Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Chris Trapasso looks at Vikings draft options post-Combine

Episode Date: March 6, 2025

Matthew Coller is joined by Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports to look at how the Vikings' options in the draft changed after the Combine.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Coller here and it is time for the Chris Trapaso Drafts Show. CBS Sports Draft Analyst Chris Trapaso. We are back from the NFL Combine. We have all the results, all the rumors, answers to some of the questions that we had going into the NFL combine. And Chris, here's what I want to do today on the show. I want to look at the big four positions of need for the Vikings and who they would take at number 24 from each one of those positions based on your mocks,

your projections, who could be available, who shined at the combine, who's tape you love, all those different things. But let me get one big picture take. I'll give it to you and you can tell me if you agree. I thought if you're the Vikings, that the combine, the way it played out with the number of players who either emerged or confirmed at the big four positions they need,

I thought it was a big win over the weekend for the Vikings at the combine. 100% I mean defensive tackle class. I don't want to say totally lived up to the hype because a lot of the guys didn't work out but there was no like crazy measurements. I mean Mason Graham was a little smaller but he's out of the Vikings range. The cornerback group was one of the fastest cornerback groups that we've seen in a long time. The running back group. And we're going to certainly get to some potential, you know, day two options for the Vikings running back group was as advertised as maybe the

best running back class is 2017, not just as Shenzhen T there's so many good players there and what's the last position I'm forgetting, uh, you got your, you got your guards, you got your guards and yes. And guards too, in that we have come to realize in terms of players who were just guards in college that are going to be guards in the NFL, eh, but tackle to guard converts, which feels like makes the most sense for the Vikings because usually those players have a little bit more bill, more mobility playing tackle in college and then kicking inside. We saw a bunch of it was like the tallest and biggest and most explosive

offensive line group that we've had at the combine in a long time. So it's certainly it seems weird to say this, but it was a positive development of all of those position groups having such a big week in Indianapolis for the Vikings. All right. Let's talk about you get to 24. Now I'm expecting the Vikings to try as much as they can to trade down. They need more drafts and I in almost every single draft sim have been trading down, but

for the purposes of this exercise, so we could talk about who stands out and might be available at 24, let's just assume that they're not getting the offers they want to move down, they're at 24, and we're looking at their potential options from those four positions. Why don't we start out with the position you went with in your most recent mock at number 24 for the Vikings defensive tackle.

So you mentioned a lot of these guys, some of them just did drills, but we didn't get big numbers on them. Like Derek Harman did the 40 and then after he ran a sub five 40, he was just like, I'm good. I'm good. Yep. Peace out. And I thought that the movement skills from some of those guys were mind blowing considering their times and their sizes. But also Deon Walker had a pretty rough go and he would have been a guy that was on the radar maybe

for 24, but I think after that, probably not on the radar. I think he needed to test as a super freak. So how do you assess potential options? So you have them taking Harmon in your mock, but he's won't be the only one likely to be on the board at 24 at Defensive Tackle, right? Well, yes, you're spot on in that Dion Walker needed to have like, okay, like he's not just athletic for his size, but he's just a, uh, uh, NFL caliber

athlete, a first round caliber athlete. We didn't see that. So it feels like, and we'll certainly get to a few that, that had somewhat disappointing combines, Tyler Booker being another one, when we get to the guard position feels like Walker is, is probably out of the, I mean, I don't think he's going to go like undrafted, but he's out of the conversation in the first round. But like you said, Derek Harmon running sub four, four, sorry, five seconds at

how big he is and how tall he is. I don't blame him for saying I'm done like this. I'm just going to sit on that. This is a player that had a pressure rate of over 11% in his college career. And I always say it's just an easy round number at defensive tackle. If you, even if you're a prospect, not in the NFL, if you're a prospect and your pressure rate is like at that 10% threshold, you are a big time pass rusher. If you're 11, 12, 13%, it's almost unheard of

to see a player that high. So to be that explosive, it translates on the film and to then show out when a few of the other guys didn't have huge workouts. I think he would be, him and Walter Nolan, we didn't really get to see him. He didn't work out long, very explosive player too. But Derek Harmon, I think would almost represent

if they wanna go defensive tackle, tall, 310 pounds, big time athlete, pass rusher, not terrible against the run either, can two gap, can kinda eat multiple blockers if he needs to. That to me would be one of the best case scenarios for the Vikings if they can't ultimately trade back in the first round. I think so too, you watch the guy move around, you look at his numbers.

It all kind of matches up. Some folks have asked about a missed tackle rate with him, but one of the things I think about with those defensive linemen is they'll get missed tackles when they get into the backfield and running backs, dodge them. And I'm not holding it again. I'm not thinking that this guy can't tackle anybody and really really his job too is going to be get in the backfield, get after the passer. That's what the Vikings are looking for.

And when you talk about all the boxes to check stats, athleticism, what he's got, and I've heard good things about him in terms of character wise, that's what the Vikings are looking for at 24. Nolan is a little harder to put a finger on because he's got the stats, but we didn't see much of the combine to compare and contrast who else might be on the radar other than those two.

I think still Darius Alexander. And I feel like we talked about him in Indianapolis, went through the whole gamut of the workout, had tested pretty well for being like stockier than Derek Harmon. Harmon's taller and a little bit more sleek, which probably speaks to him being able to get up the field a little better. But just because of the legitimate position versatility for Darius Alexander from Toledo that I feel like Brian Flores is going to absolutely love him in the pre-drift process as the coaches start to get involved with, you know, the GMs and the directors of college scouting, things like that. He would be another one that I think would would make a lot of sense. We didn't get to see Kenneth Grant from Michigan who was like that, I don't want to say classic nose tackle because he does try to get up field and there are some glimmers of pass rush ability but like 6'3 and a half, 340. Like he, we were

really excited to see him. And then he ultimately decided not to work out. We'll get the Michigan pro day. Hopefully he and Mason grab both workouts. So we have some quantifiable evidence to point at, but those three Harmon, Darius Alexander, because he can be a legitimate chess piece and Kenneth Grant. I think if you're looking at defensive tackle,

best case scenarios from Minnesota. And with somebody like Grant, I know that he's not the penetrating defensive lineman and that to me knocks him down off of my list. For me too. Not like I would never go near him, but as far as spending a first round pick, I want somebody who is harming quarterbacks at that position. I will say that we've seen quite a bit of value from guys like Derrick Brown Vita via but I think the bar to be that person is so high if you're gonna be the 340 pound you're gonna be a Fire hydrant there that people can't move you better be like the best at that

