Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 17
Tim L. up with the Vikings with this pick. Once again proving Pancake Blocks readers have better reasoning and know more about their teams than a lot of the people who get paid to do this stuff.
When the Panthers took Derrick Harvey, all of Viking nation shed a tear. With this edge rusher off the table, the Vikings do not see a DE that makes sense in their Tampa 2 system. Groves is a 3-4 DE/OLB who's undersized as an every down lineman, while Phillip Merling is a "run stopping DE" who most scouts say is not a great pass rusher. With a Cover 2 scheme, speed off the edge is a must so Merling is not the choice. So, even though this is arguably the greatest need for the Vikes, the 17th pick will not be used on this position.
DB could be a choice come April but the best available DB at this pick is Mike Jenkins and as talented as he may be, the Vikes will shy away from another DB with "character issues." (past examples, Fred Smoot and Dwight Smith)
Instead, the Vikes will address the band aid currently being used on the offensive line. Last season the Vikes used Ryan Cook at RT even though Cook's natural position is center. Therefore, the Vikes will select Jeff Otah from Pitt. Otah, a LT in college, is projected to be a RT early in his career. With the QB position being shaky and defenses keying on the run, the Vikes need to make the o-line as strong as possible. In addition, pending the courts decision, Otah may need to fill in at LT for a while depending on the outcome of the McKinnie case/NFL suspension. A line consisting of McKinnie, Hutch, Birk, Herrera and Otah will give the Vikings the solid line protection they had back in the late 90s.
2008 Pancake Blocks Mock Draft
1. Miami Dolphins (Scott L.) - Chris Long
2. St. Louis Rams (Evan Silva) - Glenn Dorsey
3. Atlanta Falcons (Troy Hill) - Matt Ryan
4. Oakland Raiders (Stephen G.) - Jake Long
5. Kansas City Chiefs (Jeremy S.) - Darren McFadden
6. New York Jets (John B.) - Vernon Gholston
7. New England Patriots (Gregg R.) - Sedrick Ellis
8. Baltimore Ravens (Ryan F.) - Leodis McKelvin
9. Cincinnati Bengals (Jacob C.) - Ryan Clady
10. New Orleans Saints (Scott K.) - Keith Rivers
11. Buffalo Bills (James N.) - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
12. Denver Broncos (Taylor C.) - Chris Williams
13. Carolina Panthers (Matthew W.) - Derrick Harvey
14. Chicago Bears (Zone) - Branden Albert
15. Detroit Lions (Adam P.) - Rashard Mendenhall
16. Arizona Cardinals (Scott C.) - Aquib Talib
17. Minnesota Vikings (Tim L.) - Jeff Otah
Comments
Well reasoned pick. A very likely scenario, actually. Another name to consider is Brandon Flowers, who appears to be a perfect Tampa-2 corner. Not an area of extreme need, but Winfield is not getting any younger, and has had injury issues. After a good rookie year, Griffin was so-so last year.
Posted by: Boesy | April 15, 2008 10:00 AM
Nice, logical pick, Tim.
I think if I was a Vikings fan, I'd be screaming at Childress to take Brian Brohm here, but I agree that he probably won't and this fits with the Reid/Childress strategy of drafting the lines high.
Posted by: Chad Ferguson | April 15, 2008 10:01 AM
this draft is all wrong wr for vikings mcfadden to jets jake long to miami
Posted by: cb | April 15, 2008 10:18 AM
This pick makes a lot of sense. Otah is supposed to be a great run blocker (as compared to a pass blocker) so it seems like he'd be a perfect fit for a team building around AP.
I could see Brian Brohm here.
I also like your reasoning on (the extremely underrated) Brandon Flowers. If he's the Vikings' guy, I could see them trading down figuring they can still get him in the mid to late 20s.
Posted by: Chiefsfan | April 15, 2008 10:19 AM
With Harvey off the board, and Merling still not a value here, Otah is a great pick at this spot.
Posted by: Ryan | April 15, 2008 10:37 AM
Hey 'cb'... we are trying to guess or emulate the real draft. We're trying to make the RIGHT picks.
Thus far, with the possible exception of McFadden every pick has had sound logic and reasoning behind it.
Wake up and smell the coffee...
Posted by: Stephen | April 15, 2008 11:07 AM
sound pick here. pretty good value too here, considering that otah has a good chance of going higher
Posted by: scott c | April 15, 2008 11:29 AM