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Speaker 1: As we go through the draft and as you try

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Speaker 1: to fill your needs, it all goes on field, and

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Speaker 1: it all goes on instinct on how you manipulate the board.

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Speaker 1: Draft Day. We've been waiting for so long at this

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Speaker 1: point to find out what it's going to be, and

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Speaker 1: it's It is a fascinating time year or two because

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Speaker 1: they're in a good spot and got a lot of

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Speaker 1: options and flexibility. What is going on? Vikings fans, Welcome

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Speaker 1: to episode number ninety of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. It

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Speaker 1: is the NFL Draft preview show presented by our good

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Speaker 1: friends at HIV. Throw out your mock drafts because it

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Speaker 1: is the real deal. It's finally here. We are super excited.

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Speaker 1: I have Vikings dot COM's Gabe Henderson alongside producer Jay Nelson,

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Speaker 1: and we have some good content for you today as

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Speaker 1: we get set just twenty four hours before the draft

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Speaker 1: is when we are recording. We have a good guest

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Speaker 1: this week. It's Andrew Kramer from the Star Tribune. He

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Speaker 1: just does an absolutely outstanding job covering the team for

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Speaker 1: a bunch of years now, has done some research and

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Speaker 1: some work talking to coaches, talking to executives. He brings

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Speaker 1: a lot of insight later on in the show, and

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Speaker 1: of course we're going to cover the draft preview press

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Speaker 1: conference with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. Jay has cut

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Speaker 1: up a nice clip from that press conference. It was

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Speaker 1: over thirty minutes long. We have about five minutes from

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Speaker 1: that to sum it all up for you. And with that,

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Speaker 1: I bring in Vikings dot COM's Gabe Henderson. I know

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Speaker 1: how excited he is for this draft. It is his

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Speaker 1: second with the Vikings this year. I know you you

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Speaker 1: are just as excited as you were for the first

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Speaker 1: one as you are for this one. Yeah, these draft

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Speaker 1: like the draft never gets old. So it's one of

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Speaker 1: those things where if if you don't don't love this

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Speaker 1: time of the year, you're probably in the wrong business.

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Speaker 1: And I'm going to be busy all weekend and I'm

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Speaker 1: excited about it. And this is probably the only time

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Speaker 1: I'm ever excited to do about twenty different things in

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Speaker 1: three days. So I'm pumped, man. I'm pumped to be

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Speaker 1: able to see who the newest Viking member or Viking

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Speaker 1: players are going to be. I feel like that's I mean,

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Speaker 1: this is the most optimistic time of the year. I mean,

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Speaker 1: we've done all of our talking. I put out a

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Speaker 1: tweet yesterday talking about how many PFF mock drafts that

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Speaker 1: Vikings fans selected. Basically they were, you know, assumed playing

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Speaker 1: the Rick Spielman role. And there were over seven hundred

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Speaker 1: and twenty thousand people that wanted to be Rick this offseason.

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Speaker 1: So let's let's let's get to it. Man. I'm excited.

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Speaker 1: Rick is certainly the man of the weekend. Everyone wants

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Speaker 1: to know what he's gonna do. He doesn't really tell

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Speaker 1: you too much. Jay, You've been around for much longer

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Speaker 1: than Gabe and I and you've seen what Rick Spielman

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Speaker 1: does in the draft. Do you think his Trader Rick

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Speaker 1: title will be shown off in this year's draft. It's

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Speaker 1: always shown off every single year, and there's always movement.

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Speaker 1: That's honestly, I think that's one of the things that

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Speaker 1: the Vikings fans love. I know that the opinions are

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Speaker 1: always move up, move up, move up, but it always

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Speaker 1: turns into move smartly in order to try to accumulate

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Speaker 1: more picks. And you know, one thing that we've seen

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Speaker 1: over the years is that they've been smart in grabbing

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Speaker 1: people that they have rated higher on their board, but

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Speaker 1: strategically feel like they're going to fall to them at

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Speaker 1: US at a later later time. And yeah, there's definitely

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Speaker 1: been times where they've had people slated that they thought

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Speaker 1: they could slide through that it didn't work out, But

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Speaker 1: it just feels like more often than not, you know,

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Speaker 1: all of the mocks, Like all the mocks you guys

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Speaker 1: are talking about doing, they do the same kind of

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Speaker 1: thing within the draft room, but for real and just

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Speaker 1: the hours and hours and hours of all the scout

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Speaker 1: staff and the analytics and everything that goes into this.

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Speaker 1: Rick is always super smart and being able to prom

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Speaker 1: guys like Jamal Stevenson and Rob Brazinski and Scott Cohen

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Speaker 1: and some of these different people behind the scenes that

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Speaker 1: helped set this up. So this is this is what

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Speaker 1: they game for for six months a year. It finally

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Speaker 1: comes down to this one weekend and just hopefully all

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Speaker 1: the scenarios that they have slated actually happened. So this

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Speaker 1: is why it's a lot of fun for not only

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Speaker 1: us as fans, but for them in the front office

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Speaker 1: to make it work. Yeah, this is their super Bowl,

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Speaker 1: as Rick Spielman says it. And you know, the playoff

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Speaker 1: push was the January through March Timon. Now this is

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Speaker 1: the last push before you know, holding up that Draft

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Speaker 1: A Plus trophy, So this will be fun for those guys. Also, well,

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Speaker 1: we know Rick Spielman just gives away every single secret

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Speaker 1: about what he's going to do at the pre draft

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Speaker 1: press conference, which was help too. That's what Andrew Kramer

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Speaker 1: of the Star Tribune tries to get out of him.

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Speaker 1: So let's take a listen to Rick Spielman's press conference,

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Speaker 1: which took place on Tuesday afternoon as he gets ready

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Speaker 1: for the twenty twenty one NFL Draft. Because you've had eight, ten,

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Speaker 1: twelve picks over the past few years, is this maybe

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Speaker 1: a year to look at quality over quantity? I mean,

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Speaker 1: just really going after the players that you earmark that

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Speaker 1: could help the team right away. Yeah, I think, Joe,

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Speaker 1: there's a couple. You have to look at it. Every year.

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Speaker 1: It's different. You know. Last year, the philosophy was we

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Speaker 1: were able to land players that we still coveted and

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Speaker 1: we were able to move back and we didn't know

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Speaker 1: how college free agency was going to work because it

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Speaker 1: was all virtual last year. So we took six and

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Speaker 1: seventh rounders and as many as we had, we used

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Speaker 1: that as our college free agency, so we didn't have

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Speaker 1: to compete afterwards. This year, it's a little different. I

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Speaker 1: don't think there is as many players. I don't want

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Speaker 1: to name stats because I don't want to be wrong,

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Speaker 1: but I know there's a significantly less amount of players

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Speaker 1: in this draft because a lot of guys opted to

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Speaker 1: go back to school. You know, a lot of the

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Speaker 1: smaller schools are still playing right now as players went

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Speaker 1: back to school. So you look at the draft board

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Speaker 1: and you see, okay, one position. You know, if you

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Speaker 1: have six hundred guys on your draft board, well I

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Speaker 1: can tell you. I'm not going to tell you the position.

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Speaker 1: One position has one hundred of those six hundred. There's

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Speaker 1: other positions that maybe have fifteen on our front board.

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Speaker 1: So as we go through the draft, and as we're

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Speaker 1: doing our draft planning and as you try to fill

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Speaker 1: your needs, you have to understand also the depth of

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Speaker 1: the draft at each position. And it may be a

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Speaker 1: situation this year because of less quality, but we're trying

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Speaker 1: to fill a need and we want to go up

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Speaker 1: and get a guy that can help us. We will

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Speaker 1: definitely potentially look at that. But also I'm not going

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Speaker 1: to rule out like we have in the past, if

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Speaker 1: there are players that we cover it and we can

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Speaker 1: trade back. You know, an example was a couple of

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Speaker 1: years ago, I think in a third round we honed

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Speaker 1: ourselves in Alexander Madison and we were able to trade

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Speaker 1: back two or three times, still land Maddie and then

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Speaker 1: being able to accumulate picks in the third day. So

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Speaker 1: it's it all goes on field, and it all goes

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Speaker 1: on instinct on how you manipulate the board on draft day.

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Speaker 1: You know. The other opposite was when Dalvin Cook, when

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Speaker 1: we trade it up to go get Dalvin Cook. So

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Speaker 1: it'll depend on the player. I do know we have

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Speaker 1: enough capital to be able to meet it epulate up

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Speaker 1: and down on that board. We just got to make sure.

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Speaker 1: And that's what we're going through right now to finalize.

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Speaker 1: You know, we went through the whole second round. Guys

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Speaker 1: I think are going to be there in a second

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Speaker 1: round depending on what we take at the fourteenth pick.

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Speaker 1: If we pick at the fourteenth slot, and let's say

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Speaker 1: we go whatever direction we go, and I see that

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Speaker 1: most of the guys that we are targeting are going

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Speaker 1: to be gone by the end of this second round,

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Speaker 1: then we're probably going to have to be aggressive to

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Speaker 1: move up in a second. I think we have enough

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Speaker 1: draft capital to do that with the seemingly record number

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Speaker 1: of players that have headed back versus like the record

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Speaker 1: low number of players available in this draft. Does that

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Speaker 1: change how you value late round picks and future picks

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Speaker 1: when you're making these decisions like this, Presenski change the

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Speaker 1: way that he values those trades. That's what we're going

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Speaker 1: through right now. Like I said, when you get into

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Speaker 1: those six and seventh rounds, you have to look at

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Speaker 1: the depth at each position. So if I've got, you know,

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Speaker 1: exaggerating one hundred guys from the fifth round through college

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Speaker 1: free agency that are going to be available, and at

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Speaker 1: another position, I only have three or four more guys,

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Speaker 1: we would lean to the position that we think we

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Speaker 1: may have a tough time sign in a college free agent,

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Speaker 1: knowing that I have a lot more volume on that

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Speaker 1: other position. So it varies each year. I think it'll

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Speaker 1: be different this year. Last year, the philosophy was, that's

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Speaker 1: our college free agency, so let's get as many picks

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Speaker 1: as we can so we don't have to do it virtually.

