. You could tell that things that other people try really hard to do, he did second-nature. He played at a different speed. It could almost screw you up when watching other guys because you started to think his speed was normal, but it wasn’t.”

Peterson’s scintillating rookie season included an NFL single-game record 296 yards versus the San Diego Chargers. By the next season, he was the NFL rushing champion with 1,760 yards. Minnesota went 8-8 and 10-6 in Peterson’s first two seasons but lacked a key ingredient to be a true Super Bowl contender: a quarterback.

Enter future Hall of Famer Brett Favre. The Packers legend came out of retirement in mid-August 2009 to join his longtime arch enemy. Dugan was glad to see the gunslinger trade his Packers yellow for Vikings purple.

Favre’s dedication to studying and attention to detail impressed Dugan.

“It was the pride he took in the little things away from the field,” Dugan says.

“With the knowledge he had playing so many years in the same offense, it was like falling out of bed for him.”

The quarterback gamble paid off for Dugan and his Minnesota teammates.

Favre enjoyed the best season of his illustrious career, throwing for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns in leading the Vikings to a 12-4 record and a date in the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints.

Painful images from that classic contest are embedded in the minds of all in Purple Nation: Favre, battered and bruised, yet gamely staying in the contest.

The offense racing up and down the field at will only to self-destruct with five turnovers. The Vikings on the edge of winning field-goal range in the waning seconds of regulation only to be thwarted by a 12-men-in-the-huddle penalty.

Favre responding on the next play by forcing an ill-advised pass, resulting in an interception and a trip to overtime, where the Saints would prevail 31-28.

The Vikings’ first trip to the Super Bowl since the 1976 season would have to wait.

“I try not to think about the game,” Dugan says. “The frustrating part is that we had a very good team and a lot of what hurt us was self-inflicted. There are no do-overs. Still, that season was a great experience.”

Dugan enjoyed one more season in the NFL before the “Reaper” made its dreaded appearance at the end of the 2011 training camp. The drafting of Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph in the second round made Dugan expendable. His career closed with 79 games played, 27 receptions and three touchdowns.

“You know the realities of the NFL and how it works,” Dugan says. “If you’re not an All-Pro, you can always be replaced. It’s inevitable. The way I looked at it was that I was 30 years old and had just played seven years in the NFL. It’s hard to feel sorry for someone in that situation.”

Losing 50-plus teammates proved to be the biggest adjustment for Dugan.

“You’re around these people for seven years and they are your buddies,” he says. “I miss the camaraderie and everyone working toward one goal. That cliché is real. It’s hard to duplicate that.”

However, there was one benefit to his forced NFL retirement: Dugan could concentrate more on his studies at Northwestern. He started the MBA program part-time during the 2009 offseason. A typical Tuesday required him to work out at Winter Park, catch a 2:30 p.m. flight to Chicago, sit through a class from 6-9 p.m. and then hustle for a return flight at 10:30 p.m.

“I just worked around things,” he says.

As an active player, Dugan anticipated that it would take five years to obtain his MBA. Leaving football allowed him to graduate two years earlier and jumpstart his post-football life at an age when some adults are still trying to figure out what they want to do.

Blessed with a loving family, good health and a promising financial career, Dugan realizes that life goes on and can be great despite the “Reaper.”

“I’m fortunate for sure,” he says.

EXTRA POINTS W/JEFF DUGAN On the linebacker who hit the hardest …

“Ernie Sims in Detroit. He was a short linebacker who had a pop to him.”

On a player he hated to face …

“Julius Peppers. You just knew you were in for a long day. You hoped to slow him down. There weren’t a lot of people who could stop him.”

On the big difference between Brad Childress and Mike Tice …

“Coach Childress was more regimented. It was more of a college atmosphere. There was more structure.”

On watching the NFL today …

“The Ravens and Redskins are the big thing here, and I don’t care much for them. Still to this day, if a Vikings, Bears or Packers game is on, I will sit there and watch the whole thing. I can relate to it a lot more.”

On Minnesota …

“I enjoyed my time in Minnesota. It’s a great place with nice people and the Vikings are a great organization.”

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

vikingupdate.com • 45

By Don Westphal

IN

a league that seems to be more pass-oriented every season, one defensive penalty seems to be scrutinized on an increasing percentage by fans—pass interference. What do the fans think?

We checked, they answered.

Fan Forum Question:

“Do officials call defensive pass interference too much?”

“That’s a tough question. Of course, when they call it against our defensive backs I think they’re being too strict. But I love it when we’re on offense. I think overall the refs do such a good job and I don’t know how they do it. You watch and you see the player’s reaction and I don’t know who is grabbing who. I’ve never felt one way or the other, but I know I do like to see offensive football and the rules that favor the offense.”

– Derek Jensen, Bloomington, Minn.

“My thinking is it’s a tough area to call. It’s one of those grey areas. The refs do the best they possibly can each and every game. I’ll leave it up to the professionals to do their job.”

– Sam Hendricks, Council Bluffs, Iowa

46 • vikingupdate.com

“I think they call it a little bit too much. It’s a passheavy league and if they’d call pass interference a little bit more that would shut down a team’s passing game and then things would switch a little bit more to the run, making things more balanced. As a fan, I’d find that a little more fun to watch.”

