Month: April 2005

KFAN just reported that the word out of Winter Park "this morning" is that the Vikings really like WR Troy Williamson, which makes me think that they don’t. Why do you leak who you’re going to pick the morning of the draft? Smoke.

Plenty of people have the Vikings taking Williamson with the 7th pick. During the past week or so, he’s been considered a "fast riser" by many a draft guru. Two weeks ago, he was considered a late-middle-round pick. A lot of people had the Vikes taking Williamson with the 18th pick prior to last week.

Here’s what I don’t understand: How does a prospect become a "fast riser" well after the Senior Bowl, well after the Souting Combine, well after Pro Days, and well after teams have done their due scouting dilligence on prospects?

What gives? The only plausible things that could affect an individual prospect’s movement one week before the draft would be rumors (and rumors are always negative, so they’d make a player fall), some type of previously unknown personal issues (unlikely at this point, and, again, negative), or something that happened as a result of a prospect visiting NFL teams for a pre-draft interview and to my knowledge, Williamson has not been visiting anyone–certainly not the Vikings.

Finally, there is the possibility that the Vikings have conducted a whisper campaign designed to make Williamson rise so fast and so high that he knocks the team’s true objet du desir down to them; so, for example, the Vikings wanted Mike Williams all along but were afraid he wouldn’t be available at the seventh slot so they whisper Williamson up far enough to knock Williams down to them. But I don’t think the Vikings are that sophisticated–they have enough trouble getting thier pick in on time.

So, anyway, I will be greatly disappointed if the Vikes pick Williamson at seven. I think he’s a fine prospect, but I do think he’s a reach at seventh. If the Vikings do actually covet Williamson, I’d rather see them trade down to get him.

KFAN’s Mike Morris–who has appently been a very accurate predictor of Vikings’ draft picks–expects the Vikings to take WR Troy Williamson with their 7th pick. Here are the rankings for the major mock drafts.

ESPN Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Aaron Rodgers
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Carnell Williams
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

ESPN has the Vikings taking DE Erasmus James with the 18th pick.

Sports Illustrated

Don Banks’ Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Ronnie Brown
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Aaron Rodgers
6. Titans take Mike Williams
7. Vikings take Carnell Williams

Dr. Z’s Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Bucaneers trade up to take Ronnie Brown
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Carnell Williams
5. With pick from the Bucs, the Dolphins take Aaron Rodgers
6. Titans take Adam Jones
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

The Sporting News’ Mock Draft – Dan Pompei

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Ronnie Brown
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Carnell Williams
5. Bucaneers take Mike Williams
6. Titans take Adam Jones
7. Vikings take Troy Williamson

Pompei has the Vikings taking TE Heath Miller with the 18th pick. Most people have Miller ranked as the top Tight End in the draft but even so, this is an odd choice, considering the Vikings resigned Jermaine Wiggins, have Jim Kleinsasser coming back from injury, and have the six foot eight soft-handed TE Richard Angulo, also coming back from injury, waiting in the wings.

CBS SportsLine Mock Draft

Dennis Dodd’s Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Ronnie Brown
3. Browns take Derrick Johnson
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Carnell Williams
6. Titans take Braylon Edwards
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

Dodd has the Vikings taking DE Erasmus James with the 18th pick.

Clark Judge’s Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Aaron Rodgers
2. Dolphins take Alex Smith
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Ronnie Brown
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Troy Williamson

Judge has the Vikings picking Shawne Merriman with the 18th pick.

Pete Prisco’s Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Braylon Edwards
3. Browns take Derrick Johnson
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Ronnie Brown
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Troy Williamson

Prisco has the Vikings picking David Pollack with the 18th pick.

Rich Gosselin’s Mock Draft

1. 49ers take Aaron Rodgers
2. Dolphins take Alex Smith
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Ronnie Brown
5. Bucaneers take Cedric Benson
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Troy Williamson

Gosselin has the Vikings picking David Pollack with the 18th pick.