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Speaker 1: This year we will be in the building. We're one

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Speaker 1: of the teams that it will be all vaccinated, so

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Speaker 1: we will not have mask on there. I will have

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Speaker 1: my scouting staff in a bullpen that will be masked.

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Speaker 1: But this year we don't have to work in chat

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Speaker 1: rooms like we did last year. Especially during college free agency,

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Speaker 1: each position had their own individual room. This year will

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Speaker 1: be a little bit more normalized where the scout and

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Speaker 1: the coach can work together as long as they're following

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Speaker 1: the COVID protocol in the building, which we definitely will do.

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Speaker 1: And so to get back to that a little bit more.

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Speaker 1: But to your question, a lot of it depends on

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Speaker 1: with the less volume of players in this draft. There's

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Speaker 1: going to be a lot less talent in college free agency,

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Speaker 1: so you have to really try to strategize how you're

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Speaker 1: going to approach it. All right, guys, Well, the debate

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Speaker 1: is quality or quantity. We know quantity is what we

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Speaker 1: have done in years past. Fifteen picks last year, which

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Speaker 1: broke a Super Bowl era record for the Vikings. We

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Speaker 1: took a lot of players, guys, Gabe, we interviewed every

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Speaker 1: single one of them via FaceTime at the beginning of

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Speaker 1: the pandemic. So that's my first question after hearing that clip, Gabe,

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Speaker 1: what is your biggest takeaway? Is it quality or quantity.

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Speaker 1: I think the twenty twenty draft was quantity. Was supposed

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Speaker 1: to be quantity because there were so many unknowns, There

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Speaker 1: were so many guys that were free agents. Of course,

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Speaker 1: we had three cornerbacks that left, So quantity was the

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Speaker 1: most important thing in the twenty twenty draft because you

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Speaker 1: wanted to get those guys up to speed. Quality this

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Speaker 1: year is the most important because, like we talked about,

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Speaker 1: there's probably only seven hundred guys that got agents this

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Speaker 1: year for the draft, which is a record low. So

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Speaker 1: the fact that you don't know the quality of guys

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Speaker 1: in the later rounds of the draft, I think you

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Speaker 1: trade up, or you trade back, or you try to

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Speaker 1: figure out who can we get in those first three

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Speaker 1: rounds Compared to all right, let's let's load up on

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Speaker 1: picks in day three. I feel like now you're you're

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Speaker 1: trying to get the best player available in the early rounds,

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Speaker 1: and then you're setting yourself up for next year. Right now,

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Speaker 1: the Vikings only have five draft picks next year, so

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Speaker 1: you probably don't need all four fourth rounders. You can

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Speaker 1: probably trade back and maybe get a third rounder for

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Speaker 1: next year. We don't have a third rounder next year,

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Speaker 1: and you can use that capital to get a quality player,

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Speaker 1: a guy that you've you know, maybe had your eye

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Speaker 1: on this entire offseason that may fall to the second

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Speaker 1: or third round. We know Rick Spilman, he's not he's

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Speaker 1: not gonna wait sixty four picks to pick from the

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Speaker 1: first round to the third round. Like, there's a pretty

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Speaker 1: good chance he will trade up, And I think this

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Speaker 1: is the perfect year to do, so, you know, spend

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Speaker 1: some of that draft capital and get the guys that

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Speaker 1: you actually want compared to Hey, let's see what these

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Speaker 1: you know, undrafted free agents look like. Can you know,

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Speaker 1: play the guessing game then? So yeah, quality, quality is

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Speaker 1: the route that I'm going for draft. Yeah, really interesting

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Speaker 1: points you bring up, Gabe. I mean you mentioned the

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Speaker 1: sixty four picks. That's the distance from the number fourteen

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Speaker 1: overall pick in the first round that the Vikings currently

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Speaker 1: have to the third round pick at number seventy eight overall.

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Speaker 1: There is no second round pick um with the trade

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Speaker 1: for Unique in goaqway early in the season when we

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Speaker 1: acquired him. So it's gonna be really interesting to see

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Speaker 1: what the Vikings do. We know a lot of teams

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Speaker 1: at the beginning of the draft have that quarterback need.

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Speaker 1: So as many quarterbacks that go one, two, three, four, five,

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Speaker 1: that's how many good skill players at whatever other position

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Speaker 1: the Vikings are looking for fall down to where we

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Speaker 1: are at number fourteen. So it'll be really interesting to

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Speaker 1: see whether we trade up at that pick or we

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Speaker 1: trade one of those four fourth round draft picks for

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Speaker 1: a second round pick. Jay And that just brings up

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Speaker 1: up my question to you. You've seen the trades year

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Speaker 1: in and year out from Rick Spielman. I think he's

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Speaker 1: really tried to accumulate more picks in previous rounds. So

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Speaker 1: do you think he makes a trade kind of to

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Speaker 1: get one of those maybe a second round pick or

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Speaker 1: move up in the third round, Like, what do you

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Speaker 1: think his mindset is going into into this year's draft.

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Speaker 1: The thing about watching Rick is he is aggressive when

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Speaker 1: he feels like there's somebody there that can really be

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Speaker 1: a difference maker. You know, I remember him going in

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Speaker 1: and drafting Teddy Bridgewater at pick number thirty two, moving

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Speaker 1: back into the first round, when that was something that

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Speaker 1: we really wanted and really needed, and you know, Zimmer

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Speaker 1: was looking at Teddy as his future quarterback for the

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Speaker 1: rest of his career at the time, just feels like

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Speaker 1: in years past when everyone's been complaining and saying, why

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Speaker 1: are we trading picks for next year? Why are we

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Speaker 1: accumulating this stuff? Why aren't we being aggressive and going

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Speaker 1: up and getting some of these other players that the

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Speaker 1: public likes and knows about out It's for situations like

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Speaker 1: this where, yeah, you traded for an Angaquay at the

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Speaker 1: beginning of the season when you were trying to fill

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Speaker 1: some holes when things started to get sideways. But you

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Speaker 1: start looking at it now and you've got eight picks

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Speaker 1: between rounds three and five that you can do some

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Speaker 1: movement up and down the board. You can trade him back,

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Speaker 1: or you can move forward to get a second round pick.

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Speaker 1: So in order to do this kind of stuff on

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Speaker 1: an annual basis, he's trying to be aggressive in a

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Speaker 1: smart way. And that's where sometimes you trade back if

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Speaker 1: you have a bunch of players that can fall to

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Speaker 1: you and you're happy with any of them, or in

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Speaker 1: a situation like this where maybe it's a third of

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Speaker 1: the talent pool that they would normally have on an

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Speaker 1: annual basis, they can go ahead and now take some

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Speaker 1: of these pieces and try and move up. So I

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Speaker 1: think if you move up into the second round, I

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Speaker 1: don't think it's the end of us making any trades

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Speaker 1: and moves to move up and down this board and

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Speaker 1: accumulate more picks. But I do feel like if they

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Speaker 1: feel the front end of this draft is going to

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Speaker 1: have some talent drop out and then say it's you know,

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Speaker 1: rounds four on are going to be a little dicey.

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Speaker 1: I could see them being more aggressive this year than

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Speaker 1: years pasted. So hopefully for those fans that always complain

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Speaker 1: that we never move up and never get aggressive, this

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Speaker 1: might be a year that's a little bit different for him. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: definitely an interesting topic. We talk about it later on

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Speaker 1: in the show with Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune.

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Speaker 1: I know Courtney Cronin of ESPN also wrote a very

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Speaker 1: interesting article on this. I'd go check that out because

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Speaker 1: she has some inside information as well. So it is

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Speaker 1: the topic of the Vikings draft to say the least.

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Speaker 1: But one of the statements that also stood out to

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Speaker 1: me by Rick Spielman in that press conference was when

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Speaker 1: he literally said, there is no position that is out

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Speaker 1: of the question when when we are drafting. I think

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Speaker 1: he was referencing a quarterback question that happened before that.

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Speaker 1: I don't want to speculate, but that was the question

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Speaker 1: that was asked right before he made that remark. So

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Speaker 1: when you hear something like that, Gabe, what do you

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Speaker 1: think he's Do you think he's planning a seed for

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Speaker 1: other teams to say, you know what, you never know

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Speaker 1: who we're gonna draft at number fourteen? Or does he

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Speaker 1: really mean there is no position that is out of

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Speaker 1: the question in this draft. I think it's a little

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Speaker 1: bit of both. I think you have to look at

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Speaker 1: the best player available on the board at that moment.

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Speaker 1: But I mean, if we're being honest personally, I highly

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Speaker 1: doubt Rick will draft a quarterback at fourteen. I just

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Speaker 1: don't see. I just can't see that happening with Kirk

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Speaker 1: having two years left on this deal. And I mean,

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Speaker 1: unless we want to be like the Packers last year,

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Speaker 1: where we know we have a need but we draft

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Speaker 1: a quarterback instead. I think Rick will make a very

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Speaker 1: informed decision about who wants to select that fourteen. But

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Speaker 1: there's there's really no position off limits. To be completely honest,

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Speaker 1: I do think the quarterback position is something that we

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Speaker 1: addressed I think the linebacker position is a position that

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Speaker 1: we address. We signed Xavier Woods this offseason, like we

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Speaker 1: don't need another start in free safety, but I do

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Speaker 1: think there's a chance that we do draft another free safety.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you want to have depth when it comes

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Speaker 1: to quarterback, probably not so much. When it comes to

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Speaker 1: de tackle, probably not so much. But you never know,

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Speaker 1: because every position is I mean, it's fair game at

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Speaker 1: this point. But Rick, you know, he's playing his game.

