Football Gameplan's 2012 NFL Mock Draft Video - February
 

Good evening B&G!! Here's my Feb mock draft video!

Enjoy!

Em

Nice, Emory...

I don't know much about Lavonte David, but I'd be happy to see a LB with our first pick

No way Vikings are going QB with first pick unless they are going BPA. They just invested in Ponder last year.

Thanks Mitch!! Trust me on this one...the dude plays downhill and looks to tackle... Not a Peek-a-boo LB.

Then they have to reevaluate because Joe Webb is better than Ponder who can't stay healthy (just has he couldn't in college)

That may be true but I think they are going to give him ATLEAST another year. A complete offseason and traing camp will do him good. I think they would be better off maybe bringing in a vet.

As bad as Washington needs a QB, I can definitaly see what most are predicting, that they will trade with St. Louis to jump up and get RGIII.

If I'm Jacksonville, I'd pull the trigger to get RG3.. But honestly, in my heart of all hearts I think he falls to Washington at #6 with no trades.

If the Rams get Kalil and don't accept a trade up from somebody else, the Vikings are going to pick Kalil 100%.

If he is no longer on the board, the Vikings are probably hoping for somebody to call them with a trade up to get RG3, if no one calls, they'll take Blackman.

Having watched all of the Vikes' games, including the pre-season, I have to say that Ponder is a legitimate 1st round QB in the making. He is still a little green behind the ears, but he can simply do things that Webb can't and never will be able to do.

The Vikes' O-Line was terrible at providing protection last season and that is why Ponder had to scramble as much as he did and, consequently, also the reason why he got hit so many times, which is why he got injured.

He showed a lot of spirit and competitiveness, which is something you want to see from a young QB with a losing team, and many of times I thought "he won't get up after that hit" and then he just jumped back up and called the guys into the huddle.

No way is Webb a better QB than Ponder, you'll never be able to convince me of that! I didn't like the pick last season, but this this the way they chose to go and I think that the Vikes' FO and coaches are at peace with it.

Ponder needs protection, and players to pass the ball to, so if Kalil is not available to them - they'll take the highest rated WR.


Also, I would think that the Saints would take Hightower rather than David on their 2nd round pick, if he was still on the board - he just seems to fit better to what Spags will likely want to do with the LB corps in my opinion.

Ponder reminds me of Archie Manning alot. I hope Ponder gets what Archie never had protection and talent surrounding him. And Hightower would be a great choice if he was there, I got my fingers crossed on that pick.

Why would Webb perform better with the same weapons and protection that Ponder had?

Who says he did?

He had moments that were good - in my opinion, mostly because the O-Line were fired up after letting the opposition manhandle Ponder earlier - but overall he doesn't have the natural instincts of a pure pocket passing QB, which is what the Vikes want/need. I don't care what stats might say on this point, because it is clear to me based on all the Vikes' games I've seen where either one of them has played, that Ponder is the better QB of the two.

Webb will always be a "wild cat" (or "blaze" like the Vikes like to call those packages) QB, and it's not really his fault, but that is the skill-set he has, but more importantly both Frazier and Spielman have stated over and over again that Ponder is their guy.

If the Vikes were to pick RG3, it would be a pure BPA move, and you yourself stated in the beginning of the video that you were going to ignore that strategy.

The Vikes are set in the QB position with Ponder and Webb, and they might bring in another veteran QB also, but not a high-tier one like Favre and McNabb (kinda) were in the past seasons.

On the other hand, Vikes have so many other positions in need of new blood that I can't see them "wasting" the 1st round pick on a position they feel (at least moderately) comfortable with.

O-Line, secondary corps, receiver corps, LB corps all need desperately new additions and more importantly skilled players who can make a difference on the field any given Sunday.

Hutchinson doesn't have many years left in him and next season might be his last, and Herrera was not good enough at the RG position when he was able to stay healthy. They need a strong guard tandem, because since AP will be limited at best during the first weeks of the next season, Gerhart will have to be the #1 RB and he runs best of-guard north-south style. Loadholt had a "slump" of a year at RT, but he would benefit from a better RG than Herrera. They need a LT, who can fight of some of the heavy outside pass rush that the other teams in the NFC North can deliver (Suh, Peppers, etc.), and that is why they'd love nothing more than to get Kalil to solidify that position for years to come.

So, I think the Vikes would love to either get Kalil or to accept a trade up from some other team, so that they could add more picks to their draft. DeCastro is someone they would love to pick to ultimately replace Hutchinson when he retires, and they might be able to do that even if they traded down on the 1st round. Also, they'll want to pick an OT and if they can't get Kalil they'll probably target one with their 2nd or 3rd pick depending on how the draft progresses. After that comes the secondary, receiving corps (they need to add a good blocking TE to replace Kleinsasser), and the LB corps.