Spielman's 7: The draft picks must develop to be a success

Vikings success might depend on how soon first-round draft picks become key players

By Matt Vensel matt.vensel@startribune.com

The Vikings haven't been able to field a consistent winner since General Manager Rick Spielman took control of their draft room. But as far as NFL draftniks are concerned, the Vikings have been undefeated in the months of April and May.

With an unprecedented run, at least in the modern-day NFL, of seven players drafted in the first round in three years, the Vikings were immediately crowned by many observers with keyboards as big "winners" after the first round of each of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 drafts.

In 2012, one prominent NFL writer called Spielman the "shrewdest among the wheelers and dealers" after he selected both left tackle Matt Kalil and safety Harrison Smith in Round 1.

A year later, the league's official website said the Vikings "nailed it" after adding defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson before Mel Kiper Jr.'s hair gel melted under the bright lights at Radio City Music Hall.

And this past May, the Vikings had another "huge draft" when they selected outside linebacker Anthony Barr then double-dipped with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

"I can't tell you how exciting it is to be able to be a part of this draft and to do things we've been able to do the last couple of years," Spielman said in May, minutes after trading back into the first round for a third straight draft.

But for Spielman and the Vikings, the wheeling and dealing was the easy part.

Now the Vikings and new coach Mike Zimmer must develop those seven first-round picks from promising youngsters into proven stars. Each of them, including rookies Barr and Bridgewater, have been tossed into the pool, giving the Vikings one of the NFL's youngest rosters. And it's up to Zimmer and his experienced coaching staff to make sure Spielman's seven don't sink, all while trying to keep this team afloat in the loaded NFC.

Learning curve

The Vikings hired Zimmer, in part, because of his reputation for polishing young defenders.

During his time in Cincinnati, Zimmer was hailed for his role in the development of mid-round players like defensive tackle Geno Atkins. But he also had success with top picks such as cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, recent draftees whom he inherited when the Bengals hired him in 2008.

Before then, former Cowboys first-rounder DeMarcus Ware became a perennial Pro Bowler after Zimmer coached him up in Dallas.

"I think the one thing just going back with Zim over the years is that he's consistent," defensive coordinator George Edwards said. "What we start fundamentally and technique-wise doesn't really change."

Much of a youngster's education takes place during spring workouts and training camp. Because so much of the focus during the season is placed on the next opponent, there is not much time left to coach up young players. So Zimmer, his coordinators and the position coaches do what they can in the extra time they get with them in the meeting room and before practice, making sure they learn his techniques, which differ from former coach Leslie Frazier's.

"I'm not saying what we're doing is the right way or the wrong way, but it's the way we're gonna do it," Zimmer said last month. "We have some young players that are still learning the game of football."

Smith, the safety, said that the individualized training he had with former position coach Joe Woods and current defensive backs coach Jerry Gray played the biggest role in his development from No. 29 pick into a potential Pro Bowl player in his third season.

"That's the real difference in the NFL," Smith said. "I've only been here a couple of years, but everybody is talented, everybody is athletic and everybody can run. But the guys who can pick it up quick, I think that's where you see the difference."

Some success, some struggles

In his third year, Smith is making Spielman, who declined to be interviewed for this story, look smart as he thrives as a jack of all trades in Zimmer's aggressive scheme.

After being eased into the defense as rookies, Floyd and Rhodes are full-time starters this season and, despite a little bit of expected turbulence, appear to steadily be on the rise.

And Barr has somehow exceeded the expectations that come with being an early-round pick, playing pretty much every snap and making an impact in a variety of ways.

But two of Spielman's seven have experienced growing pains this season.

Kalil made the Pro Bowl as an alternate as a rookie, but has regressed since. His play was uneven in 2013. And midway through the 2014 season, Kalil has allowed the most sacks (eight) and quarterback pressures (32) among all offensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. He has also gotten tossed around at times in the running game.

"I think any time you make a big investment in a first-round-caliber player and they start off really well and there's a dip, sometimes it's because the first time through the batting order they're fine," former Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage said, speaking generally about young players. "But the second time through, people know their strengths and weaknesses. In his league, the NFL, if they find out you can't hit the curveball, that's all you're gonna see until you can show you can hit it."

Kalil admitted earlier this season that he had lost his confidence. And Zimmer recently said he sees a young player who is over-thinking and over-tweaking, which has led to inconsistency.

The Vikings have stuck with Kalil, in part because there is no better option on the roster. But they also know that playing the only way that Kalil can regain his rookie form.

