Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Does Kwesi Adofo-Mensah want the Vikings to trade down? (Hour 2)

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

Matthew Coller talks about the Vikings GM's pre-draft press conference and his discussion of trading down and how he looks at value of draft picks. Plus Vikings fan questions and the first ever INTERN MOCK.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guns Donovan. Love that name. Is that a character in a show or is that your name? That sounds like a like a fullback or something. Maybe you just get a neck roll for being named Guns Donovan. I think the reason they haven't done another contract yet for Quacey is they're waiting on this draft and see how he deals with the quarterback situation No, I don't think so. I love your name, but I don't think so. I don't think that I

Okay If you were waiting on this draft with four draft picks to decide whether you're gonna sign him to an extension or not Then you're nuts and one thing we know about the Vikings ownership is they're not nuts They're pretty logical people. Mark. Wilf was extremely clear at the owners meetings. He sat from me to my computer away from me and said, we want quasi at awful Mensa to continue to lead this team in the same role that he

has with the same power structure as he has had going forward. There was no wavering. There was no, we'll see how it goes. It was, this is what we want to happen. And anytime it's gone that way with them where they've been definitive, we want Justin Jefferson back, we want Kevin O'Connell to be our coach. They have made that happen. If I had to take a wild, crazy guess at the holdup for quasi signing contract.

You'll never believe it. It's probably about the money. It's probably that they're in two different spots about money. And this is, it's only a guess, but it's a pretty easy one to make. If they love the leadership structure and they won 14 games last year and they love where they're at and they think they're ready to compete for a Superbowl within the next two years with JJ McCarthy and the roster and the free agency. What would be the only holdup?

I mean, it's one of the healthiest franchises in the league It crushes the NFL PA survey and there's been a lot of people on the outside I would have tried to say what is crazy even do here and what's there? What's going on? And I honestly think it's because people are pissed off that the Vikings get Praised so much. I think they want something to be there and I also think they want a lot of people wanted quacy to fail I don't think that I know that I've been told that I've been told that that there were a lot of people in the league that didn't like the quacy jumped the line and they've been talking crap about him for years and

and so when does that ever shown itself by the way, when has that ever shown itself in the moves and the things that have been made? I'm sure internally there's politics the same way there is at your job. I'm sure there's power battles. I'm sure there's things where they go, what is even going on with our manager? You know that, that exists everywhere in the NFL. There's people who some do or don't like inside front offices. Clearly the bike, the Vikings have someone who's a little bit of a problem

at a chatting from the inside about like who they're talking to, I E Aaron Rogers or Hey, do you know, they considered Malik neighbors and sort of rumor mongering out there. That's clear. They got somebody who's doing that. But none of that stuff ever seems to come to fruition. So I think that the ownership is happy with how this is going because this is what they want out of their franchise. They want their franchise to get a pluses from the players.

They want their franchise in the playoffs competing for Super Bowls. They want JJ McCarthy is their quarterback and big free agents to sign here What ownership doesn't love that when you get eight free agents to say we want to come to your franchise Talk about how great it is You're gonna have to show me where there's any sort of reason to make a change or think that they're well Like if they mess up this draft and he's out like what after they won 14 games and they're no, that's not how it works. It's probably just this. If you've had as much success as they've had, you probably your agent representative, your quasi Daffo, Metsa, who's been rather busy this off season, probably is saying here's where the top

GMs are making their money. We belong there and the Wilfs are probably having a conversation about where they actually want to put that number. And that's what's going to happen. And eventually they'll get it done and we'll all kind of laugh at the storyline. And look, I could be wrong. I could be wrong, but that's how I think it's going to go is they'll get it done. And then we'll all say, well, that was silly that we wasted so much time

talking about it. That's my guess. And if I'm wrong and he quits after next year, then that'll be kind of crazy. Anyway, Josh says, if the Vikings do trade back, say five to eight spots to get another third rounder, who do you think they would pick in rounds one through three, at least position wise, a good position to trade back is corner

because the tray Amos is the Siobhan Revelle's, they are projected to go in the 35 to 40 type of range. And there's three or four Maxwell Hairston, three or four guys that you might be pretty happy with in that spot So you trade back eight spots and you go to 32 and you could still draft Hairston or Ravel or whoever you want and then in the third round you can look at whoever you think is the best I mean, there's some defensive tackles their guard is not a bad position to draft in the third round because a lot of

You know third round because a lot of, you know, third round guards are quickly developing into, you know, somebody who could play safety in the third round might be something you look at wide receiver. Certainly in the third round, those guys from Iowa state Higgins and Noel are both really good. And every time I look at their profiles, compare them to Burden, compare them to Iqbuq, I'm like, those guys are pretty good. They should look into those guys in the third round. They'd kind of go wherever they want to go after that, but I think Corner would make

the most sense for me if they traded back or if they felt like maybe a Tyler Booker was still going to be on the board. All kind of depends on how it plays out. Mussenser says, is the Asante-Samuel rumor mostly solid? I don't know. I think it's a little too good to be true. I don't know. I have no idea. I mean, I've seen that there's a rumor about Asante-Samuel, but if they signed him or have an agreement with him, they'll announce it at some point. So I don't know I Haven't asked him About whether he's coming here or not It makes sense that they would have some handshake agreements with players for the comp pick formula

