Minnesota Vikings 2017 NFL draft recap with grades and analysis

The 2017 NFL Draft has concluded with the Minnesota Vikings making 11 picks. Who did they select and how did they fare?

After a disappointing 8-8 finish to the season, the Minnesota Vikings took a massive step back in their development. There was a storm of injuries and other variables that derailed the 2016 season.

On the bright side, 2017 started a new year and served as somewhat of a breath of fresh air from the gloomy season a year ago. General manager Rick Spielman has developed a reputation as an excellent drafter.

With that being said, the 2016 draft class left a lot to be desired as the teams rookie class as a whole was among the league low in total snap count percentage throughout the league.

Spielman once again wheeled and dealed his way throughout the 2017 NFL Draft before ultimately finishing with 11 selections.

Lets take a look at who he selected, an overview of each prospect and a preliminary grade.

"With the 41st overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Dalvin Cook, running back, Florida State."

A consensus first-round pick on many boards, former Florida State running back Dalvin Cook continued to slip down the draft board during the early parts of day two. The Packers were thought to covet Cook at no. 33, but they chose an alternate route in draft Washington cornerback Kevin King.

With Cook rapidly sliding, Spielman living up to his name of “Trader Rick” traded the teams second-round (no. 48 overall) and fourth-round pick (no. 128 overall) to the Cincinnati Bengals in order to secure Cook.

What are the Vikings getting in Dalvin Cook? They are getting a runner with eventual star potential He has three-down ability as he’s able to be a consistent ball carrier, as well as catch out the backfield. Routinely showing his versatility in his time in Tallahassee, Cook is a perfect fit in Pat Shurmur’s offense.

Cook has some off the field concerns as far as the friends that he hangs with. The best thing for him though is that he was drafted by a team that is far away from his roots in the state of Florida. He needed to get as far away as possible to limit those distractions.

Grade: A+

"With the 70th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Pat Elflein, center, Ohio State."

Considered the most pro-ready interior offensive lineman among a weak class overall, former Ohio State center Pat Elflein was an obvious target for the Minnesota Vikings. The franchise had him in on a top-30 visit and that is where they seemed to fall in love with him. In search of his guy, Spielman traded up to pick no, 70 in the third-round to select Elflein.

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The core of the Buckeye offensive line, Elflein brings attitude and versatility to one of the leagues worst units from a year ago.

At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Elflein possesses a well-built and round frame. His body structure is ideal for an interior offensive lineman, which he has mostly played in his time at Ohio State.

Playing in 53 career games, with 40 starts, Elflein is a well-seasoned prospect, meaning that he has had a lot of in-game reps. This is ideal for a prospect that projects to be an NFL center.

Making line calls, and identifying protections, there are many responsibilities placed on centers. With Elflein’s experience, he projects well.

Knowledge and experience are not the only traits that make Elflein’s playing style likable. He plays with an edge, which is what you want to see in an offensive line prospect. Being that he was the heart and soul of the Buckeye offensive front, he occasionally showed the most emotion.

Grade: A+

"With the 109th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Jaleel Johnson, defensive tackle, Iowa."

After having one of the worst performances of any defensive lineman at the combine, Johnson’s stock slipped a ton. Before the combine, he was garnering late first-round discussions, but that quickly vanished after his poor showing. On film though, Johnson is a terror.

He was the first Iowa defensive lineman to lead the team in sacks since Mike Daniels in 2011. Not a bad comparison, as Daniels has been a solid pro for the Green Bay Packers. Another reason some are critical of Johnson is his lack of getting a consistent pass rush.

Against the run, he is phenomenal. Routinely showing he’s able to read blockers and the maintain leverage against offensive lineman

Johnson shows glimpses of being disruptive, combined with having heavy hands, enabling him to control blockers at the point of attack. You would love to see Johnson show his mean streak more consistently, but that is doable with proper coaching and a stable environment.

Walking into surroundings consisting of a good nucleus in veterans Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen and Brian Robison, Johnson will have the proper mentors and teammates to help establish himself and push him to the best of his abilities.

The Minnesota Vikings are in need of a defensive tackle. With Sharrif Floyd’s injury concerns, Tom Johnson turning 33-years-old next season, and Datone Jones looking to be a rotational player at both defensive tackle and defensive end.

Grade: A

"With the 120th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Ben Gedeon, linebacker, Michigan."

This off-season the Minnesota Vikings lost Audie Cole to the Jacksonville Jaguars and long-time legend Chad Greenway. With massive holes at outside linebacker, the position needed to be addressed. Emmanuel Lamur was the only reliable starter left on the roster, and depth was an issue.

Spielman took a leap of faith selecting former Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon. Only a one-year starter at Michigan, Gedeon played primarily middle (MIKE) linebacker. Patrolling the middle of Jim Harbaugh’s defense, he had a lot of responsibilities and he proved to be up to the task.