– Sam Olson, Minneapolis, Minn.

“Yes. It’s supposedly a physical sport, but you have rules on hand checking and playing for position. If both players have the right to go for the ball, it just seems to me that the defensive backs seem to be handcuffed by the rules.”

– Lance Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa “I’m OK with how it’s being called right now. If the refs didn’t get on how much the defensive players hold, clutch and grab away from the line of scrimmage, you wouldn’t see much beyond 5- or 7-yard routes by the receivers.”

– Jen Woodrum, Albert Lea, Minn.

“Sometimes I don’t think they call it enough. It’s amazing when you’re home watching the games on TV and you see how much the guys in the defensive secondary are always pulling on the receivers down the field and when the ball is in the air. That said, watching at home gives us the benefit of replays and for the officials to have to make those calls during

live action is nearly impossible. However, I’m not calling for more replays. The games are long enough the way it is and I think the refs do a pretty awesome job given everything they have to watch for.”

– Robert Hager, Eagan, Minn.

“I think the balance of how pass interference is called right now is pretty good. You have to let the guys get out there and play. There is going to be contact here and there and the last thing I want is to have a whistle being blown on every other passing play. It’s almost like that in some games right now.”

– Robby Lloyd, Bemidji, Minn.

“To me, it’s right about where it needs to be. Maybe they could call it a little less and let them play. It still seems at times it gets a little ticky-tacky.”

– Rick Elkington, Maple Grove, Minn.

“I don’t think they call it enough, but I’d have to admit it kind of depends on what team the Vikings are playing to tell you the truth.”

– Gary Etter, Eden Prairie, Minn.

“I think pass interference gets called too much. I understand the intent of the push-off rule but they need to let the players bump a little bit and fight for the ball. It’s football after all.”

– Bryan Schaffler, North Mankato, Minn.

Are Vikings fans fed up with pass interference penalties? The answers might surprise you.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

“I don’t think it’s called too much, but there seems to be too much inconsistency with what some officials see as pass interference and then the next week hardly anything gets called.”

– Tim Meyer, Plymouth, Minn.

“I think the rules are pretty tough on the defense right now, and unfortunately there seems to be a lot of politics involved. There are more high-profile athletes on the offensive side today and they are going to get the calls. There is also a lot of acting involved. I’d like to see it reviewable at some point.”

– Chris Fritzke, St. Paul, Minn.

“I’m fine with the blend of officiating on those calls.

There seems to be a decent amount of balance to those plays and both sides of the ball seem to get calls from the officials. When that ball is in the air, both the offensive and defensive players should be able to make a play on it and I think we have that right now.”

– Paul Thompson, Minneapolis, Minn.

“The officials should be a little bit softer on those calls and let the players play a little bit more. It would make the game more exciting to me if I saw the ball up in the air and knew that each of the players could legitimately fight for possession without the fear of a flag coming out.”

– Jamie Mussell, Plainview, Minn.

“I think they call pass interference too much. All those penalties take too much time. Those flags really slow the game up.”

– Tony Garcia, Worthington, Minn.

“I think the defensive players are handcuffed a little too much and it should be called a little less.

The game would flow much better if they’d give the players more of a chance to play their position and keep the flags in their pockets.”

– James Fischer, Rock Island, Ill. “I think they call pass interference a little too much.

Those flags can change the game really quickly.

Honestly, there are games where you can have a nice lead and then all of a sudden the opposition throws a deep ball and you get a junk interference call and the game turns around pretty fast.”

– Jordan Marquardt, Silver Bay, Minn.

“I don’t think they call it enough most of the time. As a Viking fan, I think we get the raw end of the deal most of the time. It just seems to be a little too consistent.”

– Lisa Gardner, Minneapolis, Minn.

“I think they call it too much. The game isn’t played in the manner that it used to be played. Everything seems to be too regulated in terms of types of plays and what you can or can’t do. I know a lot of the rules are for safety reasons. But it’s really taken a lot

of the true talent out of the game with all the rules the players have to deal with.”

– Dan Marxer, Burnsville, Minn.

“It should be called more. I think a lot of the defensive backs get away with way too much in terms of how they get involved with the play of the receivers.”

– Matt Barnett, Lincoln, Neb. “You get that 5-yard cushion, but even with that I think they call it a little too much. There seems to be times they call it even if there is incidental contact going down the field. If they’d loosen that up a little bit it would be better for the game of football. You’re going to have contact at times. Obviously, there are times when the contact is so great that it disrupts the receiver from getting to the ball even though they both have a priority to it. But the officials need to let more of the incidental stuff go.”

– Jake Brown, Woodbury, Minn.

“It’s way too inconsistent. I’d like to see the game called a little freer and let the players play. The thing that drives me nuts is the phantom calls and then the blatant ones never get called.”

– Tina Otto, Rochester, Minn.

“The refs call way too much hand checking right now. It slows the game down and the defensive backs need to be given the ability to break up a pass.”

