Questions Answered: Realism of a Draft Trade, Cousins’ Enhanced Leader Role, Twyman’s Chance to Ascend
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the blazing April 20th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Yeah, the trade talk about the Vikings has really heated up. But is it all just smoke? Or do you think they’ll actually trade out of the 12th pick?
A: It is not smoke. You should earnestly prepare for the Vikings to move and shake on draft night.
The deal would probably be a trade backward, enabling the Vikings to draft a cornerback later in the 1st Round while accumulating more draft picks. Based on how Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sees value, sliding back a few spots checks out.
We predict the Vikings will trade back, draft Trent McDuffie or Andrew Booth Jr., and add to the draft-capital war chest with more picks.
Q: If Cousins is suddenly going to become this big leader for the Vikings, why has it taken so long?
A: This one is straightforward. Cousins now has a coach who values him.
Also, Cousins is a quiet guy. He’s not a rah-rah screamer of upbeat adjectives. He and Mike Zimmer weren’t connected at the hip — hell, they didn’t start “meeting” together until his fourth year with the team — and it showed.
Zimmer preached defense — always. O’Connell is a former quarterback. The defensive shadow of Zimmer faded, and Cousins can subsequently seize the enterprise with an offense-first head coach.
Q: I saw the O’Connell comment about Jaylen Twyman’s chance to ascend the depth chart. Is that just coach-speak?
A: This is not just coach-speak.
Twyman has the physical gifts to be a star. He’s just encountered a muddy path to the pros. Based on his draft stock a few years ago, the man can truly blossom.
O’Connell didn’t have to say anything of the ilk about Twyman “ascending.’ But he did, and words matter.
Twyman is young and gifted enough to claw his way up the Vikings depth chart. It just won’t happen overnight.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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