Kiper and McShay Both Have Vikings Taking Trae Waynes In Final Mocks

Yesterday I laid out the case for not taking Trae Waynes with the #11 overall pick (nothing personal on the “overrated garbage” thing Trae; it’s called splashy headline writing).

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The argument boils down to this: Is Waynes really that much better than corners like Byron Jones, Kevin Johnson, Eric Rowe and Marcus Peters, and if not, is it worth spending the 11 on him when you could potentially get a nice receiver or defensive end at that position?

I think 11 might be too high for Waynes. I also think if the Vikings get locked into that spot and there’s no one on the board they really love, they’ll grab Waynes because it’s a relatively safe pick.

The perception around Mock Draft Land continues to be that Waynes is the obvious choice for the Vikings when you put everything together: need, skill-set, scheme, value, etc.,

In their final mock drafts of the mock draft season, ESPN big wigs Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both reiterated one last time how sensible the Waynes pick appears to be on the outside.

Kiper:

"Why they take him: The top three wide receivers are off the board, and they get immediate help at CB while pushing Captain Munnerlyn to a better position at the slot.Why they pass: Because they see holes in Waynes’ game as a tackler and decide to go with a wide receiver or even another cornerback."

McShay:

"This is another pick I’ve made a few different times during the draft process, but it continues to make sense. The Vikings need a press-man corner opposite Xavier Rhodes, and Waynes is the best cornerback prospect in this class who figures to fit best in press-man or Cover 2 alignments."

Waynes is fine if you think you can live with his evident deficiencies as a tackler and in terms of small-area quickness, but to me it’s a better pick after a trade down at least five spots that nets you an extra pick.

Next: Is Trae Waynes Overrated Garbage?

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