– Alan Moore, Winnipeg, MB

vikingupdate.com • 47

NFL TEAM

SCHEDULES X-SUBJECT TO CHANGE ALL TIMES CENTRAL AMERICAN CONFERENCE BALTIMORE RAVENS Sept. 13 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 Cincinnati, noon Oct. 1 at Pittsburgh, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 Cleveland, noon Oct. 18 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Arizona, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 San Diego, noon Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 Jacksonville, noon Nov. 22 St. Louis, noon Nov. 30 at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 at Miami, noon Dec. 13 Seattle-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 Kansas City, noon Dec. 27 Pittsburgh-x, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Cincinnati, noon BUFFALO BILLS Sept. 13 Indianapolis, noon Sept. 20 New England, noon Sept. 27 at Miami, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 N.Y. Giants, noon Oct. 11 at Tennessee, noon Oct. 18 Cincinnati, noon Oct. 25 vs Jacksonville at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 Miami, noon Nov. 12 at N.Y. Jets, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 23 at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Kansas City, noon Dec. 6 Houston, noon Dec. 13 at Philadelphia, noon Dec. 20 at Washington, noon Dec. 27 Dallas, noon Jan. 3 N.Y. Jets, noon CINCINNATI BENGALS Sept. 13 at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 San Diego, noon Sept. 27 at Baltimore, noon Oct. 4 Kansas City, noon Oct. 11 Seattle, noon Oct. 18 at Buffalo, noon Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 at Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 5 Cleveland, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 16 Houston, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 29 St. Louis, noon Dec. 6 at Cleveland, noon Dec. 13 Pittsburgh, noon Dec. 20 at San Francisco-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28 at Denver, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 Baltimore, noon CLEVELAND BROWNS Sept. 13 at N.Y. Jets, noon Sept. 20 Tennessee, noon Sept. 27 Oakland, noon Oct. 4 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Baltimore, noon

48 • vikingupdate.com

Oct. 18 Denver, noon Oct. 25 at St. Louis, noon Nov. 1 Arizona, noon Nov. 5 at Cincinnati, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 30 Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 Cincinnati, noon Dec. 13 San Francisco, noon Dec. 20 at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Kansas City, noon Jan. 3 Pittsburgh, noon DENVER BRONCOS Sept. 13 Baltimore, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Kansas City, 7:25 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 Minnesota, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Cleveland, noon Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 Green Bay-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 15 Kansas City, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Chicago, noon Nov. 29 New England-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 28 Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

HOUSTON TEXANS Sept. 13 Kansas City, noon Sept. 20 at Carolina, noon Sept. 27 Tampa Bay, noon Oct. 4 at Atlanta, noon Oct. 8 Indianapolis, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Jacksonville, noon Oct. 25 at Miami, noon Nov. 1 Tennessee, noon Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 16 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 N.Y. Jets, noon Nov. 29 New Orleans, noon Dec. 6 at Buffalo, noon Dec. 13 New England, noon Dec. 20 at Indianapolis, noon Dec. 27 at Tennessee, noon Jan. 3 Jacksonville, noon INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Sept. 13 at Buffalo, noon Sept. 21 N.Y. Jets, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Tennessee, noon Oct. 4 Jacksonville, noon Oct. 8 at Houston, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 New England-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 New Orleans, noon Nov. 2 at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 at Atlanta, noon Nov. 29 Tampa Bay, noon Dec. 6 at Pittsburgh-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Jacksonville, noon Dec. 20 Houston, noon Dec. 27 at Miami, noon Jan. 3 Tennessee, noon JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Sept. 13 Carolina, noon Sept. 20 Miami, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 at New England, noon Oct. 4 at Indianapolis, noon Oct. 11 at Tampa Bay, noon Oct. 18 Houston, noon Oct. 25 vs Buffalo at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at N.Y. Jets, noon Nov. 15 at Baltimore, noon Nov. 19 Tennessee, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 San Diego, noon Dec. 6 at Tennessee, noon Dec. 13 Indianapolis, noon Dec. 20 Atlanta, noon Dec. 27 at New Orleans, noon Jan. 3 at Houston, noon KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Sept. 13 at Houston, noon Sept. 17 Denver, 7:25 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Cincinnati, noon Oct. 11 Chicago, noon Oct. 18 at Minnesota, noon Oct. 25 Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 1 vs. Detroit at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 at San Diego-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 Buffalo, noon Dec. 6 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 San Diego, noon Dec. 20 at Baltimore, noon Dec. 27 Cleveland, noon Jan. 3 Oakland, noon MIAMI DOLPHINS Sept. 13 at Washington, noon Sept. 20 at Jacksonville, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 Buffalo, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. N.Y. Jets at London, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 at Tennessee, noon Oct. 25 Houston, noon Oct. 29 at New England, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Buffalo, noon Nov. 15 at Philadelphia, noon Nov. 22 Dallas, noon Nov. 29 at N.Y. Jets, noon Dec. 6 Baltimore, noon Dec. 14 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 at San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 Indianapolis, noon Jan. 3 New England, noon NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Sept. 10 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Buffalo, noon Sept. 27 Jacksonville, noon Oct. 4 BYE Oct. 11 at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Indianapolis-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 N.Y. Jets, noon Oct. 29 Miami, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 Washington, noon Nov. 15 at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 23 Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Houston, noon Dec. 20 Tennessee, noon Dec. 27 at N.Y. Jets, noon Jan. 3 at Miami, noon N.Y. JETS Sept. 13 Cleveland, noon Sept. 21 at Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 Philadelphia, noon Oct. 4 vs. Miami at London, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 Washington, noon Oct. 25 at New England, noon Nov. 1 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 8 Jacksonville, noon