But is a Santa Samuel earning enough to mess with the comp pick formula? I I don't know I guess we'll see and And you always have to consider where is a rumor coming from. I don't know where the Asante Samuel rumor is coming from. So, you know, if it's a rumor, then I'm always going to, if it's not a report, if it's a rumor, I'm always going to kind of just shrug my shoulders. Make sure that sounds like a fine idea, but I don't, I mean, is it happening? I don't know. I Guess we'll have to find out Shaq Griffin a possibility to return maybe kind of depends on what they want to do there at Corner, I think they do feel pretty good at where they're at the corner

Let's see They pronounce this Frida. Is it freedom? Sorry, I forgot that wrong. It feels like smart players are much less likely to bust than physical freaks. Is that something that bears out draft results? Sometimes. So this is the hard thing about smart players. If someone is very clearly talked about as a high IQ player,

I think there's a pretty good chance that they can succeed. If they're talked about as a leader and a high IQ and really, really smart and understands the game and all that sort of stuff, there's a pretty good chance that they're at least going to figure out a role, even if they don't become a star. However, this league is kind of run by physical freaks. It just is the miles Garrett's and I'm not saying he's not intelligent. I think he is, but like.

It's run by the physical freaks a lot of times, the Aaron Donald and so forth. And sometimes when someone's a physical freak, their intelligence can be not discussed enough. I think that's maybe a bias there. So just take the Neil Hunter, for example, the Neil Hunter is a smart guy. I know this. I covered him for a long time. He's a smart guy and he's got incredible work ethic, very unique cat, like loves a lot of different kinds of music, cars and all sorts of things. Very interesting guy, quiet though. And sometimes

quiet guys who are physical freaks can be talked about as if they're not that intelligent. I'll give you another example Christian Darasa Christian Darasa is very quiet and he's a chill guy. He's very relaxed People in the league thought this is what I heard that people in the league thought yeah, you know this guy just doesn't have an edge to him and He does when he plays He certainly does when he plays so trying to just judge it off of that can be pretty difficult But I think it maybe sets a floor For somebody that like they're gonna find a way if there's high IQ there

nothing's perfect though and A lot of physical freaks will go at the very very top and if they bust will remember them But I think in the middle rounds the physical freak versus high IQ is probably a different conversation Because if you're a physical freak and you get to the third round There's probably a lot of questions and a lot of problems with your game Whereas the high IQ guy might get overrated a little bit because he's you know smart or a leader or whatever Such a fascinating thing, eh? Seth's as a tight end in the third round isn't crazy considering Josh Oliver

is in his last year of his deal, though I bet they re-sign Josh. I don't mind that. I don't love that. I like drafting tight ends in the fifth or undrafted free agents and seeing if they develop and they're just around all the time in free agency. They're just around, you know, you see them a lot that they'll just be available in free agency and you go sign an average one. You can sign a tight end too. There's still a couple guys who can kind of play Dallas Goddard is a, is a, maybe a potential trade. So, you know, I don't know, Dallas Goddard is maybe a potential trade. So, you know, I don't know. Tight end is one of those positions that's so hard to predict and project

because it takes two to three years of development. So the unfortunate part about Nick Muse being poached is that he was probably ready to take a step into that role. And then, you know, another team comes and gets him. But it really does take that long for a guy to develop a tight end. So I kind of liked the idea of drafting them later, seeing if they develop and

then go into free agency if you need to. But this team does love Josh Oliver though. They love themselves from Josh Oliver. I wouldn't be shocked. The offense could change a little bit, but I wouldn't be shocked if they do. Like you said, just extend Oliver. I'm not the tight end thing is kind of the farthest thing for my mind.

Maybe they'll get one in the fifth. Randall says, your comments on Lewis Seen sound like the rumor and innuendo around Nolan. Walter Nolan, I assume you mean. Talent, but work ethic and maturity is a question. McShea and CBS guy. So there's, okay, analysts have questioned his maturity. My thing on Walter Nolan is

when I hear that he's going to sack people more often and going to pressure the quarterback, but you can't really show me that he has at an elite level in college. I go a little, little worried, little worried. Now, if the Vikings get him, he graded unbelievably well against the run. If the Vikings get them, they'll put them in a favorable situation and okay, I'll just believe in the strength and the quickness and all that sort of stuff. And we'll see how it goes. But if you're giving me the choice between a Harmon and a Nolan, and maybe there are some questions about maturity, but for me, it's really a data question of one guy was a completely dominant college pass rusher

who got after the quarterback all the time. And the other guy I'm told to guess that he will do that eventually. And I just have a little more questions about that. Uh, Aaron says, I remember a story about Pat P watching tape and how smart he was. I remember Harrison Smith the same way. Great mentors for the young DBs. And that's how you get a megastar is when those things cross together. Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith are two of the smartest people you'll ever meet.