Patterson's performance is a more complicated case. After national analysts predicted a breakout season, he is on pace for 50 catches for just 598 yards and two touchdowns.

Patterson doesn't run crisp routes and doesn't consistently separate from man coverage. But because he plays wide receiver, his production has been affected by things he can't control.

"He's the last link in the chain," said Savage, now an NFL analyst for ESPN and the executive director of the Senior Bowl. "You've got to have the protection. You've got to have the quarterback. The quarterback's got to throw the ball accurately. The play-caller has got to call some things that can get him the ball. And I know there's been some conversation about him not playing as well and not getting the ball as much or whatever, but it is hard. It is a lot harder sometimes for a wide receiver to show up and make a splash consistently."

Finding the franchise QB

Still, despite some of the struggles that are to be expected when top picks are thrust into critical roles, Savage likes the concept of what Spielman and the Vikings have tried to do, especially because they haven't mortgaged future first-round picks while trading up each year.

"They've taken guys at impact positions," Savage said.

It reminds him a little bit of his early years in Baltimore, where the Ravens, with Savage as their director of college scouting, laid the foundation of a Super Bowl team when they drafted Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round in 1996. Lewis is expected to join Ogden in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a few years.

"When you take guys in the first round, you're kind of putting it all out on the table saying, 'Hey, we're betting big here on these guys,' " Savage said.

And whether the Vikings hit on their quarterback may end up being the key to Spielman's plan.

In the months leading up to the draft, the Vikings seemed to be making a conscious effort to do things differently than they did after they selected Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in 2011 and installed him as a rookie starter before he was ready.

For starters, they re-signed veteran Matt Cassel even though they planned to select a quarterback early in the draft. Then they were patient on the first night of the draft, taking Barr with the ninth pick then trading for the 32nd to halt Bridgewater's first-round fall.

"I think they were definitely sensitive to what happened with Christian Ponder," Savage said. "But at the same time they recognized pretty early on that this kid's got some moxie."

After an impressive spring and a mostly competent training camp from Bridgewater, the Vikings felt that the former Louisville star was ready to play right away. But they stuck with Cassel, who broke his foot in Week 3, unexpectedly ushering Bridgewater into the huddle.

He shined against the Atlanta Falcons in his first NFL start, but struggled in the next two as the pocket caved in around him. He was again inconsistent in the overtime win over the Buccaneers, but he did lead a game-tying drive in the final minutes of regulation.

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner's grades are always harsher than Bridgewater expects, but Bridgewater said he has seen slow but steady progress on his Monday report cards.

"I'm able to just look back and see some of the development that I'm making, some of the progress," he said. "I also know that there's still room for improvement. I have a long way to go and it's a long season."

Seeking long-term solutions

But when it comes to top picks, the patience doesn't always extend beyond the walls of the offices of the coaches and GM. Smashing success is expected right away, and when it doesn't happen, as with Floyd and Patterson early last season, you start to hear the dreaded "bust" word.

"I do think there has to be an understanding from ownership, and even the fans and the local media, that these guys have taken an awfully young player here and there are going to be some struggles," Savage said. "It's probably not going to be an automatic that this guy comes in and plays well right away. There's definitely a ton of pressure on any player in the first round."

NFL coaches like to say they don't treat players any differently based on their draft status or the size of their paychecks. But with so much invested in first-round picks — draft assets, money, time and emotion — Smith believes teams generally have more patience with them.

"All across the NFL, the higher you're picked, the more opportunities you're going to get to be on the field," Smith said. "That's just how it is. It's the reality of the business."

Zimmer, who considers himself a teacher above all else, is excited about molding these athletic specimens, especially the ones on defense, into standout players. But he is a competitor, too. He wants to win now and must walk a tightrope between the present and the future, the one that got all those draftniks excited in the first place.

"The reality of it is that you're not worried about winning right now," Savage said. "They've got to put everything that they can into making sure that these prospects can actually become anchors in their program. They've got to make sure that Matt Kalil plays better. They've got to make sure that Teddy Bridgewater can really become that long-term answer at quarterback.

"And I think the good news for the Vikings is that I get the sense that with a new coach and a new staff with a general manager and a scouting staff that has been in place, there's real belief that what they've done is the right thing and they won't jump ship on any of these guys. They've got to be all-in with these particular players, because if they can hit six out of seven — especially if the quarterback is one of them — then they'll have a great chance to be competitive, for sure."