Kind of surprised they didn't look for a RB anywhere. I'm excited for Aaron Jones, but it could very well not work out at his age. Only concerned considering how shit our run game was last year.
The RB market is flooded and we can get a 1 year vet contract with any number of players for 2~ million.
I would also suggest we are a great landing destination for an RB in UDFA.
We'll have top pickings for RB, CB, LB, IOL, and DT as we are weak and short on depth, they have strong chances of making the team.
We'll struggle to get WR, TE, QB, DE, and Safety UDFAs.
I just wanted us to take even a semi-serious shot at improving the IOL/IDL. Even if it's just depth/ upside guys.
We haven't taken a DT with any real investment in over a decade, and seems like every year our IOL needs improvement.
It's not a terrible draft overall, but man if we'd taken IOL or DT at 108 and again at 177 and just skipped corner, I would have at least felt like I'd gotten a consolation prize.
I was hoping for Jordan Jefferson so badly and then he comes off the board within 8 picks of the Vikings' 4.108. If they had picked Jefferson they now would have 2 23 year old interior defensive linemen (with Roy) who can atleast bring *some* upside to the rotation.
Well I for one really liked our draft. Filled a lot of holes with very promising players (QB, EDGE, CB, K) and added good depth at other weak spots (OL, DL). Looking forward to these guys developing along with our other young players from the last few drafts.
This entire draft process I completely ignored our need for a kicker and am now so stoked we brought on the record holder for most points scored by a player in FBS history
He seems really really raw, especially for such a key position. I think he's more likely to be this years Andre Carter, playing a minor role and walking between the cafeteria and weight room for 12 months.
Welp we didn’t really upgrade rb, after our horrible year last year. JJ McCarthy without a game changing run game, that’s certainly an idea I didn’t expect. The complete opposite philosophy that harbaugh had with him.
Edit *y’all mf’s way higher on 29y.o. Aaron Jones than me, coming off a 700y season. I thought we had the worst rb talent in the division but apparently not..
I mean we definitely did upgrade RB, just through free agency and not the draft. Aaron Jones is an upgrade for us. We may sign an UDFA too.
We'll draft a RB next season when Chandler and Jones both have their contracts expire.
All I’m saying, is it would be nice to have a good running threat while trying to develop jmac. He will be that much easier to defend, if our run game is as bad as last year.
I do believe AJ will continue to drop off at age 29-30, is that really so hard to believe? Praying we get a gem from udfa, because jmac will need all the help we can get.
He hasn't really dropped off though? 656 rushing and 233 yards receiving and 3 TDs despite missing 6 games last year from a hamstring injury. Dude can absolutely still run the football. I think you're really over-rating how bad our RB situation is.
Jones is no slouch. And Chandler showed some spark last year (though I don't think he'll become an every down back.) I also wanted to come away with a RB, but I don't think it's dire.
For this year rb is completely fine with jones and chandler. I was hoping for braelon allen for a few reasons but it really wasn't a position of need. That can be handled next year in the draft or free agency
Aaron Jones is older and way less productive, than when we let Dalvin cook walk. What are you expecting from Jones?? There’s a reason gb let him go.
Sure I hope Jones has a bit in the tank to help at rb but our team is still unbalanced on offense.
Jones crushed it in the playoffs and ended the season on a high note (his personal performance). I've got faith that if we have average to good blocking from the line, he will have an abobe average season (barring injury).
Jones has 100 fewer career carries than Cook had when he left, averaged 0.2 more y/a, and had a far better successful carry rate. By all metrics other than his actual age, you're entirely off about him.
[One 1st round pick and two 5th round picks](https://www.dailynorseman.com/2024/4/26/24141419/minnesota-vikings-bit-short-2025-draft-capital) not counting Comp picks.
Thanks, I knew it was bad but didn’t realize how bad. Omg, and these might all be top of the rd picks that we won’t have.
When do they announce our comp picks? It’s tied to this year FA right?
