The first round options for the Minnesota Vikings are interesting, and a current NFL trend could maximize their success.
The NFL Draft is only two days away, and many questions exist on what the Minnesota Vikings will do in the first round.
The consensus believes it will be Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman . He has been selected 169 times in 477 mock drafts. For perspective, he wasn't selected once in the first 145 mock drafts, as most believed he was a second-round pick. That changed once Daniel Jeremiah sent Thieneman to the Vikings on February 24th. Since then, every week but one being above 20 selections, and the outlier was 14/26.
When it comes to how the Vikings will approach the first round, Kenyon Sadiq is a popular name. Why? He can be a cheat code across the formation. Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald indirectly highlighted why he's in the next wave of talented athletes who can maximize offenses.
"I think people being able to build different pictures out of different personnels. So in other words, building, you know, 22, 13 personnel pictures out of 11. Building 11 pictures out of 12 and 13 and bigger personnels try to manipulate defenses. You know, defenses, I think we're still kind of figuring it out. What we've done is we've tried to stay in the same structure, personnel wise, to not let the offenses know exactly what structure we in until they take the ball. But that's easier said than done. You need people, you got to be able to match those looks and be able to stop whatever they're trying to do. So you need special players like we have, which is fortunate that they're on our team and they're not going anywhere."
This highlights one of the elements of Kevin O'Connell's core offensive scheme: the illusion of complexity. He loves to run the same core concepts out of multiple personnel groupings, creating doubt on what the offense is doing. You will see a concept like dagger run about 25 different ways.
What Sadiq will bring to the Vikings is something that fits the modern game: versatility. He can flex out and line up wherever for the Vikings, focusing on his explosive versatility. If you have nickel personnel out there, Sadiq can block them with ease. On the other hand, if they have base personnel in, Sadiq can torch linebackers up the seam.
With Kyler Murray in the fold, he thrives throwing the football with heavier personnel . Sadiq will give the Vikings a bevy of options.
The modern NFL thrives with elite-level athletes, and Sadiq is the next player to maximize this new wave of the league.