And they are geniuses about football. Just flat out brilliant. Oh yeah, by the way, Patrick Peterson was a freak athlete who returned punts for touchdowns and stuff. And Harrison Smith is a great athlete when he comes out as well. Very natural athleticism. Maybe didn't run the fastest 40 at the biggest size, but just really, when you have the intersection of that, that's when you get superstars

is when they're free. But yeah, Patrick Peterson was very, very smart. And I think that it does help with younger defensive backs. And that might be one of the reasons that they think that a guy like Dwight McClother or McKay Blackman can be good. It might be a reason to not draft a corner because they think that room is going to always get the most out of guys. Could be. Grateful Dad 78 says no linebacker in the first, but at some point would like a linebacker that can cover. Pace is terrible against the pass. I don't know if I go terrible. He graded okay his first year, struggled his second year.

He has limitations. I would put it maybe that way. If they get a Jalen Walker and it's another guy who can rush the passer,. I would put it maybe that way. If they get a Jalen Walker and it's another guy who can rush the passer like I would just just gesture at Eagles. They just keep draft in front seven players and it's awesome for them. And if you're drafting DTs and guys who can rush the passer like it's always going to be hard for me to say no to that. Uh, one before I die says, what's the earliest you could see Minnesota taking a running back feels like there'll be a really good one if available in the

third third is possible. I might go fifth. I might go undrafted free agent because this year UDFA running back might be the same as drafting one in the fourth before there's so many good ones third you could probably get a normal second round draft pick just because the top ones are so good i wouldn't be against them taking one in the third you could probably get an elite talent elvin camaro was a third round pick like you know delvin was a second rounder mixin taylor those are second rounders but those are of the caliber of prospect that we see maybe mixing and cook were a little bit higher than some of these

guys, but guys who are projected to be in the, in the third are really good. Kay foul. Thanks for taking Kenneth Grant. Don't disagree with that. Really like that. If they took Kenneth Grant, I do think that

Grant needs to develop the pass rush, If they took Kenneth Grant, I do think that Grant Needs to develop the pass rush, but he could contribute right away as A run stuffer and then rotate in and grow and build on that and could be a dominant run stuffer pretty quickly Bernie max's are their ideal scheme fits on offensive defense. Yeah, I think so Now the one that I don't know is if you're drafting a guard I don't know if they're gonna totally overhaul the run game or not I get the sense that they are But I don't know that if they stick with the run game They currently use Grey's Abel's a good pick for them if they totally change it

Then maybe Tyler Booker is on defense. I think scheme fit comes down to just versatility. I don't think you can have one dimensional people play on this defense very well. You're just not going to get the most out of them. So, uh, let's see. Jared says, uh, people in the NFL have always act like you have to be near a hundred years old and have 60 years experience in order to do anything in the upper ranks always thought that was stupid. Yeah, there's a I think it's really cleared out over the last few years, but there's always been a little bit of that old boys club and it's not just the old people. It's also the, you know, you get hired as a GM, there's going to be bad feelings from people, probably internally, there's going to be bad feelings from people who think they should have gotten considered if they didn't stuff like that. So, you know, I think when someone is different, like quasi da Fomenta, there's

always going to be people that want to second-guess them Because they didn't take the same traditional type of route there Son of a beavers. When do you think CJ? Beathard signs and why will he become the best QB two of all time is this CJ Beathard? Is that you son of beavers? I mean he's been in that kind of system before That's that is a little bit where I draw the line, you know, because my whole thing is like, I don't care. They just get it back up.

Whatever I do kind of draw the line at CJ Beathard. If it's anything worse than that, then you're probably in trouble. But that's where Nick Mullins was. Helped him get JJ McCarthy. Honestly, Randall says Noel Williams is a good cornerback in the third thought. Dane Bruegler and Daniel Jeremiah said he should be top 75 productive. That's a college that people go to to go

to school at Kale, not always necessarily just for football. So I'm always interested if there's somebody who stands out from those colleges like Noel Williams. I like that. Steven says with car, a no show for New Orleans at their OTA's, they could go should do it number nine, which could push Dart, Milro and I don't even know how to say the other guy's name.

I haven't looked at it all. Tyler is it show up the board a bit in round one, which could bode well for the Vikings trading down. So this is the crazy thing about the quarterback situation. If you told me that four quarterbacks went in the first, I'd be like, Oh, wow. Okay. I guess somebody really bought into Dart and Milro. Interesting.