The Vikings had no problem stopping the run and they did it with Harrison Phillips be like the best at that. The Vikings had no problem stopping the run and they did it with Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery. Those guys are out there. The guys who don't make it out there are the defensive tackles. We saw this from Oso Digizua who signed with the Dallas Cowboys before getting out there, even Milton Williams making it to free agency as a surprise. And they could still do it as we speak here.

They've signed a couple other people. is a surprise and they could still do it as we speak here. They've signed a couple other people. So those guys, once you get them, they stay on their team for a really long time. You can't just, oh, I'll just grab a pass rushing DT who's six foot four and right. So I would much prefer that on somebody who is more of the ilk of a pass rusher.

Well, first, the one point that I always think of things as you're talking, because you always bring up great points and I have to always add onto them. The Derek Harman, mistackle stuff. I feel like if you are being drafted a defensive tackle to be like the guy, like you just said, Derek Brown, like he was the guy in Carolina when they picked him like seventh overall, eighth overall. When you have Jonathan Grenard and Andrew van Ginkle, and then you're bringing Dallas Turner along, as long as you're creating some type of disruption

on the interior, you're letting Jonathan Grenard clean that up and get 16, 17, 18 sacks, it's not so much as, Oh man, Derek Harmon's not great at, you know, corralling running backs or quarterbacks. Once he gets up field, if he's able to disrupt, that's, that's plenty good enough. And I agree with you on Kenneth Grant, that I don't personally have him like as the 24th best player in this class in terms of where it feels like he'll probably go because of what you're mentioning that teams understand you get pretty good return on in value, return on investment in terms of how long a player is going to play on your team. If you have just a rock solid, at least two down nose tackle that gives you a little bit of pass rush.

If they pick Kenneth Grant and I would go Derek Harmon, best case scenario, then Darius Alexander, then Kenneth Grant. If the Vikings do want to go defensive tackle on the first. So let's say that they trade down and they're looking at being much more in the middle of the second round than they are the first. So they're probably passing up on someone like Derek Harmon. Is there enough depth in this class, in your opinion, to still draft a starting or difference making defensive tackle in the let's say 35 to 45 type of range. Look guys, I am just about at the age where I'm starting to notice that hairline fading

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and oral minoxidil and finasteride. Prescription products require an online consultation with healthcare provider and will determine if a prescription is appropriate restrictions apply see website for details and important safety information 1000% yes we have not talked about Omar Norman lot from Tennessee he's a little bit he's like right around 300 pounds I think he was like 296 or something like that at the, at the combine. Another really, really good pass rusher.

His pressure rate in college was 10.9%. So if you love Harmon at 11, he was right there played in the SEC. CJ West is probably more of a well rounded player, uh, in terms of he's going to be really good against the run and pretty good as a pass rusher, not a ton of upside. T.J. Sanders from South Carolina, we mentioned him. This is a really quality class in exactly that range that you just mentioned. And I said I would bring up comparisons. For C.J. West, he reminds me, not quite the same caliber of player, reminds me of Aline McNeil,

which maybe I said this before because saying that name is like hearkening back to us being in Indy. Derek Harmon, Daquan Jones, Darius Alexander to me, not quite as polished, but reminds me of Mohammed Wilkerson. And Kenneth Grant reminds me a lot of Grover Stewart from the Indianapolis Colts, who's like not an all pro, but they've loved him as this big force in the middle of their defense next to DeForest Buckner.

So yes, I think if they do trade back or they go in another direction position-wise, round two, they will be happy with the, not just who they pick, obviously, like all teams say they are, but just the guys who are available at that position defensive tackle. Let's talk about running back. Let's go to running back for the next position. If the Vikings were picking a running back, and this is always an interesting exercise because the standard is much higher at 24. And when I'm watching the combine and I'm listening to Daniel Jeremiah talk, I'm going I can't believe this class You know Caleb Johnson I saw you tweet about him and initially my takeaway was I was hoping for faster there

But then when he did his drills Daniel Jeremiah who knows better than I do what to look for in those drills Like this looks great. Okay, how smooth he was how he was catching the ball and I thought, you know 40 time and These guys is not always a correlation there. Bucky Irving's a good example from last year of how they're actually going to play in the NFL. So, okay, you got this, that kind of guy might be in the middle of the second round, could be in the third round.

And then all these other running backs who were standing out, Trayvon Henderson, Quinjon Judkins, lots of guys. 24, who's worth that pick in this draft? To me, if, okay, I will say I am not fully on board with picking running backs in the first round. I am not famously, but I always bring up that I have this shirt that says,

do not draft running backs in the first round. I'm not wearing it tonight, but I will wear it throughout the pre-draft process on one of these shows. It's one of my favorite shirts. But if you're saying they, they're going to pick one, you, you get a scoop that you've, you talked to Quacey at some bar in downtown Minneapolis and he says, we're going to pick a running back.

Just like you can tell Chris on the Chris DiPrasso draft show and you can say it, but just don't bring it up to anyone else. Um, I would say it's Bashall Tooten. I really think that I put a mock out there pre combine of that was a little bit of like a bold predictions combine or mock draft of like players who could test themselves into the first round. I got not like a ton of criticism, but it was like Bashall Tutin. Who is that?

