DAILY CLIPS

THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019 LOCAL NEWS: Thursday, April 4, 2019

SKOR North

Will Grier has parallels to recent Vikings QBs By Matthew Coller https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019/04/qb-will-grier-has-parallels-to-previous-draft-steals/

MULTIMEDIA LINKS: Thursday, April 4, 2019

Daniel Jeremiah's Three-Round Vikings Mock Draft Vikings Entertainment Network https://www.vikings.com/video/daniel-jeremiah-s-three-round-vikings-mock-draft

Pick 6 Mailbag Featuring Maurice Jones-Drew on Finding A Complement For Cook Via The Draft, Kubiak's Influence, More Vikings Entertainment Network https://www.vikings.com/video/pick-6-mailbag-featuring-maurice-jones-drew-on-finding-a-complement-for- cook-via

Lewis: Vikings Need To Improve Running Game, Big-Play Ability Via The Draft Vikings Entertainment Network https://www.vikings.com/video/rhett-lewis-vikings-need-to-improve-running-attack-big-play-ability

VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK: Thursday, April 4, 2019

Wilske Says Passion for People, Love of Football Reasons for 30 Years with Vikings By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/wilske-says-passion-for-people-love-of-football-reasons-for-30-years-with- viking

Lunchbreak: PFF Highlights NFL Units That ‘Need to be Addressed’ via Draft By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/lunchbreak-pff-highlights-nfl-units-that-need-to-be-addressed-via-draft

Prospect Profile: Kentucky Edge Rusher By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/prospect-profile-kentucky-edge-rusher-josh-allen

PUBLICATION: SKOR North DATE: 4/4/19

Will Grier has parallels to recent Vikings QBs

By Matthew Coller

Heading into the 2018 season, it appeared West Virginia’s Will Grier had a chance to play himself into the top spot in the 2019 NFL draft. The transfer from had put together a 34- junior season and was ready to compete for the Heisman.

Of course, at that time nobody saw or Dwayne Haskins coming. Both one-year starters put up gaudy numbers with Murray throwing for over 4,000 yards and running for another 1,000 and Haskins registering 50 . Murray took home the Heisman and is reportedly set to become the No. 1 overall pick of the .

While Grier finished fourth in the Heisman voting and threw for 3,864 yards, 37 touchdowns and just eight , the buzz surrounding him has gone almost completely quiet.

CBS Sports ranks him as the sixth best QB in the draft and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks left him out of his top-five. Not everyone has forgotten Grier. USA Today listed him fourth behind Murray, Haskins and Missouri’s . But it appears that he won’t be a first-round pick as some projected prior to his final college season.

On the Purple Podcast on SKOR North, former NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels said there are some similarities between Grier and ex Vikings QBs and .

“In some ways he sort of reminds me of Case Keenum,” Rosenfels said. “Not a big arm but sort of a gunslinger and is pretty mobile and can move around and make things happen. A lot of times NFL scouts and coaches are looking for the big arm and all those things. For me I always go back to, it’s not arm strength, I want accuracy and decision making. Will Grier is a pretty accurate quarterback and makes pretty good decisions. I do like him as a prospect and maybe a steal in those middle rounds.”

“He made other players around him better,” Rosenfels added. “We talked about that with Teddy Bridgewater and Case Keenum. They sort of make the offensive line better than they were because they could scramble a little bit and get them out of trouble.”

NFL.com’s noted some of the same skills in his write-up before the 2018 college season.

“The one word I would use to describe Grier: smooth,” Jeremiah wrote. “He’s an effortless thrower who’s very poised in the pocket. He has outstanding foot quickness in his setup and he’s elusive versus the pass rush. He has shown the ability to subtly side step edge pressure or spin around and escape the pocket. He is also effective creating plays as a runner on both zone reads and scrambles.”

NFL.com’s draft profile noted Grier’s high character — another similarity to Keenum and Bridgewater.

“You really like his character makeup and his confidence and the way he throws the deep ball. What you won’t like is that so many of his throws are tied directly to scheme and pre-snap reads.”

The Bridgewater comparison also matches up on paper. In Teddy’s final season at Louisville his stat line was nearly identical to Grier’s. Bridgewater passed for 3,970 yards, 31 touchdowns and four interceptions.

While Grier’s arm strength has been questioned — like Keenum and Bridgewater’s were at draft time — Pro Football Focus’s grades show the West Virginia star as one of the most impressive in the draft class. Here are his grades in different areas via PFF’s draft guide:

Grier ranks as the third best QB against the blitz in adjusted completion percentage.

