HEADLINES

Rick Spielman

Vikings Rumors: Rookies, Peterson, Ponder

May 11th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was very aggressive during the draft, pulling off four trades over three days. The team started with eight picks but ended up with ten selections, including first-rounders Anthony Barr and Teddy Bridgewater. As Matt Vensel of The Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, the team only picked in three of their original draft spots. It sounds like this was all part of Spielman’s strategy:

“We thought that if we accumulated more picks, there was enough depth there to add to our roster and create competition,” said Spielman.

The team wasn’t finished adding rookies. Yesterday, the Vikings announced the signings of 15 undrafted free agents.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Minnesota…

  • Neither of the team’s first-round picks are guaranteed to start, but Barr is expected to be on the field for the team’s first defensive snap next season, Vensel mentions in another article . The writer adds that the team plans to use Barr as a strong-side linebacker in their 4-3 base defense.
  • Offensive coordinator Norv Turner regards Bridgewater as the most impressive rookie quarterbacks and compares him to former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Trent Green, writes Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
  • The Vikings are looking to trade star running back Adrian Peterson sooner than later, writes Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. “This (coming) season will be Peterson’s last with the Vikings,” an AFC general manager told Freeman. “Despite the cap hit, they’ll make some sort of move to get him off the roster.”
  • In regards to Christian Ponder‘s future with the team, Vensel tweets that the team wants to keep a third quarterback. The writer also adds that a trade probably isn’t an option because Ponder doesn’t have much trade value.

NFC Draft Notes: Eagles, Vikings, Giants

May 3rd, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Peter Sowards

Eagles coach Chip Kelly is on record saying how much he loves Johnny Manziel. Kelly recruited Manziel while at Oregon, but Manziel spurned Kelly’s best efforts and ended up at Texas A&M.

Is a possible reunion in order?

Andrew Kulp of The 700 Level pegs Johnny Football as the best fit for the Eagles at No. 22, citing Kelly’s affinity for the free-wheeling Texan. It’s highly unlikely that Manziel slips that far, but it sure would make for must-see TV every Sunday.

More draft notes from the NFC…

  • The Vikings select Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley in Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ latest mock draft. Vikings brass could be skittish after the Christian Ponder pick didn’t work out so well, Tomasson writes.
  • A strong relationship between head coach and general manager is key to a team’s success in the draft room, and it appears that the Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman of the Vikings are in the process of building one, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
  • The Giants will need to get as close as they can to batting 1.000 in the upcoming draft, says Tom Rock of newsday.com. After building a reputation as a draft savant — leading to two Super Bowls — general manager Jerry Reese has not had the same success in recent years.
  • Three players that the Giants could target at No. 12, according to the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel: North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans and Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin.
  • If the Seahawks want to stay on top of the league, they’ll have to do more of the same — draft well. But, as The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta writes, it’s become even more important to hit on late-round picks now that key players like safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are earning second contracts and eating up prime real estate on the salary cap.
  • The Bucs may have to take Manziel if he’s on the board at No. 7, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. If not, Stroud thinks the team could take a QB in the second or third round, possibly offering 2013 third-round pick Mike Glennon in a trade.
  • The Panthers worked out Fresno State cornerback L.J. Jones, reports Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. Jones is projected as a late-round pick after being named as an All-Mountain West-Conference honorable-mention.
  • You can try your hand as Ted Thompson and play GM of the Packers with an online roster builder tool launched by Press-Gazette Media, spending up to $133MM and cutting the roster down to 53 players.

Vikings Beat Analyzes Draft’s Top QBs

April 19th, 2014 at 7:16pm CST by Peter Sowards

With just two quarterbacks currently under contract, the Minnesota Vikings most likely will come away from the 2014 NFL Draft with at least one new signal caller. Matt Cassel recently signed a two-year deal with the club, and Christian Ponder is under club control for at least one more season, but neither are franchise quarterbacks. In separate pieces for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Matt Vensel and Mark Craig break down the potential fits of the consensus top-three throwers: Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, Central Florida’s Blake Bortles and Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater.

Vensel separates his thorough profile of Manziel into sections, analyzing Johnny Football’s dazzling play-making ability, his smallish stature, the rock star persona and other potential choices at the position Minnesota may make. Thanks to Michael Vick and other mobile quarterbacks who have had success in the league, Vensel contends that general manager Rick Spielman will have to reconsider the future of the position, which in the past has relied upon the tall, statuesque passers.

Craig looks in depth at Bortles and Bridgewater, speaking to David Gibbs, the University of Houston defensive coordinator who faced the two quarterbacks in consecutive weeks last season.

“I think they’re both going to be good NFL quarterbacks. How good? I’m not a quarterback guru,” Gibbs said. “But neither one of them is going to be a bust. They’re safe picks. In my opinion, because of the way they’ve been trained and coached, you’re not going to get a Ryan Leaf. You’re not going to get JaMarcus Russell. You’re not going to get a guy who just can’t play.”

Gibbs likes Bortles upside, but said he’s more prone to force a throw, whereas Bridgewater is content to check down on third-and-20 rather then turn the ball over.

For Manziel, Gibbs is reticent to give his full endorsement: “I do see him as a risk. And I don’t know him personally. I’m just watching him. He’s doing all of this stuff in college. What’s he going to do when he gets to pro football? You know the lifestyle changes. He’s saying all the right things now, and he should. He’s smart. But I don’t know about him.”