Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft. 7-Rounds

Vikings: Don't Want Greatness to go to Waste

The Minnesota Vikings have a few holes to fill going into 2013.  As any pundit or front office type in the NFL will tell you, the best teams are always built through the draft.  The Vikings are around 13-15 million under the salary cap which will allow them to address needs as well.  But you want to bake the cake in-house and then perhaps shop outside for the fancy frosting; The Vikings could look at various free agents to address glaring needs. A combination of both will work best.  Let’s look at some of those glaring needs.

Secondary - The Vikings have a traditionally been vulnerable in the secondary and 2012 was no exception.  Harrison Smith made some big plays and free safety looks to be set a long time.  However, the secondary as a whole gave up 28 touchdowns and picked off only 10 passes; both near the bottom of the NFL team rankings in those categories.  Cornerbacks and strong safety, in particular are needing upgrades.

The ageless wonder, Antoine Winfield will be 36 before the season commences; Chris Cook has played 22 games in three seasons and A.J. Jefferson defended five passes all year and picked none off.  Josh Robinson played well so there may be enough there to only need to pick one corner and one safety.  As far as safeties, Jamarca Sanford gots lots of tackling practice but no picks.

On offense the passing game was in a 1980s time warp with only the hapless Chiefs totally fewer yards through the air (2,713) as the Vikings.  Giving Christian Ponder as many weapons as possible will be the order of the day.  At this point, it’s entirely within the realm of possibility  that Percy Harvin is gone and that leaves Jarius Wright, Jerome Simpson, Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu as your top aerial threats.  That simply won’t get it done in a division that features Megatron, Brandon Marshall, and the Packers never-ending supply of receiving minions.  If Wright can work the slot then the draft does features the types of 6’3-6’4 with speed type playmakers that can aid this offense.

So onto the picks..

Cordarelle is Not So Cordial to Opposing Defenses

1^st Round, Pick 23. Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee.  Patterson is one of two or three receivers this year that will grade in the first round.  A beast in the open field; Patterson is smooth, explosive and is a natural deep threat that has the type of instincts with the ball in his hands you can’t really teach.  Has a really high ceiling; Mel Kiper thinks he is the best receiver in the draft.  Think of a thinner Demaryius Thomas, but more polished.  

2^nd Round, Pick 52. David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State.  As mentioned ealier, in a division with several All-Pro wideouts of the 6’4 and up variety the Vikings need to be able to matchup with these guys.  Amerson is 6’2 and 193 and and has good speed and backpedal and rarely bites on double moves.  He is a physical tackler and is a natural fit in the Tampa 2 the Vikings play.

3^rd Round, Pick 83. Khaseem Greene, OLB, Rutgers.  A former safety who has great speed to cover tight ends and running backs on deeper routes; excellent wrap up tackler.  Good coverage skills in zone and good motor.

4^th Round, Pick 99, Jonathan Bostic, ILB, Florida. Bostic replaced Brandon Spikes as the interior linebacker for the Gators in 2010 and has much improved over his senior season at Florida.  Plays much bigger than his size; run defense is his specialty but can also rush the passer.

4^th Round, Pick 117, E.J Manuel, QB, Florida State. The Vikings know that Ponder needs a backup who can move the chains throwing and running.  E.J Manuel has big-time arm and athletic ability in the pocket.

5^th Round, Pick 117, Menelik Watson, RT, Florida St. 6’6” – 320 pound Watson who is extremely athletic for a man his size.  He may not be available this late.

6^th Round Pick 197, J.J Wilcox, SS, Georgia Southern – Physical, tough sleeper who is ranked as a top five safety on some sites. 4.55 speed in a 6’0” 215 frame and a great value pick here at a need position.

7^th Round Pick 213, Josh Boyd, Mississippi State – At 6’3” 300 pounds, Boyd is a huge bulking run defender who will stuff the gaps and is quick off the snap.  He won’t get many sacks, however.