Another comparison made by Jeremiah was Cincinnati’s . Jeremiah wrote:

“His skill set reminds me a lot of Andy Dalton when he was coming out of TCU. Both guys are very athletic and creative with the ball in their hands. They don’t wow you with size, but they have every tool necessary to play at a winning level for their team. They can use their legs to get out of trouble and they can also win from the pocket with accurate, on-schedule throws.”

Dalton was a second-round pick and became the Bengals’ long-term starter. While his tenure has been rocky Dalton is 67-50-2 as a starter.

The comparisons of Keenum, Bridgewater and Dalton could intrigue the .

With a serious need on the offensive line and other possible areas like and earmarked for the first two rounds, the Vikings likely won’t be interested in dedicating No. 18 or 50 to quarterback. But if Grier falls beyond that, there’s an argument for consideration.

Kirk Cousins is presently the franchise quarterback, but the future at the QB position beyond 2020 is unclear with Cousins’ contract expiring. If the Vikings picked a quarterback this year, they would have a full season to evaluate that player’s chances of taking over should Cousins or the Vikings decide to part ways after 2020. In the case that Cousins signed a long-term extension, the Vikings would have their backup QB on an extremely cheap contract — which is required with their current salary cap situation.

Backup Trevor Siemian landed with the Jets and free agent Sean Mannion visited and left without a contract. At the owner’s meetings, head coach left the door open to a possible draft pick to compete with developmental QB Kyle Sloter.

In recent years there have been a number of hits on QBs who slipped in the draft from Bridgewater to to Jimmy Garoppolo to to to Cousins. Grier’s pedigree and underlying statistics point in his direction as more flashy names dominate the headlines. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 4/4/19

Wilske Says Passion for People, Love of Football Reasons for 30 Years with Vikings

By Lindsey Young

EAGAN, Minn. – On a quiet day during the Vikings offseason, Hall of Fame Head Coach Bud Grant motions for a friend to join him at a table.

Kelly Wilske, Vikings Executive Assistant to the , crosses the cafeteria at TCO Performance Center and slides into a chair, greeting Grant. The legendary coach glances over at Wilske’s plate and offers a quip about her “picky” nature and tendency toward desserts. His voice is gruff, but his eyes smile.

The two are longtime friends. And interestingly, it’s Wilske’s sweet tooth that started her on a journey to Grant and the Vikings, where she has worked for the past 30 years.

I recently sat down with Wilske to discuss her longevity with the organization. This is what she shared with me.

Ask Wilske why she loves her job, and she’ll list many reasons, but first out of her mouth is that she loves the game of football.

It wasn’t always like that, however.

Wilske recalled growing up in Glencoe, Minnesota, where her father religiously followed the Vikings from the franchise’s inaugural 1961 season. Wilske’s mother consistently purchased various types of candy for her husband, who snacked on the sweets while watching games.

“If I watched the games, I could have the candy, too,” Wilske recalled with a laugh. “So, I always watched the games. Not because I cared about football but because of that damn candy.”

Over time, however, Wilske began to inquire about the game and learned the ins and outs, gradually becoming similarly passionate. She loved watching the Purple People Eaters and Grant, who soldiered the sidelines from 1967-83, and again in 1985.

Wilske became a football fan watching Grant, but it wasn’t until years later that she found herself working with him.

Wilske graduated high school and set her sights on attending the University of Minnesota; when she was told by her parents that college wasn’t a feasible opportunity, however, Wilske worked in finance at Northwest Airlines. She held the position for 10 years but opted to step away when her first son, Josh, was 2 years old.

She had a second son, Zak, a year later, and enjoyed being an at-home mother for her boys until Zak started first grade in 1989. At that time, she accepted a part-time job with the Minnesota Vikings and worked two days a week on players’ insurance and workman’s comp payments related to injuries.

When Wilske started, Patty Crowe held the position of Executive Assistant to the VP of Player Personnel. Crowe, who had been with the team since its founding, retired in 1990, and Wilske assumed the role she holds to this day.

Wilske first worked for Frank Gilliam, whom she called “awesome.”

“I still call him every year for his birthday,” she said of her former boss.

Her direct report was Gilliam, but Wilske also supported others in football operations, including Grant, who worked actively as a team consultant.

“Burnsie (Jerry Burns) was the head coach, and Bud was a consultant at the time, and I typed for him and made phone calls for him and stuff like that,” Wilske recalled.