He ran like four, three had a 40 inch vertical was maybe the best testing running back of all of the guys who actually went through the entire, you know, workout in Indianapolis. I think I mentioned this earlier too, with tootin from Virginia tech, the highest miss tackle forest rate that he had in the season was 39%. Ashton Genties, 40%. So this is a big time athlete who's elusive. He's not like some weird shape

where he's, you know, way too big or five, seven, one 65. I like Omarion Hampton. I think he's Brian Robinson like, I think Michelle Tooten is Isaiah Pacheco like, and the first round is all about traits. So I, I don't see why, if you want to pick a running back at 24 and that's you're just dead set on it. You'll love the depth at the other need positions, but shell tootin from Virginia tech would be my pick. So there's a little bit of, he would be your pick because he's your favorite. And I was just looking up his numbers and I mean wow like elusive rating is a great pffs that his is through the roof his yards after contact through the roof he has three really good seasons over six yards to carry ignited the

combine like he's got he's got it all the likelihood is and now we do have to consider that the vikings aren't picking again until 97 after 24 unless they're doing movement so if they are to move down I feel like he won't be picked there but that would be your guy that's your favorite so I just want to clarify the sure the difference between those two things for me I don't know that there is a guy who's worth picking at running back maybe it was a trick question. Hampton looked really, really good. Travion Henderson, I thought, was awesome at the combine and a guy

who averaged what seven yards of carry or something crazy and Henderson was mocked by Daniel Jeremiah to the Vikings. It is pre combine mock and then his post combine mock he had someone else who will talk about, but Henderson or Quinchon Judkins might be the guys or Hampton that are the names more associated with that kind of draft area of number 24.

So you like, you like him more than those guys, huh? I do. I have a higher grade from film. My scouting or my NFL draft algorithm that I call resin, uh, has him hire for a lot of those reasons. Like it's, it's big time athlete who was really good in college on the field. Like what more, what else could you want from a prospect? But you're absolutely right. I think that is an art form that GMs have to learn.

And I'm not saying that quasi can't do it, but, and maybe that's why, you know, a site like Grinding the Mox that, that it's, it's very important to understand where is Bichal Tooten going to go? Could we maybe get him? Could we like move back and then pick, detackle, and then like move up from 97 or 96 wherever they're picking and get him like in the third, because that would be better than just picking him at 24, obviously. I think it, some GMs are really good at it. They can gather intel. Their, their staffs are better. And then some, it takes a little bit more time to understand. We love this guy. He's playing running back.

So, I mean, when it's a quarterback, you just pick him. But when it's a running back, it is important to have that. I don't want to say just a keen sense, probably a lot of research goes into it and just talking to other GMs during the pro day circuit, things like that, where a player could go so So that was an important caveat that that's just where I have him evaluated. I don't think he's like a fifth rounder, but to go 24 would be pretty surprising.

But I think in a few years, we're gonna look back and say, yeah, 24 would have been right for Bashal Tutin. Bottom line coming out of the combine for the running back class, is it as strong in your opinion as everyone said it was? Absolutely, because I'm just looking at my starting grade book here Jarques Hunter from Auburn. I love him on film. My algorithm resin likes him quite a bit didn't test particularly Well, we have not mentioned I think since last week cam scataboo had a big vertical didn't run

He probably would have run kind of slowly. I love RJ Harvey. DJ Giddens is a really fun, I think for a zone, zone blocking scheme type system. He's from Kansas state, very good lateral cutting ability, like those LaShawn McCoy ask jump cuts, Devin Neal from Kansas. It's a really good class. Even Dylan Sampson from Tennessee who ran in that kind of wide open spread system that has huge running lanes, one cut and go. That could be a player way later that very fast can add the explosive

element to the run game that you've mentioned was really been lacking in Minnesota. So yes, I think it absolutely lived up to the hype and just I've watched so many running backs and I like, like so many of these players. So yes, I think a lot of depth and a lot of future starters well beyond the first round and well beyond Ashton Gentian, Omari and Hampton. I would not be in favor of the Vikings picking a running back there for that reason and RJ, RJ Harvey is the one that has my attention. So you got to, and I got Harvey is somebody who I thought did really well

at the combine and has amazing numbers, but there you would be hard pressed to find these guys who don't in the backfield. So the resurgence of the running back position I think is going to continue in the NFL. I know that everyone's saying, ask him about the guards, please. Well, when you look at free agency, Chris, and I know we're not there yet, so we'll have a much clearer view of this soon. There's not a lot of guards who I look at and say, wow, that guy could change your franchise.

But there are some guys in the combine who could be guards that are officially tackles who might be able to change your franchise from the guard position. The one that blew everybody away I thought was Grey's Abel but I also felt like it was a group that Tate Ratledge really stood out with his mullet but also his 40 showing the explosiveness that he has. Calvin Banks looks like somebody who could move from tackle to guard and he tested very well at the combine. I felt like when you and I were talking about it pre-testing

that we were saying, you know, the guard group, you kind of got to get Booker or I'm not really sure. And now the way Donovan Jackson, especially from Ohio State, the way that he looked as well in his movement skill, I thought a lot of these guys showed out and maybe proved that this is a stronger group because if you're, you know how we talk about like, oh, it's the underwear Olympics, it's not real football.

And that's a hundred percent true. But for a position like guard, you really wanna see how those guys move because playing guard in the NFL is so much different than playing it in college. 1000%, I mean, you outlined a lot of those potential or most of those potential tackle the guard converts. Um, Ariante, Ursary is another one from Minnesota that you guys certainly know really well that he's probably a tackle in the NFL, but he has a guard's body and he tested through

the roof. Um, with him, I know this sounds kind of old school and cliche, but he really feels like you start him a tackle. If it doesn't work out, you're going to have a quality guard. And, and I don't want to throw out too many scouting cliches, but I feel like with that, he is the prime example of that. He's long, he's like plus like 330 plus six foot three, almost six four. Um, he's someone that maybe we thought that the guard position wasn't great because really outside of the Georgia guys, there's not a lot of like just, you know, Quinton Nelson's that were guards in college that were going to stay there. But absolutely this class was really fast. And we're not even mentioning him. He's probably

not going to be around, but Will Campbell has shorter, a shorter wingspan than your guy, Willie Lampkin. How is that possible? Five, 10, 270, like six, five, 320. Will Campbell tests like a top 15 pick, a tackle. I think there will be teams that will be scared off to draft an outlier. And that's, I think we've talked about that over the years.