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Speaker 1: You know, he wants to make sure that if Max

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Speaker 1: Jones or somebody falls to him and the Vikings, if

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Speaker 1: they don't need a quarterback but a team does, he

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Speaker 1: wants to put the pressure on other teams and basically

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Speaker 1: say like, hey, I'm going to draft him. How much

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Speaker 1: how much are you willing to give to get the

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Speaker 1: player that we were about to select? And Rick Rick

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Speaker 1: is a He's a He's a wizard when it comes

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Speaker 1: to things like that. This is a table with thirty

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Speaker 1: two seats playing poker for a long, long weekend, and

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Speaker 1: none of these guys want to tip their hand as

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Speaker 1: much as they can. There's always the wild card pick,

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Speaker 1: there's always something out of left field, there's always the

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Speaker 1: you know, the raiders picking rugs early, you know, versus

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Speaker 1: what everyone else has players packed on the board. And

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Speaker 1: that's the thing. These guys have like formulas and they've

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Speaker 1: got lists, and they've got what they think everyone's gonna do.

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Speaker 1: But what's really fun at times is when you are

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Speaker 1: in that draft room and you see something out of

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Speaker 1: left field hit and you see everybody just kind of

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Speaker 1: look at each other like what the heck just happened.

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Speaker 1: But it's always that's the fun part of the draft

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Speaker 1: because as much as the public goes crazy, even internally

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Speaker 1: they think they know what's going to happen, and when

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Speaker 1: those wild cards hit, man, it's a fun dynamic to

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Speaker 1: listen to and sometimes just really awkward when it's like,

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Speaker 1: you know, shoot, we dismissed our guy because somebody else

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Speaker 1: jumped up and grabbed him. I love the poker analogy.

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Speaker 1: J I'm waiting for ricks Fielding to wear a pair

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Speaker 1: of sunglasses to his to his breast card. I don't

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Speaker 1: know why he hasn't thought of that yet, because I

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Speaker 1: know that suits exactly how he feels, because Dalvin Cook

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Speaker 1: still has him. Dalvin Cook is still wearing him from

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Speaker 1: his two hundred yard game exactly I think you've got

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Speaker 1: to take a page out of Dalvin Cook's book. I know,

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Speaker 1: justin we can start calling him Rick moneymaker. No, seriously,

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Speaker 1: it's it's definitely interesting to hear when you hear a

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Speaker 1: statement like that where he's like, we're gonna take any

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Speaker 1: position available, that is definitely interesting to think about what

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Speaker 1: he means by that, what he's hinting by that, or

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Speaker 1: what he's trying to hint by that when he's looking

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Speaker 1: at other gms. Jay, go ahead. My very first draft

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Speaker 1: was Adrian Peterson at number seven. Like I literally took

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Speaker 1: the job. And a month later I was standing at

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Speaker 1: the Vikings draft party shooting the crowd. Adrian Peterson was

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Speaker 1: supposed to be the number one pick and it was

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Speaker 1: consensus he was the best player in the draft. He's

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Speaker 1: coming out, but the medical stuff hit and he slid

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Speaker 1: to seven, and we picked them, and I just remember,

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Speaker 1: like we had to get past I think it was

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Speaker 1: Cleveland had the four pick or something. I know Dennis

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Speaker 1: Green when when he was coaching as well, he was

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Speaker 1: the hurdle in Arizona, and when Cleveland I think took

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Speaker 1: Joe Thomas and then Arizona. I can't remember who it

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Speaker 1: was when they picked them, we all looked at each

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Speaker 1: other and we're like, oh my gosh, this is going

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Speaker 1: to happen because the fifth and sixth pick were already

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Speaker 1: had the running backs, and when Adrian Peterson's name got read,

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Speaker 1: we were just like, what happened? And that was my

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Speaker 1: introduction to the chaos of the draft, So like anything

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Speaker 1: can happen. Yes, we're at fourteen, we're kind of in

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Speaker 1: no man's land, but everyone's speculating all these quarterbacks are

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Speaker 1: gonna go and all of a sudden, what happens if

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Speaker 1: at four you get a pits or a wide receiver

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Speaker 1: that gets pulled off the board, fruit basket upset and

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Speaker 1: everything goes nuts? Jay, since you're showing your age of

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Speaker 1: you know, you got here when Adrian Peterson got drafted,

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Speaker 1: which was the same draft that JaMarcus Russell was, you

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Speaker 1: drafted number one overall. What are the chances you think

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Speaker 1: the Vikings will make a surprise decision with the fourteenth

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Speaker 1: overall pick. See my question is is what's going to

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Speaker 1: happen if all of a sudden, a couple of those

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Speaker 1: top two offensive linemen slide to like eight, nine, ten.

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Speaker 1: Now for the wildcard for me, I have people asking me.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we all get it. We all get texts

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Speaker 1: from people, we're getting tweets, we're getting emails and stuff,

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Speaker 1: and everyone's like, what are we gonna do? What are

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Speaker 1: we gonna do? And it's all speculation as of right now,

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Speaker 1: you know, we're still sitting on the outside watching to

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Speaker 1: see what they decide. I think that the crazy pick is, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: what happens if Trey Lance or a Fields falls to

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Speaker 1: you at a fourteen? Kind of like Aaron Rodgers felt,

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Speaker 1: you know, into the twenties when he was supposed to

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Speaker 1: be a number one or number two pick, Like, how

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Speaker 1: do you pass that up? Do you pass that up

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Speaker 1: and jump back four or five positions? Let a Patriots

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Speaker 1: jump up and try to grab a quarterback? Or do

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Speaker 1: you say, listen, we got two years for sure on

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Speaker 1: Kirk's deal. But this is this is the air Apparent

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Speaker 1: in waiting, and he can learn from him and learn

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Speaker 1: from Kubiak system. So like, that's why I truly feel

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Speaker 1: when he says things like nothing is off the table,

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Speaker 1: there is nothing off the table, especially when it comes

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Speaker 1: to the quarterback position, which the last time we took

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Speaker 1: a big gamble on something like that was a Teddy

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Speaker 1: Bridgewater and it was working until the horrific accident that

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Speaker 1: he had, and from that point forward, you know, we

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Speaker 1: had to try to find different people to fill that position.

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Speaker 1: And now we're with Kirk Cousins and great, but you're

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Speaker 1: always looking for the future, just like the Packers did

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Speaker 1: last year. We all kind of laughed and made fun

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Speaker 1: of them, saying, you need to wide out, but who knows,

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Speaker 1: you might have another Hall of Fame quarterback for a

432
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,680
Speaker 1: decade waiting in the wings if and when they decide

433
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:16,480
Speaker 1: that they're going to move on from Aaron Rodgers. So

434
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,760
Speaker 1: if that's something that is in our options or in

435
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:22,680
Speaker 1: our wheelhouse moving forward, how do you pass that up? Well,

436
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,320
Speaker 1: you talk about Teddy Bridgewater, and I think George Peyton

437
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,359
Speaker 1: was a part of selecting him thirty second overall. Now,

438
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,000
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater just got traded to the Broncos, so I

439
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,600
Speaker 1: feel like he's got a big, a big thing to

440
00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,160
Speaker 1: do with that. And I mean, we know Rick said

441
00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,520
Speaker 1: that he wants to know what George Peyton is doing,

442
00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,680
Speaker 1: so now we know. Yeah, And then you have Chris Spielman,

443
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,080
Speaker 1: Rick Spielman's brother over with the Detroit Lions, who are

444
00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:46,040
Speaker 1: also right there, So I mean between the three of them,

445
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,200
Speaker 1: the connections that are there. I mean the right hand

446
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,199
Speaker 1: man of Rick Spielman being with the Denver Broncos and

447
00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,600
Speaker 1: then literally his best friend being with the Detroit Lions.

448
00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,119
Speaker 1: There are a lot of connections all around the league,

449
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 1: and certainly people are it's gonna be interesting to see.

450
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,560
Speaker 1: We don't know what's gonna happen. That's why there's so

451
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,560
Speaker 1: much speculation, That's why there's so many mock drafts out there,

452
00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,600
Speaker 1: and we are just excited to actually see what happens.

453
00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,480
Speaker 1: That's why the night before the draft is always a

454
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:18,560
Speaker 1: fun one to chat, analyze what we think is gonna happen,

455
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,800
Speaker 1: and look forward to one of the most exciting nights

456
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:26,000
Speaker 1: on the NFL calendar. So, the Vikings are currently slated

457
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,200
Speaker 1: with ten picks in this year's draft, a first round

458
00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:33,960
Speaker 1: pick at number fourteen overall, two third round picks, four

459
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,439
Speaker 1: fourth round picks, two fifth round picks, and a sixth

460
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,480
Speaker 1: round pick. So definitely interesting to see what the Vikings

461
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,159
Speaker 1: are gonna do. If they're gonna fill that spot in

462
00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,680
Speaker 1: the second round, if they're gonna trade some picks up

463
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:49,840
Speaker 1: to move up with that first round pick, I am

464
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,119
Speaker 1: just so excited for what is going to happen heading

465
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,360
Speaker 1: in to Thursday night. But with that, we have a

466
00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,560
Speaker 1: ton of content at the Vikings Entertainment Network that we

467
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,439
Speaker 1: have prepared for you, from happy hours to games on

468
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,040
Speaker 1: the Vikings mobile app. So we are going to run

469
00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:12,080
Speaker 1: through the Vikings fan guide to monitor the twenty twenty

470
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:16,040
Speaker 1: one draft weekend with the Vikings Entertainment Network. And with that,

471
00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:19,520
Speaker 1: I'm gonna start with Gabe to tee up the Vikings

472
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,280
Speaker 1: Draft Happy Hour presented by Miller Light. Yeah. So I'll

473
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,480
Speaker 1: be hosting that alongside Ron Johnson. We'll both be inside

474
00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 1: at TCO Studios and we'll be joined by a voice

475
00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,480
Speaker 1: of the Vikings Paul Allen and Ben Lieber and Pete

476
00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,480
Speaker 1: Bursach Us five will be on pretty much the entire time,

477
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,240
Speaker 1: but there will be some current and former Vikings players

478
00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:38,639
Speaker 1: to join in it. And I'm talking about you know,

479
00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:43,280
Speaker 1: Kirk Cousins, You're Dalvin Thomlinson's Michael Pierces, the christ Young

480
00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:46,600
Speaker 1: country singer, he'll be there. Well, it's just gonna be

481
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,760
Speaker 1: a lot of fun. Well, we'll have a lot of content,

482
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,119
Speaker 1: a lot of great conversations surrounding that event. It'll be

483
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,640
Speaker 1: one hour or so. Guys, grab your Miller lte, get

484
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,480
Speaker 1: on your couch, eat some popcorn, and enjoy the show.