Wilske soon got to know the coach she watched from a distance as a little girl. She told one story that especially struck her.

“One morning during a big snowstorm, his [SUV] wouldn’t start,” Wilske remembered. “He called me up and asked if I’d give him a jumpstart, and I said, ‘Sure.’

“So as I’m driving in a snowstorm on my way over to his house, I thought, ‘This is surreal, that Bud Grant and I would have a close enough relationship that he would call me to come jump his car,’ ” Wilske added with a chuckle.

Three decades spent with the walls of the Vikings headquarters are sure to produce stories, and Wilske has plenty of them.

There was the time legendary sports columnist Sid Hartman “chewed out” Gilliam because the team hadn’t drafted a specific Golden Gophers player.

“Sid said, ‘Do you know how many tickets you’d sell?’ And Frank responded, ‘I don’t give a ----. I’m in the business of finding good players and putting good players on the field. Ticketing isn’t my business. I don’t worry about that,’ ” Wilske recalled. “Sid being Sid, he still argued. Frank said, ‘Look – I don’t tell you how to do your job. Don’t you be telling me how to do mine.’

Added Wilske, “Frank immediately came over and apologized for swearing in front of a lady.”

There’s the time that Wilske and the other 11 female employees—a number that’s grown to 75 now — donned the new Vikings Zubaz gear and snapped a photo in front of the Winter Park offices to help market the gear.

“We got to keep all the clothes, and of course we wore the [pants] to games until we realized, ‘We really don’t look all that good,’ ” she laughed. “They’re pretty unbecoming on everybody.”

Or the time that Wilske helped make his flight home just after being drafted by the Vikings.

Minnesota selected Stringer with the 24th overall pick in 1995, and Wilske arranged travel for the tackle from his hometown of Warren, Ohio.

“He wasn’t even watching the draft. He was watching The Lion King,” Wilske said of the late Stringer who “had a big, big heart.”

When Wilske realized that Stringer did not have a driver’s license, she suggested that he bring his student ID card to the airport to pick up his prepaid ticket. The young athlete did so, arrived in Minnesota for his introductory press conference Saturday afternoon, was treated to a nice dinner by the team executives and prepared to fly back to Ohio the next day.

When Wilske was called out of the Vikings draft room Sunday for a phone call, though, Stringer was on the other line.

“He couldn’t find his student ID to pick up his ticket,” Wilske said. “He told me, ‘I can’t find it. I looked everywhere.’ So I said, ‘You know what? Is the ticket agent there? Put him on.’

“I asked the agent, ‘Do you happen to have the Star Tribune there?’ And he said, ‘Yeah,’ ” Wilske continued. “I said, ‘Go look at the front page of the sports section.’ He did, and I said, ‘OK, the picture on that page, is that the same person that’s standing in front of you? You can give him the boarding pass.’ ”

And just like that, Wilske had saved the day.

The past three decades have held countless memories for Wilske. She’s changed bosses and locations – it’s ironic that TCO Performance center was built on the former Northwest Airlines land – and her desk is now adorned with photos of her grandchildren (“my joys”), Ethan, Lilia and Harper.

But one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s Wilske’s love for her job.

“I’ve watched the game since I was a little girl, but I’ve learned what it takes to put a team on that field for game day. The game is so small compared to everything else that goes into it,” Wilske said. “Being in the position that I’ve been in for many years, it’s taught me so many things – how we acquire a player, how we release players – the intricacies of what it takes.”

She spoke of the shift in philosophy under Vikings Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf – the fourth ownership group she’s worked for – and General Manager .

“I’m so proud and open about working for the Vikings because we’ve come a long way in how we value things like character, integrity, honesty – all of those good things that we like to see in people – we see those in our players,” Wilske said. “The Vikings make that a priority.”

“[The Wilfs] are so kind and so generous,” Wilske continued. “They are just top-notch. They have such good values and are good people. I’m so appreciative of all that they’ve done for me.”

As Wilske celebrates her 30th anniversary with the Vikings, the thing she’s most grateful for? It’s the people she’s gotten to know along the way – like Grant, who notifies Wilske each time he visits the facility so the friends can have lunch.

“I’m a people person anyway, and the people I have met and gotten to know … it’s just been priceless. I feel like I’ve been very blessed,” Wilske said. “I love my job. I love the work, and I love the people.” PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 4/4/19

Lunchbreak: PFF Highlights NFL Units That ‘Need to be Addressed’ via Draft

By Lindsey Young

The Vikings may not have been particularly splashy during the first waves free agency, but they did a few important moves for the roster, including the addition of guard Josh Kline.

