Questions Answered: The Trade Hitman Idea from Bleacher Report, a Dream Draft Pick, Patrick Jones II
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the July 2nd 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: Bleacher Report suggests a trade by the Vikings of Harrison Smith because they already have two good safeties. Is that realistic?
A: Foremost, for the readers, that theory is here from Bleacher Report.
No, we do not find the theory realistic or sensible. The idea operates under the pretense of Lewis Cine and Camryn Bynum already acting as quality starting safeties.
Cine has never taken an NFL snap, and Bynum’s string of success in 2021 could’ve been a flash-in-the-pan deal.
The Vikings won’t trade Smith this year. However, if this season is average or bad, then a trade-Smith dialogue could arise in 2023, especially if the team rebuilds.
For now, it’s poppycock.
Q: Do you agree that Akayleb Evans seems like a great guy and subsequently a great draft pick?
A: We’ve had multiple people email about this guy, opining how cool he seems and that his personality for a football team is perfect. Here’s an example from today:
His prowess for social-media engagement is marvelous, and fans already love him. Now, he just has to back up the lovable persona with play on the field. He’ll have to grind for defensive snaps in 2022, as those could already be spoken for by Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, and Andrew Booth.
We shall see on the play. Regardless, he is cool.
Q: Is everyone sleeping on the second year from Patrick Jones II?
A: No — not sleeping. He didn’t do much of anything as a rookie.
Jones II played 99 defensive snaps in 2021, so he’ll have a lot to prove as a sophomore. The Vikings are loading up in a top-heavy manner at EDGE rusher with Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith. Between Jones II, D.J. Wonnum, Janarius Robinson, Luiji Vilain, Andre Mintze, and others, someone is bound to emerge as a situational pass rusher.
If it’s Jones II, then, yes, it will have turned out we slept on him in July.
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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