485
00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:03,000
Speaker 1: What better way to prepare an hour before all the

486
00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:07,040
Speaker 1: content kicks off, before the broadcast kicks off. And Yeah,

487
00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:09,840
Speaker 1: definitely going to be a fun event. I remember how

488
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,520
Speaker 1: fun it was last year seeing guys like Brian Robinson

489
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,679
Speaker 1: and Nate Burlison joined the show. It was just an

490
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 1: awesome show, So I'm looking forward to that. Another cool

491
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:24,120
Speaker 1: experience for the Vikings is the Vikings IQ presented by Pepsi.

492
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,880
Speaker 1: It's an interactive, free to play social gaming experience through

493
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,520
Speaker 1: the Vikings app. Again, it's called Vikings Iq, and fans

494
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,399
Speaker 1: will have the opportunity to make real time draft predictions

495
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:40,239
Speaker 1: and also socialize with other Vikings fans to win some

496
00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:45,920
Speaker 1: prizes presented by Pepsi. Also, there's gonna be awesome draft coverage,

497
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:51,760
Speaker 1: live press conferences streamed on all the Vikings platforms. Players, coaches, executives,

498
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,199
Speaker 1: everybody will be connecting with you Vikings fans throughout the event.

499
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,480
Speaker 1: And also we're going to have articles from our team

500
00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:04,360
Speaker 1: of writers, Eric Smith, Lindsay Young, Craig Peters. They put

501
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,320
Speaker 1: together articles as fast as they can throughout each night

502
00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,000
Speaker 1: and we get them posted for you on the Vikings platform,

503
00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,440
Speaker 1: so stay tuned for that, and of course we're gonna

504
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,399
Speaker 1: have some conference calls and audio as well as some

505
00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:19,520
Speaker 1: photo galleries on the Vikings platforms of all of the

506
00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:24,119
Speaker 1: picks throughout the draft. Follow us on all social media

507
00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:28,600
Speaker 1: platforms the Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. I know the Instagram content

508
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,280
Speaker 1: is really stepped up in years passed, and we've gotten

509
00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:34,720
Speaker 1: Rick to really do a quick reaction of every pick

510
00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,840
Speaker 1: throughout the draft. So stay tuned on the Vikings Instagram

511
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,200
Speaker 1: page especially, and of course all of our digital platforms

512
00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,639
Speaker 1: Vikings dot Com, the app, the YouTube channel which we

513
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,639
Speaker 1: will be streaming on as well, and the connected TV

514
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,360
Speaker 1: app Vikings Now and then of course the audio content

515
00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,720
Speaker 1: can be found on the iHeartRadio app as well as

516
00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:58,639
Speaker 1: the Vikings app. Definitely check out the Vikings dot Com

517
00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:02,120
Speaker 1: Draft Tracker. I personally will be updating that with all

518
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:06,400
Speaker 1: the content throughout the night that is presented by Thompson Reuters.

519
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:08,960
Speaker 1: Stay up to date on all of the Vikings content

520
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,400
Speaker 1: on the Vikings Draft Tracker. That will be really fun

521
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,560
Speaker 1: to track as well, there is also a miller Light

522
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,879
Speaker 1: virtual Meet and greet with Eric Kendricks. Jay. Yeah, it

523
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,320
Speaker 1: looks like Miller Lights is going to be selecting fifty

524
00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:26,159
Speaker 1: winners through their interer to win promotion with local retail locations.

525
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:28,320
Speaker 1: So those winners are going to get a miller Light

526
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,680
Speaker 1: prize pack and a virtual meet and greet with current

527
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,359
Speaker 1: Vikings player Eric Kendricks. He's always fun and interesting to

528
00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,159
Speaker 1: talk to, and I'm sure with everybody being able to

529
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,080
Speaker 1: win a prize like this through miller Light is going

530
00:27:39,119 --> 00:27:41,440
Speaker 1: to be a special event and special night. So thank

531
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:43,760
Speaker 1: you to miller LIGHTE for being willing to put on

532
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,080
Speaker 1: the miller LIGHTE Virtual Meet and Greet with Eric Kendricks

533
00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:49,679
Speaker 1: this weekend. There will also be an AAR experience with

534
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,960
Speaker 1: the first round draft pick presented by US Bank. I

535
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,920
Speaker 1: know Alex Worley of the Vikings Entertainment Network has been

536
00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:00,520
Speaker 1: tasked with this job that our social content producers. That

537
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:03,800
Speaker 1: will be a really cool experience. Fans can purchase the

538
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,560
Speaker 1: jersey of the Vikings first round draft pick through the

539
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:10,200
Speaker 1: Vikings Locker Room store and we'll receive that exclusive AAR

540
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:14,159
Speaker 1: content from that player, so a really interesting experience you

541
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,679
Speaker 1: will get there from our friends at us Bank. Also

542
00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:22,480
Speaker 1: the Thompson Reuters Draft Room. They present the Vikings Draft Room,

543
00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,520
Speaker 1: which we will bring you inside all weekend. We will

544
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,520
Speaker 1: have calls to our players, calls to the picks, calls

545
00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,359
Speaker 1: from our position coaches to those draft picks. All of

546
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,639
Speaker 1: that content is some of the most exclusive content you

547
00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:39,160
Speaker 1: can get anywhere throughout the Vikings draft weekend, So stay

548
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,680
Speaker 1: tuned for that and the Bows draft communication is what

549
00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,320
Speaker 1: I'm talking about. BOS has partnered with the Minnesota Vikings

550
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:51,320
Speaker 1: to provide the football operations staff with quiet comfort earbuds

551
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:54,920
Speaker 1: for their draft communication needs. So thanks to our friends

552
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:59,400
Speaker 1: at BOS for helping make that content happen. And finally,

553
00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,000
Speaker 1: as we go through all this content, the Minnesota Vikings

554
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,640
Speaker 1: podcast that you are currently listening to is presented by

555
00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:10,000
Speaker 1: our good friends at high V and we will have

556
00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:14,240
Speaker 1: a recap every single night late at night. Vikings dot

557
00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:18,560
Speaker 1: COM's Gabe Henderson alongside producer Jay Nelson myself, we have

558
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,480
Speaker 1: been Leeber joining a show of Ron Johnson from Fox

559
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,920
Speaker 1: nine will be joining us, and of course all the

560
00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:29,680
Speaker 1: reporters from Vikings dot Com, Eric Smith, Lindsay Young. We

561
00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:33,840
Speaker 1: had the whole crew joining to recap each night from

562
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,360
Speaker 1: the draft. So I am really excited. I know we

563
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:38,400
Speaker 1: went through a lot of content there. But thank you

564
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,000
Speaker 1: again to our good friends at high V for sponsoring

565
00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,000
Speaker 1: the Minnesota Vikings podcast. They have made this all possible

566
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,880
Speaker 1: for you fans. Make sure to maximize your draft weekend

567
00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:52,800
Speaker 1: and shopping experience by earning fuel savings, exclusive monthly deals,

568
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:57,800
Speaker 1: free grocery delivery, two hour express pickup, and your very

569
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:01,360
Speaker 1: own personal shopper. Sign up for a high V Plus

570
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 1: membership today at high v dot com. All right, guys,

571
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,880
Speaker 1: now it's time to listen to our interview with Andrew

572
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:12,160
Speaker 1: Kramer from the Star Tribune. Now we bring in this

573
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:17,040
Speaker 1: week's guest alongside Vikings dot COM's Gabe Henderson, It's Andrew

574
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:20,880
Speaker 1: Kramer from the Star Tribune. Covers the Vikings for multiple years.

575
00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:23,520
Speaker 1: Now does really good work for the team. And what

576
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:26,520
Speaker 1: better guests to have on the show. Just a few

577
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:31,680
Speaker 1: I guess it's twenty four hours before the Vikings are

578
00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:33,680
Speaker 1: getting ready to be on the clock at the number

579
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,520
Speaker 1: fourteenth overall pick. So with that, we welcome you into

580
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,800
Speaker 1: the show, Andrew, and I mean we're super excited we're

581
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,040
Speaker 1: talking about it gave and I have been like, this

582
00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:45,520
Speaker 1: is our favorite time of the year, all the speculation

583
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,000
Speaker 1: in the world. I don't know as a reporter if

584
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:51,280
Speaker 1: you feel the same way. Well, sometimes it just gets

585
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 1: to be a little you know it's gonna be offensive

586
00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,240
Speaker 1: lineman or pass rusher, and I can't wait to find out.

587
00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,360
Speaker 1: I think that's just it. It's that we've been waiting

588
00:30:57,400 --> 00:30:59,800
Speaker 1: for so long at this point to find out what

589
00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,200
Speaker 1: it's going to be, and it's it is a fascinating

590
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,560
Speaker 1: time year or two because they're in a good spot

591
00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,360
Speaker 1: and got a lot of options and flexibility, that's for sure.

592
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,440
Speaker 1: I know we're going to talk draft this entire conversation,

593
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:12,719
Speaker 1: but I got to ask you a question non draft related.

594
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,960
Speaker 1: I want to get your thoughts on the NFL expanding

595
00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:20,040
Speaker 1: the eligible jersey numbers for certain positions. Yeah. I like

596
00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,680
Speaker 1: that a lot. As a fan of Patrick Peterson wearing

597
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,440
Speaker 1: number seven, I like it. I like it a lot.

598
00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:28,720
Speaker 1: I was disappointed to see Dalvin Cook wasn't making the switch,

599
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,480
Speaker 1: but as a veteran, I understand it. He's got some

600
00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:34,800
Speaker 1: financial decisions he's got to make as well. But I

601
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 1: don't get Yeah, I don't get guys like Tom Brady

602
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,600
Speaker 1: saying they don't like it. You know, this is it's fun.

