Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to the
Views and Personal Photos on the Vikes from the Inaugural Hall of Fame fan.
Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to theYes, this a little soon to be talking draft. I'm not like Mel Kiper Jr. who eats, breaths, and poops it out every day. I really don't get excited until the first week of April. Still, with all the talk of Tampa Two and the need to improve at linebacker in order to institute the new defensive scheme we best take a look at who might be out there for the Purple to select.
A.J. HAWK: OLB; Thee Ohio St.: OK, the Vikes currently pick at seventeen. I stress, currently. Remember that Zygi Wilf promises to open up the checkbook and do what it takes to reach the and win the Super Bowl. So, it would not surprise me if the Vikes moved up to whatever position they needed to (probably 4th or 5th) in order to select Hawk. And I would love it.
Hawk is as productive and instinctive of a linebacker as you will ever find and is seemingly always around the action, so bringing him in to be part of this improving defense would be an excellent move by the Vikings. Hawk is exactly what this team needs from both a talent and attitude perspective so he is my top pick currently.
CHAD GREENWAY: OLB; Iowa: Here is a linebacker that could actually be around at #17 or would only require the Vikings to move up 2 to 4 spots to get him. A potential Top 5 overall pick coming into his senior year, Greenway had a nice season but it was obvious all the losses the Hawkeyes endured up front affected him. His loss is the Vikings gain though as it allows them to get excellent value for the pick while addressing a need at the same time.
DEMECO RYANS: OLB; Alabama: Ryans would most certainly be available at number seventeen. He is an excellent player who will fit in with what the Vikes will try to do both in terms of talent and intangibles. DeMeco Ryans isn't the biggest or fastest linebacker out there but he is simply a playmaker with outstanding instincts who is very productive and seemingly always around the action.
THOMAS HOWARD: OLB; U.T.E.P.: A real wild card simply because of the new Tampa Two setup. And Howard really intrigues me because of that. The Tampa Two style that newly hired defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin will try to implement requires speed on defense and when it comes to that you would have a hard time finding a faster, more athletic linebacker than Thomas Howard. A former safety who walked on with the Miners early in his career, Thomas has been timed as fast as 4.45 in the forty and would provide the type of playmaking ability that is ideal for the new defensive scheme.
So, any other linebackers catch your eye this college season that the Vikes should be looking at? Leave a comment at the end of this blog entry.
Coming Friday
A Playoff Podcast with Denver's Barrel Man.
I voted for O-line in the poll. I think Minnesota ought to draft Eslinger, the center from the U of M Golden Gophers. I don't know when he's expected to be picked, but certainly he should still be around by the Vikes' first chance. HE is the quality backup for Birk that we need. Give Birk a year or two to mentor the kid, and he can take over.
Protect the quarterback and open running holes, and the offense will really start to open up. Add that to a gelling defense, and I think we'll be deep into the playoffs by 2007, 2008.
Posted by: Peter at January 12, 2006 11:08 AMI think Eslinger could be had in later rounds. Don;t get me wrong, I like the kid as well. But this "poll" was really who should the Vikes pick with their first pick.
Posted by: Mr. Cheer Or Die at January 12, 2006 12:00 PMYou forgot to mention that A.J. Hawk's girlfriend is Brady Quinn's sister :o)
Posted by: freealonzo at January 12, 2006 03:46 PMEslinger could also certainly play guard and backup at center. He would no doubt be a huge upgrade over both starting guards now, especially with his mobility. Birk at guard is another option with Eslinger. I am hugely in favor of drafting him.
I think that he will probably project around the late first round early second round, so he is probably a reach at 17, but there are many more out there who know more about the draft boards than I.
Posted by: J. Lichty at January 12, 2006 05:28 PMIn the cover-two you need fast LB's. When I did some reviews of LB's yesterday Howard jumped out at me with his speed. If he is a play-maker and we do not move up, I expect him to be the pick or Maroney, who could be an excellent WCO RB. Although, I think Maroney is gone by then.
Philly-Vike
ACK! No Rob, Maroney is not that good. I do not want the Vikes near him! The other RB at the U of M (Gary Russell) is the better of the two backs and is more built for the NFL. Just like LenDale White is better suited for the NFL than Reggie Bush. The Vikes need a bruising RB, not another Michael Bennett speedster.
Posted by: Mr. Cheer Or Die at January 16, 2006 09:24 AMI like the look of Abdul Hodge from Iowa. (Height: 6-2 | Weight: 234 | 40-Time: 4.70 )
He outperfomed Greenway in their Bowl Game this year. Apparently a bit undersized. But tough, quick, always around the ball (141 tackles his sophomore year!) and hits like a ton of bricks.
Posted by: ss at January 17, 2006 04:20 PMDon't forget about Bobby Carpenter from Ohio State. He missed almost all of his senior year, but some pundits believed he was going to be a better pro than Hawk. Perhaps someone like him would be available in rd. 2.
Posted by: fanfromafar at January 18, 2006 09:39 AM