If you told me one quarterback went in the first, I'd be like, okay, I can see why nobody would really buy into Dart and Milro traditionally speaking. Guys like Dart and Milro are second round draft picks. They're not usually first round picks, but there's more desperation here than maybe ever. I would not lock in that New Orleans takes Chedure at number nine. Here's why. Their head coach is a first year head coach. He does not have the pressure to turn around the entire franchise today. And if, and the Vikings got into this a little bit with, Oh, should

they draft Malik Willis and KOC is like, no, should they draft will Levis no, uh, right. Like they're, I mean, they didn't take, they didn't have the pressure to take the quarterback with the young coach in Kevin O'Connell and they didn't reach on a guy they didn't want. So if. You know, Shadr Sanders isn't the guy they want, then they won't take him. Let's see. Gary says don't want the Vikings to trade the 24th pick. Take Zable, Jackson, Booker, Harmon, Grant, Emmanuari if they're there at 24.

So the thing about that is, and I've run into the same thing Gary myself. I've said the exact same thing. I've said, look, if this guy, this guy, this guy, this guy, this guy, and this guy are there, then you just take them. Then I'm like, wait, that's a lot of guys. So trade down. If there's five guys they like, try to trade down. All right, we're getting close.

I know behind the scenes here. Clay is just losing his mind. He wants to jump in and he wants to get his mock draft known to the world. Our first ever of all time in turn mock. That's how well intern Clay has been doing. There's jealousy among former interns. It's turned ugly really to tell you the truth, but we're doing it in just moments. Uh, Blowfish says Hunter was a run stopper in college and sack artist in the NFL.

It's rare that that happens, but yeah, that is true. It's rare that that happens. And that is what's concerning to me about Walter Nolan is that doesn't always happen. In fact, it mostly doesn't happen. If a guy doesn't grade well as a pass rusher in college, then he usually doesn't in the NFL. Kenny's Playhouse, I don't know what that is. Kenny says, do you think that quasi is hiding something regarding the QB plan?

Seems off. They didn't reach out to Joe Flacco. I mean, hiding something, meaning like he's just not going to tell us who they're getting until it's solidified. Like that is kind of, I don't think he's, there's something to it. Like, uh, I'm not going to tell you some secret, but clearly there's a plan to get a backup quarterback and they're either waiting to trade for one or they are waiting to sign Carson Wentz or whoever else is still out there.

It's very few people. Those are really the only two options, so I'm expecting one of them to happen. But if they don't, if they just leave Brett Rippen, I don't know, he's played, I think, four NFL games, maybe one, two of them. Didn't look that great, but they like him. Whoever your backup quarterback is, is not going to be good enough to save your bacon. There's probably five backups in the league that are good enough to do that. You know, they had Nick Mullins, Josh Dobbs.

It's really of that level of backup. What you need is them to maybe survive a few games, but that's why I don't get too worked up about it because there's just so few of those guys. Sue says, uh, what would be a trade up scenario and how much would they give up to move? I don't see it happening, but you never know. It would have to be reaching into next year if they were going to trade up. Okay. I'll give you one. I'll give you one is let's just say that Mason Graham or Will Campbell shockingly falls. Dallas Turner did last year and those guys are suddenly available.

I mean, I don't know, at 14. Okay. Grab a next year's second or something and try to move up and grab one of those guys because they could be such big impact players. If you put Will Campbell at guard or Mason Graham, only those two guys, I think are really the ones you would do it for. I can't really think of a trade up scenario that would be worth it.

Otherwise, Caleb says, is there a starting left guard at number 97? Probably. I mean, probably someone you can develop into starting left guard. Tate Ratledge is the one that I've got my eye on. There's a few guys. Dylan Fairchild is another one. Just listen to these guard names. Dylan Fairchild, but yeah, like there's, there's guys out there who you could pick in the third and develop.

It hasn't been a great model for this team though. I mean, Wyatt Davis drew Samia, but there's decent prospects. I don't think it's a great guard draft though. Uh, Jared says, I know this is a neck roll decent prospects. I don't think it's a great guard draft though. Jared says, I know this is a neck roll type thinking. I'll decide that. I'll be the judge of that Jared. I wouldn't mind two linebackers, maybe a priority UDFAs. All right, fair enough.

You're asking about UDFA linebackers, that's a neck roll. Coverage guy and old school thumper just for certain packages. Depth, they have Eric Wilson so depth is definitely something that they're gonna need from Undrafted free agents I guarantee that they will get some depth at on In the undrafted free agent market at the linebacker position. I agree. It's pronounced shock, huh? That quarterback. That's great. Well,

I don't really give a shock about it. Come on, right about him because the Vikings aren't going to be interested. And I also think this just seems like the year and maybe I'll be wrong. It just feels like the year that they're going to talk about these guys and they're going to go in the fifth. Like it's a bunch of Spencer Rattlers from last year. Shock to me seems like a fifth round pick where everyone's like, no, I loved him. I loved his tape. And you're like, okay, he's 25 years old. He's not that good.

Like, I don't know. I don't think so. We'll see. Anyway, it's time now for the first ever of all time in the history of Purple Insider interns of which there has been two before Clay. That intern Clay gets to reveal a full first round mock draft. So Clay, I know you're excited, you're jacked up. I was trying to speed run through questions just to get to this mock.

