The NFL Draft is still three months off Eric Kendricks Jersey , but it’s not too soon to start looking at some top draft picks the Vikings could select at the end of Aprilon’t be much more to evaluate now until the Combine, which probably isn’t as insightful.The first profile is of OL Dalton Risner (Rise -ner).Risner’s Draft Stock is Rising After the Senior BowlI'm not sure where the consensus had Dalton Risner going in the draft prior to the Senior Bowl, but afterward he looks to be a solid mid-to-late first round pick.Hopefully he'll be an option for the Vikings at #18.Risner is out of Kansas State, where he has dominated at right tackle for the past three years.He played a year at center as well early on.He hasn’t given up a sack since 2016.But the ding against all small school prospects is that they haven’t faced top competition.Risner faced off against Montez Sweat- a top edge rusher in this years draft- in one game, and held up well.Beyond that, however, not so much too competition.That is why the Senior Bowl is so important to his draft stock.The Senior Bowl gives small school prospects the opportunity to show what they can do against top competition, and by pretty much all accounts Risner shined against Senior Bowl competition.Risner Brings Tenacity, Toughness - and LeadershipThe point behind these clips of Risner in the Senior Bowl, however, isn’t so much to Dalton Risner has been one of the better offensive linemen in college football for a long time now, largely due to his masterful hand technique and punishing demeanor. Extremely physical and aggressive, Risner has started three straight seasons at right tackle for Kansas State, locking down every type of rusher and hardly ever losing a 1v1 matchup. In the run game, he brings power and technique, while also being able to get out in space and make high degree of difficulty blocks on a per game basis.- Jon Ledyard, The Draft Networkdemonstrate HOW he played, but WHAT KIND of player he is. Risner has been described as extremely tenacious and nasty, bringing a mauler’s mentality to the trenches.He was also a team captain for three years, and actively communicated with his teammates to make adjustments.He comes across very well spoken and intelligent. These leadership and communication skills will be prized by coaches - along with his nasty streak -and for the Vikings could bring some much needed edge and swagger to an offensive line that seldom imposes its will.Risner can play all five positions along the line if need be, and measured 6”4 5/8” , 308 lbs. Trae Waynes Jersey , with 34 1/4” arms, 10 5/8” hands, and 81” wingspan at the Senior Bowl.But his mauler mentality, communication and leadership skills, combined with some weakness in footwork outside, make him a better fit as an interior lineman in the NFL - most likely center - where he played as a freshman.He would also be a good fit at guard.Risner played all his reps during the Senior Bowl at right tackle, where he’s played for the past three years, which was smart.Sometimes linemen play a new or multiple positions for the Senior Bowl - where they are projected in the NFL, and do poorly as a result.Risner also stated that he wanted to prove himself as a tackle (more money, higher draft position), but that he’d play anywhere his team wanted him to play.He also checks all the boxes in terms of being able to start at a high level as a rookie - solid technique, good anchor, excellent functional strength and hand usage, elite recognition and mental processing to deal with twists and blitzes. He’s also a “high character guy” and a “tough, physical, smart football player with a passion for the game of football,” two phrases we’re likely to hear repeated again by Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer as they describe the type of players they’re after in the draft.Kansas State, where Risner played, used primarily inside zone runs but also some gap blocking schemes, so Risner will be used to working with both schemes.The Vikings use more zone blocking these days.So from a scheme standpoint, I wouldn’t expect Risner to have any difficulty adapting to the Vikings scheme. The main drawbacks on Risner is that he’ll be a 24 year old rookie, and he had shoulder surgery after the 2017 season (although he missed only one game in five years at Kansas State).Bottom line, Risner could be just the tonic the Vikings interior offensive line needs to get off the schneid and into a more dominant groove next season.The Vikings reportedly met with Risner during the Senior Bowl Mackensie Alexander Jersey , so there is some interest.I would expect a lot of sites mocking him to the Vikings at #18 in the coming months.We’ll see what happens a the end of April.Here is a more complete draft profile of Dalton Risner. Another O-lineman is added, and the front office broadens the search to overseas as they seek to find new talent"Merry Tuesday, everyone!Hey, the Vikings signed another offensive lineman yesterday, and while it wasn’t a big-named signing, it did add one more player to the O-line group, and it is being reported that there are officials in the Vikings front office who have mentioned the possibility of the team actually having enough linemen to field an entire five-man position group by opening day. While that sentiment is definitely not the majority view, there were at least two in the Vikings FO who mentioned the long-shot possibility. One official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also provided some reassurance to the growing number of fans who are expressing concern about the O-line. “Fans need to remember that these guys are athletes. In t-ball, if you don’t have enough guys to field an entire team, you just go without a rover and play three outfielders. Heck, those kids don’t complain, and they aren’t professional athletes,they don’t get paid, and they cover a LOT of ground out there. If they can do it, you can bet that our guys can do it. If we only have four linemen on opening day, those four men will be ready to go, they’ll go the extra mile and do a bit more running if that’s what it takes to win. They don’t even have that much ground to cover when you think about it.It’s nowhere near as hard as being a center fielder on a day when there are only two guys playing outfield. You ever see that? Man, those kids run their tails off. These O-linemen only have a small space to cover, it won’t be a problem at all. I honestly don’t know why we feel the need to use five guys for that little area, anyway. I mean, they’re big and all Laquon Treadwell Jersey , but they aren’t all slow. I’ll tell you what, some of those guys can really move when they want to. No, you tell those fans that we’re going to be just fine, they’re worrying over nothing. If they don’t believe me, they should just go watch a t-ball game in some small town on a day when only 8 kids show up for a game. You watch how those kids go out there and play, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.”(None of the above is true, to the best of my knowledge, other than portions of the first sentence or two, and that isn’t really guaranteed, either. The entire rambling paragraph was the creation of a mind that is tired, but is also attached to a stubborn human that is still in a good mood, despite the fatigue.)Around the DN since our last open thread:As mentioned above, the Vikings re-signed C/G Brett Jones, per Warren. See? Warren must have heard that same anonymous front office guy, he has Jones playing the C/G position. That’s all you have to do when you only have four linemen. Instead of having a center and two guards, you just have two guys play C/G. Simple fix.MarkSP18 is the GM of the Vikings in the 2019 SB Nation Community Mock Draft. Vikings folks were in attendance at a workout for international prospects, from Chris. Chris continues to maintain your Vikings Free Agency tracker.Vikings news from other sources, news from around the NFL, and anything else I can find.At Vikings.com, Wobby opens the Monday Morning Mailbag, and the guys on the NFLN project the NFL ceilings for the top O-line prospects in the 2019 draft.From the rumor mill on SI.com, Gruden and Mayock may be looking for Carr’s replacement, and we may see more big NFL trades prior to draft day.We come to today’s media selection:As Vikings fans Ben Gedeon Jersey , it’s true that we’ve had some......rough endings to seasons. However, it’s also true that we have had the pleasure of cheering for Vikings players who were the absolute best of their time, or possibly, the best to ever play their positions. Guys like Moss, Carter, and the guy in the video below. He is one of our players from the recent past who is easily an all-time top 10 running back, and was THE best to play the position when he was wearing purple and gold. Adrian Peterson was a lot of fun to watch, enjoy!Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:No discussion of politics or religionNo feeding of the trollsThis isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the doorKeep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tagsNo pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employerIf you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go awayWhile navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasmWith that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up and tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, and try the chitlins.