Like you don't really want to be the GM or the head coach or the scouting department that's like drafting an outlier. Like, isn't that that like arrested development meme where it's like, it's hasn't turned out well for anyone else, but I think for us, it will be just fine. Like it wouldn't shock me if Will Campbell actually sinks down the board a little bit. Do I think he gets to 24?

No, but maybe that has a ripple effect on the rest if Will Campbell actually sinks down the board a little bit. Do I think he gets to 24? No. But maybe that has a ripple effect on the rest of the first round where these offensive linemen go a little bit later, which maybe could be music to the ears of the Vikings brass. But what if it works for us is the meme. And you can also put in the arrested development meme. There are literally dozens of tackles that have arms that short. Historically, literally dozens.

Yeah, I mean, even so. It's so funny how when we get to this point, we kind of feel like we know how the board is going to fall and then it changes our mind as soon as we get to draft night. This time last year, we were saying, well, Dallas Turner, you know, he's going to be gone by the time the Vikings pick we were saying, well, Dallas Turner, you know, he's gonna be gone by the time the Vikings pick, and they might not even have that second pick and everything.

And then Dallas Turner becomes a Viking because I'm not sure why still really, other than the board played out with a bunch of quarterbacks and he fell in their lap. I shouldn't discount, I, you know, in 2020- Will Campbell could be there. He could be there. Like crazier things have happened.

That's probably what like you were gonna mention mention. And I do want to hear your story, but 2020 with Justin Jefferson, like Derwin James lasting until the 17th pick in 2018. We're all like, what Kyle Hamilton, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum. So like when I put that in a mock draft and I did have Will Campbell going a little bit later, but if I sent him to the Vikings at 24 in early March he'd be like you're crazy he's top five he has a wingspan under 78 inches like that's really really really short and it to me if we're going to get really into like the anatomy of the like human body his arms aren't particularly short it's just his wingspan is short. So to me that says he has a narrow frame and I don't think offensive line coaches are going to be thrilled with that. Now that doesn't mean that Will Campbell

is a bad player or he's guaranteed to be there at 24, but it could mean that there's a stronger likelihood that he's available. We just have to remember that in the draft, it's never anywhere close to alright, this guy's going here. They're going to pick a tackle. There's always surprises littered throughout the first round. Right. What I was going to say about 2020 is just that I remember some fans saying

after the Vikings got that second pick for the Stefan digs trade, like, oh man, I'd love that Jefferson guy. I was like, he's not going to go there. You need to look at Jalen rager. He's the guy. And I don't think I, I don't know if I liked him or not, but I just, I remember feeling like, yeah, good luck. You're not getting Justin Jefferson.

Hey, Christian Derrissa was another guy that I remember hearing that the reason Christian Derrissa fell in the draft was he was too chill in the meetings. They were like, he's not a, it's not a killer. And that's why he's, and the thing is, if you know, Christian Der were like, he's not a killer. And that's why, and the thing is, if you know Krish Dersa, he is the most chill person of all time, but that's left tackles sometimes for you. They're more relaxed dudes.

But to your point about the wingspan, some of it can seem really ludicrous. So we should just take one moment to explain why that matters. A defensive pass rusher once explained to me the long arm technique and how it works. Cause I was like, what is that? What is that?

How does it work? And the idea was you get your hand into kind of that chest, upper chest area, not the throat of the face mask, but that upper chest area. And you try to get control of that guy. And if he's got super long arms, he's going to be able to get into your chest before you can get into his.

And when he goes around the edge, and he's trying to get low around you, arm length, you could keep him farther away. But if you have shorter arms and a thinner frame, it's gonna be easier to get low on you and get around you. So these things are there for a reason. Not that's not to say if he's a great football player, you should just not draft him,

but that could mean why he's a guard and not a tackle. Yeah. And just so many like thoughts were popped into my head. This is reminding me and I'm not trying to, you know, tank Will Campbell's draft stock or say, I think he's terrible because I think I have him in just on film alone, like the top 10 player in this class, a lot of the same things came up with Jonah Williams from Alabama. And it was like, Hey, he doesn't look like a tackle, but look at the production. He was amazing at Alabama.

He was at Alabama and he dealt with those Clemson defense events and those national title games. And it doesn't matter. He's just fundamentally sound, never allowed to sack all this stuff. And Jonah Williams just couldn't do it in the NFL. Like I don't even, is he even in the NFL anymore? Like he's very, I mean, if he is, he's not anywhere close to living up to that hype. He's on a different team.

Like the Bengals didn't get what they were hoping for. So there is a recent like eerily similar story or background or draft resume that we could be sitting here or I guess after the draft and saying, see, we talked about Will Campbell fell a lot further than people thought. And I always go back to, um, the DREP, the first round is about traits and yes, athletically, will Campbell emphatically check those boxes, but traits also bake in your measurements and to have a five foot 10, 270 pound guard with a longer wingspan than you is not a great look for him in terms of just wanting to go as early as he can in the first round.

All right. Let's look at a wingspan classic position. The cornerback, which also is scrutinized on that. Now there is a short armed hero that I really like here, but I think that my dreams of him drafting or being drafted 24 may have been dashed. And that would be a Jihadi Baron, the cornerback from Texas who, as soon as he ran a 4-4 with his talent,

his football intelligence, this is the way he's talked about, that it's just probably going to end up going higher. I mean, if you can get that type of player with his talent, it was really the box that needed to be checked. Is this guy really somebody who could be an outside corner? He does have the shorter arms, but at that point you probably don't care because he's proven to be good enough but you know we have seen some corners drop so Baron is still on my list for sure who else would be in that conversation for number 24 if I Hey, Chris, the Vikings just drafted a corner and you said who, and I said, guess, and you said no.