603
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 1: You know, it's it implements a new kind of thing

604
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:44,920
Speaker 1: to the game where I think these college kids can

605
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:46,520
Speaker 1: kind of hold on to their numbers as they come

606
00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:48,480
Speaker 1: into the NFL, and the NFL guys can kind of

607
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,320
Speaker 1: embrace their pasts. And it's just it's cool. Who doesn't

608
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:53,600
Speaker 1: like to see a guy wearing, you know, number four

609
00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,280
Speaker 1: scoring a touchdown, you know, when he runs like Dalvin

610
00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:59,400
Speaker 1: Cook does. Yeah. Ryan Clark just put out a tweet

611
00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,880
Speaker 1: earlier today and he said, I'll put a it was

612
00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,600
Speaker 1: basically alone to live. Pretty much every single college skill

613
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,440
Speaker 1: players going to keep their jersey number when they get

614
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:09,080
Speaker 1: to the NFL. Yeah. Absolutely, you got a bet on it.

615
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,040
Speaker 1: And they're gonna look good doing it too. It's funny

616
00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,400
Speaker 1: because I was talking to Justin Jefferson a few days

617
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,160
Speaker 1: ago and he was like, I'm not changing my number

618
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,320
Speaker 1: because what about all the fans who bought all my

619
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,840
Speaker 1: jersey the first year. So I guess there's a few

620
00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,560
Speaker 1: players like him and Dalvin who who are just a

621
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:29,960
Speaker 1: year or a few years too early when it comes

622
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 1: to the number change. But Justin was last year's first

623
00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:38,160
Speaker 1: round pick. This year, we're at number fourteen overall, and

624
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,400
Speaker 1: you started going through some of the position groups that

625
00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 1: are on the fans mind. I know, left tackle, offensive lineman,

626
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,040
Speaker 1: or edge rusher. I'm putting you in the seat right

627
00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,640
Speaker 1: away here. If you are general manager Rick Spielman, what

628
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:54,680
Speaker 1: position group are you going with a number fourteen or man?

629
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe you're trading back. Yeah, that's a tough.

630
00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,440
Speaker 1: That's tough because we have to see how the first

631
00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,880
Speaker 1: thirteen in front of them fall. And really it's not

632
00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:05,959
Speaker 1: even that it's maybe the first five or ten. If

633
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,200
Speaker 1: you're sitting there and Rashaan Slater, for instance, let's say

634
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,120
Speaker 1: he's slipping out of the top ten, what if he's

635
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,600
Speaker 1: at number eleven, I mean, how are you not really

636
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,240
Speaker 1: hammering the table to try to get up there to

637
00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:18,080
Speaker 1: go get somebody of that quality and just jumping a

638
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:20,320
Speaker 1: few spots to do it because you've got some offensive

639
00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:23,360
Speaker 1: line needy teams in front of you as well. And

640
00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:26,520
Speaker 1: so I think it's just the flexibility they have is

641
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:28,840
Speaker 1: in the quarterbacks in this class. And really it starts

642
00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,520
Speaker 1: with that too, because if these five quarterbacks that are

643
00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,320
Speaker 1: considered first round picks. If they go ahead of them,

644
00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:36,800
Speaker 1: that's just going to keep pushing this talent down the board,

645
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,400
Speaker 1: and so that's going to open up the possibilities. And

646
00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,120
Speaker 1: like we talked about this, they've got the flexibility if

647
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,680
Speaker 1: you don't have to go oh line, if I'm making

648
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,480
Speaker 1: the call, I probably do, but don't. You don't have

649
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:50,560
Speaker 1: to do it, though, because this is a deep class

650
00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,000
Speaker 1: and if you really like some day two picks. Rick

651
00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:56,160
Speaker 1: Spielman talked about it yesterday this week. He had said, look,

652
00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:58,000
Speaker 1: we've got the ammunition to move back up into the

653
00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,400
Speaker 1: second round. They've got two third round picks, they've got

654
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:03,000
Speaker 1: a bunch of fourths. You can potentially jump up and

655
00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:05,360
Speaker 1: still keep your first round pick and then just get

656
00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:07,560
Speaker 1: a second round offensive lineman like they did with a

657
00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:11,000
Speaker 1: Brian O'Neill a couple of years ago. The talent is

658
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:12,719
Speaker 1: there in this class to do the same thing. There

659
00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:16,120
Speaker 1: are a lot of tall, athletic offensive tackles that the

660
00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:18,759
Speaker 1: Vikings could nab. But if they don't do it with

661
00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,120
Speaker 1: the fourteenth overall pick, to me, though, I'm just curious

662
00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,560
Speaker 1: to see who falls to them. And if I stay

663
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,719
Speaker 1: at fourteen overall, my pick is maintained it's going to

664
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,480
Speaker 1: be I think it should be Elijah Vera Tucker out

665
00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:33,759
Speaker 1: of USC because I just think in that range he's

666
00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:36,080
Speaker 1: the most likely to be there. I think he's the

667
00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,040
Speaker 1: most You hear guys like Daniel Jeremiah with the NFL

668
00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:42,120
Speaker 1: Network say he's like the safest draft pick in this

669
00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,239
Speaker 1: class in terms of offensive lineman. If you just want

670
00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:47,120
Speaker 1: to have a sure piece on the offensive line, you

671
00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:49,960
Speaker 1: go with a guy like that. That sounds like music

672
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,920
Speaker 1: to the vikings Ears in my opinion. Yeah, well, I

673
00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,160
Speaker 1: think music to vikings Ears also is sign a left guard?

674
00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:58,760
Speaker 1: If I mean, if you look at every single vikings

675
00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:02,080
Speaker 1: comments on well pretty much every time we tweeted something

676
00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:06,240
Speaker 1: out on our account, every single communist sign of offensive guard.

677
00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,239
Speaker 1: And with that said, with Elijah Vera Tucker as your

678
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,960
Speaker 1: fourteenth overwall a pick or if he falls and we

679
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,520
Speaker 1: still select him, is he tackle? Is he guard? Is

680
00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,160
Speaker 1: he right guard? What are you thinking? Well, the good

681
00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:18,839
Speaker 1: thing is that he's played both at a high level.

682
00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,040
Speaker 1: If you look back in twenty nineteen, he played very

683
00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,120
Speaker 1: well for USC at left guard, and then they asked

684
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:25,319
Speaker 1: him to kick out to left tackle last year and

685
00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:27,440
Speaker 1: he played according to the scouts and the analysts that

686
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:29,920
Speaker 1: you read, he played pretty well, and so that gives

687
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:33,480
Speaker 1: you that flexibility. People much smarter than me about this

688
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,120
Speaker 1: class would say that he's more of a higher upside guard.

689
00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:38,799
Speaker 1: And if you're the Vikings, though, you're you're looking at

690
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:42,279
Speaker 1: the bigger picture and thinking, Okay, is it possible that

691
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,919
Speaker 1: we go out and sign an Eric Fisher after the draft,

692
00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:47,280
Speaker 1: or of Mitchell Shortz, Is it possible we can add

693
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,720
Speaker 1: a free agent tackle. I know Orlando Brown already got traded,

694
00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,200
Speaker 1: but they've got these other options that could possibly go

695
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,600
Speaker 1: after at tackle too, But why not sign a guy

696
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,080
Speaker 1: that can do both for you and then just get

697
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,440
Speaker 1: him on the field and figure it out. It's too

698
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,439
Speaker 1: unlike what they did with Ezra Cleveland last year, where

699
00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:05,719
Speaker 1: they got him into camp, figured out, hey, he likes

700
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,640
Speaker 1: to be an inside tighter spaces, let's move him into guard,

701
00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,359
Speaker 1: and he played pretty well once he got a speed

702
00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,040
Speaker 1: under him. So I think you could do a similar thing,

703
00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,759
Speaker 1: and you don't have to commit and say on draft night, hey,

704
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:17,640
Speaker 1: this kid's gonna be our left tackle of the future.

705
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:20,680
Speaker 1: Because you've got that flexibility, and when you've got a

706
00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:23,399
Speaker 1: guy with the talent to a Brian O'Neill. I don't

707
00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:25,240
Speaker 1: I'm not saying they're gonna do it, but I wouldn't

708
00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:28,000
Speaker 1: discount his ability to move to left tackle if you

709
00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:30,160
Speaker 1: need it, and then train some kind of kid that

710
00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:32,319
Speaker 1: could come in on the right side. Yeah, it's it's

711
00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,400
Speaker 1: gonna be super interesting because Ezra Cleveland also played a

712
00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,680
Speaker 1: ton of guard, but a lot of people projected him

713
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:40,920
Speaker 1: as a tackle in this league. So a lot of

714
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,960
Speaker 1: switching around that could be done. And you're gave and

715
00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:46,800
Speaker 1: I play around on the Pro Football Focus mock drafts

716
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,279
Speaker 1: like all the time. So when you're going through that

717
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:53,720
Speaker 1: draft and you're and you make a selection at number

718
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,800
Speaker 1: fourteen and you have to wait all the way until

719
00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:00,640
Speaker 1: seventy eight without that second round pick this year, how like,

720
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:03,880
Speaker 1: I feel like you just want to make a trade

721
00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:08,120
Speaker 1: to get one pick in the middle of those two picks?