NFL Draft Countdown’s Mock Draft – Scott Wright

1. 49ers take Aaron Rodgers
2. Dolphins take Alex Smith
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Ronnie Brown
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

Wright has the Vikings taking DE Erasmus James with the 18th pick.

Draft Insiders – Frank Coyle

1. 49ers take Aaron Rodgers
2. Dolphins take Derrick Johnson
3. Browns take Alex Smith
4. Bears take Braylon Edwards
5. Bucaneers take Carnell Williams
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

Coyle has the Vikings taking DE Dan Cody with the 18th pick and WR Reggie Brown in the second round with the 49th overall pick.

KFAN Mock Drafts

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Ronnie Brown
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Aaron Rodgers
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

KFAN has the Vikings taking DE Erasmus James with the 18th pick.

Viking Update Mock Draft – John Holler

1. 49ers take Alex Smith
2. Dolphins take Ronnie Brown
3. Browns take Aaron Rodgers
4. Bears take Braylon Edwards
5. Bucaneers take Carnell Williams
6. Titans take Antrel Rolle
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

Holler has the Vikings taking DE Marcus Spears with the 18th pick.

Star Tribune’s Mock Draft – Mark Craig

1. 49ers take Aaron Rodgers
2. Dolphins take Alex Smith
3. Browns take Braylon Edwards
4. Bears take Cedric Benson
5. Bucaneers take Ronnie Brown
6. Titans take Adam Jones
7. Vikings take Mike Williams

Craig has the Vikings taking LSU DE Marcus Spears with the 18th pick.

Pioneer Press‘ Predictions

The Pioneer Press passes on the Mock Draft, but their writers do predict who the Vikings will take in the first round:

Sean Jenson: Jenson would take Mike Williams even if Braylon Edwards were available. If Williams were gone, Jenson would take Troy Williamson. Jenson leans toward DE Erasmus James with the 18th pick.

Tom Powers: Powers argues the Vikings should take Georgia LB Odell Thurman to replace Randy Moss as the team’s resident troublemaker.

Bob Sansevere: Sansevere thinks the Vikes will take Troy Williamson with the 7th pick but he thinks they should take Mike Williams.

Don Seeholzer: Seeholzer says the Vikings should take Mike Williams. Period.

I have to admit that I have not paid as much attention as I probably should have to Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards because I figured he’d be off the board by the time the Vikings’ 7th pick rolls around. But with all the recent rumors and speculation of the Vikings trading up, Edwards is a possibility and I’d be perfectly happy with picking him.

Because I didn’t believe Edwards would be around, I’ve been focusing my research on USC’s Mike Williams. The "problem" with Williams, or so everyone is saying, is that he doesn’t have blazing speed and that he hasn’t played in a year because he was part of the Maurice Clarett court ruling.

I’ve been torn on the speed issue, which is why I’d be happy with either Edwards or South Carolina’s Troy Williamson. After seven years of Randy Moss, we know how having a receiver who can stretch the field can open up the entire offense. But regardless of whether or not we get a speedster, whoever we get will not compare to Moss.

So is Williams’ relatively slow 4.56 40-yard-dash speed a "problem"? I wonder. He’s not going to blaze past a lot of Corners the way Randy did but take into account that at 6′ 5", he’s an inch taller than Moss; he’s 20 pounds heavier than Moss; he’s got a 37" vertical jump; his arms are 34" long; and his hand size is 8 7/8".

With those dimensions, does Williams really need to have blazing speed? Can’t you just send him downfield, toss him the ball, and have him out-jump and out-muscle defenders for the ball? And with replacing Moss with a receiver that is 20 pounds heavier, we should improve on routes across the middle.

He’s supposed to be devestating in the red zone, which is what we’ve lost the most in the Moss trade. Production is the thing that matters most out of a reciever: How are we going to make up the 15 to 17 touchdowns per season that Randy Moss gave us? Williams scored 30 TDs over two seasons at USC.

The other "problem," then, is that Williams had to sit for 2004. But as the Pioneer Press‘ Don Seeholzer points out today, Williams has not been idle. He’s been working out with none other than former Viking and future Hall of Famer, Cris Carter at his sports training center in Boca Raton, Florida.