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Gedeon is an above average athlete with good instincts. He is a linebacker that trust what he sees in front of him and attacks it. He is a terrific downhill player, with natural tackling ability.

His coverage skills are below average, and his struggles were apparent on film. They’re not completely awful, but its something that’s going to keep him as strictly a Mike LB.

Where Gedeon’s value will come from early on is special teams. Despite only starting his last season in Ann Arbor, he was a routine performer on all special teams units for four years.

The selection of Gedeon was a round or two earlier than you would have, but overall it wasn’t bad. His responsibility will be strictly to fill the Audie Cole void. He will come on and provide depth at LB and on every special teams unit, which is very important.

Grade: C+

"With the 170th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Rodney Adams, wide receiver, South Florida."

The Minnesota Vikings receiving core is very top-heavy with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs penciled in as the top-two starters who will receive a heavy amount of targets. That leaves Laquon Treadwell, Jarius Wright and Isaac Freuchte as the other players with playing experience.

It’s a position that needed to be replenished after losing Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson via free agency. Every receiver on the roster is known as great possession targets, but none have devastating speed to blow the top off of the defense.

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With former South Florida receiver Rodney Adams now in the fold, they have a vertical threat who can now stretch the field and make defenses have to stay honest. Adams had 12 touchdown plays of at least 20 yards the past two seasons. Teams potentially will no longer be able to crowd  the short-to-intermediate levels of the field.

Adams is a much smaller similar version of Cordarrelle Patterson in that he is a very explosive player once the ball is in his hands. As a route runner, he has a long way to go as he needs to clean up his footwork and route details, but being a key contributor in the passing game early on will not be his role.

If he does make the final 53-man roster, he will become the teams new deep threat. Where Adams will have a chance to be an early contributor is as a kick returner.

The Vikings lost one of the best in the NFL in Patterson and it is now an open audition to fill the kickoff return man vacancy. Adams averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return in his college career.

Grade: B-

"With the 180th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Danny Isidora, guard, Miami."

The leader of the Miami offensive line since 2014, “rock solid” is the best definition for Danny Isidora. With 39 starts at right guard in his career, it is a position that he has grown accustomed to. A two-time team captain and three-year starter, Isidora has those leadership qualities that you look for.

Many coaches mention that they love offensive lineman who show a motor and have a mean streak within them, that is exactly what you get with Isidora. At 6-foot-3, 306 pounds, he has the ideal frame for a zone-blocking scheme guard.

Possessing good footwork and awareness, on film, you can tell that he is a natural guard. He is always alert and aware of things that are going on around him or stunts/twists defenses are trying to perform against him.

Where Isidora must improve is his technique and pad level. He has a tendency to raise up out of his pass sets, allowing defenders inside of him and knocking him backwards.

Isidora’s balance and needs a bit of work to as he’s a bit of a “waist bender”. He has tendencies to lunge forward and duck his head at the point of attack when engaging with defenders.

Having a fourth-round grade on Isidora and getting him in the fifth-round was a steal. He provides depth at right guard with Joe Berger and Jeremiah Sirles. The camp battle will be between Isidora and Sirles to be Berger’s successor in 2018.

Grade: A-

"With the 201st overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Bucky Hodges, tight end, Virginia Tech."

The 2017 tight end class was arguably the deepest in draft history. There were various varieties of, and every type that you could have dreamed of. Strictly in-line blockers, pass catchers, and even many that had a combination of both.  Former Virginia Tech tight end Bucky Hodges is listed as a tight end, but he proved to be a big receiver or move tight end for the Hokies.

Hodges was a three-year starter, the most ironic factor about Hodges though is that before he stepped foot on campus, he had never played tight end before. He red-shirted during the 2013 season and that is where he learned the nuances of the position.

He earned his label as a big receiver due to the way he was used in the Virginia Tech offense. Rarely used as an in-line blocker, he was best served as a pass catcher. Hodges went on to record career highs in catches (48), yards (691), and tying his career high in touchdowns (7).

What you notice is that he steadily got better as his career went along. He still has his deficiencies and occasional drops, but he is progressing as a move tight end.

With the loss of Rhett Ellison to the New York Giants, there were only two tight ends left on the roster with in-game reps (Kyle Rudolph and David Morgan). The team swung on Jared Cook and missed as he eventually chose the Oakland Raiders.

The team desperately needed a receiving threat behind Rudolph, as Morgan will handle most of the blocking duties now that they decided not to re-sign fullback Zach Line.

Hodges is a prospect with a similar skill set as Cook and he has a chance to come in and compete for the no. 2 tight end role beside Rudolph.

Grade: B+

"With the 219th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Stacy Coley, wide receiver, Miami."