722
00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:10,920
Speaker 1: Am I right with that? With that statement? Yeah? Fourteen

723
00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:13,319
Speaker 1: to seventy eight, that's that's a long way, and it

724
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,719
Speaker 1: is especially when you look at this draft class as

725
00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,520
Speaker 1: a whole and you see that, look, there's a lot

726
00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:20,960
Speaker 1: of solid players, a lot of good quality at some

727
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,200
Speaker 1: of these positions offensive tackle, pass rusher, but by the

728
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,239
Speaker 1: time you get to seventy eight, it might be getting

729
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:28,720
Speaker 1: pretty thin. We might only be talking about one hundred,

730
00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:32,400
Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty five kids who have really solid

731
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:36,080
Speaker 1: NFL upside. In this class, You've had about a thousand

732
00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:39,600
Speaker 1: kids reportedly go back to school. And this draft pool

733
00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:43,279
Speaker 1: is very small considered or compared to previous ones. I

734
00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:47,000
Speaker 1: think only seven hundred kids reportedly signed with agents. That's

735
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 1: about a third of what it normally is. So when

736
00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:50,880
Speaker 1: you've got that, these fourth round picks, the Vikings have,

737
00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:53,080
Speaker 1: these fifth rounders, they're not worth as much as they

738
00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:55,880
Speaker 1: would be in a normal year where the depth of

739
00:37:55,920 --> 00:38:00,239
Speaker 1: the talent is greater. So with that, yeah, I think,

740
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,239
Speaker 1: why not get rid of them this year? Be aggressive,

741
00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:05,680
Speaker 1: move up, Go get the talent that you want in

742
00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:09,360
Speaker 1: the second round. You hear people talk about former scouts

743
00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,440
Speaker 1: and analysts. They say, if this is the year to

744
00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,520
Speaker 1: have a smaller draft board, be really sure about maybe

745
00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,000
Speaker 1: seventy five one hundred guys that you like, and then

746
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:18,880
Speaker 1: just be aggressive about going to get them, because you

747
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:22,200
Speaker 1: can't really be sure about the seventh rounders. These college

748
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 1: free agents, you weren't on campus building rapports with their coaches,

749
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,280
Speaker 1: talking to those kids, seeing how they work. You weren't

750
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:31,120
Speaker 1: able to get as much information as you would in

751
00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:33,359
Speaker 1: a normal year, and there's just not enough kids. So yeah,

752
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,560
Speaker 1: I would say, look, jump up, sell the farm if

753
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,680
Speaker 1: you have to, just in this draft class for that.

754
00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:41,120
Speaker 1: I know they like their Day three picks, but I

755
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:42,640
Speaker 1: would be able to part with some of them to

756
00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,239
Speaker 1: move up in that second round. So I think what

757
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:48,200
Speaker 1: that said, do you think there will be more hesitant

758
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:50,920
Speaker 1: by the nfl GM selecting a guy that opted out

759
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:54,280
Speaker 1: of the twenty twenty season versus somebody who played. I don't.

760
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:56,959
Speaker 1: It really depends on the situation, right because we're talking

761
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,759
Speaker 1: about Penney Sewell, Jamar Chase. These guys didn't play a

762
00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:02,640
Speaker 1: single snap in twenty twenty, and they're not. They're gonna

763
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,920
Speaker 1: stay top ten picks. They're locked in. But when you're

764
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,920
Speaker 1: talking about more, maybe these edge rushers or some of

765
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:11,040
Speaker 1: these defenders. I'm trying to think of some names, but

766
00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:13,560
Speaker 1: there are certain guys that were you just needed to

767
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:16,480
Speaker 1: see more, you wanted to see more. I've done some

768
00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:20,160
Speaker 1: work on some of these FCS kids locally. Dylan Raydon's

769
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:22,440
Speaker 1: the tackle out of North Dakota State. He played one

770
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:25,239
Speaker 1: game last year. If he didn't have that Senior Bowl

771
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,320
Speaker 1: where he was named Practice Player of the Week, there'd

772
00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:29,359
Speaker 1: be some major questions about him. But because he went

773
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,480
Speaker 1: out there he had that great All Star game, he's

774
00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,439
Speaker 1: projected as maybe a second round pick. The same isn't

775
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:39,840
Speaker 1: said though for Ellerson Smith, this you know, Northern Iowa

776
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:43,799
Speaker 1: defensive end. He gained twenty pounds since he last played

777
00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:45,799
Speaker 1: a game. NFL teams have no idea what this kid

778
00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:47,600
Speaker 1: can do. They've just seen a little Senior Bowl tape,

779
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:49,920
Speaker 1: So there are going to be some big questions in

780
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,560
Speaker 1: terms of these lower level kids who they haven't got

781
00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:55,680
Speaker 1: a lot of exposure too. Yeah, that's really interesting. It's

782
00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,520
Speaker 1: definitely a different year compared to some of the others

783
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:03,920
Speaker 1: Pandemic and everything included. But that brings up the question

784
00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:07,000
Speaker 1: of the we were just talking about it, the quantity

785
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:10,640
Speaker 1: of draft picks verse quality of draft picks. Is this

786
00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:12,799
Speaker 1: a year where you're leaning I think you kind of

787
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:17,200
Speaker 1: said it already, but we've been debating that this entire show.

788
00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:20,120
Speaker 1: Do you go with quality over quantity? We know Rick

789
00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:23,279
Speaker 1: Spielman had the most picks in the Super Bowler last year,

790
00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,560
Speaker 1: so how do you go and how do you think

791
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:28,719
Speaker 1: Rick is going to go in this draft? I think

792
00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:30,480
Speaker 1: Rick kind of said it himself, and I know he

793
00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:32,439
Speaker 1: doesn't say a whole lot in these pre draft press

794
00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:36,319
Speaker 1: conference doesn't, but he did say, look, last year, we

795
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:38,800
Speaker 1: tried to use the seventh round as college free agency

796
00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:41,719
Speaker 1: because the pandemic limited the access. We didn't we weren't

797
00:40:41,719 --> 00:40:44,120
Speaker 1: going to be able to pair our defensive coach with

798
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:46,399
Speaker 1: the area scout to go after the guy we want

799
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:48,920
Speaker 1: as easily. So let's just draft him. And so that's

800
00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,800
Speaker 1: what they did. They tried to acquire even more seventh rounders,

801
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:54,719
Speaker 1: and he said this year is different. He wouldn't say how,

802
00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,200
Speaker 1: but he just said this year is different. And how

803
00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:59,319
Speaker 1: I take that to mean is is that it is

804
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,960
Speaker 1: quality or quantity. There isn't that kind of depth of

805
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,279
Speaker 1: talent in the same way. And nor should they feel

806
00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:09,600
Speaker 1: like they really know a thousand kids because again the

807
00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:14,560
Speaker 1: pandemic limiting access to college campuses. No, combine the medical checks,

808
00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:16,880
Speaker 1: there were two hundred kids who didn't get medical checks

809
00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:20,520
Speaker 1: in Indianapolis. That's going to be a big thing. And

810
00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,960
Speaker 1: so Rick said yesterday we've been doing this telemedicine stuff

811
00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:26,759
Speaker 1: that how reliable, is that there's still some of their

812
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:29,200
Speaker 1: checks that are coming in this week in terms of

813
00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:32,520
Speaker 1: getting some of the medical checks. In all these open

814
00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:35,840
Speaker 1: questions about guys, they don't like open questions. They like

815
00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:39,239
Speaker 1: to know what they're betting on. And so with that said, yeah,

816
00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:41,600
Speaker 1: I think they're going to have fewer players on the

817
00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,280
Speaker 1: board and just say, look, we're going to go after

818
00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:46,160
Speaker 1: these guys because we feel sure about them. And then

819
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,400
Speaker 1: I think Rick also actually said it in his press conference.

820
00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:51,400
Speaker 1: He said this college free agency is not going to

821
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:54,520
Speaker 1: be as competitive or as deep as we normally have it.

822
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:58,279
Speaker 1: So on the same I'm gonna keep it on Rick

823
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,960
Speaker 1: right now when he says no player is off limits

824
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,040
Speaker 1: in the draft, who do you think here's referring to

825
00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,560
Speaker 1: or what position do you think he's referring to? Well,

826
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:08,120
Speaker 1: he said that when he was asked about quarterback, and

827
00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:09,719
Speaker 1: I don't I don't think you're going to find too

828
00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:11,640
Speaker 1: many people that think they're really in the market for

829
00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,720
Speaker 1: a first round quarterback. But if they're at fourteen overall

830
00:42:14,719 --> 00:42:16,719
Speaker 1: and one of those top five guys is still there,

831
00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:19,839
Speaker 1: you certainly want other people to think you might be

832
00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:24,399
Speaker 1: open to taking him and potentially trade up right, Well,

833
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:26,360
Speaker 1: that's what I mean. So, so have a quarterback and

834
00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,680
Speaker 1: eighty team trade up into your spot so you can

835
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,080
Speaker 1: trade back, collect more ammunition, maybe a second round pick,

836
00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:35,359
Speaker 1: and do those kinds of things. And so when he

837
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:37,960
Speaker 1: says that, that's GM speak for I'm not going to

838
00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,920
Speaker 1: show my hand of what we're not considering, because if

839
00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:43,160
Speaker 1: there's a QB on the board, you want to make

840
00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:46,360
Speaker 1: teams think you're considering everything. And the Vikings are in

841
00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:48,520
Speaker 1: a position to potentially trade back to, let's say, the

842
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:51,239
Speaker 1: Patriots who might need to jump somebody. Do you see

843
00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:55,040
Speaker 1: the Vikings taking a quarterback in this draft and where

844
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:57,280
Speaker 1: do you see them taking a quarterback in this draft?

845
00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:01,839
Speaker 1: If you do, yeah, I do not. Now, I'm only

846
00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:03,960
Speaker 1: doing this based off of the history. Though this is

847
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:06,640
Speaker 1: no kind of sourced information or none of that. This

848
00:43:06,719 --> 00:43:10,440
Speaker 1: is just speculation based off the history. They don't do it.

849
00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:12,759
Speaker 1: And this is a year where you have even less

850
00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:16,759
Speaker 1: information about these kids. The last quarterback taken in the

851
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:20,160
Speaker 1: mid rounds outside the first round before Nate Stanley last

852
00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:23,439
Speaker 1: year by the well, by the Vikings outside the first

853
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:27,799
Speaker 1: round was John David Booty two thousand and eight, fifth

854
00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:30,520
Speaker 1: round outside the first round was the last quarterback that

855
00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:32,680
Speaker 1: was taken, and then they took Nate Stanley last year

856
00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:34,920
Speaker 1: at the very back end of the seventh and Rick

857
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:38,399
Speaker 1: told you that was a free agent pick. Essentially, they

858
00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:40,200
Speaker 1: just don't use the capital on it, they don't use

859
00:43:40,239 --> 00:43:42,480
Speaker 1: the resources on it. And I said this before, but

860
00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:45,040
Speaker 1: if George Payton was the one holding them back, maybe

861
00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:46,919
Speaker 1: Rick goes ahead and does it, does it right now.