And you know, you're on the East Coast. Wouldn't want you to stay up too late. Your mom watches. So here's how I wanna do this, Clay. I want you to run through your, like we'll go five picks at a time so we can get to 24 pretty quickly and we can talk about what you think

the Vikings are going to do. And I'll put it on the screen at the end. I've got that ready for the screen share. So I'll put that on the screen when it's ready. So let's just start it off with your first five picks in the NFL draft and the first ever in turn mock. And Randall is comparing it to the moon landing. I think it's bigger, Randall.

I think it's bigger. Let's not downplay how important this is. So Clay, just fire it up. Yeah, it's an honor to be here. Privilege to have the title as first in purple insider intern history, even though there's definitely some legends in that group. So I'm ready to get into it.

It with my first pick in the mock draft. I got Cam Ward. I feel like that's a pretty self explanatory pick. Next up, I have the Browns taking my, who I think is the best player of the draft. I'm going Travis Hunter at two. And then Giants at three. I think it's Abdul Carter. I feel like him and Hunter are very interchangeable.

And then number four, I think the Patriots build up their own line and go Will Campbell. And then at five, I have the Jaguars taking the best defensive player available here with Mason Graham. OK, so you went very chalky in the first five picks. And Stephen is asking if you're allowed to make trades. I was like, I don't want to get it too complicated here. Let's just. And also, I don't expect there to be a lot of trades.

It doesn't seem like there's going to be much in the first round, as has been pointed out numerous times, but it almost never happens that every team has their pick, but they do this year. So Cam Ward, Travis Hunter to the Browns, Abdul Carter, Will Campbell going to the Patriots, Mason Graham to the Jaguars. I would say every single mock has this and it'll probably be right or some extremely close version unless Cleveland takes Carter and then the Giants take Travis Hunter. I look at these players as being some of the very, very few in this draft that are franchise

type of players and there's still some questions about them. Ward I'm not totally sold on, you know, Will Campbell and his little tiny arms. Mason Graham is is really impressive, but is he going to be like a next next level type of guy? I'm not sure about that. The only one that I'd say, Clay, I'm a little bit less clear on is the Jags, because I think they could go. They could go Jags like they're the Jags, like they're the Jags.

Like they could do anything here. They could go Gentie, they could go Memboo. They could do something wild here. That's the only team that I think maybe has a surprise in for us. And I would say also New England, if they like Armand Memboo more than Will Campbell, they could do that.

And that's why I was mentioning, there is a scenario where the NFL just doesn't see Will Campbell as a tackle and totally surprises us. And he's taken like 12th or something. Yeah, I agree. I think Campbell and Memboo are likely the top two offensive linemen in this draft and I could really see the Patriots going with whichever one they like more. Um, it's just everything I've been seeing is kind of leading

Campbell to the Patriots. So I just everything I've been seeing is kind of leading Campbell to the Patriots. So I just stuck him there. And then Mason Graham, it's Jaguars have so many holes to fix and problems to solve. I think it's just he seems like the best available option besides Gentie, but they're they're not in position to take a running back. I think in order to take a running back this high, you kind of have to have your solid your your base solidified. And I think they still have a lot of work to go. Yeah, the only reason I brought that up is just Jags. They otherwise no other team would be thinking that,

but they need everything on defense. That defense was pretty bad. Jared points out the Jags have a new GM. That is true, and maybe he won't be a crazy person. So like their last one. All right, picks six through 10. What do we got for pick six through 10? So pick six.

I have the Raiders taking Ashton Gentile and then at pick seven, I have the Jets solidifying their offensive line with Armand and Manboo. And then at eight, this one is a little debatable. I had the Panthers taking Tyler Warren. I feel like Bryce Young is, he needs to have a good year this season. I think it's very important for the Panthers franchise going forward.

So I think he's the best weapon on the board at this point. So I say take Tyla Warren. Number nine, I have the Saints taking Jahad Campbell. I don't have them taking Shadr Sanders and Panicking. I think they'll take a versatile linebacker that can kind of play all over the field. And then pick 10, probably my least favorite pick of the draft. I had the Bears taking Malachi Starks. Oh, interesting.

Okay. They go with a safety as opposed to maybe an edge rusher, which I was kind of thinking that they might go there. So you have Gentie to the Raiders, Pete Carroll. He needs weapons right away. He loves to run the football. Makes sense. Who cares about the Jets? The Panthers won. I think they'll go defense on this.

I totally feel your logic on that. More weapons. They were really short on weapons overall and I wouldn't be totally shocked if they took Tet Macmillan or Tyler Warren. I think it's just high for them. Probably Jihad Campbell to the Saints. They need football players and I'm with you. I just don't think they're going to freak out and draft a guy that they don't love with a new coach. That seems like something that a coach on the hot seat would do or a GM on the hot. Well, maybe their GM is on the hot seat actually, but that seems like something a coach would sign off on only if he's panicking

and wants to give himself more time. And, uh, why did you go Malachi Stark so high for the Chicago Bears? Yeah, I, I think they're, go Malachi Stark so high for the Chicago bears. Yeah. I, I think they're, they should have their eye on either Campbell, Memboo or Gentie, but in this situation, all of those guys are off the board. And you could take your, your choice of D tackles, but then that might be too high also for a guy like Walter Nolan or Derek Harmon, um, and then maybe

even Kelvin Banks. But again, so many much as have him going early or super late in the first. So it's hard to kind of gauge how NFL teams are viewing him. So I just figured they'll take one of the best players available. Kevin Byard's aging. So starts could take over with when he retires. And then Jaquan briskett is always running into injuries, so he could fill in there too, if needed.