Minnesota Twins Season Preview 2013

The Minnesota Twins head into the 2013 season with admittedly more questions than answers after a 66-96 finish in 2012, good for last in the American League Central.   Good news about 2012: The team scored 80 more runs than it did in 2011, with outstanding offensive seasons from free agent left fielder Josh Willingham (.260 – 35 HR – 110 RBI) and Joe Mauer (.319 – 85 RBI, 90 Walks) plus an encouraging return to action from 2010 MVP  Justin Morneau (.267- 19 HR – 77 RBI).   The offense also got surprise contributions from C/IB/DH Ryan Doumit  (.275 -18 HR- 75 RBI) and Trevor Plouffe (24 HRs).  The table was set by speedsters Ben Revere and Denard Span (57 stolen bases combined).  

Diamond In the Front

Unfortunately, a pretty good offensive season by the Twins hitters was for naught as the pitching couldn’t miss bats (.274 batting average against – 29^th in the MLB) and couldn’t strike guys out (943 strikeouts as a staff – 30^th in the MLB).  One pitcher struck out more than 100 batters, presumptive ace Scott Diamond, with 109.  So when aggrandizing the Twins chances in 2013, let’s take a glass half-full approach and consider the starting pitching staff as addition by subtraction.  Gone are Francisco Liriano (traded to Pirates), Nick Blackburn (moved to the pen) and Carl Pavano (released); these four all had ERAs over 5.3. 

Since the success of the Twins is predicated upon pitching let’s look at the potential five-man rotation as things have taken shape during the offseason. Scott Diamond- The staff ace from last year, Diamond went 12-9 with a sparkling 3.54 ERA despite overpowering stuff.  Logged 173 innings and looks to be a workhorse and innings-eater. Look for 200 innings, 13-15 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.Vance Worley- The former Phillies fourth starter comes over in the Ben Revere trade.  Was very good in 2011, then fell off a bit in 2012 with a troublesome elbow.  He can strike guys out but needs his command.  If he’s healthy he’s in the running for the “staff ace” title.Kevin Correia – A back end rotation guy who had quietly decent years with the Padres and Pirates (46-43 win/ loss in four years), he was owner Terry Ryan’s free agent snare in the offseason, signing a two-year deal.  His game is command; doesn’t strike guys out but doesn’t walk them either (46 passes in 171 innings in 2012).  Mike Pelfrey – Another back end guy for the Mets who was two years removed from 15-9 and 3.66 with New York in 2010; coming off Tommy John surgery May 1, 2012.

The fifth starter will be among a group of guys, namely Brian Duensing, Cole DeVries, Rich Harden, Liam Hendricks and others.  As far as power pitchers, Hendricks and newly acquired Trevor May may provide some strikeouts to the more finesse-sided group.

Twins Need More of Old Morneau

The starting lineup is projected to look like this:

1. Darin Mastroianni, OF  -  Speedy guy  (30 swipes, easy) with some power
2. Jamey Carroll, 2B           -  No power, but will hit for average
3. Joe Mauer, C                  -  Expect usual 300-10-80 season from him
4. Josh Willingham         -  Usual .260-25-90 from him
5. Justin Morenau           - Could bounce back in a big way
6. Ryan Doumit                   - Could continue to progress
7. Chris Parmalee               -  Relatively unknown
8. Trevor Plouffe                 - Pressed to hit 20 HR’s again
9. Pedro Florimon               - Speedy guy who will surprise

In summation, the Twins can play and be competitive in a relatively wide-open AL Central (with the exception of Detroit) with the aging White Sox, an enigmatic Royals squad and a Cleveland team with its own pitching problems.  Their offense could be aided tremendously with a healthy Justin Morneau, and surprises from their unknowns Mastrioanni, Parmalee and Florimon.  If they can get decent pitching from Liam Hendricks and/or Rich Harden, the Twins could be sneaky good in 2013.