Mel Kiper makes unique mock selection for Vikings at… Nine?!?
Joe Johnson
|
While I’m sure at least some of you are tired of the endless flow of mock drafts coming out from every corner of the internet (sidenote: is this a bad time to announce the launch of our latest website, TheDraftTeam.com, a draft prospect/mock draft database headed up by our draft expert Kirby O’Connor? That site will be live within the next 24-48 hours!), they’re a staple of the NFL media landscape in general but especially this time of year.
While some write mocks off as subjective (barely) educated guesses, some names in the Mock Draft game carry more weight than others. The biggest name, or rather the weightiest, is ESPN draft expert and extra from ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Mel Kiper Jr. Another sidenote, who is Mel Kiper Sr.? A mixed pile of football, tarot cards and cocaine?
Kiper Jr. made his latest prediction behind the Great Paywall of Connecticut and selected a player that has yet to be linked to the Vikings by any major Mock.
Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
Of that pick Kiper says:
“I like the fit here, particularly with Riley Reiff leaving in free agency. Sewell is an elite talent, and if this quarterback class wasn’t so strong, he might be a lock for the top five. The Vikings have had offensive line issues for years, but Sewell would plug their hole on the left side. An elite O-line covers up roster flaws, and this is a step toward improving the entire offense. If Minnesota stays at No. 14 or does the opposite approach and trades down, keep an eye on safety. With Anthony Harris gone in free agency, there’s a void there next to Harrison Smith.”
But Sewell won’t be available at 14, you say?
Kiper accounted for that as well. He has Minny trading up with Denver for the 9th pick, which by his estimation “would likely cost at least Minnesota’s second-rounder in 2022 and likely more.”
The question then becomes two-fold. Whether the Vikings would make these moves and whether Sewell would be a good fit.
The latter goes without saying as Sewell is considered the best offensive line prospect in the entire draft by sites like WalterFootball.com …
WalterFootball.com: 2021 NFL Draft: OT Rankings
… and eventually our own site, TheDraftTeam.com.
The bigger question would be whether or not the Vikings would make this move. If you recognize any of my writing you’ll know that I’d find it hard to believe that the Vikings would use any early-to-mid-to-late round capital to move up, especially after they recently lost a prized (by Spielman, for some reason) 7th-round pick as punishment, for any pick. When you add to that equation that the pick in question is not only not a player on the defensive side of the ball AND an offensive lineman?
Yeah. Maybe add more cocaine to the pile I described above.
The other question, then, is should the Vikings make this move if the eighth player is taken and Sewell is still available?
Yes.
That could allow them to keep Cleveland at guard, but move him to the left side, draft a right guard in the mid-rounds and hope that Cleveland improves on his natural side, that right guard works our and Garrett Bradbury becomes less of a bust with good guards on each side.
Who am I kidding, none of that will happen.
Props to our friends at the Daily Norseman for covering this first.