Well, their secondary does need a lot of work. They do have the weapons. They stacked up the offensive line and just think they need defensive talent. And the NFL is reportedly very high on Malachi Starks. So that was not not crazy here. Let's get to the next run of picks. And again, I'll show the whole thing when it's done. I don't want to spoil it as we count it down.

But let's go 11 through 15 here. Yep. So 11, I have the 49ers taking Will Johnson. And then at 12, I have the Cowboys taking Ted McMillan. At 13, I have the Dolphins taking my favorite corner in the draft to Jaday Baron. And then at 14, I have the Colts taking Jalen Walker. Originally, I was thinking more O-line cuz they shipped out Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. But I just don't think there's many guys on the board that would be reasonable at

14. So I see them taking Jalen Walker here who could complement either Latu off the edge or Zaire Franklin up in the box or in the linebacking squad and then 15 I have Falcons taking Mike Green. There's a couple here that are kind of obvious because they have to be and maybe these teams will surprise us on draft night but it just makes way too much sense for will Johnson. They just lost her various warred. They need corners San Francisco Tet Macmillan to the Cowboys that they need more weapons. They have one guy who is a difference maker Baron to Miami Miami is a team

it's so funny how fast you could go from genius to dope and Miami two years ago is like wow man, Mike McDaniel, they're so genius to us. So awesome now. And then all of a sudden, you know, Tyree kill has got some questions there and their GM is talking the other day about their leadership core and doesn't mention Tua and they are maybe gonna trade Jalen Ramsey,

which by the way, my answer is no, nouh, no, no thank you, I'm good. I would not be doing that if you're the Minnesota Vikings. 30 year old corners who've just been through it, I don't think that's what they're looking for. So if they are trading Ramsey, or even the fact that they're talking about Ramsey being traded does kind of indicate a corner. So I like that pick.

I don't care about the Colts and the Falcons. They need pass rush. They have a pathetic defense. So Mike Green makes a lot of sense. And that's why when quasi says you earn the right to just draft impact players, it's like Falcons have not done that and San Francisco has not done that, but especially the Falcons have to draft a pass rusher.

They've got nothing. Matthew Judon did nothing for them. So they're desperate. I think that's a good pick. Let's go 16 through 20 or so. Let's go 16 through 20, and then we can make the countdown a little more dramatic to the Vikings pick. So who do you got 16 through 20?

Yep. So at 16, I have the Cardinals surprisingly taking Matthew Golden. I was thinking some other positions here, maybe a lineman because they don't have a standout offensive lineman, but they have a good unit. So I think Golden would be a good addition to their offense and adding some much needed speed over there. And number 17, I don't really know who this guy is honestly. Donovan Aziruaku from Boston College. Aziruaku, I believe it is. Aziruaku. He had 16 and a half sacks last year.

And Bengals, if they ship out Henderson, they're going to need to replace him. But even if they don't, they're going to need some more defensive players to bolster that unit. That is, I'm sorry, but that is the first time anyone has actually been honest about that when they put in somebody for a mock. I don't really know this guy, but there's probably take there's some there's some players. I can't keep track of everybody. You know, I'm a college kid. I try my best, but you know, so look cracks.

I have if they if the Vikings draft and edge rusher, I'm going to be scrambling on draft night Because I haven't looked at these guys really at all But I will say in a mock for teams we don't care that much about like Cincinnati You're just looking to pair them with someone who makes sense. There's a clear issue with Trey Hendrix in there It looks like they're gonna have to trade him. So as a rock who makes sense So did you say who Seattle was picking yet? So, so 18 of Seattle taking gray's able. I think they're into your line just needs so much work. And then 19, the bucks take Michael Williams and then at 20 other Broncos going and Mecca, Ibuca.

OK, so the edge rusher goes to the Bucks. I think they need that position. And the Broncos definitely need weapons for Bo Nicks. He really didn't have a lot to work with last year. So now we are down to the picks 21 through 25 right before the Minnesota Vikings. And so what I want you to do is take us to 23 and then we could talk about the players on the board and we can really break it down for who you picked for the Vikings, but also what their options are in this first

time ever purple insider intern mock. So take us to 23. So at 21, I have the Steelers, Lani Shador, Sanders. I think he will slide this far. And I just think it's a perfect fit for them. I think he has the weapons there is a top top-tier head coach in Mike Tomlin. For a quarterback with question marks, you need to go somewhere with a solid system. So I feel like that works out for him. At 22, I have the Chargers taking Colston Loveland. The Chargers need more offensive weapons, and I think Harbaugh reunites with his Michigan guy. Okay. Then at 23, I have the Packers taking Luther Burden. I feel like I've been screaming at them to make a move for a receiver all off season,

and I think they're finally going to do it. And I think he's the best receiver at this spot. And Luther Burden is a yards after catch type of wide receiver. Matt LaFleur loves to dial up quick stuff to his wide receivers. That's why they like Jayden Reed so much. I mean, Luther Burton is kind of Jayden Reed. It's a very similar type player who can make plays down the field if they're called upon. But really, it's the ball in their hands.