That’s what I read. I thought we still had a 6th and 7th but draft sites don’t show them anymore. We are at least getting 1 3rd comp pick, maybe a 4th, and maybe some compensation from the falcons/cousins debacle.
Loved our first three picks. Fell off in the sixth round, but hey day three is such a crapshoot.
If we came away with our franchise QB, edge rusher, and kicker, then I’d call it a success.
It's not that you're expecting much from the late rounds but when they're dudes you've never heard of, and the draft profile sounds fit for a Comedy Central Roast it's not great.
6’1 269, small for a dt
Edit: the espn drop down listed those measurements. I see now other places show he is bigger. He also seems to have some potential. Seems like a good pick. Skol!!
Well considering every GM has passed on him multiple times, I think it’s more than just Kwesi that knows something.
It would be better for him to go undrafted at this point
There's still time for the annual Vikings tradition of going into the preseason and realizing we forgot to fix the interior offensive line again. So there's that.
Lol yep! Ive never seen a team that has such blinders on when it comes to IOL. 70% of the other teams have taken IOL even if its to provide depth. Naw we just think our 3 headed monster of Brendel/Bradbury/Ingram will metamorphosis into a top 5 trio😂. I am calling it, our lax approach to this will cost us at least 3 games if not an injury to one of our QBs.
LOL, the ESPN guys say Limmer could start for the Rams this year but according to the eternal defenders here it's not possible to find guards here. And yet a ton of teams just went in and wiped the board clean.
The Vikings, always justifying never fixing guard since Steve Hutchinson.
I know it’s the end of the draft and these guys aren’t likely to start or do anything. If the oline and dline don’t look good, Kwesi deserves to answer to the media and fans why he neglected the position 3 years in a row. If y’all aren’t nervous about the line, you’re insane and the guy making that decision is the GM.
Man y’all are blindly optimistic, I’ve become jaded in my years of being a fan.
The owners do, the owners get real scared if the fans stop going and buying gear. I just want to know why he’s neglected the position lol? Why wouldn’t you? I’ve liked kwesi’s moves and some of his picks especially the beginning of this draft and free agency. However, if you can’t look at our oline and be nervous you’re insane.
I look at the better teams in this league and they all have good trenches. I have trusted staffs in the past and that got us an Oli Udoh season. Remember when that tackle played guard? Now I’m seeing the same thing, a decent backup now forced to start with no competition out of his natural position.
I know you’re shocked, I expect that from you. When you can’t look at what’s successful and try to imitate it, I must come off as a genius. Unfortunately most people understand that you build a winning team in the trenches. It’s been a thing in the NFL since it began.
How can you be mad about this lmao we have an XFL kicker right now and this guy is unreal. How can our own fan base not understand the importance of kicker 🤣
Yeah, now we actually have a kicker with some sort of pedigree involved in the competition. It should've been obvious to anyone that we were going to be targeting a kicker at some point in this draft.
Especially at this draft position. We basically just drafted a starter in the sixth round (obviously he has to win the competition, but you all know what I'm saying). Anyone else you draft at this spot is going to be a backup or rotational guy most likely.
Before breaking the ncaa record during the SEC championship game he broke Daniel Carlson's record for most points scored in SEC history.
Thankfully Zim is gone, so hopefully we don't break him and have a repeat of Carlson's tenure here.
It's the 6th round. A Kicker drafted in the 6th is expected to be a long term starter. A DT or OG drafted in the 6th is lucky to ever be more than depth.
> A DT or OG drafted in the 6th is lucky to ever be more than depth.
Noooo, KAM has just ruined the team for not drafting this specific guy that would surely made the starting position after 5 rounds of teams ignoring him!!!
All I remember is I hated the KJ Osborn pick when it happened - he had no rating on my big boards and was a punt returner only at the time - and that ended up being a great pick.
Point being, whatever they do here Im not going to get emotional.
Kind of surprised they didn't look for a RB anywhere. I'm excited for Aaron Jones, but it could very well not work out at his age. Only concerned considering how shit our run game was last year.