First, as a receiver, you couldn’t have a much better teacher than Cris Carter, so he’s got that going for him. As Seeholzer’s article points out, not only has Williams been keeping in shape by following Carter’s physical training regimen, he’s been running pro routes and watching film, so he’ll be much better prepared to make the transition to the NFL.

And that ain’t no small thing. Receivers rarely contribute in a big way in their first year. Randy Moss did but he was the definite exception. Nate Burleson is more typical: It took him a year to get acclimated to the NFL and he blossomed in his second year. If he’s a top ten pick, you can expect most receivers to take at least a year to be a significant contributor. Between Edwards and Williams, it appears that Williams is already closer to making that transition.

I can’t remember being this obsessed about the NFL draft. My obsession has little to do with the fact that my team, the Vikings, have two first-round picks, 7th and 18th overall. It has everything to do with the fact that we traded the best recevier in the league and a future Hall of Famer in Randy Moss.

I was at risk of being indifferent to this year’s draft because I was so angry with the Vikings for getting rid of Moss. But, in a stunning change of character, Red McCombs has loosened the purse strings to such a degree that the Vikings went on a free agency spending spree that significantly upgraded the team’s pathetic defense to the point that we should have one of the stronger Ds in the league.

The Vikings got LB Napoleon Harris, the overall 7th pick in the draft, and a seventh round pick from the Raiders for Randy Moss. They also landed MLB Sam Cowart from the Jets, and DT Pat Williams from the Bills (two members of the Cottrell mafia), CB Fred Smoot from the Redskins, Safety Darren Sharper from the Packers, WR Travis Taylor from the Ravens, they welcomed home QB Brad Johnson from Tampa Bay, and they signed Packers’ DE Aaron Kampman to an offer sheet that the Packers are expected to match.

Heading into this Saturday’s draft, the Vikings are in the enviable position of being able to take the best player available rather than having to pick for need. The Vikings could still use a premier receiver to replace Randy Moss, they could use a Defensive End because Kenny Mixon is servicable but getting old and penciled in as his replacement is second year man Darrion Scott, who has yet to prove himself as an everyday DE. The Vikings need a Place Kicker, preferably one who can handle kick off duties. They could also use another Linebacker, a Safety, and a Guard.

So, with a team that will be vastly improved defensively and with an offense that returns minus only Randy Moss–granted, that’s a huge only–on paper the team potentially looks to be in a better position to win the division.

Where To Look For Vikings 2005 NFL Draft Information

I was frustrated before last year’s draft at the dearth of information available on potential draft picks. Except for the top ten picks, the information about potential picks was pretty much limited to name, school, position, height, weight, 40 speed and a synopsis of their college career.

Thankfully, this year we have a lot more information about almost all of the picks. I present to you, then, the fruits of my Vikings 2005 NFL Draft obsession:

Free Agent Tracking

During the most active weeks of the free agency period, I used Scout.com’s Free Agency Tracker at the Vikings Update site to keep track of which free agent players were available and which had signed and with whom. The database is wonderfully useful in that you can sort by Overall Rank, Position, Current Team, Signed Team, College and Name. Since I don’t want the Vikings picking Texas LB Derrick Johnson with their number 7 pick, I can sort by OLB to see which free agent Linebackers are still available for the Vikings to pick up. Scout.com also offers a Draft Rankings database that has the same useful sorting features. The major drawback to Scout.com’s offerings are the bare-bones information on their individual player profiles.

Vikings News Sources

The hometown news outlets I use are the usual suspects. Viking Update is the local fan rag run by former Viking’s DE and local personality "Benchwarmer" Bob Lurtsema. If you’re looking for great sports writing and analysis, you should look elsewhere but Viking Update occasionally has a minor scoop and is definitely not afraid of speculating and airing rumors. (If it’s rumors you want, check out ProFootballTalk.com–they say the Vikings want to trade up to get Braylon Edwards). Viking Update‘s draft coverage is supplemented by stories from TheNFLExperts.com, and their stories are generally pretty competent. Finally, the Scout.com network includes sites for each NFL team, which are sometimes useful in trying to figure out other teams’ draft needs. The major drawback of the Scout.com network is that much of the content requires a paid subscription.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune offers solid and frequent Vikings coverage that is always well written and often insightful and revealing even for the knowlegeable fan. The Saint Paul Pioneer Press‘ Vikings coverage is just as solid as the Strib‘s but far less frequent.