Maybe they're looking for somebody a little different than that, like a Matthew Golden, but I definitely see the fit with how they play. So here's what's on the board for the other players in your mock that were drafted in the first. We'll talk about some other guys potentially too. Let's see just to randomly name other players who are available and not give away your pick. Derek Harmon is here. Kenneth Grant is here. Maxwell Harris, then is here's good cornerback. Kelvin Banks is one that you did not have drafting high, which I would be very potentially interested in. Pretty much any corner that they want is on the board here, except for

Juday Barron, Will Johnson, and Travis Hunter, which is intriguing. And pretty much every defensive tackle at all is on the board, right? I don't think there's other than Mason Graham. There's no other defensive tackle. So they have their pick of the litter here. This is why every single mock ends up with probably trade down because look at all of these players that they could potentially pick. So with all that in consideration, who did you decide to select for the Minnesota Vikings? Yeah, at first, I've always for a while now, I've been on the Vikings need to draft a corner kind of bandwagon. I like Isaiah Rogers as a player, but I don't know if I believe him enough to be

an every down kind of player. So I was looking at Trey Amos, Maxwell Hairston, but I eventually settled on Walter Nolan. It was really him and Harmon are so hard to choose between, but personally, I think Nolan has the highest upside for pass rushing. I know Harmon might be in a better spot now, but I think the Vikings brought in Jonathan Allen and Hargrave, two guys who know how to get after the passer. And I think they're going to look for that trait more and more. So this is, I think, the position that I would go with as well.

I like Harman a little bit more. But look, I mean, it's like I said earlier, there's a red flag statistically for me on Nolan. He really only produced for one year. His pass rush grade is significantly lower than some of the best guys in the NFL. But also he is crazy explosive, which that and power you can't just invent. You either have those or you don't. And if they're looking for someone who can develop over a couple of years behind two really good defensive tackles

It makes a lot of sense. These are Slight different preferences. I went through this last year with JJ McCarthy where when we talked about the different quarterbacks we picked apart every part of them and I said McCarthy was one that kind of Concerned me or scared me the most because of the smaller sample and Some people took that as to be the like, oh, you hate McCarthy. Like, of course not. Whatever quarterback they take,

I'm going to be thrilled about because they would. We've been waiting for this forever. It's the same kind of thing with the DT. I think it's such an important position and so valuable that if they take one and be like, okay, good. If it's Kenneth Grant, he's a little less on the pass rush side,

but high on the upside and could be a lead against the run. Yes. Go ahead and do that. So I like this pick. And I think probably now is a good time to show the entire first round because no one cares about the rest of the picks, but we'll run through them quickly. So, yeah, here we go. We're blocking out the rest of the picks.

How do I move us around from that? Let's can we put us here? through them quickly. So yeah, here we go. We're blocking out the rest of the picks. How do I move us around from that? Let's can we put us here? There we go. There we go. So you could see and I'll make this a little bit bigger. Can everybody see the picks now? Okay, sort of. Hopefully everyone can see the picks. Maybe I'll just put the whole thing there. There you go. Hopefully you could see all the picks there. If you can't see them perfectly, here's how it went. Josh Simmons to the Texans, my gosh, yes, they need that. Maxwell Harrison to the Rams, speedy corner, interested to see if people buy into that

speed. Kenneth Grant goes to Baltimore in the first ever intern mock. Derek Harmon to the Detroit Lions. Don't love that because he's good. Oh, Marion Hampton to Washington like that. James Pierce, I don't get it with James Pierce. Kelvin Banks to Kansas City and Shemar Stewart to Philly in a very fitting pick.

So take a look at those. And once again, I'm sort of blocking it. There we go. Take a look at those. And those are the first ever intern mock of all time. So Great job clay. I think you did Really? Well being interesting in a mock you have to go a little bit off Sometimes on certain picks and so forth but also

Nailing the right types of needs for a lot of different teams. So that was good. I like where the Vikings pick was. And I just think it continues to tell you, no matter how you do it, because you throw some curve balls in there, no matter how you do it, there's so many guys there that Vikings fans will be happy with. And I think could be very good contributors to their team right away and then develop into the future. Yeah, I agree. I would not be shocked to see just a few teams make that trade back. Even if that situation plays out for Chicago, I wouldn't be surprised if they try and move back into like the teens to try and land a O lineman or edge that they feel like is a better spot to

select them at. So I feel like there's a few spots there. So it'll be fun to see how it turns out. Steve says, make sure we revisit post draft and see how accurate you are. And well, you know, the answer is no one's mock ever turns out to be 100%. And this one we could see a lot of different players. I'm going 32 for 32. 32, okay.

