Sam Bradford: Butterfly Effect


We are just mere hours away from the 2017 NFL draft and here we are Vikings fans, having to wait (unless Rick Spielman decides to do something bat shit crazy) until Friday to select our 1st draft pick in the 2nd round (#48 overall). It is going to drive us all nuts having to wait while watching players being taken off the board, some we hope may fall into the 2nd round and the possibility of the Vikings scooping them up. It sucks that we had to give up our 1st round pick this year to grab Sam Bradford but the deed was done and we can't go back on it...... or can we? What if the Vikings decided that the asking price was too much and didn't want to give the Philadelphia Eagles our 1st round pick this year? Who would be our QB for 2017 and who would we select 14th overall? Let's have some fun and dive into this scenario.

Now you might ask: "Hoodie, this team would have a much higher draft pick than 14th. We would have had a much worse record with Hill at QB". Would we have had a worse record? Likely but I think of the "butterfly effect". If Sam's not our QB for the 2016 season who is to say certain injuries don't happen on OL or AP doesn't get injured right away or the team doesn't get full of themselves like they did last year after 5-0 start. I'll leave 12,000 word stories like that to Arif Hasan to figure out (he has a much better imagination and intelligence). For argument's sake we will have the Vikings selecting 14th in this year's draft.

So who is the Vikings starting QB in 2017? Glad you asked. Let's say Norv Turner still quit during the 2016 season and Pat Shurmur is the OC for 2017. Who would have been the logical choices for QB? 2 choices come to mind: Nick Foles and...... Sam Bradford. Why? Foles has experience in Shurmur's offense and has had some success in it as well(27 TDs/2 INTs/119.2 QBR in 2013) and we already know about Sam and his abilities in this scheme. Who would it be? Most likely scenario would be Nick Foles. As much as I would want to trade for Sam, Denver and Houston would likely be in a bidding war with the Vikings for his services and the asking price will be far too high for a possible 1 year QB rental. Foles, to me, is an ideal short term answer to the QB situation. We now can focus on the Vikings draft.

So who do we take at 14? This is where the fun begins. We have needs at RB, RG, C, DT, LB, CB, S and if Teddy can't comeback, QB. Via Fanspeak's Mock Simulator I ran the scenario 30 different time and this has been the most likely scenario:


We have some interesting selections to choose from. Zimmer loves his CBs, a potential number 1 WR in Corey Davis, a wrecking ball at LB in Haason Reddick, a stud OL in Forrest Lamp, a great TE prospect in David Njoku and a pair of outstanding RB's in Mixon and McCaffrey. Who do we take? Do we go by "best player available"? Do we go by biggest need? Who would make the biggest immediate impact? For me it comes down to 4 players: Corey Davis, Christian McCaffrey, DeShaun Watson and Forrest Lamp. Davis would give us the legit number 1 WR the Vikings have sorely needed since Randy Moss. The Davis/Diggs/Theilen combo would be lethal. Every time McCaffrey touches the ball something special happens. The kid makes plays. Lamp has potential to be multi year All Pro in the NFL. Watson is a proven winner and an exceptional QB who can lead an NFL team to a Super Bowl.


My pick: Christian McCaffrey. It makes far too much sense. I know the draft is deep at running back but he is a one of a kind playmaker who is perfect for the Shurmur style offense.  Shurmur will use McCaffrey to make mismatches all over the field for the offense. Think Darren Sproles but better. This is the running back Bridgewater has been needing all along to maximize his potential. So what do you think? Is McCaffrey the right choice at #14? Would you have taken Watson just in case Teddy doesn't make it back? Should we have solidified the OL with Lamp? Should we have looked at someone on defense instead? Thanks for taking the time to read.

Comments