862
00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:49,399
Speaker 1: But I don't think that was the case. I think

863
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:52,160
Speaker 1: they've got a philosophy about how they address backup quarterback.

864
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:56,319
Speaker 1: Kirk Cousins is under contract for two more years. To me,

865
00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:58,719
Speaker 1: that says, Look, Sean Mannion is still a free agent.

866
00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:01,560
Speaker 1: They can bring back on Mannion right after the draft

867
00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:04,280
Speaker 1: and it'll be the same quarterback room going into twenty

868
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:08,160
Speaker 1: twenty two potentially or two twenty one potentially. So clearly,

869
00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:12,239
Speaker 1: the quarterback position isn't a sleeper pick that you're going

870
00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:15,160
Speaker 1: to say the Vikings could select in the first four rounds.

871
00:44:15,239 --> 00:44:17,840
Speaker 1: So who is a sleeper pick or a sleeper position

872
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:20,200
Speaker 1: that the Vikings could take in those first two to

873
00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:22,799
Speaker 1: three or four rounds. Well, I wouldn't be shocked if

874
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:25,240
Speaker 1: it was a linebacker. Anthony Barr is a free agent

875
00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:28,520
Speaker 1: after this year, and this linebacker class is somewhat deep

876
00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:31,880
Speaker 1: too compared to other positions. You look at weaker positions

877
00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:34,840
Speaker 1: like defensive tackle, like linebacker, there could be some options.

878
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:37,680
Speaker 1: And I'm not saying they're gonna take Michael Parsons at

879
00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:41,640
Speaker 1: fourteen overall, but you look at their depth and it

880
00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:46,960
Speaker 1: is it's inexperience, it's unproven, and I think another body there,

881
00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:50,120
Speaker 1: another talented guy that could maybe could step in alongside

882
00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:53,440
Speaker 1: in Eric Kendricks a Troy Die in the future. This

883
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:55,680
Speaker 1: isn't to say they can't resign Anthony Barr and keep

884
00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:58,120
Speaker 1: him long term, but I know Mike Zimmer likes his

885
00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:00,960
Speaker 1: depth there and they've shown in the past they need it,

886
00:45:01,680 --> 00:45:03,919
Speaker 1: so I wouldn't be shocked to see a linebacker taken

887
00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:05,480
Speaker 1: right there, because they just don't have a lot of

888
00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:08,440
Speaker 1: options right now beyond twenty twenty one. I was reading

889
00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:11,840
Speaker 1: a feature that you put together on Clint Kubiak recently,

890
00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:16,040
Speaker 1: and you said, there's more to the last name than

891
00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:19,840
Speaker 1: just Kubiak. He's he's a he's a new individual compared

892
00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,319
Speaker 1: to his dad. And we know that general manager Rick

893
00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:26,960
Speaker 1: Spielman leans on these position coaches these coordinators to make

894
00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:30,600
Speaker 1: decisions when drafting players. So how do you think Clint

895
00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:34,600
Speaker 1: will impact what happens on the offensive side of the

896
00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:36,759
Speaker 1: ball when it comes to the draft. Yeah, that'll be

897
00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:40,480
Speaker 1: interesting because he comes from a wide receiver background. That

898
00:45:40,600 --> 00:45:43,680
Speaker 1: was where he got his start. However, when he was

899
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:45,960
Speaker 1: a wide receivers coach at Kansas, for instance, he was

900
00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:49,520
Speaker 1: helping install their run game. He's always kind of had

901
00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:52,440
Speaker 1: this I want to know everything. I want to know

902
00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:54,040
Speaker 1: how it all works. I want to take the engine

903
00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:56,239
Speaker 1: apart and I want to see all the pieces. Yeah,

904
00:45:57,120 --> 00:45:59,440
Speaker 1: so that doesn't pigeonhole him. I think people see his

905
00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:01,759
Speaker 1: resume might think, oh, he might help bring a wide

906
00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:04,720
Speaker 1: receiver in. This guy knows a lot more. I wouldn't

907
00:46:04,719 --> 00:46:06,880
Speaker 1: be shocked if he's got opinions about the offensive lineman

908
00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:09,399
Speaker 1: they're looking at in the first round who would fit

909
00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 1: the system that he's been helping run with his dad

910
00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:15,439
Speaker 1: for so long, and beyond that, just how he wants

911
00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:17,960
Speaker 1: to adjust the system. I'm fascinated to see that too.

912
00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:21,040
Speaker 1: But in terms of the draft, there's no limits offensively

913
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:22,960
Speaker 1: on what Clint could have an opinion on because this

914
00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:26,720
Speaker 1: guy's been grinding and working at every position his entire

915
00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:28,600
Speaker 1: way up. And you talk to people that he used

916
00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:31,160
Speaker 1: to work with at all the stops, from Texas, A

917
00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:34,120
Speaker 1: and M to Kansas to previous staffs in Minnesota in

918
00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:38,440
Speaker 1: twenty thirteen, they sing his praise is that he really is.

919
00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:41,359
Speaker 1: It's a cliche, but he's a student of the game

920
00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:43,920
Speaker 1: in terms of he wants to know everything and he

921
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:45,839
Speaker 1: doesn't just kind of sail on the fact of I'm

922
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:50,000
Speaker 1: a Kubiak. I talked to a former coach that worked

923
00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:52,919
Speaker 1: with him in twenty thirteen and he had said, look,

924
00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:55,000
Speaker 1: I had that impression of him just this is going

925
00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:57,959
Speaker 1: to be a golden child kind of roll my eyes

926
00:46:58,040 --> 00:47:01,080
Speaker 1: kind of thing. And within the few weeks that wears

927
00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:03,279
Speaker 1: off because you just see him show up before you do.

928
00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:05,520
Speaker 1: You see him still there in the building when when

929
00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:08,360
Speaker 1: you leave. That's a long way of saying that I

930
00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:10,879
Speaker 1: don't think there's a limit of where Clint could kind

931
00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:13,040
Speaker 1: of impact their draft. Yeah. I think you have to

932
00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:16,400
Speaker 1: have that skill set. I mean that that determination if

933
00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:18,680
Speaker 1: you want to be offensive coordinator, to want to learn

934
00:47:18,719 --> 00:47:21,479
Speaker 1: the entire grand scheme of the offense, and like you said,

935
00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:23,919
Speaker 1: a wide receivers coach wanting to learn the run game.

936
00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:27,040
Speaker 1: That says a lot. I mean, you don't hear many

937
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:29,759
Speaker 1: I mean many wide receiver coaches saying that. I mean

938
00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:31,279
Speaker 1: all the time. You want to learn about the run

939
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:33,920
Speaker 1: games when you want your receivers to block, so we

940
00:47:33,960 --> 00:47:36,000
Speaker 1: want to learn about protections. That that says a lot

941
00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:39,560
Speaker 1: about the trajectory of your career. But speaking of trajectory,

942
00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:43,440
Speaker 1: this Vikings team, we know they have ten picks this draft.

943
00:47:43,560 --> 00:47:47,759
Speaker 1: But how many picks away do this Vikings team need

944
00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:50,120
Speaker 1: to make before they can actually make some noise in

945
00:47:50,160 --> 00:47:53,560
Speaker 1: the postseason. Not that many, It's not. It's the thing

946
00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:58,440
Speaker 1: is their future hangs so much on the current players returning,

947
00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:01,320
Speaker 1: on the health, it hangs so much on the development

948
00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:06,520
Speaker 1: of Ezra Cleveland, Irv Smith. They've got such a They've

949
00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,959
Speaker 1: purposely been building this young core and trying to stay young,

950
00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:12,239
Speaker 1: and last year was such a difficult transition year for

951
00:48:12,400 --> 00:48:15,880
Speaker 1: them that I don't think they need to all of

952
00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,880
Speaker 1: a sudden make home run hits first, second, third, fourth

953
00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:23,240
Speaker 1: rounds to be relevant. It helps last year just nailing

954
00:48:23,239 --> 00:48:24,960
Speaker 1: it out of the park on Justin Jefferson. You can

955
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:27,759
Speaker 1: move on from a Stefan Diggs then seamlessly, which just

956
00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:31,680
Speaker 1: never happens in the NFL. With that said, though, they

957
00:48:31,719 --> 00:48:34,640
Speaker 1: need to find a left tackle. I don't know who

958
00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:37,040
Speaker 1: that is, and it could still be a free agent.

959
00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:39,600
Speaker 1: It doesn't need to be a draft pit. They need

960
00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:42,239
Speaker 1: to find two new starters on the offensive line. I

961
00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:45,279
Speaker 1: know they retain four of the five starters, but I

962
00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:48,120
Speaker 1: think few people would think Dakota Dozer is a suitable

963
00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:50,319
Speaker 1: option to just say, Okay, we'll roll with them again.

964
00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,400
Speaker 1: You need at least competition at that spot, So to me,

965
00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:55,760
Speaker 1: the focus is there, and then it's on the pass rusher.

966
00:48:56,040 --> 00:48:59,279
Speaker 1: If Denil Hunter's coming back healthy, you just need another

967
00:48:59,320 --> 00:49:02,440
Speaker 1: guy to pair with them. On the other side, you

968
00:49:02,520 --> 00:49:05,120
Speaker 1: have to trust the Mike Zimmer and this defensive coaching

969
00:49:05,160 --> 00:49:08,480
Speaker 1: staff can do enough with Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, the

970
00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:12,759
Speaker 1: blitz packages, adding the corners. McKenzie Alexander was one of

971
00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:15,120
Speaker 1: the best slot blitzers in the NFL when he was here.

972
00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:17,920
Speaker 1: I think people kind of don't think about that, but

973
00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:20,040
Speaker 1: he had the most sacked by a Vikings defensive back

974
00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:22,240
Speaker 1: in history when he was here. And that's not because

975
00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:24,399
Speaker 1: of necessarily him, but it's how the Vikings used him.