Nov. 12 Buffalo, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Houston, noon Nov. 29 Miami, noon Dec. 6 at N.Y. Giants, noon Dec. 13 Tennessee, noon Dec. 19 at Dallas, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 New England, noon Jan. 3 at Buffalo, noon OAKLAND RAIDERS Sept. 13 Cincinnati, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 Baltimore, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Cleveland, noon Oct. 4 at Chicago, noon Oct. 11 Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 1 N.Y. Jets, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Pittsburgh, noon Nov. 15 Minnesota, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Detroit, noon Nov. 29 at Tennessee, noon Dec. 6 Kansas City, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 20 Green Bay, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 24 San Diego, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Kansas City, noon PITTSBURGH STEELERS Sept. 10 at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 San Francisco, noon Sept. 27 at St. Louis, noon Oct. 1 Baltimore, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 12 at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 Arizona, noon Oct. 25 at Kansas City, noon Nov. 1 Cincinnati, noon Nov. 8 Oakland, noon Nov. 15 Cleveland, noon Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 29 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 6 Indianapolis-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Cincinnati, noon Dec. 20 Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Cleveland, noon SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Sept. 13 Detroit, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Cincinnati, noon Sept. 27 at Minnesota, noon Oct. 4 Cleveland, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 12 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Baltimore, noon Nov. 9 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 Kansas City-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Jacksonville, noon Dec. 6 Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Kansas City, noon Dec. 20 Miami, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 24 at Oakland, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

TENNESSEE TITANS Sept. 13 at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Cleveland, noon Sept. 27 Indianapolis, noon Oct. 4 BYE Oct. 11 Buffalo, noon Oct. 18 Miami, noon Oct. 25 Atlanta, noon Nov. 1 at Houston, noon Nov. 8 at New Orleans, noon Nov. 15 Carolina, noon Nov. 19 at Jacksonville, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 Oakland, noon Dec. 6 Jacksonville, noon Dec. 13 at N.Y. Jets, noon Dec. 20 at New England, noon Dec. 27 Houston, noon Jan. 3 at Indianapolis, noon

Nov. 26 at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 San Francisco, noon Dec. 13 Washington, noon Dec. 20 at Minnesota, noon Dec. 27 at Tampa Bay, noon Jan. 3 Detroit, noon

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

DALLAS COWBOYS Sept. 13 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 27 Atlanta, noon Oct. 4 at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 New England, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 Philadelphia-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 at Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 22 at Miami, noon Nov. 26 Carolina, 3:30p Dec. 7 at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 19 N.Y. Jets, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Buffalo, noon Jan. 3 Washington, noon

ARIZONA CARDINALS Sept. 13 New Orleans, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Chicago, noon Sept. 27 San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 4 St. Louis, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Detroit, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Pittsburgh, noon Oct. 26 Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Cleveland, noon Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 at Seattle-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 Cincinnati, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 29 at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 6 at St. Louis, noon Dec. 10 Minnesota, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Philadelphia, noon Dec. 27 Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

ATLANTA FALCONS Sept. 14 Philadelphia, 6:10 p.m.

Sept. 20 at N.Y. Giants, noon Sept. 27 at Dallas, noon Oct. 4 Houston, noon Oct. 11 Washington, noon Oct. 15 at New Orleans, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Tennessee, noon Nov. 1 Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 8 at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 Indianapolis, noon Nov. 29 Minnesota, noon Dec. 6 at Tampa Bay, noon Dec. 13 at Carolina, noon Dec. 20 at Jacksonville, noon Dec. 27 Carolina, noon Jan. 3 New Orleans, noon CAROLINA PANTHERS Sept. 13 at Jacksonville, noon Sept. 20 Houston, noon Sept. 27 New Orleans, noon Oct. 4 at Tampa Bay, noon Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 25 Philadelphia-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 Green Bay, noon Nov. 15 at Tennessee, noon Nov. 22 Washington, noon Nov. 26 at Dallas, 3:30p Dec. 6 at New Orleans, noon Dec. 13 Atlanta, noon Dec. 20 at N.Y. Giants, noon Dec. 27 at Atlanta, noon Jan. 3 Tampa Bay, noon CHICAGO BEARS Sept. 13 Green Bay, noon Sept. 20 Arizona, noon Sept. 27 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 Oakland, noon Oct. 11 at Kansas City, noon Oct. 18 at Detroit, noon Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 Minnesota, noon Nov. 9 at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 at St. Louis, noon Nov. 22 Denver, noon

DETROIT LIONS Sept. 13 at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Minnesota, noon Sept. 27 Denver, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 18 Chicago, noon Oct. 25 Minnesota, noon Nov. 1 vs. Kansas City at London, 8:30 a.m.

Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 at Green Bay, noon Nov. 22 Oakland, noon Nov. 26 Philadelphia, 11:30a.m.

Dec. 3 Green Bay, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 at St. Louis, noon Dec. 21 at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 San Francisco, noon Jan. 3 at Chicago, noon GREEN BAY PACKERS Sept. 13 at Chicago, noon Sept. 20 Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 St. Louis, noon Oct. 18 San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 BYE Nov. 1 at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Carolina, noon Nov. 15 Detroit, noon Nov. 22 at Minnesota, noon Nov. 26 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3 at Detroit, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 Minnesota, noon MINNESOTA VIKINGS Sept. 14 at San Francisco, 9:20 p.m.