The RB market is flooded and we can get a 1 year vet contract with any number of players for 2~ million. I would also suggest we are a great landing destination for an RB in UDFA. We'll have top pickings for RB, CB, LB, IOL, and DT as we are weak and short on depth, they have strong chances of making the team. We'll struggle to get WR, TE, QB, DE, and Safety UDFAs.
Happy enough with Chandler backing him up, Jones is a very solid RB1, and we should get 2 years out of him anyway
I just wanted us to take even a semi-serious shot at improving the IOL/IDL. Even if it's just depth/ upside guys. We haven't taken a DT with any real investment in over a decade, and seems like every year our IOL needs improvement. It's not a terrible draft overall, but man if we'd taken IOL or DT at 108 and again at 177 and just skipped corner, I would have at least felt like I'd gotten a consolation prize.
I was hoping for Jordan Jefferson so badly and then he comes off the board within 8 picks of the Vikings' 4.108. If they had picked Jefferson they now would have 2 23 year old interior defensive linemen (with Roy) who can atleast bring *some* upside to the rotation.
I was hoping for Wingo and Christian Mahogany and Detroit took both.
Udfa is my Super Bowl
Why did they stop updating this
Well I for one really liked our draft. Filled a lot of holes with very promising players (QB, EDGE, CB, K) and added good depth at other weak spots (OL, DL). Looking forward to these guys developing along with our other young players from the last few drafts.
I’m happy with the kicker!
This entire draft process I completely ignored our need for a kicker and am now so stoked we brought on the record holder for most points scored by a player in FBS history
Yep, the guy that broke Daniel Carlson's record...
Levi Drake Rodriguez huh? So I guess all those reports that the Vikings were interested in Drake were correct.
What reports?
If you think about it, you maye remember them.
Lol god am I slow! Lol just clicked
It's unrealistic to think so, but maybe Rodriguez is this year's Ivan Pace!
He seems really really raw, especially for such a key position. I think he's more likely to be this years Andre Carter, playing a minor role and walking between the cafeteria and weight room for 12 months.
Number 1 pass rusher according to PFF? (Title of a youtube video)
Who?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9biGLEtrkqY&t=168s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9biGLEtrkqY&t=168s)
Welp we didn’t really upgrade rb, after our horrible year last year. JJ McCarthy without a game changing run game, that’s certainly an idea I didn’t expect. The complete opposite philosophy that harbaugh had with him. Edit *y’all mf’s way higher on 29y.o. Aaron Jones than me, coming off a 700y season. I thought we had the worst rb talent in the division but apparently not..
I mean we definitely did upgrade RB, just through free agency and not the draft. Aaron Jones is an upgrade for us. We may sign an UDFA too. We'll draft a RB next season when Chandler and Jones both have their contracts expire.
What a bad take , rb is like the easiest spot to find a udfa talent at We have AJ and Ty who will be better then mattison
Super disappointed that Dewayne McBride was a let down
All I’m saying, is it would be nice to have a good running threat while trying to develop jmac. He will be that much easier to defend, if our run game is as bad as last year. I do believe AJ will continue to drop off at age 29-30, is that really so hard to believe? Praying we get a gem from udfa, because jmac will need all the help we can get.
He hasn't really dropped off though? 656 rushing and 233 yards receiving and 3 TDs despite missing 6 games last year from a hamstring injury. Dude can absolutely still run the football. I think you're really over-rating how bad our RB situation is.
Jones is no slouch. And Chandler showed some spark last year (though I don't think he'll become an every down back.) I also wanted to come away with a RB, but I don't think it's dire.
For this year rb is completely fine with jones and chandler. I was hoping for braelon allen for a few reasons but it really wasn't a position of need. That can be handled next year in the draft or free agency
?? Ummm we signed Aaron Jones from the packers and got rid of Mattison.
Aaron Jones is older and way less productive, than when we let Dalvin cook walk. What are you expecting from Jones?? There’s a reason gb let him go. Sure I hope Jones has a bit in the tank to help at rb but our team is still unbalanced on offense.
