Thursday, April 24, 2008

Potential Value: Jared Allen v. the draft picks

Pro-football-reference has a very nice statistical look Jared Allen's approximate value against the approximate value of the draft picks the Vikes traded for him. Really interesting stuff.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:54 PM

    With the memory of Koren Robinson not completely erased from my memory, I am still nervous about Jared Allen. He has many sacks in his career and two DWIs from 2006. Coach Childress says that Allen has overcome his problems and I hope that he is right. However, I am not totally convinced.

    Norman Teigen
    Hopkins MN

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  2. For what it's worth, yesterday on KFAN Allen said he hasn't had a drink since September 2006.

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  3. All in all, I agree wholeheartedly with the trade. The value of the picks is much better spent on the sure-thing in Allen than on three maybes through the draft.

    We are a bit hamstrung in what we might be able to do with our remaining six picks. As I see it, our team needs boil down to this: 1, offensive tackle; 2, tight end; 3, safety; 4, quarterback.

    I think that the Vikings community has become increasingly more aware of our need at tackle as the offseason progressed. In January, our needs at wide receiver, defensive end, and safety were downright glaring. In all that harsh light, Ryan Cook and Bryant McKinnie were simply overshadowed. Wilf, Spielman and Childress have addressed these three positions very admirably in the last eight weeks -- superbly, even.

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  5. That leaves our lack of depth at tackle (lack of competency even, at right tackle, some have argued), our lack of a playmaking tight end, age at safety, and questions still at quarterback.

    The depth of this year's class in tackles would suggest that we could find a more quality right tackle with our second-rounder, or likely a serviceable blind-side protector.

    Usually, positions like tight end and safety have barely, if at all, been touched at pick forty-something. This suggests that we could pick up a really great player at one of these undervalued positions. Dustin Keller anyone?

    I think that drafting a quarterback with that selection is silly, frankly. I know that several mock drafts had us selecting a quarterback at #17, even, but I think that, or in the second-round would put undue (even undeserved) pressure on TJ. I think that we could pick up a qb in, say, the fifth round? Maybe Colt Brennan would still be there. I like that one.

    Oh! I almost forgot. Did anyone else notice in Don Banks' article, "Snap Judgements," about the Allen trade, that if he doesn't get another DUI before September, the statute of limitations is up on his September-ought-six infraction? That is, if he makes it to September without getting in trouble, he will no longer be on the brink of a year-long suspension. I think we're ok. He's no Koren Robinson.

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