Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Put another way, let’s say the Vikings had a top-10 grade on a defensive lineman, a position Spielman on Tuesday called one of the deepest in the draft. If that player slipped to the second half of the first round Thursday night, he’d be an intriguing option for Minnesota.
But if the Vikings do indeed go with an offensive lineman, they aren’t just going to pick one on a whim.
Spielman and his staff have been hard at work in recent months to identify the best players in the trenches, and then matching them to what Vikings Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski envisions in his scheme.
“With the influence of Gary Kubiak and the style of offense we’re going to run [under Stefanski], along with Rick Dennison as the offensive line [coach], there are traits that we’re looking for,” Spielman said. “As we talk about each one of these players, some players are going to be very good players, but they may not be very good players in what we’re going to require them to do from a schematic standpoint.
“Everybody talks about the zone scheme versus the gap scheme. To clarify, gap guys are more road graders, moving forward with double teams. Zone-scheme guys are going to be more athletic, being able to work into the second level, out to the linebackers, being able to do outside zone and have to run laterally,” Spielman said. “There’s a point of emphasis on specific traits we’re looking for to run what they’re going to run on offense.
“When you can get on the same page with the coaches where we recognize that, ‘This guy is a good player, he may be a very good starter in this scheme, but may not be a really good starter in another scheme.’ You have to marry that up, and that’s why it’s so important for us on the personnel side to understand what the requirements are for these players at their position.”
Another item to consider, Spielman noted, is the depth of certain positions at various points of the draft.
Spielman, who has been Minnesota’s general manager since 2012 and has been with the organization since 2006, said Tuesday that both the offensive and defensive lines seem to have a number of quality players included in those groups.
If there is an impact player at one position available in the first round, perhaps the Vikings select him. But Spielman said they would only do so if it means getting a player at a different position down the road, presumably one who is around the same talent as the previous round.
“We always look, as we make the decisions, you have a player at this position and a player at this position, and which one are you going to take? We can say we’re going to take this one because underneath him, there’s a huge drop off [in the position group’s talent],” Spielman said. “So if we don’t take him right here, we’re not going to get a need filled with a good player.
“If there’s four or five more players underneath that we do like, that’s when the potential is to take the one of those guys that falls to you,” he added. “It could also be trading back in the draft to accumulate more draft picks, because we’re still going to get that same value of player as long as we have those four or five names there.”