Mock Monday: Looking at the Media’s Mocks
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Welcome to the second part of the Mock Monday series, which is going to be a three article, weekly series up until the NFL Draft. The first article will be a full seven round mock draft, the second will take a look at other mock drafts, and the final article will vary each week. Hope y’all will enjoy this new series!
Mock One: BleacherReport’s Kristopher Knox
Who Did We Take? Virginia Cornerback, Bryce Hall
My Take: Hall is very intelligent, especially in zone and against the run. Hall has slightly above average athletic abilities, but he makes up for it with his high football IQ. Bryce Hall struggled in man coverage at times, mainly due to his difficulty transitioning, changing direction, and agility. However, Hall was sneaky good at the line of scrimmage in press, displaying the ability to influence and change the wide receiver’s path. As a former wide receiver, Hall also has great ball skills. Hall would excel in Zimmer’s defense due to his IQ, willingness in run support, and ball skills. In conclusion, Hall is a solid CB who can be a contributor from the jump. He may be near his ceiling, but he gives the Vikes an intelligent, zone corner who upholds the run support standard of Zim’s defense.
Grade: A
Would I Change The Pick? Yes, depending on if you want to keep the positional continuity, I would either take Jeff Gladney, Josh Jones, or Justin Madubuike.
Mock Two: CBSSports’s Pete Prisco
Who Did We Take? Georgia Offensive Tackle, Andrew Thomas
My Take: Piggybacking off of my other Mock Monday piece, which you can find here… “It isn’t extremely likely to happen, Thomas being there at 25 is the best case scenario for the Vikings (outside of a Becton or Kinlaw slide). Thomas projects better in a power/gap blocking scheme, but that doesn’t mean he still won’t be a good-great left tackle in our zone scheme. Thomas is gifted with athletic tools that, if properly molded, could finally give the Vikings an elite mainstay at left tackle. Andrew excelled at using his hands and power while blocking the best of the best in the SEC. The only knock to Thomas’ game is his inconsistencies with his balance, footwork, and pass sets, but with improved technique he could almost eliminate these flaws.” Thomas is also elite at combo and down blocking, both heavily utilized in 2019 by the Vikings. In conclusion, Thomas is a day one starter for the Vikings with plenty of potential to improve and joins a promising young core of Bradbury and O’Neil on the oline.
Grade: A+
Would I Change The Pick? Nope, I love this pick and hope that Thomas is there at 25 for us.
Mock Three: NFL.com’s Chad Reuter
Who Did We Take? Alabama Cornerback, Trevon Diggs
My Take: I don’t really get the hype around Diggs to the Vikings, aside from the connection to Stefon. Yes, Diggs is a great athlete but his strengths don’t match up to the Vikings defense as well as other prospects. Diggs is great in the flat and solid in press man, but he hasn’t showed good ball skills or any prowess in supporting the run. In the Vikings single high, cover one/three defense the corners are tasked with helping against the run, breaking on underneath routes, and being responsible for deep third. Trevon is physical at the line of scrimmage in press man, but does allow separation at times due to his average ability to mirror receivers and transitional quickness. He meets just one of the three aforementioned criteria, but does have the speed to recover deep just not great/inconsistent ball skills. In conclusion, Diggs would be good in press man for the Vikings but much like Trae Waynes-who seemingly was always in the right spot just couldn’t make the play- Diggs could get beat deep, which was a point of weakness for the Vikings in ‘19.
Grade: B-
Would I Change The Pick? Yes, I would go with someone like Noah Igbinoghene, Cameron Dantzler, or Jeff Gladney if he is available.