Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King has the Vikings taking TCU wide receiver Josh Doctson with the 23rd pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.
We’ll find out if King is correct when the Vikings send in their pick Thursday night, but if Doctson is the pick, King believes the best receiver in the draft will have fallen to Minnesota.
“The Vikings have no idea why the best receiver in the draft—according to several teams—fell to number 23, but they’ll take the gift. One of the things GM Rick Spielman wants to get for Teddy Bridgewater is an outside receiver with game-breaking speed and sure hands. Doctson has both.”
In three years at TCU Doctson hauled in 180 receptions for over 2,700 yards and 29 touchdowns – three of them in two career games against the Gophers.
“Doctson shows the ability to contort his body and shield defenders from the ball in contested-catch situations,” says ESPN’s Todd McShay.
Doctson vs. Treadwell
According to ESPN’s Ben Goessling, Doctson and Ole Miss’s Laquon Treadwell offer the size Minnesota might be looking for whereas other top rated receivers, Baylor’s Corey Coleman and Notre Dame’s Will Fuller, don’t have the size but they do possess elite speed.
Goessling adds that Treadwell is probably better suited to quickly adjust to NFL defenses since he played in the SEC while Doctson played in TCU’s spread offense.
“Laquon Treadwell is a natural No. 1 receiver, but he doesn’t have the explosiveness that Josh Doctson displays,” NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks recently said, via Vikings.com. “Both of those guys can put the ball in the paint, but in Doctson, you’re talking about a true red zone weapon, a guy that really excels at winning those contested balls down in the red zone.”
Teddy Bridgewater gets a new weapon from TCU.@SteveMariucci picks Josh Doctson for the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/pYiRNe4eXj
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 25, 2016
Vikings WR situation doesn’t stack up
If the Vikings started the season today they would line up Stefon Diggs and Jarius Wright as the top two receivers on the roster. Compare that 1-2 punch to the NFC’s final four from 2015 and it’s not a fair fight.
- Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd
- Seahawks: Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse
- Packers: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb
- Panthers: Kelvin Benjamin, Tedd Ginn Jr.
Even looking at the top receivers on the remaining teams in the conference and it’s pretty clear the Rams, 49ers and Vikings have the worst 1-2 punches at receiver in the NFC.
- Cowboys: Dez Bryant, Terence Williams
- Giants: Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz
- Eagles: Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor
- Redskins: Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon
- Rams: Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt
- 49ers: Torrey Smith, Quentin Patton
- Bears: Alshon Jeffrey, Kevin White
- Lions: Golden Tate, Marvin Jones
- Falcons: Julio Jones, Muhammad Sanu
- Saints: Brandin Cooks, Will Snead
- Buccaneers: Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson
