DAILY CLIPS MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021

DAILY CLIPS

  MONDAY,
APRIL 12, 2021

NATIONAL NEWS: Monday, April 12, 2021

                                                    Maven Media

Should the Vikings Sign Recently-Waived Thaddeus Moss, Son of Randy?
By Will Ragatz
https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/should-the-vikings-sign-recently-waived-thaddeus-moss-son-randy

Five Potential Vikings NFL Draft Targets With Medical Concerns From Past Injuries
By Will Ragatz
https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/five-potential-vikings-2021-nfl-draft-targets-medical-concerns-injuries

VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK: Monday, April 12, 2021

Monday Morning Mailbag: Would the Vikings Take a QB at No. 14?
By Eric Smith
https://www.vikings.com/news/quarterback-draft-picks-no-14-nfl

PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 4/12/21
Should the Vikings Sign Recently-Waived Thaddeus Moss, Son of
Randy?

By Will Ragatz

Former LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss was released by the Washington Football Team recently, and naturally, it's
worth wondering if the Vikings will have any interest. Moss, as you're probably aware, is the son of Randy Moss, who
is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Minnesota Vikings jersey.

I think it would be a solid low-cost move to add depth. There's no guarantee Moss would even make the roster out of
training camp, but why not give him a shot?

Moss was a three-star recruit from Charlotte and began his college career at North Carolina State. After playing
sparingly during his freshman year, he transferred to LSU. Moss sat out in 2017 and missed all of 2018 with a foot
injury, but had his breakout year in 2019. With future No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow at the helm, Moss started 12
games for the Tigers, catching 47 passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns.

Perhaps more impressively, Moss stepped up in a big way in the two biggest games of the year. In the College
Football Playoff semifinal against Oklahoma, he posted a career-high 99 receiving yards and caught a touchdown
pass. In the national championship game against Clemson, he added two more touchdown receptions. Moss was a
big part of a historic offense that also featured Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Terrace Marshall Jr., and Clyde
Edwards-Helaire.

Moss went undrafted last year and was scooped up by Washington, but spent the year on injured reserve.

At 6'3, 250 pounds, Moss has good size and decent athleticism. He doesn't do anything especially well, but he has
the potential to develop into a solid player if he can stay healthy. After losing Kyle Rudolph this offseason, the Vikings
could use another tight end. If they were to sign Moss, he could compete with Brandon Dillon and a late-round rookie
for the No. 3 TE spot behind Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin.

The Vikings aren’t going to make a move just because of his last name, but it’s worth a shot from a football
perspective. Why not?

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all
offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 4/12/21
Five Potential Vikings NFL Draft Targets With Medical Concerns
From Past Injuries

By Will Ragatz

There was no traditional NFL scouting combine this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but 150 top draft prospects
recently traveled to Indianapolis for medical evaluations. Those exams are arguably the most important aspect of the
combine in a typical year, as team trainers and doctors get a chance to do a detailed review of highly-touted players
or those with any past injuries.

The draft is incredibly important, and teams don't want to risk selecting a player in the early rounds without having all
of the information about that player's medical status.

With that in mind, let's take a look at five players with some degree of injury concerns or an injury history who could
be options for the Vikings.

Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips
If he didn't have any injury concerns, Phillips would pretty clearly be the top edge rusher in this year's draft (in my
opinion, at least). He's a physical freak who wowed at his pro day in front of Vikings GM Rick Spielman. Combine
Phillips' athleticism with his incredible tape from last season, and you can argue that he's a top-ten overall player in
this draft class, or even better.

The issue is that his medical concerns are very significant. Phillips, once the top recruit in the nation, had a promising
UCLA career ravaged by injuries. He hurt his ankle, his wrist, and most notably, suffered multiple concussions. That
led him to medically retire from football in 2018 before returning to the game last year. If he stays healthy in the NFL,
Phillips has a chance to be a steal and become a star. But the Vikings — and every other team in the market for a
first-round EDGE — need to do their homework and determine how they feel about his medical situation.

I think it's a risk I'd take at No. 14. Phillips' upside is that high.

Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley
Once considered the consensus top corner in the class and a likely top-ten pick, Farley's stock has been falling after
he recently had a microdiscectomy procedure (minor surgery on his back). He apparently got good news at his
medical check in Indy and will probably still go in the first round, but being selected in the top 10 feels unlikely now.

Corner wasn't much of a need for the Vikings as of a week ago, but the Jeff Gladney incident might've changed that.
With Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander both on one-year deals, the Vikings could use another young
building block at the position, especially with Gladney's future very much up in the air. Farley's size, speed, and ball
skills give him the upside to be a star NFL corner who shines in press-man coverage, but back injuries are now joke.
If the Vikings feel good about his medical situation, would Mike Zimmer push to draft him at 14? It could be a more
palatable risk after a trade down.

Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little
There are plenty of players in this year's draft that haven't seen game action in over a year, whether due to an opt-
out or something else. Then there's Little, whose last full season was back in 2018. Heading into 2019, he was
considered a potential first-round pick in the future due to his impressive sophomore tape and physical tools. Then he
suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the year. After opting out in 2020, Little is a very difficult
evaluation because there's no way to know how he's developed in the past two-plus years.

If he's still around in the third or fourth round, I think Little could be worth the risk for the Vikings. His upside is
tremendous with his combination of size, anchoring ability, athleticism, and technique. There's just no way to know
exactly what he'll look like in the NFL after missing all this time.

Syracuse safety Andre Cisco
Cisco is one of my favorite safety prospects in this year's class. He's an incredible playmaker, with 13 interceptions in
24 career games, and is solid as a tackler as well. Cisco's range and athleticism complement an impressive frame

and give him the potential to develop into a good starting safety in the NFL. His issue is getting out of position at
times by being overly aggressive or biting on double moves, but he's a lot of fun to watch.

The medical concern with Cisco is that he tore his ACL last season (roughly six months ago) and is still rehabbing
the injury. Will he be the same player after surgery? That's a question teams need to ask. He could be a good target
for the Vikings in the third or fourth round.

Vanderbilt defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo
Speaking of fun prospects, do yourself a favor and watch some Odeyingbo tape. He's not a major name because he
played at Vanderbilt (which went 5-28 during his career), but he can really play. He's got powerful hands, explosive
athleticism, and an intriguing arsenal of pass rushing moves. Odeyingbo has the versatility to rush from the inside or
outside, but bulking up and moving to three-technique might be the best move for his career.

Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles in January while preparing for the draft. That's a pretty big blow to his stock, but it
could result in him being a steal on Day 3.

Honorable mentions: Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama IOL Landon Dickerson, Florida State S Hamsah
Nasirildeen, East Carolina OT D'Ante Smith

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark t

PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Netowrk DATE: 4/12/21
Monday Morning Mailbag: Would the Vikings Take a QB at No. 14?

By Eric Smith

Do you have a comment or question? Send it to the vikings.com Mailbag! Every Monday we'll post several comments
and/or questions as part of the vikings.com Monday Morning Mailbag. Although we can't post every comment or
question, we will reply to every question submitted.

Click here to submit a comment or question to the Mailbag. Remember to include your name and town on the email.
The questions below have been edited for clarity.

You can also send Eric a Mailbag question via Twitter.

If, by some unlikely act of from above, Justin Fields takes an Aaron Rodgers-esque tumble down the draft board and
is available to the Vikings at No. 14, do they pull the trigger? Or would Vikings GM Rick Spielman trade down for
more picks? This may be a chance at to find a future franchise QB considering next year's class does not look
special.

— Jim Somerville in Geneva, New York

No position across the National Football League (and maybe all of sports) draws chatter like quarterback.

And Jim presents a very interesting scenario that maybe isn't likely to happen, but also can't be completely ruled out,
either.

Before we take a look at what the Vikings could do in that situation, let's take a quick peak at whether or not this
could actually happen.

Vikings 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Highlights: Quarterbacks

It's expected that the top three picks will be quarterbacks, as nearly every mock draft has Trevor Lawrence and Zach
Wilson as the first two picks. And with the 49ers recently trading up to the No. 3 spot, there's a strong chance they
take a quarterback, too. (Teams don't give up multiple first-rounders to take anything else).

That leaves 10 picks until the Vikings are up at No. 14, and a handful of teams such as the Falcons, Lions, Broncos
and Eagles could all theoretically take a signal caller. Maybe one of them does? Or maybe none of them do? But
there's a case for all to at least think about it. The Panthers likely took themselves out of that mix by recently trading
for Sam Darnold.