Showing versatility, as he played the outside and slot receiver roles, former Miami receiver Stacy Coley was a prime play maker for their offense. He proved that he had the ability to make plays at all three levels of the field.

Coley has the ability to take short routes for touchdowns, he’s not scared to catch the ball over the middle, and he was QB Brad Kaaya’s go to option on deep patterns.

Where Coley excels is his tremendous ball skills. He constantly made acrobatic catches with ease, demonstrating that he has one of the most impressive catch radius’ out of many receivers in this class.

The downside to Coley though is that he has a label of being “injury prone” as he missed 18 games (out of 49) in his career. He played last season with a big sleeve over his knee (above).

He sometimes struggles against cornerbacks who get physical with him, as he doesn’t have the proper moves at the line of scrimmage in his arsenal right now. There were reports that surfaced that were unsure how much Coley loved the game, but he quickly refuted those allegations.

Although he missed three games last season, he still set career highs in receptions (63), yards (754), and touchdowns (9). Coley’s best role is served as a slot receiver, where he can truly show off his skill set and where he is most comfortable.

Even though he was a sixth-round selection, Coley was extremely productive in his time at Miami. In school history, he finished second in catches (166), fifth in receiving yards (2,218), and fourth in touchdown receptions (20).

Grade: B-

"With the 220th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Ifeadi Odenigbo, defensive end, Northwestern."

As a player who didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school, former Northwestern edge rusher Ifeadi Odenigbo is obviously very raw. His parents are both Nigerian immigrants and he is the first person in his family born in the United States.

An incredible story, as he received multiple scholarship offers from power-five FBS schools before ultimately choosing Northwestern. Odenigbo is purely an upside pick, and risk worth taking in the seventh round.

Only starting five career games (out of 50), all he did was go on to record 61 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks. Those are extremely productive stat line for a player that is listed as a one-year starter, but has only truly started half of a season.

Odenigbo has a lot of work to do as a defender against the run, as he just doesn’t have a lot of strength in his body right now to hold up (6-foot-3, 258 pounds). He will need to put on weight during his rookie season, which won’t be hard now that he is in an NFL weight training program.

He makes his money as a pass rusher. This trait alone is what helped him the most in his collegiate career.

Recording 23.5 sacks in 50 career games is impressive especially considering he is a prospect that is still trying to figure out the details of playing defensive end.

The Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach is the perfect coach for Odenigbo, as he is known to unlock the potential of defensive lineman as well as improve their arsenal of moves.

Grade: B+

"With the 232nd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Elijah Lee, linebacker, Kansas State."

Long-time Minnesota Vikings veteran linebacker Chad Greenway hung up his cleats after 11 memorable seasons with team. In his absence, the Vikings are in desperate need of help at outside linebacker. With the NFL becoming more of a passing league over the past 10 years, linebackers now need to be fluid in pass coverage as well as be stout against the run.

Former Kansas State Elijah Lee was one of my favorite outside linebackers of this entire draft class. His production was off the charts, recording 209 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and five interceptions.

His pass coverage skills are very good. Lee always looks comfortable when out in space, and he has an innate ability to diagnose route patterns around him.

A rare trait for a linebacker, it is hard to find some who are comfortable when defending the pass.

Where Lee struggles is against the run. He is tall and lanky (6-foot-3, 232 pounds), and doesn’t possess a lot of girth on his body. This lack of mass is evident as he struggles greatly to shed offensive lineman once they are able to get hands on him.

The good factor about this though is that at outside LB, he won’t be forced to play inside the box where blockers will mainly be. At outside LB, he will be primarily in space, where he thrives and can show his sideline-to-sideline range.

Getting Lee in the seventh-round was an absolute steal and I’m unsure why he nearly went undrafted. He’s on record as saying “the Vikings showed the most interest in me”, and it is an ideal match as the team has a huge void at outside LB.

The competition is now between Lee, Emmanuel Lamur and Edmund Robinson, who all have the potential to be contributors.

Grade: A

"With the 245th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Jack Tocho, cornerback, N.C. State."

As most late-round picks are, they are strictly based on risk, upside, value and to gain roster depth. Former N.C. State defensive back Jack Tocho is a prime example of this.

A senior captain for the Wolfpack, he was a do it all player for them. He is a physical man-to-man cornerback with some limitations. Long speed is the biggest flaw most see in Tocho’s game. Recording a 4.54 fourty, that is low for a cornerback with his skill type.

Scouts think he may be best suited as a safety because he plays well when seeing everything in front of him. At safety, he would have a chance to see the entire field and thus it would cater to his playing style.

He has been a productive player with 32 passes defending, including six career interceptions. He also is very good in run support.

Grade: B-

Next: Vikings undrafted free agent tracker

How do you feel about the players the Minnesota Vikings selected in the 2017 NFL Draft? What kind of grades would you give the team? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.