And I said, yes, you have to guess. Who would you guess? How about Will Johnson from Michigan? If we're going to stay on the theme of, you know, early September mock drafts, guys that were going in the first round, Will Campbell, let's transition to Will Johnson from Michigan. Another one, short arms under 31 inches, which again, would not meet most teams' thresholds. Now is that ridiculously short?

It's not as short as Barron's arms, but was an outside corner at Michigan made most of his plays out there? That's where he played. That's where he rose to prominence as an outside corner. Um, there were a lot of, uh, business decisions, let's say in terms of trying to tackle, um, in his final season at Michigan, didn't finish the final season, was injured. Um, he's someone that I almost feel like is going to fall.

Like I will not be shocked whatsoever if he's available at 24. And early in the season has a pick six against USC to kind of seal the deal in that game had big plays in college football playoffs when he was like a freshman and a sophomore very young player. Maybe you're not going to see him work out maybe at the Michigan pro day, but that is a player that I feel like Brian Flores could say, look, I've seen enough of his film. I'm not really totally overly concerned with not having 32 inch arms. And I don't even know if that's the Vikings threshold.

We don't really, again, know like the blueprint for what quacy likes to do, but will Johnson to me could be one that has nothing to do with the combine because it was, it was disappointing for him and he didn't work out, but that I think the Vikings would kind of like, they felt with Dallas Turner, they had to trade up for him, but they would be like, Hey, we got someone that until he got injured was like, this is a top five pick first corner off the board. If we're not, if we're counting Travis Hunter as a wide receiver, let's say that we get him at 24,

we would be ecstatic with that. The one thing that when you describe them, the business decisions is not going to go over well with Brian Flores. I mean, value is value, but what I think, and we talked about this with Mackay Blackman a couple of years ago. Remember when the consensus draft boards did not like the Mackay Blackman pick? And my argument was, there's no way all of you watched

that as much tape as Chris Trapasso on this guy. And it gets really hard because it's team specific. Once you get past, it's who do your guys like in your room and not like a consensus 32 team type of way of going about it. And the reason that they liked Mackay Blackman is because the guy was a dog. Like you watched him play.

I mean, he was a great tackler. He fought for the football. He made plays on the football. He took on bigger receivers and did not have problems with them because he brought that toughness. I don't think they're going to pick anybody who isn't super high IQ really, really tough. I think character is going to push to the front dog mentality

is going to push to the front and that's why Baron really stands out to me. I go. Okay, that sounds like a Brian Flores guy because I think that they are less interested in. Well, he's the perfect specs. In fact, you even look at their corners that they've liked from last year. I mean, Byron Murphy Jr.

is not the perfect specs of a quarterback. He does have shorter arms, I think, and it's not the tallest guy. Maybe didn't run the four three, but that's one of, I think, Brian Flores's favorite players there. So I'm looking for corners who are football players and not like just, Hey, he's got traits and Hey, he's got size. If you're going to remind me, or you're going to tell me that about the emphasis of being just a good football player tackling Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky,

who also tested through the roof. He is spindly. He looks like Mackay Blackman on the field, but in terms of what you were describing, which made me think of him, when you're describing Blackman, that's like the vibe that I got with Hairston from Kentucky on film. And he ran, I think, did he run 429, 428, I think. So he has that downfield speed to run with the Speedsters, plays like he thinks he's like six, two, two 10, but he's literally like, I think a hundred, like under 190 pounds right around six foot,

big combine for him. And it, no one would really scoff at the Vikings if they pick Hairston because now he ticks the traits box where like, if you're going to be a small corner, you better run really fast and jump really high. And he certainly did that. So maybe that's a better option in terms of best case scenario that would really make everyone in the Vikings organization, Quacey, the analytics side, and Brian Flores happy that they were getting another dog in the quarterback group. So the guy I thought you were going to say that I thought had a fine combine and did enough to confirm the type of football he player he is, is Trey Amos, who is from old miss at someone who I've had in my

sites. So just to my approach to the draft is this, the way I've always gone about it. There were times where I tried to watch film and be that guy, the tape grinder. And I honestly, I don't really know how to do this. Like you're the tape guy. You have years of tape analysis. This is what you do all year round. But for me, where I've done really well in the past at picking out guys is using the data and using also draft reports and knowing how to read them.

So Lance Zerline and Dane Bruegler, these guys are really good at their jobs. And I can read through information and read through data and go, does this sound like somebody the Vikings are looking for? Because I'm imagining these guys are giving me accurate information, which those two always are. So tell me, does this sound like somebody for the Vikings?

And then what did they do at the combine? That's how I kind of pick out players for this team. And I think everything with him checks a lot of boxes. His 40 was fast enough. I think his relative athletic score was 80th percent dollar something good enough and his data is great. And his size is good and just comes across like somebody and being 23, I think all that stuff's out the window

with age these days. I think that these teams are like, you know, whatever. Everybody's old, just draft who you want. I think we got rid of that like once the COVID year started happening. Yeah, no, that's a good point. I mean, and in that draft, Sam, I think before we went to the combine, you had Trey Amos and I love that pick. He, in my algorithm, he's not at the top, but he's higher than a lot of these players that we already mentioned. He's higher than Maxwell Hairston. He's higher than Will Johnson even, because what is I think important too,

that just if you're again, bringing up being a dog, being a good tackler, his tackle efficiency, which is another PFF stat was close to 10%, which is a great number for a corner. A lot of corners, 5%, 6%, they miss a ton of tackles, but they have, you know, interceptions, pass breakups, or they're really fast,%, they miss a ton of tackles, but they have interceptions, pass breakups, or they're really fast, or they tick a few other boxes. If run defense and being able to sniff out screens

or outside runs is a big part of what you want to do on defense, having a six foot, 195 pound corner with four, four, three speed from the SEC who proved that he was a quality tackler. Trey Amos, I don't think would be like, wow, the Vikings just got Dallas Turner. Holy crap. But by like November, we'd be like another good draft pick for the Vikings. He's just a solid football player that ticks a lot of the boxes that I think both of us look at. Speaking of Dallas Turner, by the way, I might have mentioned it on the show, but somebody

I think it was Alec Lewis said because there it was a discussion just in Viking circles about Dallas Turner and how the team is frustrated by some of the criticism for Dallas Turner based on Jared verse because they are high on him. They think that his first year was always going to be this way because of the changes they were asking him to make, who he was behind and Grinard and Van Ginkle, some of the stuff early in the season, making that, you know, adjustment to the NFL and all that and his age. So, uh, there's excitement, I think, from the Vikings about what he could become as he slides into maybe Patrick Jones's situation.

