Mike Mayock participated in one of his epic draft conference calls but had very little to say about the Minnesota Vikings.
Think what you want about Mike Mayock, but his participation in each offseason’s draft build-up has become a pretty big deal. At this point Mayock is almost as big a draft speculation celebrity as Mel Kiper and Todd McShay.
Mayock’s conference calls have now become so legendary, and so vital in the eyes of some, that the NFL has taken to making the entire calls public. Want to listen to Mike Mayock answer questions about the draft for almost two hours? Now you can!
For those of us who prefer to sift rather than listen to the whole thing, there is also a PDF transcript. As a quick search reveals, there’s very little material in the conference call related to the Vikings.
In fact, Mayock got only one question about the Vikings, and frankly he didn’t have a lot to say. He was queried about what the Vikings might do in the second and third rounds and admitted it’s hard to answer that question without knowing what they might do in the first round. An honest man.
More from The Viking Age
- 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022
Mayock did speculate a little about the positions the Vikings might target, zeroing in on wide receiver and offensive tackle (via NFL):
"As far as tackles, I think a Jason Spriggs from Indiana would make a ton of sense, a Jerald Hawkins from LSU are a couple names. The wide receiver position we’ve talked about a little bit as far as down the road guys at wideout.Depending on, again, what they’re looking for, I think Pharoh Cooper is a really interesting guy with the ball in his hands from South Carolina, slot return guy. Tyler Boyd from Pittsburgh."
I wrote briefly about Jason Spriggs in this pre-Senior Bowl rundown. The skinny on Jerald Hawkins is that, well, he’s too skinny and needs to build up mass in the weight room. CBSSports.com said this about the LSU tackle:
"Still far from a polished product, Hawkins is one of the more intriguing underclassmen tackles in the 2016 draft with starting experience on both sides in a pro-style offense against top competition. With greater commitment to hand placement on the field and the weight room off it, Hawkins could emerge as a starting tackle in the NFL, as well."
Pharoh Cooper, besides having a cool-sounding name, is an interesting multi-talented prospect who has drawn comparisons to Randall Cobb. NFLMocks however thinks Cooper is closer to Percy Harvin than Cobb. Let’s hope he’s not like Percy in temperament or durability.
Next: Vikings hoist division title banner
NFLMocks had this to say about Tyler Boyd:
"I think Tyler Boyd is one of the few receivers who will be even better than what his college stats predict simply because he’s never really had a quarterback to throw him the football. He’s a great athlete and in the top 3 of his position, aside from his weight it’s hard to knock anything about his game. He has all the talent to be a first round pick but needs may push him into the second round, regardless, whichever teams selects the Pitt receiver will have a more than ready player for years to come."
It’s good news when Mike Mayock doesn’t have much to say about you in his conference call. It means you had a good year and aren’t drafting high.