SKOR North – What do PFF's statistics tell us about Vikings' first two pre-season games?



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While the Minnesota Vikings opened the pre-season with impressive wins over the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks, there are still plenty of questions to answer before the start of the regular season. Each pre-season match is rated by Pro Football Focus, which can give an idea of ​​the direction of position battles and how things could be played out in 2019. Here are ten points to keep in mind. PFF through two games …

Pat Elflein has the lowest rank of the offensive

Because Elflein was guarding the college, it was presumed that his transition to this position in the NFL would run smoothly, but in the first two pre-season games there were bumps on the road, especially Sunday evening against Seattle. After a vigorous 2017, his recovery from surgery during the off-season had hindered him in 2018 and it is now debatable how the job change will unfold. Last year, the Vikings tried to put Mike Remmers in the guard and the results were far from ideal. He only played 28 snapshots in pre-season so that the sky does not fall, but this one is worth watching.

Brandon Zylstra is the highest non-Thielen catcher

In the battle for deep receiver posts, Bisi Johnson broke through in the Vikings pre-season and Zylstra had the best performance of the second game with five catches for 37 yards. The score of 73.4 Zylstra (out of 100) far ahead of Johnson, 71.6. After the match, Mike Zimmer noted that Zylstra was starting to burst after losing time with an injury. Whereas Zimmer admitted to having "introduced" Laquon Treadwell and other receivers like Jordan Taylor and Dillon Mitchell, they did not stand out.

Ifeadi Odenigbo leads the pressure and stops

The former seventh round pick of Northwestern was cut after a strong camp last year, but the Vikings decided to see more. They could very well be justified in this decision because Odenigbo has set up an impressive camp and a pre-season. He has five quarterbacks and five saves in 73 (the third in defense) and third among defensemen with more than 50. After Tashawn Bower has been away for a long time, Odenigbo appears to be the fourth DE behind Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter and Stephen Weatherly.

Armon Watts and Karter Schult pleaded for employment

While Watts was only one year old at school in college, the Vikings loved his ability to tackle the ferryman and his 6-foot-5, 300-pound mount. Until now, he has participated only in 23 fast passes and created four presses (one bag). With interior D-line works to win, Watts could well make a place for itself. If he is not on the list, he should be a candidate for the training squad. He will be interested to see if he will get more work during the third preparatory game.

Schult, an outstanding AAF player, has the highest PFF rank (79.3) in defense of all Vikings defenders. It has two QB pressures and three shutdowns. It might be an effort for him to do the alignment, but the practice team is also a possibility for him.

Depth DBs were disappointing

The PFF scores correspond to Zimmer's comments on the defensive backs in depth. Jayron Kearse, who is expected to play an important role in the defense, looks like an experienced NFL player and has ranked as such, but the only defensive backers ranked above 70 are Nate Meadors. (74.1) and the former AAF's Derron Smith. It seems that Smith has a chance if the Vikings retain four securities as in the past. Craig James (61.4), Duke Thomas (59.8) and Bene Benwikere (60.5) are side by side according to the PFF ranking system.

Brett Jones ranks exceptionally well

Depth has long been a problem for the Vikings, but they should feel happy to have Brett Jones as a C / G substitute. Not only has he put together good PFF ratings in the past, he has also dominated, even dominated, this pre-season. He is the only Viking to score above 90 and succeed exceptionally well by blocking passes and passes. That's not to say that he should steal anyone's work. It's just to say that it has a solid and proven depth if someone's a grave.

The Oli Udoh project was one of the best OL Vikings

When the Vikings chose Udoh in the sixth round, they recognized that the 6-foot-5 and 325-pound Elon tackler would have work ahead of him. At least against the third opposing teams, he showed a certain potential by posting the third highest note blocking the passes of players with more than 30 shots. He also landed in the category of having a good shot in a coaching team position.

Dru Samia is behind the other OL depth

The fourth player in Oklahoma is the fourth player in the lowest ranked offensive, despite a few flashes of strength and aggression. He spent time with the second team all last week and in the match against Seattle. It was therefore clear that the Vikings wanted to take a closer look at him in the face of stiffer competition. It would be surprising if it was not chosen given its potential but decisions will not be easy to make behind the starters. Danny Isidora, third on the bubble in 2017, has an average score of 65.0 and Dakota Dozier's positional flexibility could play in her favor.

Cole Hikutini makes a case

The Vikings repeatedly spoke of their tight end depth and Hikutini proved that there were good reasons to retain him after he had spent time in the team. Training last season. He has a solid score of 73.0 on 47 shots with the second and third teams. He has regularly put in place strong practices. Hukutini will not beat Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith or Tyler Conklin, but he gave the Vikings one reason at least to consider keeping four tight ends.

Mannion and Sloter have noted

Mannion may have had a choice of six, but PFF is not right to say that Chad Beebe misinterpreted the Seattle defense. The Vikings' QB # 2 has a solid score of 75.3 and 96.2, which gave the Vikings no reason to reduce it in favor of the young quarterbacks. Sloter earned a score of 77.2 and 137.1 on a 17-for-20 success rate. Decisions will be difficult on the offensive side, but Sloter may have done enough to convince the Vikings to keep him at the top of the table. n ° 3.

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