Sept. 20 Detroit, noon Sept. 27 San Diego, noon Oct. 4 at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 BYE Oct. 18 Kansas City, noon Oct. 25 at Detroit, noon Nov. 1 at Chicago, noon Nov. 8 St. Louis, noon Nov. 15 at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 22 Green Bay, noon Nov. 29 at Atlanta, noon Dec. 6 Seattle, noon

Dec. 10 at Arizona, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 20 Chicago, noon Dec. 27 N.Y. Giants, noon Jan. 3 at Green Bay, noon NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Sept. 13 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Sept. 20 Tampa Bay, noon Sept. 27 at Carolina, noon Oct. 4 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Philadelphia, noon Oct. 15 Atlanta, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Indianapolis, noon Nov. 1 N.Y. Giants, noon Nov. 8 Tennessee, noon Nov. 15 at Washington, noon Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 29 at Houston, noon Dec. 6 Carolina, noon Dec. 13 at Tampa Bay, noon Dec. 21 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 Jacksonville, noon Jan. 3 at Atlanta, noon N.Y. GIANTS Sept. 13 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 Atlanta, noon Sept. 24 Washington, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Buffalo, noon Oct. 11 San Francisco-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 at New Orleans, noon Nov. 8 at Tampa Bay, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 New England, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 22 BYE Nov. 29 at Washington, noon Dec. 6 N.Y. Jets, noon Dec. 14 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 Carolina, noon Dec. 27 at Minnesota, noon Jan. 3 Philadelphia, noon PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Sept. 14 at Atlanta, 6:10p Sept. 20 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 27 at N.Y. Jets, noon Oct. 4 at Washington, noon Oct. 11 New Orleans, noon Oct. 19 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Carolina-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at Dallas-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 Miami, noon Nov. 22 Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 26 at Detroit, 11:30a.m.

Dec. 6 at New England, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 13 Buffalo, noon Dec. 20 Arizona, noon Dec. 26 Washington, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at N.Y. Giants, noon ST. LOUIS RAMS Sept. 13 Seattle, noon Sept. 20 at Washington, noon Sept. 27 Pittsburgh, noon Oct. 4 at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Green Bay, noon Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 Cleveland, noon Nov. 1 San Francisco, noon Nov. 8 at Minnesota, noon Nov. 15 Chicago, noon Nov. 22 at Baltimore, noon Nov. 29 at Cincinnati, noon Dec. 6 Arizona, noon Dec. 13 Detroit, noon Dec. 17 Tampa Bay, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Sept. 14 Minnesota, 9:20 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Pittsburgh, noon Sept. 27 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 4 Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 11 at N.Y. Giants-x, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 Baltimore, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 22 Seattle, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 at St. Louis, noon Nov. 8 Atlanta, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 BYE Nov. 22 at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 6 at Chicago, noon Dec. 13 at Cleveland, noon Dec. 20 Cincinnati-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Detroit, noon Jan. 3 St. Louis, 3:25 p.m.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Sept. 13 at St. Louis, noon Sept. 20 at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 Chicago, 3:25 p.m.

Oct. 5 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Cincinnati, noon Oct. 18 Carolina, 3:05 p.m.

Oct. 22 at San Francisco, 7:25 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 8 BYE Nov. 15 Arizona-x, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Nov. 29 Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

Dec. 6 at Minnesota, noon Dec. 13 at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 Cleveland, 3:05 p.m.

Dec. 27 St. Louis, 3:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Sept. 13 Tennessee, 3:25 p.m.

Sept. 20 at New Orleans, noon Sept. 27 at Houston, noon Oct. 4 Carolina, noon Oct. 11 Jacksonville, noon Oct. 18 BYE Oct. 25 at Washington, noon Nov. 1 at Atlanta, noon Nov. 8 N.Y. Giants, 3:05 p.m.

Nov. 15 Dallas, noon Nov. 22 at Philadelphia, noon Nov. 29 at Indianapolis, noon Dec. 6 Atlanta, noon Dec. 13 New Orleans, noon Dec. 17 at St. Louis, 7:25 p.m.

Dec. 27 Chicago, noon Jan. 3 at Carolina, noon WASHINGTON REDSKINS Sept. 13 Miami, noon Sept. 20 St. Louis, noon Sept. 24 at N.Y. Giants, 7:25 p.m.

Oct. 4 Philadelphia, noon Oct. 11 at Atlanta, noon Oct. 18 at N.Y. Jets, noon Oct. 25 Tampa Bay, noon Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at New England, noon Nov. 15 New Orleans, noon Nov. 22 at Carolina, noon Nov. 29 N.Y. Giants, noon Dec. 7 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 at Chicago, noon Dec. 20 Buffalo, noon Dec. 26 at Philadelphia, 7:25 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Dallas, noon

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NFL WEEKLY

SCHEDULES REGULAR SEASON (X-SUBJECT TO CHANGE) WEEK ONE

Thursday, Sept. 10 Pittsburgh at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 13 Indianapolis at Buffalo, noon Green Bay at Chicago, noon Kansas City at Houston, noon Carolina at Jacksonville, noon Cleveland at N.Y. Jets, noon Seattle at St. Louis, noon Miami at Washington, noon New Orleans at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Detroit at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Cincinnati at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 14 Philadelphia at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota at San Francisco, 9:20 p.m.