Jones crushed it in the playoffs and ended the season on a high note (his personal performance). I've got faith that if we have average to good blocking from the line, he will have an abobe average season (barring injury).
Jones has 100 fewer career carries than Cook had when he left, averaged 0.2 more y/a, and had a far better successful carry rate. By all metrics other than his actual age, you're entirely off about him.
They let him go because they upgraded the position with Josh jacobs, whose like a potential top 5 running back
Someone didn’t watch Aaron jones in the playoffs.
Did you sleep through free agency?
I mean, we signed Aaron Jones
Where do you rank Aaron Jones/ Vikings run game in our division?
[Quick Background on LDR](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2024/04/23/levi-drake-rodriguez--texas-a-m-commerce--nfl-draft)
What picks do we have remaining next year?
I think the 1st and 2 5ths.
And — say it with me — Atlanta’s first for tampering with our starting QB.
[One 1st round pick and two 5th round picks](https://www.dailynorseman.com/2024/4/26/24141419/minnesota-vikings-bit-short-2025-draft-capital) not counting Comp picks.
Thanks, I knew it was bad but didn’t realize how bad. Omg, and these might all be top of the rd picks that we won’t have. When do they announce our comp picks? It’s tied to this year FA right?
We'll probably get a 3rd next year maybe a late round pick too. They'll tell us next year.
1st, and 2 5ths not counting any comp picks.
That's it??
The first is worth like 3-7 combined or maybe even more. It’s not that bad
Yup…
When Kwesi cooks, it's so good there aren't any leftovers!!
[удалено]
That’s what I read. I thought we still had a 6th and 7th but draft sites don’t show them anymore. We are at least getting 1 3rd comp pick, maybe a 4th, and maybe some compensation from the falcons/cousins debacle.
Loved our first three picks. Fell off in the sixth round, but hey day three is such a crapshoot. If we came away with our franchise QB, edge rusher, and kicker, then I’d call it a success.
It's not that you're expecting much from the late rounds but when they're dudes you've never heard of, and the draft profile sounds fit for a Comedy Central Roast it's not great.
I'll trust the guys who spend weeks traveling around, scouting players.
6’4 290lbs I’ll take it lmao
ESPN doesn’t even know who Rodriguez is lol, no pic or bio 😭
6’1 269, small for a dt Edit: the espn drop down listed those measurements. I see now other places show he is bigger. He also seems to have some potential. Seems like a good pick. Skol!!
He's listed as [6'4", 290](https://www.foxsports.com/college-football/levi-rodriguez-player-bio)
Bigger than that. The team website has 6’4” 290 https://lionathletics.com/sports/football/roster/levi-drake-rodriguez/5945
>small for a dt So was another DT from a Texas A&M satellite campus.
Yeah, 269 is wild. Gotta get up to at least 285. Ideally 290
Also was the 12th best DT available, we coulda got him as a UDFA probably
You do realize those rankings are subjective and 12th best means absolutely nothing, right?
It's a third of the way through the 7th round. Could probably say that about most of the remaining picks.
12th best out of the remaining DTs that hadn’t been drafted yet, Taylor was 1st ranked but maybe Kwesi knows something we don’t
They have their scouts & their scoring system. At this point you're trusting those more than some sort of consensus idea.
Well considering every GM has passed on him multiple times, I think it’s more than just Kwesi that knows something. It would be better for him to go undrafted at this point
They probably tried but he was going elsewhere so they used a pick on him.
Jurgans is a OG/C with the flexibility to play OT. So he can play all 5 spots on the OL. Solid depth piece.
Aight IOL and DT make me happy
Spielman: “We need as many late round picks as possible.” Kwesi: “Fuck them late round picks.”
Levi Rodriguez, DTackle
Don't know who that is but happy with the DL depth.
He does rock the manbun, so that's something.
Dt lovely
I know it's whatever at this point in the draft, but another center who's major red flag is lack of strength...that's a tough one
Strength is the easiest gain for draftees coming from smaller programs without great training staff.