I am curious about your thought about, oh, it was Alec Lewis who made the Nolan Smith comparison because Nolan Smith came out as a freak athlete, but he was under weight. He wasn't like a huge, massive human being and Dallas Turner definitely isn't either. Uh, having stood next to Danielle Hunter for about seven years of my life, standing next to Dallas Turner is a lot less imposing. Is there a comparison there or is that a bit of a stretch? With Dallas Turner and Danelle Hunter's Ascension? Oh, no, not him. Nolan Smith. Oh, Nolan Smith and Dallas Turner. Okay. Yeah, no, I think that makes perfect sense in that

first year for Nolan Smith was not great in Philadelphia and there was a thought like, oh man, he was like, wasn't he 238 if I recall. And it was like, okay, freaky athlete, good against the run. But, and now by year two, he great run defender as the season progressed, got even better in the playoffs and the Superbowl. He was amazing. There was that kind of viral tweet of him taking on Trey Smith, um, on a pole where he like blows up Trey Smith, the pass rush ability came. And we talked about it, I think on our first episode, I'm not going to come on here and say, Oh, Hey, don't worry about anything, you know, Jared Verz verse Dallas Turner, but they're like three years different to like that,

like being almost 24 and just 21. Like that is a world of difference when it comes to the NFL. So I think being on the track and if the Vikings are getting Nolan Smith level, um, play from Dallas Turner later on, I think when you were saying those two names, they're, they're so similar to me in terms of my evaluations and just the, the, the, their, their frames and their workouts that I was kind of confusing them and blending them into the same guy.

If they get that type of production in year two, like November, December, January, they'll be super happy with it. And we won't hear as many of these complaints that they didn't pick Jared Verz. Okay, just a couple of things that we left on the cutting room floor of this discussion where we've kind of, what I think I'm doing for everybody here is laying out

now the landscape, like here's the options, here's what they could be looking for. Here's the styles. And then we'll get into, you know, our different ways of doing this and talking about the draft as we go forward, there'll be changes with free agency, we'll get much better of a look at where they're going to draft by who they sign in free agency. But something that I did not bring up with you because we got caught up on Will Campbell's tiny little T-Rex arms, which was Tyler Booker and his combine. And I know that there will be a lot of people who are like, Hey, the film and he's this big hulking guy and he's very aggressive and everything else.

But the numbers are what they are. I mean, when you look at that position, offensive line, guards, and I think he was in the 40th percentile, that's scary for me because that means you're making a bet against what most of the top guards are. Most of the top guards, and when I reference the percentiles, it's a combination of size, speed, three

cone, all that stuff compared historically and made relative to your position. So you're not comparing guards to corners in the 40, right? You're comparing it across. If you are below average in all those things, but you're just large. That kind of is not always the best play historically. And I think is limiting for what you can do in a run scheme. If you have one guy who is just kind of stuck in the mud there with speed wise. Yeah. And I think we talked about him pre combine too, is like, Oh, he would make sense. He's a plug and play guy, but I think it would, I mean, and not that we're suggesting that the Vikings would

pick him at 24. It kind of feels like he's not going to be a first rounder because of this. Um, and believe me, whenever Tyler Booker is picked in, presumably on day two, we're going to hear, Oh my God, what a great value pick. And it's like, well, no, just cause we were wrong about how we all thought he was going to test pre-combine so there's going to be universal praise for whichever team picks him to me though from a Vikings perspective it would be kind of like Ed Ingram again where it'd be like is this the kind of guard you want and need in this offense if you're going to really and need in this offense, if you're going to really focus on those bootlegs. And I'm, I'm, I'm assuming with, um, JJ McCarthy, presumably more of that, more

bootleg stuff, more outside of the pocket stretch run game with presumably a, you know, second round or third round running back. That's like your, your young bell cow that you want to give a lot of carries to when he's still, you know, fresh legged. Um, I don't think you want someone like Tyler Booker and you're right. Like it's what I said earlier that I think teams are not going to say, uh, yeah, I'll be the GM that will just bet on the outlier for as much as we all look at the analytics. I think a lot more NFL teams and it's a

growing number are paying attention to those as well. And I'm going to pull this up right now. So I'm not guessing on it, but I believe that his grades, yeah, his run block grade was only 63.9. His pass block grade was tremendous. Now you might say, well, pass blocking is more important than run blocking. That's true. But the Vikings also have rolled out some bad run blocking offensive linemen and it's very limiting to your offense

when you have to work around them. The other thing I would say is PFF in looking at their data over many years, if I'm not mistaken, they found with interior linemen that run blocking grade actually traveled better to the NFL than pass blocking. This pass blocking grade sometimes can be altered by defenses, stunts and twists and mental errors and guards trying to

make up for other people in college. It could be a little more muddy, but if you are a run blocker who's pushing your man back consistently, that's your thing. And it doesn't look from his grade like that was something that he was able to do in the run game. And if I'm the Vikings, I'm not picking another Dalton Reisner. I want someone who is a Gray Zabel who is a difference maker in the run game as well. Yeah, Gray Zabel, Donovan Jackson, we didn't get to see a full work out from him. He's kind of like pulled up lame, I think in his 40, but clearly a more explosive athlete on film and is similarly sized to Tyler Booker. One name I will bring up at which maybe some listeners are going to say who's that?