WEEK TWO

Thursday, Sept. 17 Denver at Kansas City, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 20 New England at Buffalo, noon Houston at Carolina, noon Arizona at Chicago, noon San Diego at Cincinnati, noon Tennessee at Cleveland, noon Detroit at Minnesota, noon Tampa Bay at New Orleans, noon Atlanta at N.Y. Giants, noon San Francisco at Pittsburgh, noon St. Louis at Washington, noon Miami at Jacksonville, 3:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Seattle at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 21 N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK THREE

Thursday, Sept. 24 Washington at N.Y. Giants, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 27 Cincinnati at Baltimore, noon New Orleans at Carolina, noon Oakland at Cleveland, noon Atlanta at Dallas, noon Tampa Bay at Houston, noon San Diego at Minnesota, noon Jacksonville at New England, noon Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets, noon Pittsburgh at St. Louis, noon Indianapolis at Tennessee, noon San Francisco at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Buffalo at Miami, 3:25 p.m.

Chicago at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Denver at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 28 Kansas City at Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK FOUR

(Byes: Tennessee, New England) Thursday, Oct. 1 Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 4 N.Y. Jets vs. Miami at London, 8:30 a.m.

Houston at Atlanta, noon N.Y. Giants at Buffalo, noon Oakland at Chicago, noon Kansas City at Cincinnati, noon Jacksonville at Indianapolis, noon Carolina at Tampa Bay, noon Philadelphia at Washington, noon Cleveland at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Minnesota at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Dallas at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

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Monday, Oct. 5 Detroit at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK FIVE

(Byes: Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, N.Y. Jets) Thursday, Oct. 8 Indianapolis at Houston, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11 Washington at Atlanta, noon Cleveland at Baltimore, noon Seattle at Cincinnati, noon St. Louis at Green Bay, noon Chicago at Kansas City, noon New Orleans at Philadelphia, noon Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, noon Buffalo at Tennessee, noon Arizona at Detroit, 3:05 p.m.

New England at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Denver at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

San Francisco at N.Y. Giants-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 12 Pittsburgh at San Diego , 7:30 p.m.

WEEK SIX

(Byes: Dallas, Oakland, St. Louis, Tampa Bay) Thursday, Oct. 15 Atlanta at New Orleans , 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 18 Cincinnati at Buffalo, noon Denver at Cleveland, noon Chicago at Detroit, noon Houston at Jacksonville, noon Kansas City at Minnesota, noon Washington at N.Y. Jets, noon Arizona at Pittsburgh, noon Miami at Tennessee, noon Carolina at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

San Diego at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Baltimore San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

New England at Indianapolis-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 19 N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK SEVEN

(Byes: Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay) Thursday, Oct. 22 Seattle at San Francisco , 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 25 Buffalo vs. Jacksonville at London, 8:30 a.m.

Minnesota at Detroit, noon New Orleans at Indianapolis, noon Pittsburgh at Kansas City, noon Houston at Miami, noon N.Y. Jets at New England, noon Cleveland at St. Louis, noon Atlanta at Tennessee, noon Tampa Bay at Washington, noon Oakland at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Philadelphia at Carolina-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 26 Baltimore at Arizona , 7:30 p.m.

WEEK EIGHT

(Byes: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Washington) Thursday, Oct. 29 Miami at New England , 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 Detroit vs Kansas City at London, 8:30 a.m.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta, noon San Diego at Baltimore, noon Minnesota at Chicago, noon Arizona at Cleveland, noon Tennessee at Houston, noon N.Y. Giants at New Orleans, noon Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, noon San Francisco at St. Louis, noon N.Y. Jets at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Seattle at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 2 Indianapolis at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK NINE

(Byes: Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Seattle) Thursday, Nov. 5 Cleveland at Cincinnati, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8 Miami at Buffalo, noon Green Bay at Carolina, noon St. Louis at Minnesota, noon Washington at New England, noon Tennessee at New Orleans, noon Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets, noon Oakland at Pittsburgh, noon Atlanta at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay, 3:05 p.m.

Denver at Indianapolis, 3:25 p.m.

Philadelphia at Dallas-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 9 Chicago at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 10

(Byes: Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Diego, San Francisco) Thursday, Nov. 12 Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15 Jacksonville at Baltimore, noon Detroit at Green Bay, noon Miami at Philadelphia, noon Cleveland at Pittsburgh, noon Chicago at St. Louis, noon Dallas at Tampa Bay, noon Carolina at Tennessee, noon New Orleans at Washington, noon Minnesota at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

New England at N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.

Arizona at Seattle-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 16 Houston at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 11

(Byes: Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Giants, Pittsburgh) Thursday, Nov. 19 Tennessee at Jacksonville, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 22 Indianapolis at Atlanta, noon St. Louis at Baltimore, noon Washington at Carolina, noon Denver at Chicago, noon Oakland at Detroit, noon N.Y. Jets at Houston, noon Dallas at Miami, noon Green Bay at Minnesota, noon Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, noon Cincinnati at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Kansas City at San Diego-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 23 Buffalo at New England, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 12

Thursday, Nov. 26 Philadelphia at Detroit, 11:30 a.m.