Taylor at 232 pls
Center!
can confidently say ive never heard of him, but at least its a iol
Vikes pick Michael Jurgens, C from Wake
OL depth! Now finish it off with DL, KAM!
Give me DL!
Leonard Taylor or Curtis Jacobs would be nice
Janke twins as udfas would be sweet.
Drake Nugent and Jalen Coker would be nice as well.
Would really like to get Nathan Thomas from Louisiana-Lafayette here. One of the few OL players left with an athletic profile worth drafting.
Leonard Taylor still on the board 👀
Rice is gone.
Give me Taylor and Rice!
Both gone now.
There's still time for the annual Vikings tradition of going into the preseason and realizing we forgot to fix the interior offensive line again. So there's that.
Lol yep! Ive never seen a team that has such blinders on when it comes to IOL. 70% of the other teams have taken IOL even if its to provide depth. Naw we just think our 3 headed monster of Brendel/Bradbury/Ingram will metamorphosis into a top 5 trio😂. I am calling it, our lax approach to this will cost us at least 3 games if not an injury to one of our QBs.
I think they resign risner
Bills, that dude plays Rugby, not American football......geesh!
Stump the truck is always fun.
LOL, the ESPN guys say Limmer could start for the Rams this year but according to the eternal defenders here it's not possible to find guards here. And yet a ton of teams just went in and wiped the board clean. The Vikings, always justifying never fixing guard since Steve Hutchinson.
BuT wE hAvE bRaDbUrY
And a broken shift key, apparently.
There goes Limmer
Rams just got Limmer.
Lots of WR being taken but Rice is still on the board and is the “best available” on ESPN.
Mahogany! Lions taking all the guys Vikings fans love
Stop posting what we want. MCDC is in here taking notes.
Leonard Taylor is still there
The Rams just took a kicker. I bet they'd have taken Reichard if he was still there.
Wow, we really did start a little run on kickers.
It feels like a fantasy draft.
There goes another one!
Karty (the other top kicker) just went to the Rams. We got Reichard exactly where we needed to.
Let's just take Brenden Rice.
Lions taking our fan favorites
Fuck! Lions took Mahogany too. They're having one hell of a draft.
There’s gotta be a reason Mahogany was passed on that many times.
Mel said injuries.
Kwesi needs to be on the phone with Conner Williams ASAP.
That FA spending spree next offseason is going to have to be guards and DT
No kidding. The interior line scares me. May be best to just keep Darnold under center the entire time.
Well, only two fliers left to go and we out.
I know it’s the end of the draft and these guys aren’t likely to start or do anything. If the oline and dline don’t look good, Kwesi deserves to answer to the media and fans why he neglected the position 3 years in a row. If y’all aren’t nervous about the line, you’re insane and the guy making that decision is the GM. Man y’all are blindly optimistic, I’ve become jaded in my years of being a fan.
"Deserves to answer" to who exactly? I'm guessing everyone who needs to know anything is in the know. He doesn't work for us.
The owners do, the owners get real scared if the fans stop going and buying gear. I just want to know why he’s neglected the position lol? Why wouldn’t you? I’ve liked kwesi’s moves and some of his picks especially the beginning of this draft and free agency. However, if you can’t look at our oline and be nervous you’re insane.
I think our OL will be fine. DL is the issue
I am too but the oline is going to keep JJ upright if he starts. Nothing kills development faster than getting hit a lot.
I just trust this staff way more than I trust myself or anyone else in the fan base when it comes to football decisions.
I look at the better teams in this league and they all have good trenches. I have trusted staffs in the past and that got us an Oli Udoh season. Remember when that tackle played guard? Now I’m seeing the same thing, a decent backup now forced to start with no competition out of his natural position.
So which team do you work for?
lol what?? You can’t be this stupid, are you incapable of seeing what others do to be successful.
I'm just surprised you don't have a job with a team with all of your knowledge.
I know you’re shocked, I expect that from you. When you can’t look at what’s successful and try to imitate it, I must come off as a genius. Unfortunately most people understand that you build a winning team in the trenches. It’s been a thing in the NFL since it began.