But let's get to Jim's scenario and say that Fields is there at No. 14. If that's the case, my guess is that the Vikings
would think long and hard about selecting Fields.

Kirk Cousins still has two years left on his current contract and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But the chance to
get a quarterback with high potential on a rookie contract is a situation that all NFL teams covet.

Here is what draft analyst Jordan Reid recently told Vikings.com about Fields:

"After Lawrence, I would say Justin Fields [has the highest ceiling], just because he's a guy I like a lot, but he has
some things he needs to work on, as far as from a processing standpoint. I think there's some things in the Ohio
State offense that have kind of hindered him a little bit, as far as development, but as far as what he brings to the
table, right away into the NFL and the upside he does possess, I definitely think it's Justin Fields."

I could also see a case for trading back with a team in the latter half of the first round (or even with the Patriots one
spot below at No. 15).

If Minnesota were to move back, it would still likely get a first-round talent (just a few picks later), and also potentially
recoup a second-round pick the Vikings currently do not have and likely more.

If Jim's scenario were to happen, I would love to be a fly on the wall in the Vikings draft room and hear the
conversations taking place, as there could be a strong case for taking Fields or trading back, particularly if offered a
haul.

And as for Jim's final comment about the 2022 quarterback class, I'd argue that those players still have a year to
show NFL teams what they have to offer. I don't think many people thought Wilson would be where he is today, but
he appears to be a future star, and is almost undoubtedly going to be a top-five pick in a little over two weeks.

Let's dive into special teams with this question from Mike, who wants to know about Minnesota's kicking situation.

To recap, the Vikings added kicker Greg Joseph to the roster in February, and then released Dan Bailey just before
the start of free agency.

Bailey's end-of-season struggles have been well-documented, so no need to rehash them, but I do like the potential
of Joseph.

He's still relatively young at age 26, but doesn't have a ton of NFL experience. He has made 17 of 20 career field
goals (85 percent), and 34 of 38 extra points (89.5 percent) in stints with the Titans and Browns in 2018 and 2019.

Joseph did not attempt a kick in 2020, as he spent the season on Tampa Bay's practice squad. But one person who
could help Joseph get acclimated is Vikings punter Britton Colquitt, who was Joseph's holder on field goals and extra
points in Cleveland in 2018.

So, we can expect Joseph to be on the team in the coming months as training camp approaches. Will anyone else?

I have a firm belief that is a yes, and that it will be a rookie who doesn't get picked up in the draft. I doubt the Vikings
would add another veteran-type free agent like Joseph, and I also don't think they will select one in the draft. That
last happened in 2018 with Daniel Carlson, and he only lasted two games in Minnesota before bouncing back with
the Raiders.

My expectation is that we see a kicking competition in camp between Joseph and a rookie. May the best man win,
and hopefully he brings stability to that position for years to come.

Good day, my name is John and I have been a Vikings fan for 50 years. I'm 61 years old and love the Vikings. I just
wanted to say I wish they would change the horns on the helmets for the Vikings face. I think change is good for
business … just something to think about. I have a mini helmet that was specially designed and it looks amazing.
Thank you for hearing me out. Have a great day.

— John Mercado

Appreciate your longtime support, John, and for the interesting idea about changing up the helmet decal.

I actually agree with you that putting the Norseman logo on the helmet would look neat, and would keep some
continuity with branding. Just off the top of my head, most teams use their main logo on their helmets. (Think Green
Bay, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City as key examples here, but the use of a horn on Vikings helmets is as old as
Vikings helmets, a story told in the Minnesota Vikings Museum).

While I believe the Norseman would look good, I actually wouldn't change anything about the Vikings current look
with the Purple helmets accented by the horn on each side. To me, that actually makes Vikings players look like,
well, Vikings. I always love seeing Dalvin Cook race down the field with his horns streaking, or Harrison Smith
snagging an interception.

Maybe we'll see some changes to Minnesota's uniform in the coming years. But for now, my ideal outfit remains the
home look of Purple uniforms, white pants and the horns on the Purple helmets in front of a frenzied crowd at U.S.
Bank Stadium.