Carolina at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.

Chicago at Green Bay , 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 23 Minnesota at Atlanta, noon St. Louis at Cincinnati, noon New Orleans at Houston, noon Tampa Bay at Indianapolis, noon San Diego at Jacksonville, noon Buffalo at Kansas City, noon Miami at N.Y. Jets, noon Oakland at Tennessee, noon N.Y. Giants at Washington, noon Arizona at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

New England at Denver-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 24 Baltimore at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 13

Thursday, Dec. 3 Green Bay at Detroit, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 6 Houston at Buffalo, noon San Francisco at Chicago, noon Cincinnati at Cleveland, noon Baltimore at Miami, noon Seattle at Minnesota, noon Carolina at New Orleans, noon N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants, noon Arizona at St. Louis, noon Atlanta at Tampa Bay, noon Jacksonville at Tennessee, noon Kansas City at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Denver at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at New England, 3:25 p.m.

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 7 Dallas at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 14

Thursday, Dec. 10 Minnesota at Arizona, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13 Atlanta at Carolina, noon Washington at Chicago, noon Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, noon San Francisco at Cleveland, noon New England at Houston, noon

Indianapolis at Jacksonville, noon San Diego at Kansas City, noon Tennessee at N.Y. Jets, noon Buffalo at Philadelphia, noon Detroit at St. Louis, noon New Orleans at Tampa Bay, noon Oakland at Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Seattle at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 14 N.Y. Giants at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 15

Thursday, Dec. 17 Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 7:25 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 19 N.Y. Jets at Dallas, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 20 Kansas City at Baltimore, noon Houston at Indianapolis, noon Atlanta at Jacksonville, noon Chicago at Minnesota, noon Tennessee at New England, noon Carolina at N.Y. Giants, noon Arizona at Philadelphia, noon Buffalo at Washington, noon Green Bay at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Cleveland at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

Denver at Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

Miami at San Diego, 3:25 p.m.

Cincinnati at San Francisco-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 21 Detroit at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 16

Thursday, Dec. 24 San Diego at Oakland, 7:25 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 26 Washington at Philadelphia, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 27 Carolina at Atlanta, noon Dallas at Buffalo, noon San Francisco at Detroit, noon Cleveland at Kansas City, noon Indianapolis at Miami, noon N.Y. Giants at Minnesota, noon Jacksonville at New Orleans, noon New England at N.Y. Jets, noon Chicago at Tampa Bay, noon Houston at Tennessee, noon Green Bay at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

St. Louis at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore-x, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 28 Cincinnati at Denver, 7:30 p.m.

WEEK 17

Sunday, Jan. 3 New Orleans at Atlanta, noon N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, noon Tampa Bay at Carolina, noon Detroit at Chicago, noon Baltimore at Cincinnati, noon Pittsburgh at Cleveland, noon Washington at Dallas, noon Minnesota at Green Bay, noon Jacksonville at Houston, noon Tennessee at Indianapolis, noon Oakland at Kansas City, noon New England at Miami, noon Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, noon Seattle at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

San Diego at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

St. Louis at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Note: Night game TBD

POSTSEASON

Saturday, Jan. 9 AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoff Sunday, Jan. 10 AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoff Saturday, Jan. 16 AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff Sunday, Jan. 17 AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff Sunday, Jan. 24 AFC and NFC Championship Games Sunday, Jan. 31 Pro Bowl (ESPN) Sunday, Feb. 7 Super Bowl (CBS)

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vikingupdate.com • 51

DRAFT-HEAVY ROSTER ON THE HORIZON The Vikings’ roster should be loaded with draft picks from 2014 and 2015, as key coaches find “their guys.”

T

here are always the splashy free agents or players acquired by trade that can make a huge difference in the success or failure of a franchise. The Vikings have had several of those impact players throughout their history.

A trade brought Fran Tarkenton back to the Vikings in 1972 and helped lead the team to three Super Bowls. Outside acquisitions Cris Carter, Randall Cunningham and Gary Anderson were all critical component pieces to the Vikings’ phenomenal 1998 season. When the team made its last legitimate Super Bowl run in 2009, it did so with outside talent like Brett Favre, Jared Allen and Pat Williams.

But the greatest Vikings careers haven’t been from those players that have come in on a rental/mercenary basis. It has been the homegrown talent cultivated through the draft. There is no greater gauge of the success or failure of a franchise than the hits and misses it has through the draft. If you connect correctly on players—from the first round of the draft to the seventh round—that is the timehonored formula for success. On the flip side of that, swinging and missing on key draft picks can set the franchise back for years.

You can’t look at a position on the field without seeing the imprint of the draft, for better or worse. The greatest quarterbacks in Vikings history are Tarkenton, Tommy Kramer and Daunte Culpepper—all drafted more than a decade apart but all players who made significant contributions to the legacy of the franchise during their era. The same can’t be said for players like Tarvaris Jackson and Christian Ponder. Both came to the team with fanfare and high hopes but failed to live up to their expectations.

