2013 NFL Draft Man-crush!

NorthCountryEvo · Joined: 26 Jan 2012 Posts: 345 Location: Maple Grove, MN

With the combine coming to a close tomorrow, I wanted to see who everyone's proverbial "man crushes" are. I'm not looking necessarilly for players who you like or dislike as far as becoming Vikings, but players who you think are going to stand out amongst the players in this draft class, or who several years down the line were considered steals.

My two players are DE Margus Hunt and RB Knile Davis.

Davis was a heck of a talented back at Arkansas and projected to do big things. He put up excellent numbers as a sophomore with over 1,300 rushing yards and
13 TD's from the ground before having his college career derailed by injury. He had to sit the 2011 season out with a left ankle injury and was not able to get back on track in 2012. His less-than-stellar 2012 campaign could be attributed to several factors, from recovering from the ankle injury, to the Petrino scandal. Knile Davis measures in as a well sized back with a good combo of speed and talent that, to me, projects well to the NFL. His combine performance can only make him a riser on draft boards, and I could see him being a long time starter for whomever drafts him. While he originally was seen as a middle of the pack RB, I expect him to be at least the 3rd back off the board, and if he falls any further, I would see that as a steal. As far as becoming a Viking, since we do not seem to be in the market for another back, I doubt we look at any in the draft to hard, but I would not have any complaints if we took a shot at him with one of our two 4th rounders or later (though I highly doubt he is available at that point).

Margus Hunt reminds me of current Viking Jared Allen for reasons othe than the eye test of being white and tall. Yes, Hunt is just over 6'8" which compares close to Allen, but what gets me is his non-stop motor, his impressive strength at the point of attack, and his quick moves which could develop very well into a dangerous pass rush arsenal. Hunt in teased his numbers in each of his years at SMU, and and has the feel of a 4-3 DE with the strength of a Paul Kruger style 3-4 end. His ability to stand up offensive tackles and get them off balance at the point of attack makes it easy for him to move laterally off blocks to stop the run, and could command double coverage with a TE after he grows a year or two in the league. His combine numbers are impressive, throwing up a bench number of 38 reps and providing a more than ample 40 time with a 4.60 (which turns heads especially with his height and 277 pound frame which is not maxed out yet). Before the combine, the multi-sport athlete from Estonia was seen as an early round pick with a ceiling towards the 2nd round, but he did have eyes on him as a potential riser, and it is my expectation that we will see quite a jump up the boards from Hunt in the weeks leading up to the draft, much like Shea McClellin's rise last year. I think the earliest we could see hunt taken if the draft was today would be the 2nd round, but don't be surprised if he sneaks into the late 1st to early 2nd. For Vikings potential, I would be over-joyed if Hunt was taken as a future replacement for the aging, but still talented Jared Allen, but certain things would have to fall in place for this to happen. DT and WR are much more pressing needs for MN this year, and could be where we look in the first two rounds, but if the talent available isn't worth out pick in the 2nd, and we make acquisitions in FA that we feel comfortable with, Hunt could make for a interesting pick if still a available.

Those are my two that I will be watching, and I'm sure there will be more in the coming weeks. I personally like hearing from other posters about people who catch their eye, so I can take a minute to see if they warrant attention, so go ahead and make your case for your risers, sleepers, and eye catchers in this years draft!
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AP_allday2869 · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:47 am Post subject:

I was high on Dion Jordan, and the combine made me think even higher of him. He is going to be a star.
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The Gnat · Joined: 23 Feb 2005 Posts: 34192 Location: Minneapolis

Davis I can agree with, because he should still be a fourth/fifth round pick even with the numbers at the combine, however he hasn't shown that same burst from the sophomore, yes, from injuries, but the injury history is a concern.

Margus Hunt obviously blew up the combine, but I can't back him too much unless it was mid round, which he isn't likely to make it to. He is raw and 25, so not a great combo to start out with. But because of pretty amazing combine numbers we'd probably have to take him in round two, which I wouldn't find as good value.

For me:
John Bostic is someone who interests me, probably would be there in the early third so we could trade up or down to get him. He put up a good combine performance and would allow us to get a WR & DT previously potentially. He was also a leader on a good defense.

Larry Warford the OG, he is a big guy but seems to be quite mobile and combo him with Kalil and Sullivan, you'd be set on one side of the line for a long while. Bring back loadholt and RG would be the remaining issue, and you can have someone like Fusco starting there when you have a talent like Warford at LG.
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Klomp · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 11:22 am Post subject:

SteelKing728 · Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 11009 Location: Pittsburgh

Man crushes:

Justin Hunter
Margus Hunt
Arthur Brown
Eric Reid
Dion Jordan
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2013 Adopt a Minnesota Viking - Jared Allen - DE - #69

Klomp · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 11:37 am Post subject:

Ziggy Ansah, no doubt. I've been high on him for a very long time.
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KeithVikings28 · Joined: 21 Sep 2012 Posts: 357

Man crushes:

WR Justin Hunter
WR Da'rick Rogers
MLB Alec Ogletree
MLB Jon Bostic
NT Johnathan Hankins
CB Tyrann Mathieu
S Bacarri Rambo
G Larry Warford

rpmwr19 · Joined: 23 Dec 2006 Posts: 17116 Location: Stillwater, MN

Specifically from the combine ill chose one on each side of the ball.

WR - Markus Wheaton
LB - Sio Moore
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GoneWithTheWind · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:06 pm Post subject:

WR-Keenan Allen
ILB-Arthur Brown
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disaacs · Joined: 13 Dec 2005 Posts: 20084 Location: Brownbackistan

When I actually have one I'll post it here. Laughing

There are certain players I like, but I haven't had a "man-crush" on any player since Jake Locker in 2011.

The closest I come to really liking any player this year is Cordarelle Patterson.
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rpmwr19 · Joined: 23 Dec 2006 Posts: 17116 Location: Stillwater, MN

vikings209 · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1187 Location: San Diego

Keenan Allen
Brandon Williams
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Kellerman · Joined: 16 May 2010 Posts: 3218 Location: Amsterdam

Justin Hunter and Margus Hunt.

They are the types of player I like to create in madden for the Vikings. Razz

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LoverInTheCold · Joined: 27 Feb 2005 Posts: 1587 Location: Piscataway, NJ

Honestly, I like a lot of the wideouts in this draft. This year may not have those 1-2 superstar guys, but it has a lot of receivers who are going to be good value picks playing in this league for many years.

I love Allen, Patterson, Woods, Hunter & Rogers. But I'm most in awe of DeAndre Hopkins. I just love his style of play. Reminds me of Anquan Boldin with a little bit of Julio Jones in him. Tough, aggressive, plays with a chip on his shoulder and always stretches the chains.
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NorthCountryEvo · Joined: 26 Jan 2012 Posts: 345 Location: Maple Grove, MN

Justin Hunter is really growing on me, and is quite possibly my favorite receiver in the whole draft. I think Patterson could get taken higher than him, but as long as Hunter recovers fully from his ACL, which it looks like he's about there, he could be a monster player. I see enough of Randy Moss in him that it scares me.
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