Vikings 2045 Draft Class

[Rawrster]

Overview: Mediocre draft overall. No major standouts. My defense should improve a bit with Shannon, while O'Neal should develop fairly well. I'm most pleased with Fuller (WR, 4th) and Graham (CB, 7th) who look destined to fill the exact roles I was targeting them for. Fingers crossed Nicholson turns in to a decent QB for me. Banks is getting extremely long in the tooth.

1.20 - Herman Shannon, DE (42/57)
Should start right away and help anchor what is shaping up to be a very solid defensive line.
Status: Starting RDE

2.20 - Brent Nicholson, QB (10/45)
Looks like he could potentially develop in to a starter once Banks retires. His future estimate needs to hold steady (at a minimum) for that to be the case, however.
Status: Potential future starter, though fairly developmental for a second round pick.

3.20 - Alonzo O'Neal, MLB (15/42)
Has the chance to develop in to a decent player for what is currently an deep, but average linebacking corp.
Status: Developmental with decent upside. Could fill in for some aging players next season.

4.20 - Silas Fuller, WR (26/44)
Should develop well in to the role of third wideout behind Evans and Herndon, which is exactly what we were hoping for. He should also be the team's primary return man.
Status: Solid potential at slot receiver. Punt and Kick returner.

5.20 - Malik Cox, RB (23/37)
A bit underwhelming upside, but should develop well enough to fit in with the team's current rotation. He could develop well in to a viable receiving threat.
Status: Needs a year to develop. No more than a situational back.

6.20 - Aidan Quinn, LT (14/39)
Looks to be a serviceable backup, but little more. Still need to find a long term replacement for the aging Reggie Higdon.
Status: Solid backup potential.

6.28 - Abraham Baysinger, TE (18/38)
Solid blocking skills, but likely won't develop in to a full time starter.
Status: Backup potential.

7.20 - Joel Graham, CB (18/42)
Great upside for a 7th round pick. He should develop in to a nice Nickle Corner behind Johnson and Chandler.
Status: Should develop in to a solid Nickle Corner

[Rawrster]

Post-Preseaon Reveal Update

Overview: Mediocre draft overall. No major standouts. My defense should improve a bit with Shannon, while O'Neal should develop fairly well. I'm most pleased with Fuller (WR, 4th) and Graham (CB, 7th) who look destined to fill the exact roles I was targeting them for. Fingers crossed Nicholson turns in to a decent QB for me. Banks is getting extremely long in the tooth.

1.20 - Herman Shannon, DE (46/60) [+4/+3]
Great preseason progression. He will start immediately.
Status: Starting RDE

2.20 - Brent Nicholson, QB (10/45) [+3/-13]
What a waste of a 2nd Round pick.
Status: Bust

3.20 - Alonzo O'Neal, MLB (19/46) [+4/+4]
He is developing well and could really contribute in years to come.
Status: Backup LB with solid future potential.

4.20 - Silas Fuller, WR (29/44) [+3/+0]
Developing well and will contribute a lot this year.
Status: Slot receiver and return specialist.

5.20 - Malik Cox, RB (30/39) [+7/+2]
Developing well and should help out in passing situations this season.
Status: Backup/Situational RB.

6.20 - Aidan Quinn, LT (18/29) [+4/-10]
His drop in future potential is a big letdown. He may not even make the team.
Status: Bust

6.28 - Abraham Baysinger, TE (19/29)[+1/-9]
His drop in future potential is a big letdown. He may not even make the team.
Status: Bust

7.20 - Joel Graham, CB (18/32) [+0/-10]
Took a step back this offseason.
Status: Reserve CB.

[Rawrster]

Rookie Season Review

Overview: This draft class is looking to be mediocre at best. This can mainly be attributed to the hug miss in the second round. The draft resulted in 2 key players for the team (Shannon, Fuller) with two additional role players (O'Neal, Cox) who need to continue to develop in the coming season.

1.20 - Herman Shannon, DE (51/61) [+5/+1]
Games Started: 16
Tackles: 32
Sacks: 7.5
Status: Filled in well as a starting DE from the get go. 7.5 sacks is a great base-line to build from and he should develop in to a standout starter for us.

2.20 - Brent Nicholson, QB (13/32) [0/0]
Games Played: 0
Status: Bust

3.20 - Alonzo O'Neal, MLB (21/45) [+2/-1]
Games Started: 2
Games Played: 16
Tackles: 4
Status: Mainly a special teams player his rookie season. The hope is still that he will develop in to a solid player over the next couple years.

4.20 - Silas Fuller, WR (34/44) [+5/+0]
Games Started: 1
Games Played: 16
Receptions: 33
Yards: 302
TDs: 4
PR Yards: 288
KR Yards: 528
Status: Solid numbers made Fuller a valuable slot receiver this past season. His contributions to the return game also add to his value. He is a great fit for this team and a solid 4th round selection.

5.20 - Malik Cox, RB (32/39) [+2/0]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 16
Carries: 14
Rush Yards: 50
Receptions: 4
Rec Yards: 45
TDs: 1
Status: Saw the field less than expected this season, but still has a skillset that makes him valuable to this RBBC team.