The top three running backs in franchise history were all first-round picks of the Vikings—Chuck Foreman, Robert Smith and Adrian Peterson. The two most explosive wide receivers in franchise history were premium draft picks—Randy Moss and Percy Harvin. Hall of Fame linemen Ron Yary, Randall McDaniel, Mick Tingelhoff, Alan Page, Carl Eller, John Randle and Chris Doleman were all draft picks. All of them enjoyed success both individually and as part of the teams in the eras they played.

On the flip side of that, if you go back and look at the eras of Vikings history in which there have been postseason droughts or one-and-done type seasons, you can practically trace the struggles of the team to the misses on players in the draft.

Whether it was Bud Grant or Denny Green or Brad Childress, every head coach who has ever led the Vikings for any extended period of time has come into the job with a vision of building the organization in his own image. That has often entailed cleaning house of the players who weren’t ideal fits with the system the new coach was bringing. It’s almost like a job requirement of a new regime—out with the old and in with the new. The players a new coach inherits are not “his guys.” The new coaching staff had nothing to do with the acquisition of the inherited players. In order to acquire “his guys,” there’s no better way of accomplishing that goal than to stock the roster with inexpensive young talent through the draft that are glove fits with the new offensive and defensive schemes being implemented.

It could be argued that Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner have already gone a long way to accomplishing that goal of bringing in “their guys.”

Their two first-round picks last year had both of their fingerprints clearly upon them. Anthony Barr was an immensely talented prospect with limited linebacker experience. Many scouts viewed him as a talent worthy of drafting in the middle third of the first round, not necessarily the ninth overall pick of the draft. Some viewed him as a reach at No. 9, but Zimmer knew that his skill set could fit ideally in the style of defense he has crafted over the last 20 years. The same goes with the selection of Teddy Bridgewater with the last pick of the first round last year. Turner has been operating NFL offenses for 25 years and he knows what he needs to succeed and one of the starting points in that process is that he has a playmaking quarterback that can be groomed into his own offensive system. He got that in Bridgewater.

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The difference between their arrival last year and this year is that Zimmer and Turner inherited a roster of players they didn’t draft. Zimmer had a significant role in bringing in free agents like Linval Joseph, Captain Munnerlyn and Tom Johnson to improve the defense, but the rest of the players heading into the 2014 draft were players who were on the roster before Zimmer and his staff arrived, ones that neither Zimmer nor Turner signed off on.

The attrition of players from the Childress and Leslie Frazier regimes began almost immediately. The process of transforming the team from something that Chilly and Frazier saw as their future quickly morphed into the new-look Vikings.

The best thing the new coaching staff had going for it was that they had five first-round picks from the previous two drafts—Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith in 2012, and Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and Cordarrelle Patterson from 2013.

They all came to the Vikings thanks to the willingness of General Manager Rick Spielman to make trades on draft day to acquire additional first-round picks.

When Bridgewater was still available with the final pick of the first round a year ago, Trader Rick made a move yet again. He sacrificed picks on Days 2 and 3 to get back into the mix on Day 1. Given the success Bridgewater had last season, nobody is complaining about that decision.

The End Zone

By John Holler

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

But what made the first year of the Zimmer/Turner regime a textbook example of how a new coaching staff impacts a roster was that nine of their 10 draft picks in 2014 made the final roster and most of them carved out a role on the field, whether as a starter or a special teams contributor—which was no small feat since five of the nine players were drafted from the fifth round on. History has taught us that it isn’t a coincidence when that happens. It’s by design.

When Childress took over in 2006, he had a loud voice in the war room and was convinced that “his guys” could get the job done. In the first two drafts he was involved with, the Vikings had 14 draft picks. Of those, 12 of them made the 53-man roster.

That number should have been 13, but the Vikings got too cute, thinking they slide QB Tyler Thigpen through waivers to get him on the practice squad. The Kansas City Chiefs saw through that and claimed him. But the message Childress was sending to veteran Vikings was clear—you did enough to earn a job under the previous coaching regime, but this is a new day and you’re going to have to earn your spot all over again.

There is much the same vibe with this year’s 10 draft picks, and the coaching staff has plans for the Class of 2014, too, expecting them to take the next step in their professional development. The difference in Year 2 of the Zimmer regime is that, when they drafted players last year, they didn’t really know what they

were inheriting with the veterans. Sure, they had miles of game film to watch and assess, but they didn’t know the personalities of their players. Who doesn’t respond well to a coach getting in his face? Who is dedicated to doing the little things in practice and in the weight room? Who are the guys who are the first to leave the building at the end of the work day and who are the last guys to leave?

You can’t learn those things watching game film. That is learned through firsthand experience. The coaching staff didn’t have that advantage last year. They have it now.

While this year was the first time since 2011 that they didn’t have two firstround draft picks, Spielman was still active in the third day of the draft, trading picks to acquire more and end up with 10. It’s what Spielman does and he did it again this year. It’s who he is and it’s what he does. He lives for the draft-day deal.

Their picks in the first three rounds—cornerback Trae Waynes, LB Eric Kendricks and DL Danielle Hunter—should all have significant roles. But after that, Spielman and company went for athleticism that the coaching staff can hone.

A lot of the players the Vikings selected on Day 3 of the draft were foreign to many Vikings fans. But they better get used to them because, if history has taught us anything, barring injury, just about every player the Vikings drafted from April 30 to May 2 will be on the roster in September.

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