We'll see how that ends up playing out. What else, is there anything else on your mind, Clay, before we call it an evening? I talked about a lot of stuff, answered a lot of questions, and I know you got thoughts, anything you're thinking about? No, but you called the Chicago secondary a little lackluster,

which was, I don't really agree with. I think their, their boxes where they need to, uh, improve, but I love Kyler Gordon, uh, Jalen Johnson and Jaquan Briscoe when he's healthy. And so I think they need to continue to fill the box. This is why I don't love the starts pick, but it, who knows? This is why I don't love the starts pick, but it who knows? You're the one that picked a defensive back for them. So, yeah, and I said, I mean, Jalen Johnson's a great player. Kyler Gordon's a good player.

Briskard, just what's the health situation? I mean, it always seems to be something with him where when I when I see him actually play, then he's good. But if there's concerns long term for him health wise, then Malachi Starks does make a lot of sense. I mean, when it comes to the rest of the NFC North, uh, the Chicago bears are the biggest question mark for this draft, right? I mean, I think we've gotten to the point with the Packers where if they don't pick

a wide receiver, we are all going to laugh at the Green Bay Pack and just be like, what does it take for you guys to take a wide receiver? But Detroit can kind of do whatever they want. They don't really have major weaknesses. They can continue to stack up the D line, but they're back in the first. It's really the Chicago pick that if Gentie gets there,

well then, you know, that's pretty interesting. And I think, uh, that would be my favorite. I was, uh, talking to somebody in the league the other day, let's just say an NFC North source who said that they don't want the bears to get as to Gentie because if it was any other team, okay, maybe it turns out like B. John Robinson or something But with Ben Johnson, that is not who you want to see and the way that they have built that offensive line is to run the ball Genti is one of the biggest questions here in the entire draft is somebody going that high With a running back is Pete Carroll is their new a general manager We don't know what their new general manager is thinking.

Or are we going to be surprised and we're going to all think, oh, well, since Saquon ran for 2000 yards, now everybody wants running backs. And then we're going to find out actually maybe they didn't as much as picking them that high in the draft. Yeah, I as a Bears fan, I hope he gets to 10. It gets past the Raiders. I just think we've seen the Raiders before with an elite running back with nothing around him.

Josh Jacobs was running like crazy for the Raiders and they were still losers. So I think they should probably look to other positions. Like I said earlier, running back is really a position where I feel like if you draft early, the rest of your team needs to be solidified and the running back is kind of the final cherry on top. That's why I think commanders could take a Marion Hampton. It would be perfect for them. So yeah, it's I think Ash and Gentoo with Ben Johnson would be really scary. And if the revamped O line works, it could be it could be even scarier. to align words, it could be it could be even scarier. We are just days away, my friends, and did another breakdown with Emily Liker of the Star Tribune. If you want to check that out, another video that's on the page

right after a quasi press conference. We had a fun conversation there. And for Monday, Clay, let's figure out how to have the most fun we can have, because there is pretty much nothing left to be said. But there are always some last minute rumors or moves or something that tend to surprise us. So we'll see what is on the way. It feels like we've got this all figured out.

And then on draft night, I'll throw lots of curveballs. But a reminder, I'll mention this every day from here on out. Draft night, I will be right here. Clay will be in his behind the scenes role popping in, giving us updates on how the board compares to consensus boards. And then we'll just have you pop in and do different breakdowns and stuff

as we go through draft night. But I will be on from the beginning of the draft all the way through the first round, whether the Vikings make a pick or not. And we'll see about day two. If they trade back into the first round, whether the Vikings make a pick or not. And we'll see about day two. If they trade back into the second round, we'll definitely live stream in day two as well. So Clay, I look forward to that.

Your first draft. We'll compare it to your mock and we will go from there, but lots still to come on the show. So make sure you're dialed in next Monday will be the next time I plan on live streaming. You never know when something comes up. I guess if they sign a backup quarterback, I'm going to have to go emergency pod. It's been such a point of discussion.

So thank you for your time. As always, Clay, thank you. Oh, no, I hit the button just as he was saying football. Sorry, Clay. Hold on. Go ahead. Go ahead. Thank you. Thank you. Football. All right. OK, everybody. Thanks again for watching.

As always, fun show. Great questions. Great comments. Purple insider football to check out Friday Mailbag. I'm also answering a bunch of questions that Vikings fans started out with. Am I crazy? Are we going to be doing that soon? Clay is going to have an article about why he loves the draft. So it's a good time.

Good time to talk about football. Thanks again, everybody. And we'll talk to you all very soon. Football looking for the ultimate online casino experience. Step into the bed. MGM casino app where every deal spin and goal brings Las Vegas excitement into the palm of your hand. Take your seat at Premium Blackjack Pro,

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