Kenyon Green out of Texas A&M only a few drafts ago was like film guys which I'm a film guy too but I try to blend both. Film guys loved him going into the combine. SEC, Mahler just old school and then he did not test well. The Texans still picked him, I think at like 13 overall, and he has been bad, like really, really bad, just does not have the athleticism to hang in the NFL. So to me, Tyler Booker could be more close to someone like Kenyon Green, who is really a bust of a top of the first round pick, then someone like Trey Smith, who I think I saw some comparisons like pre combine because he's kind of a mauler, but Trey Smith, who I think I saw some comparisons like pre combine because he's kind of a mauler, but Trey Smith's workout was through the roof in 2021. And we got the opposite of that from Tyler Booker. And I also think about the changing game on the

other side, which is what are we talking about with defensive tackle? So many freaks coming into the league. If you are behind the eight ball physically and that's who you're playing against. I mean that sort of sounds being it's not over matched in size, but it's over matched in quickness. It sounds kind of like how this position is trending a little smaller. It's trending a little quicker. It's more in the backfield. I'm not sure if I want my offensive lineman to be slower when I'm picking them with the

twenty fourth pick, maybe third round. But I think you look if you're taking a first rounder, you want a difference making offensive Lyman there. 100%. Um, which I'll let you take however you want to finish this, this episode, but I did promise the comparisons. I will at the end of the episode, a few of the other guys that we mentioned have my second screen over here. I have those comparisons ready just so again, to paint that picture for when we're talking about Quinlan Judkins or Trey Amos. If you don't necessarily know the style of player that these guys are, I've spent an inordinate amount of time on these comparisons.

I can spit those out for you at the end of the episode. Chris is comps. That's what we, every time you got an eighties radio jingle. Yeah, exactly. There was really only one more thing. And I was going to ask about your take on the quarterback scenarios now, because it feels like going into the combine, it was cam ward is going to be taken at the top and should her Sanders won't be far behind. That could still very much be the case because quarterback. However, I think that these should

or Sanders stuff interview wise is very real. And I think that the only reason to draft someone like that at the very top would be if the owner of a football team says we're drafting that guy at the very top. Now you think about the Cleveland Browns, for example, if Ward went number one, they have a complete whack nut of an owner who I assume was behind the Deshaun Watson nonsense. I'm sorry, Deshaun Watson nonsense. And the Giants, their owners clearly desperate to get back into the playoffs. So he might say, well, no, we need this Shudder Sanders kid, but it's not great. I mean, it's just not great. Every film study that I watch,

I was looking JTO Sullivan and he's talking about how most of the throws are kind of short. He runs backward and takes sacks, which we've seen the problems with that with Sam Darnold, uh, there's inconsistency. So this is not like a Drew Brees. Hey, he could just win from the pocket all day long or a CJ Stroud because he's not a very good athlete. I saw a sumer sports using tracking data, estimated what is 40 would have been. And they came up with four nine three.

That's horrible. That's horrible. That's horrible for the quarterback position these days. You might as well be Drew Bledsoe. I just, I don't know how someone picks him this high when you combine that with also the other stuff with the interviewing. I thought his podium was a mess.

If you were looking for a professional quarterback to be very impressed by like, you know, we have been in years past when some guys go up there. That was not what you got here from Chider Sanders. So where do you see both of these quarterbacks or Jackson Dart being thrown in the mix? Where do you see them landing now post-combine? Okay, first blanket statement that I will make and this happened with us three years ago. I feel like this is just not like the media like there's some evil person behind it or just like let's try to get page views but we're

all just trying to make this quarterback a thing. Like this quarterback class a thing and to me this quarterback class is not a thing. I think Cam Ward is because by comparison to Shador Sanders is, is not arrogant, is more professional. It comes across like a true leader. I think that's boosting his stock even a little bit, uh, artificially from where it would be if he was in, let's say last year's draft class. Um, I don't, I'm not really high on any of these quarterbacks. Um, which I kind of learned my lesson in 2022 where it was Kenny Pickett in the first round.

I loved Malik Willis. We would try to make Desmond Ritter a thing. Like collectively he wasn't, it was a third rounder was not very good. Was that the Matt Corral draft as well? I was Sam Howell guy, which, which I, I didn't hate Sam Howell. He's still a backup somewhere, but there were like, you know, late pushes for like, could Sam Howell be a late first rounder? Could Matt Corral go in the first round where it's like, guys, no, the quarterbacks, so many, it's like the

power of the aggregate. So many people watch the film. And if everyone, if JTO Sullivan, myself, everyone that I talked to at the combine was like, yeah, should her standards is like an early second round pick. And he goes like six overall to the Raiders. I agree. It's exactly what you just pinpointed. Tom Brady or John Mara or whoever, like whichever team ultimately picks them. I do still think he'll go in the first round, but it will not be because he is like a first round caliber quarterback in a vacuum cam wards good. He kind of reminds me a little bit of David Gerard.

I don't even think Kenny Pickett is at a far off for him in terms of a comparison. But it's definitely helping Cam Ward that he's in this draft class and is being most closely compared to Shadoor Sanders. Okay. I've got one. It's not a nineties comp. So you are, you're dipping into that a little bit with with Gerard. But I think the similarity between mine and what you're talking about with Pickett or Gerard is there's a limited ceiling. There's not a ton of crazy athleticism there, but there's enough arm talent

to make some pretty good throws and anticipation throws and stuff like that. And, you know, have some exciting moments. I went with Carson Wentz because uh, because Wentz had a, I mean, a good enough athletic profile to make some plays, but he wasn't going to change the game entirely. And he had a risk mentality, but was a little bit wild in terms of his consistency. And in the right circumstances, he was very, very good.

And in the wrong circumstances, he was not very good. And I feel like the same thing exists for someone like cam ward. And if these are who we're kind of thinking of, that's to me not worth the top pick and the Titans would be doing a good by moving down. I also think that it just impacts where all the quarterbacks are, are going to go and who's playing quarterback for so many different teams in the NFL with the fact that there's just not a lot of options. Last year, if you need a quarterback, I mean, oh, wow. I mean, we did the we did the film stuff on the guys. We were like, they're all good. Right. Yeah.