Finally, the Vikings’ flagship radio station, KFAN, covers the Vikings at their web site but, most importantly, you can listen to their broadcast online. For my money, the best shows are, in order: P.A. & Dubay, Dan Barreiro, and The Power Trip with Mike Morris. "The Common Man" Dan Cole really just annoys the hell out of me and I don’t find him particularly informed on the Vikings.

Evaluating Draft Picks

NFL.com has extensive draft coverage that includes stories, analysis, video, and a draft tracker. The best thing about NFL.com, though, is their thorough player profiles provided by NFLDraftScout.com. The meaty profiles include an in-depth overview and analysis, an injury report, personal and high school career information, and an Agility section that lists such things as the player’s 40 speed, bench press reps, arm length and hand size, and Wonderlic score.

Video clips of draft prospects are pretty rare online, but Fox Sports has a video vault on their 2005 draft section.

Do a Google search for a prospect in this year’s draft and you’ll likely find a link to their profile at NFLDraftCountdown.com. Like everyone else, Draft Countdown has a mock draft in which they devote a thick paragraph explaining why each team will pick a particular player and some if, then scenarios. They have a Draft Rankings section that is broken down by position. Their individual player profiles are short and to the point, listing strengths, weaknesses, and notes. Their profile of USC Receiver Mike Williams–my favorite for the Vikings first pick–for instance, tells us that Williams has great size, good hands and is a terror in the red zone who will out-leap and out-muscle Corners but who lacks speed, needs some polish, and who hasn’t played for a year.

NFLDraftCountdown.com has plenty of other goodies, including a News & Notes section; a hot & cold prospects list; a list of the underclassmen in this draft; a section devoted to draft rumors; Scouting Combine results and their Senior Bowl coverage; they even have some prospect interviews. Finally, NFLDraftCountdown.com has a very handy Team Needs page, where, at a glance, you can see the draft needs of every NFL team with a link to their official depth chart.

ESPN’s NFL News Wire is the place to find the most up-to-date league news and, of course, they also have extensive draft coverage in their NFL Draft Central section, though much of the content requires a subscription to ESPN Insider. ESPN’s Draft Central section is built around their draft "guru" Mel Kiper, who offers his "Big Board" on his top 25 picks, complete with gainers and losers. If you’re thinking of using Kiper as a barometer of where teams will pick as opposed to who he thinks are the best players, you might want to read this Slate article about his accuracy and maybe read Rick Gosselin‘s columns instead.

While we’re on the subject of individual writers, I’ve always liked The Sporting News‘ Dan Pompei and TSN’s sports coverage in general. Another favorite is Sports Illustrated‘s Don Banks, a former Vikings beat writer–Banks broke the Mike Tice The Scalper story.

Google News and Yahoo News are good places to find many stories mentioning specific players.

Draft Day – April 23 & 24

If you plan on following the draft live on April 23rd and 24th or if you just plan on checking in ocassionally, you won’t be disappointed with ESPN’s coverage. Their Draft Tracker is updated in real time, so if, like me, you’re not at home on draft day, you can easily check for picks on your handheld or Internet-connected phone.

If you get the NFL Network on cable and you plan on staying at home to watch the draft, between the NFL Network and ESPN’s coverage, you’ll be set. Also, if you have On Demand capabilities with your cable company, the NFL Network has profiles on over 50 draft prospects via On Demand.

Finally, if you are an absolute freak of a Vikings fan, you could always attend the Vikings Draft Party. But I’m not enough of a freak to pay twenty bucks to hang out with a bunch of strangers: I’ll be playing football instead.