The clock is ticking and with every second that passes Vikings fans become more anxious about what their favorite football team will do when they go on the clock with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Greg Bedard of Monday Morning Quarterback did a mock draft with which player each team should select. He believes Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles should end up in Minnesota.
Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder are not the long-term answers at quarterback, but their presence allows Bortles to be developed slowly, as he needs to be. It’s the perfect situation for him, and for the Vikings.
With a little more than one day to spare, these are the latest rumors on players that have been tied to the Vikings.
ZACH METTENBERGER – QB – LSU
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport broke some news this morning that might be reason enough for some teams to pass on taking LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger.
Teams had durability concerns on Mettenberger’s back. #LSU trainer Jack Marucci. “This shouldn’t be a big deal as long as you treat it.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 7, 2014
Mettenberger has had a bad week. He was also flagged for a drug test from the NFL Combine. His agent told the The Times-Picayune that Mettenberger simply had too much water in his urine.
JOHNNY MANZIEL – QB – TEXAS A&M
Jay Glazer reports the Browns will not draft Manziel with the fourth overall selection. Glazer has also reported the Raiders won’t touch Manziel with the fifth pick, either. On top of that, Rams coach Jeff Fisher hinted that they won’t use a first-round pick on Manziel.
That presumably leaves the Texans (No. 1), Jaguars (No. 3) and Buccaneers (No. 7) as the only teams ahead of the Vikings with a possible need for a quarterback. Rapoport said Tuesday that no one he’s talked to thinks Manziel will go outside the top 10, with the 13th pick being the lowest place he goes.
Just one week ago a post on NFL.com made the Vikings and Buccaneers the frontrunners to draft Manziel.
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER – QB – LOUISVILLE
Bridgewater stole the show on Tuesday when reports surfaced that fulfilled a promise he made to his mother when he was 9-years-old. He surprised her with a brand new pink Cadillac Escalade. As for draft speculation about him, one ESPN evaluator doesn’t think Bridgewater will be a good fit for Norv Turner’s offense in Minnesota.
“Personally, a lot of the things you saw in his private workout, as far as him being very accurate on short-to-intermediate (throws) inside the numbers, but struggling on intermediate-to-deep (balls) outside the numbers are the same things I saw on film. I don’t know if that’s a good fit for Norv’s offense,” the evaluator wrote.
MIKE EVANS – WR – TEXAS A&M
Evans is considered the second best receiver in the draft behind Clemson’s Sammy Watkins. But would the Vikings consider drafting a player at a position where they already have four players (Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jerome Simpson, Jarius Wright) virtually guaranteed to be in the lineup?
General Manager Rick Spielman said Tuesday that he’s open to drafting anyone, regardless of position of need. ESPN’s Ben Goessling writes that it might not be a bad idea to take Evans if he’s the best player available.
Check out this awesome nugget from Ryan Boser, who compares the physical traits of Evans to those of Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who turned into one of the best receivers in the NFL last season.
Mike Evans is 2" taller, 15 lbs. heavier, jumps 2.5" higher and has 2" longer arms than Alshon Jeffery. That's just not fair.
— Ryan Boser 🇺🇸 🏈 (@Ryan_Boser) May 7, 2014
However, this tweet says Jeffery’s case is pretty rare.
Since 2011 #NFLDraft 35 WRs were taken first 3 rounds & only 4 Pro Bowlers, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Alshon Jeffery & Cordarrelle Patterson
— mfairchild (@mfairchild87) May 7, 2014