Okay. Jaden Daniels, I would die for you. Drake May. Why did you jump over that guy? But you're amazing. You know, even Caleb Williams, we didn't talk as much about, but number one overall pick and Michael Pennings, look at your cannon and, uh, Bo Nicks through 45. It was so fun. Last year, I was losing my mind over the Bo Nick stuff. Cause I was like, he threw 45 touchdowns and three picks and you're like, ah, sucks. Like what? He's that so much better, so much better than what we see in most of this draft. So give me your final biggest takeaway.

That's not of what we talked about today. Doesn't matter if it's not Viking specific, just big takeaway that you came away from the combine. And then we'll do rapid fire. Tripasso comps, Chris's comps. Biggest. I mean, we covered a lot of it. I would maybe just say, even though we didn't get the Mason Graham, the Abdul Carter, the Ashton Gentile,

but the D line and the running back class, the rest of it, like what is making those two classes as deep and as hyped as possible? We could have gone in and guys could have run slowly or could have been smaller. They like I can't hammer home enough how well both of those positions did defensive tackle. I know I said Abdul Carter, which I think the edge rusher class is good too, but the D tackle class and the running back class collectively living up to what I felt like was insane hype. Like I almost went in and I'm not a big skeptic, but I went in like, are all

these guys going to really test that? Well, like Judkins tested well and my guy to Tuten tested well and RJ Harvey tested well, like there were so many players at both those hyped up positions that were like, yep, now the film and now the numbers back it up that D tackle and running back are super loaded. Okay. Give me five Chris's comps before we end the show. Okay.

We said we talked about Trey Amos. We're going to talk about him a lot. You like him. I like him. My algorithm likes him. Reminds me a lot of Tyson Campbell who has not been amazing, but he's gotten a second contract in Jacksonville outside corner from the SEC tackles pretty well, had a good profile coming out, tested, uh, you know, athletically bigger body.

Uh, we talked about Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky reminds me a lot of DJ Turner, who was a second rounder, I believe. Cincinnati Bengals was, I think that you're the fastest player at the combine, like four, two something Maxwell Harrison skinny, but can really run with anyone feisty player. That's kind of how DJ Turner is the two Ohio state running backs. Um, Quinshaw and Jenkins reminds me so much of Rashad Penny when he was coming into the NFL. Rashad Penny had like 50,000 injuries in the NFL, but when he was healthy, he was explosive

as almost it got at the position, bigger body. And it was like, Oh man, if only he could stay healthy. He was in Philadelphia the one year most recently got hurt again, very similar. And Trevion Henderson reminds me of chase Edmonds. He's kind of like a fantasy football guy that you would pick in your fantasy drafts four or five years ago late. Um, and it was just an explosive pass catcher out of the backfield. That's where Trevion Henderson really thrives the screen game, swing passes. He can make the most out of those.

And to go for a fifth one, I'll say that, um, I really think that Tyler Booker is Kenyon green 2.0 that we are going to look back and say, man, what an amazing college player, you know, everything about him being a leader and he's got 11 inch hands, you got grip strength, but athletically just does not meet the minimum threshold to become a quality starter at guard in the NFL. All right. One of my biggest criticisms of your game, Chris, is that you are not comparing players to the best top five in the league with every comp. It's what you're supposed to do is, you know, you know, I would say that Trevion Henderson is clearly Saquon Barkley, two point

Oh, Quinn John Judkins, at least Derek Henry, if not better. That's how you get the TV time. If you want the more TV time, I saw you were on with Maggie, who's a Bills fan. Maggie Gray and Andrew Perloff, yeah. That was cool. They're a national show there, but you want more of that TV time?

You gotta start talking about, you know, with Trevion Henderson, he's a guy, they're going to build a statue outside of the stadium. He's Marshall Faulk. Exactly. That's what I should have said. You're right. Why are you comparing him reasonably? Well, that's, I mean, I say it as a joke in it, but I really, when I'm done with my scouting reports, I plug in all the numbers, spits out a grade in, in my scouting grade book, look at my residence score for the player. And then I spend, I wouldn't say as much time as I did on the film, but I want to put in a lot of time to the NFL comparison.

So people like purple insider listeners. And when I'm on Maggie and Pearl, if they ever asked me, I'm not going to say Marshall Fogg for Trevion Henderson. But the funny part of that is, is that now I'm getting into like prospects, like one 50 to two 50. And I like today I was did it like a defensive tackle and I'm like, he's like Dean Lowry, like who played on the Packers, like guys that are just not exciting whatsoever.

And I don't know when I'm ever going to use that, but I just will feel good going back to it, even myself. And I have this kind of treasure trove of these comps, which this is going to be the most I've ever done, but to look back when these guys are playing and then when they come up on free agency, like, did they play better than that? Or is this really the kind of guy who they are? I just like to have that as a reference point once they get to the NFL beyond just using it, which I don't know when I'll ever use the Dean Lowry comp for

a defensive lineman, but yes, I'm getting into the point where I'm like, none of these players are actually really that good anymore, but I got to try to be as reasonable as possible. See, that's your first mistake. You got to be a more hyperbolic. Everyone's Denelle Hunter. Every, every workout warriors, Denelle Hunter. I'll just go.

I put in the work when you can be hyperbolic and get a retweet. So, uh, anyway, uh, this is why you're the official draft analyst of Purple Insider. Chris, year after year, because you put in the work. So thank you for putting in the work with me at the combine. We had a great time together. And we will go forth by the next time we do a show, we're gonna have the legal tampering period have happened.

So there will be all sorts, because there was no tampering before that. So the minute it happens, people like really make a lot of phone calls. By the time the new league year starts, there's like no free agents. No, that's the, that's the third wave of free agency. Uh, somehow curiously, anyway, that's the next time that you and I will talk. So we will know some Vikings free agent answers by then, including at quarterback, I believe. So we'll have a lot to discuss thank you for all your

time you are the best sir and we will talk very soon football football