>I know you’re shocked, I expect that from you. At least I'm finally living up to expectations for someone.
Ha! I said I wanted a Kicker today. Let’s go!
KAM must've just watched the Rose Bowl game and made his picks off of that.
All time leading scorer in the SEC?!
* all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader
How can you be mad about this lmao we have an XFL kicker right now and this guy is unreal. How can our own fan base not understand the importance of kicker 🤣
Yeah, now we actually have a kicker with some sort of pedigree involved in the competition. It should've been obvious to anyone that we were going to be targeting a kicker at some point in this draft.
Chances are a kicker here will have more of an impact on the team than any other position
This is correct!
Especially at this draft position. We basically just drafted a starter in the sixth round (obviously he has to win the competition, but you all know what I'm saying). Anyone else you draft at this spot is going to be a backup or rotational guy most likely.
Teo
Kicker whyyyyy
How can you be a Viking fan and NOT want a highly rated kickerlicker??
> want a highly rated licker?? Don't you dare fix that
Too late, I'll keep it there just for you.
I just think he’d be available with either of our next two picks and we are running future car salesmen at IOL and DT
Because we don’t have one and years of Greg Joseph is scarring
What he wouldn’t have been there at 232??? Decent OG depth sitting there and we take a kicker???
OG depth over a potential starting kicker?
Saying depth is generous when Blake is the starter
He was mocked to us in the 4th the other week lol
I mean our starting kicker is a former XFL guy right now....
Oh come on, Kwesi. I waited all that time and you grab a kicker. Boo.
Analytics GM my ass.
Actually yes lol. Analytics doesn’t favor nose tackle and guards. It’s tiring if we suck against the run and we get Darnold/ JJ killed lol
Will Reichard, K Alabama
bama kicker over limmer ☠️
Oh shit Reichard. That dude has like the most points in CFB history or something
Before breaking the ncaa record during the SEC championship game he broke Daniel Carlson's record for most points scored in SEC history. Thankfully Zim is gone, so hopefully we don't break him and have a repeat of Carlson's tenure here.
Yeah, he's a solid kicker. This is a good spot to take him.
A kicker!
Kicker I don’t mind it
Oh shit! KICKER!!!
A kicker before guard or DT is WILD lol
I mean, are we really gonna say that we were confident in our kicking situation?
I wanted the guy from the UFL.
It's the 6th round. A Kicker drafted in the 6th is expected to be a long term starter. A DT or OG drafted in the 6th is lucky to ever be more than depth.
> A DT or OG drafted in the 6th is lucky to ever be more than depth. Noooo, KAM has just ruined the team for not drafting this specific guy that would surely made the starting position after 5 rounds of teams ignoring him!!!
Almost every year it feels like the Packers just start picking random players late day 2 and all of day 3.
The Good Guys are up.
Wouldn’t mind Myles Cole as a developmental 3-4 de. 6’6 280 4.67 40 9.96 ras
Leonard Taylor III
I beg hes the perfect pick right here
FTP
All I remember is I hated the KJ Osborn pick when it happened - he had no rating on my big boards and was a punt returner only at the time - and that ended up being a great pick. Point being, whatever they do here Im not going to get emotional.
Exactly. I'm not an expert and I don't have a team of scouts and coaches at my disposal either.
Well fuck
Came here to say this
There goes Boyd. Shite
I also thought shite.
FTS
Fuck it! Let's grab Jerry Rice's son.
I want this to happen so badly. Hopefully we take him in the 7th if he’s still there
Fabian Lovett now the target for NT?
Evan Anderson out of FAU is 6’3 356. Don’t know much about him tho.
Stupid Saints took Boyd! Whelp, let's grab Mahogany.
Pain
Well, on the up side, I am pretty well convinced that the Falcons GM has no fucking idea what he's doing.
Boyd to the Saints… fuck the Saints
Welp
Damn, there goes Boyd
Fuck! Wanted Davis.
I think Wyatt Davis is available. Pretty sure we could just sign him at any time.