6.20 - Aidan Quinn, LT (20/29) [+2/0]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 16
Status: Saw some special teams work his rookie season, but likely won't make the team for a second year.

6.28 - Abraham Baysinger, TE
Cut
Status: Did not make the team.

7.20 - Joel Graham, CB (21/31) [+3/-1]
Games Played: 9
Games Started: 4
Pass Defense: 70.6%
Tackles 45
Status: Got some decent experience this season, but a serious injury put him on the IR for second half of the season. He needs to continue to develop if he hopes to stay on the team past this upcoming season.

[Rawrster]

Second Season Review

Overview: The outlook on this class is slightly improved since last season, but is about the same overall. Shannon and Fuller are developing in to stars, while O'Neal and Cox are solid players that are still waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves. The other four players in this class were pretty big misses. The thing really holding this class back from being a good one is our total waste of a second round pick on Nicholson.

1.20 - Herman Shannon, DE (68/68) [+17/+7]
Games Started: 10
Tackles: 29
Sacks: 9.5
Status: Injuries kept Shannon out of 6 games this season, but he still led the team in sacks with 9.5. Shannon is quickly developing in to a premiere pass rusher.

2.20 - Brent Nicholson, QB (13/32) [0/0]
cut
Status: Nicholson is no longer on the team. Total waste of a second round pick.

3.20 - Alonzo O'Neal, MLB (28/45) [+7/0]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 16
Tackles: 0
Status: Mainly played on special teams again in his second season. The hope is still that he will develop in to a solid player over the next couple years.

4.20 - Silas Fuller, WR (43/43) [+9/-1]
Games Started: 11
Games Played: 16
Receptions: 50
Yards: 761
PR Yards: 243
KR Yards: 580
TDs: 6
Status: As the #3 option on the second best passing attack in the league last season, Fuller was able to shine as a receiver. He also pulls his weight as a return man, scoring on both a punt return and a kick return this season. Fuller is a great value for a fourth round pick.

5.20 - Malik Cox, RB (35/42) [+3/+3]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 16
Carries: 0
Rush Yards: 0
Receptions: 4
Rec Yards: 36
TDs: 1
Status: Cox has yet to see the field for a significant amount of time in his career. He still has the skillset to develop into a starter in this league, but is currently caught up in the mix of a number of 'Average' level RBs.

6.20 - Aidan Quinn, LT (25/29) [+5/0]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 7
Status: Quinn has yet to develop into a useful player. The Vikings just traded for OT Douglas Meyer, meaning Quinn will likely be cut this offseason.

6.28 - Abraham Baysinger, TE
Cut
Status: Did not make the team.

7.20 - Joel Graham, CB (24/32) [+3/+1]
Games Played: 3
Games Started: 0
Pass Defense: 79.0%
Tackles: 2
Status: Graham saw significantly less playing time in his second season, which is probably a good thing given his limited skillset. He can still develop into a useful player, but his future with the team is still in question.

[Rawrster]

Season Three Review. This will be the final review I do for this class.

Overview: This class turned out to be simply okay. The class only generated one full-time starter in Shannon. Completely missing on a second round pick really hurt this class. Fuller has made some outstanding contributions to this team while O'neal and Graham have filled in when called up. Cox was a solid pick that has yet to find a role to play on the team.

1.20 - Herman Shannon, DE (65/65) [-3/-3]
Games Started: 16
Tackles: 47
Sacks: 6.5
Status: Shannon managed to stay healthy all season and saw solid production as a result. He had the most tackles of his career thus far and though his sacks we down a bit this year, his hurries (17) were through the roof. He should continue to play a major role in this defense.

2.20 - Brent Nicholson, QB
No longer on team

3.20 - Alonzo O'Neal, MLB (32/37) [+4/-8]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 16
Tackles: 16
Status: While O'Neal saw more snaps on both defense and special teams this season, his usage has been limited. He will continue to serve as a reserve lineback moving forward.

4.20 - Silas Fuller, WR (43/43) [0/0]
Games Started: 8
Games Played: 16
Receptions: 53
Yards: 589
PR Yards: 309
KR Yards: 618
TDs: 3
Status: Fuller continued to play a large role in the Viking passing attack. He had a few more receptions than the previous season, but fewer yards and TDs. This is indicative of a passing attack that plummeted from #2 in the league to #23. Fuller continues to be lethal in the return game.

5.20 - Malik Cox, RB (38/40) [+3/-2]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 16
Carries: 2
Rush Yards: 5
Receptions: 7
Rec Yards: 159
TDs: 0
Status: While Cox is obviously a skilled runner, he has yet to find his niche in a crowded backfield.

6.20 - Aidan Quinn, LT (22/25) [-3/-4]
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 5
Status: Quinn saw little usage this season and is unlikely to stay on the team.

6.28 - Abraham Baysinger, TE
No longer on team

7.20 - Joel Graham, CB (26/33) [+2/+1]
Games Played: 2
Games Started: 0
Status: Graham saw very little playing time this season. He still has use as a deep reserve player, but will need to fight for a roster spot next season.