976
00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:27,759
Speaker 1: And so with him stepping into that role. The pass

977
00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:29,160
Speaker 1: rush has got to get a lot of help from

978
00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:32,439
Speaker 1: a lot of places. I do think one extra body though,

979
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:34,879
Speaker 1: on that defensive end spot that's going to help quite

980
00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:37,360
Speaker 1: a bit. And so those we talk about the trenches

981
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:40,359
Speaker 1: at nauseum, about the Vikings, but that's really what it's

982
00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:41,880
Speaker 1: about in this draft. And if you just get a

983
00:49:41,880 --> 00:49:43,680
Speaker 1: little bit of help and you get a little bit

984
00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:46,640
Speaker 1: of luck injury wise, I think, really do think you

985
00:49:46,680 --> 00:49:49,200
Speaker 1: can make some noise. Well you hurt there from Andrew.

986
00:49:49,239 --> 00:49:51,480
Speaker 1: I mean, the Vikings are just a few picks away.

987
00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:54,080
Speaker 1: It will be so interesting to see where they go

988
00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:57,960
Speaker 1: at number fourteen. And Andrew, you called Clint Kubiak a

989
00:49:58,040 --> 00:50:00,319
Speaker 1: student of the game. I don't know about you game,

990
00:50:00,360 --> 00:50:02,239
Speaker 1: but I think Andrew's a student of the game when

991
00:50:02,239 --> 00:50:05,320
Speaker 1: I listen to him talk about a left tackle at

992
00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:10,239
Speaker 1: North Dakota State. So really, really interesting conversation. We appreciate

993
00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:13,720
Speaker 1: you joining us just twenty four hours before the draft,

994
00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,239
Speaker 1: and we're really excited for tomorrow night. I'm sure you

995
00:50:16,239 --> 00:50:19,280
Speaker 1: are as well. Absolutely, Chris Gabe, thanks for having me on, guys.

996
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:23,319
Speaker 1: All Right, guys, that was a really impressive interview with

997
00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:26,120
Speaker 1: Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune. It's the first time

998
00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:28,640
Speaker 1: we've had him on one of our shows, but I

999
00:50:28,719 --> 00:50:32,920
Speaker 1: know he hosts an Access Vikings podcast with Ben Gessling,

1000
00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:36,840
Speaker 1: who They'll be bringing that coverage all weekend long for

1001
00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:39,960
Speaker 1: the Star Tribune. They do a really good job covering

1002
00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:42,400
Speaker 1: the team. They've been around the team for years now.

1003
00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:46,000
Speaker 1: And like I said, check out that article that Andrew

1004
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:49,480
Speaker 1: Kramer put together on Clint Kubiak, a feature on the

1005
00:50:49,600 --> 00:50:53,400
Speaker 1: Vikings new offensive coordinator. Really interesting read. You can catch

1006
00:50:53,440 --> 00:50:56,800
Speaker 1: that in the Star Tribune and on Star Tribune dot Com.

1007
00:50:57,040 --> 00:51:01,160
Speaker 1: Definitely go check that out. But guys, the festivities are here,

1008
00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:04,719
Speaker 1: the draft will be underway very shortly by the time

1009
00:51:04,840 --> 00:51:07,520
Speaker 1: Vikings fans are listening to this show. All right, Jay,

1010
00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:10,400
Speaker 1: what are your final thoughts? Like I said earlier in

1011
00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,040
Speaker 1: the show, is this is kind of the anniversary for

1012
00:51:13,120 --> 00:51:15,239
Speaker 1: me of the first big thing I did when I

1013
00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:18,040
Speaker 1: got my gig as a Vikings employee back in two

1014
00:51:18,080 --> 00:51:20,200
Speaker 1: thousand and seven. So this is always has a fun

1015
00:51:20,239 --> 00:51:25,400
Speaker 1: little milestone moment for me. I'm always curious to see

1016
00:51:25,560 --> 00:51:28,799
Speaker 1: the chaos of it, the controlled chaos of it, Like,

1017
00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:32,640
Speaker 1: what is the first big surprise, what is who's the

1018
00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:35,439
Speaker 1: team that's going to make the crazy out of left

1019
00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:38,800
Speaker 1: field selection early in the draft. What kind of trading

1020
00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:40,920
Speaker 1: and movement's going to happen, What kind of dominoes are

1021
00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:43,520
Speaker 1: going to fall? Do we have five quarterbacks go in

1022
00:51:43,600 --> 00:51:46,040
Speaker 1: the first eight picks? Like? How is this going to

1023
00:51:46,120 --> 00:51:48,840
Speaker 1: play out? Because that is the fun part for me,

1024
00:51:49,040 --> 00:51:53,480
Speaker 1: that is the it's the drama, the drama of this stuff.

1025
00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:56,880
Speaker 1: I'm one that when I watch my movies, I want steaks.

1026
00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:01,040
Speaker 1: I want to see some character you love out of

1027
00:52:01,120 --> 00:52:02,960
Speaker 1: left field that all of a sudden eats it and

1028
00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:05,239
Speaker 1: you're like, what just happened? You know, I want to

1029
00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:09,239
Speaker 1: see the chaos happened because that is what intrigues me

1030
00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:13,440
Speaker 1: on this stuff. And the NFL Draft is one of

1031
00:52:13,480 --> 00:52:18,000
Speaker 1: the most high stakes drama showcases that this league has

1032
00:52:18,560 --> 00:52:21,560
Speaker 1: outside of playoff football. So for me, this is really

1033
00:52:21,600 --> 00:52:25,400
Speaker 1: fun because it's also the speculation. You just have the

1034
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:27,719
Speaker 1: ability to look at all of the different players, and

1035
00:52:27,880 --> 00:52:32,480
Speaker 1: every single team feels like they get better after draft weekend.

1036
00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:35,480
Speaker 1: So for me, it's it's the revitalization of the organization

1037
00:52:36,040 --> 00:52:39,440
Speaker 1: and it's the beginning of the new season and the

1038
00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:43,279
Speaker 1: hopeful speculation that here we go playoff time. And let's

1039
00:52:43,280 --> 00:52:45,399
Speaker 1: make a run for the run for the ring. So

1040
00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:47,960
Speaker 1: for me, that's why I love the draft. It's the

1041
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:51,360
Speaker 1: beginning of the new for twenty twenty one, beginning of

1042
00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:54,360
Speaker 1: the new Gabe what about you. We've gotten to this point.

1043
00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:57,920
Speaker 1: We probably recorded like ninety episodes talking about this one day,

1044
00:52:58,280 --> 00:53:01,920
Speaker 1: and now this day is finally here. So like, I'm nervous,

1045
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:05,040
Speaker 1: I'm anxious, I'm excited, and I'm not even making the selection.

1046
00:53:05,120 --> 00:53:07,160
Speaker 1: So I can only imagine where Rick Spielman and those

1047
00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:10,520
Speaker 1: guys are feeling because their work is finally displayed, and

1048
00:53:10,600 --> 00:53:14,160
Speaker 1: you know, we get to see how they operated without

1049
00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:17,120
Speaker 1: a George Peyton. And with that said, who who are

1050
00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:18,759
Speaker 1: they going to select? I mean, we got the number

1051
00:53:18,760 --> 00:53:22,359
Speaker 1: fourteen spot, We've heard Rick talk about what he can

1052
00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:24,960
Speaker 1: possibly do with it. Now it's kind of like Andrew

1053
00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:28,200
Speaker 1: Kramer said before we started the interview, it's more so

1054
00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:31,200
Speaker 1: we get answers now instead of questions. I mean, everybody's

1055
00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:33,799
Speaker 1: been questioning what could the Vikings do, what should they do?

1056
00:53:33,880 --> 00:53:36,440
Speaker 1: What may they do? Now is what did they do?

1057
00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:38,879
Speaker 1: And we get to talk about what players are here.

1058
00:53:39,239 --> 00:53:41,040
Speaker 1: Who's going to be the newest member of the Vikings,

1059
00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:43,440
Speaker 1: How are they going to fit into this roster? And man,

1060
00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:45,800
Speaker 1: I'm excited. I can go down a rabbit hole talking

1061
00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:47,919
Speaker 1: about a lot of these draft picks, but I'll save

1062
00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:50,960
Speaker 1: you guys the time. I'm sure my guy Ron Johnson

1063
00:53:51,040 --> 00:53:54,600
Speaker 1: will do that for us on Draft night. So I'm excited, man,

1064
00:53:54,640 --> 00:53:57,640
Speaker 1: I'm sure this will be a fun time for ricking

1065
00:53:57,680 --> 00:53:59,839
Speaker 1: those guys and I'm excited to see who these next

1066
00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:04,360
Speaker 1: guys will be come Sunday, suiting up into purple and go.

1067
00:54:04,920 --> 00:54:08,520
Speaker 1: My final thought is will the Vikings go offense or

1068
00:54:08,640 --> 00:54:12,399
Speaker 1: defense with that first pick wherever it is, if it's

1069
00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:16,600
Speaker 1: traded up for, if it's traded back for. I just

1070
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Speaker 1: want to see if the first pick is an offensive

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00:54:19,560 --> 00:54:23,440
Speaker 1: lineman or a defensive lineman, which is just a little

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Speaker 1: bold prediction from me on my end, So that is

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00:54:26,280 --> 00:54:29,080
Speaker 1: my final part. You're gonna say quarterback Corso or it

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00:54:29,120 --> 00:54:31,360
Speaker 1: could be a flashy wide receiver like I was talking

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Speaker 1: about all offseason. You never know, Gabe, You never know.

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Speaker 1: But you can catch the last bit of speculation at

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Speaker 1: five thirty pm Central Time, when Gabe and the crew

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00:54:42,800 --> 00:54:46,720
Speaker 1: will be hosting that Happy Hour by Miller Lite, heading

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00:54:46,840 --> 00:54:50,960
Speaker 1: right into the broadcast on NFL Network at six thirty

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Speaker 1: pm Central Time, when the draft kicks off. So thank

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Speaker 1: you guys so much. This has been an awesome episode.

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00:54:57,600 --> 00:55:00,640
Speaker 1: I am so excited and thanks again to our friends

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00:55:00,680 --> 00:55:03,719
Speaker 1: at High veh for just being with us all week

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Speaker 1: and long and we are so excited. Happy NFL Draft, everybody,