Kline brings a string of 46 consecutive starts to Minnesota and a fresh face to the offensive line room. The Vikings also re-signed center Brett Jones, whom they acquired via a trade with the Giants last year.

The NFL Draft is fast-approaching, and Minnesota could continue to bolster its offensive line that away.

Analytics site Pro Football Focus writer Mike Johnson recently listed five NFL units “that need to be addressed” via this year’s draft, and he included the Vikings line. Johnson wrote:

As a unit, the Vikings produced a 64.0 pass-blocking grade (27th) and 53.0 run-blocking grade (25th) in 2018. The offensive line also led the NFL last season by allowing 226 total pressures on the year. Their 80.9 pass- blocking efficiency rating in 2018 ranked 29th in the NFL, and over the course of the last three seasons, they have allowed 695 total pressures, 24th among teams.

Johnson pointed out the Vikings moves with Jones and Kline as well as returning tackle Rashod Hill but opined that depth at the position should still be improved.

The other four units Johnson covered were the Chiefs secondary, Cardinals offensive line, Giants defense and the Ravens pass rush.

Jim Nantz shares anecdote from 1992 Final Four in Metrodome

A little more than a year after hosting LII, Minneapolis will again draw national attention this weekend when U.S. Bank Stadium hosts the 2019 Final Four.

CBS Sports’ will be at the Vikings home Saturday and Monday to do play-by-play for a 29th consecutive Final Four.

He recently spoke with Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press and recalled his first experience in Minneapolis for the event, more than 25 years ago. Nantz, who joined CBS in 1985, was a top-ranked golfer and preparing for the Master’s when the Metrodome hosted the 1992 Final Four. Tomasson wrote:

Just before the start of the 1992 Final Four, [Fred] Couples and [Blaine] McCallister decided to make a last- minute trip to Minnesota for the semifinal games on Saturday featuring teams from Cincinnati, Michigan, Duke and Indiana. It didn’t matter that the Masters would start the next Thursday, an event Couples won the following weekend.

There were some initial problems with their plan. The golfers couldn’t come up with tickets to the games or a hotel room for the night.

As it turned out, tickets weren’t needed. Nantz and then-CBS analyst Billy Packer decided to turn the golfers into gofers.

“We were their runners,” Couples told Tomasson. “We sat right behind them and if they wanted a Coca-Cola or popcorn, our job was to run to the media room and get them something. They were great seats. It was so loud. It was amazing.”

Nantz said, “We’re out of the celebrity runner business,” however – so don’t expect any famous faces to be running errands for this weekend’s Final Four. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 4/4/19

Prospect Profile: Kentucky Edge Rusher Josh Allen

By Eric Smith

Edge rusher | Kentucky | Senior

Height: 6-foot-5 | Weight: 262 pounds

College Stats

2018: Played and started in all 13 games; recorded team-high 88 tackles with 17 sacks (1.31 sacks per game ranked second in FBS), 21.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles (tied for second in the nation) and two fumble recoveries; named a consensus First-Team All-American; was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018; earned First-Team All-SEC honors; became first player in school history to win each of four major national Defensive Player of the Year awards (Nagurski, Bednarik, and Lambert Awards, along with the Lott IMPACT Trophy)

Career: The reliable edge rusher played in all 51 career games, starting 35 of them; recorded team-high 224 tackles with 31.5 sacks (school record), 41.5 tackles for loss (second in school history), 11 forced fumbles (tied school record), two fumble recoveries, one and one blocked kick; named a consensus First-Team All-American in 2018; earned First-Team All-SEC honors as a senior

Profile

Summary: Allen fits the lean and long mold for a prototypical linebacker that NFL teams want these days as he is 6-foot-5 and north of 250 pounds. He is an athletic specimen who turned those traits into plenty of production in college. Projected to be a top-10 of even top-5 selection in the draft, Allen has the potential to be a game- changing edge rusher that teams covet.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote that Allen is a “true hybrid linebacker with elite physical traits who has the ability to float between coverage and pass rush duties. Allen's diverse skill set could offer a creative defensive mind a fun toy to deploy around the field, but his NFL value will rest in his ability to menace the pocket as 3-4 rush linebacker. He's fine-tuned a couple of go-to rush moves but will need to continue to diversify his rush portfolio as a pro.”

Allen’s full scouting report on NFL.com can be found here.

Stacking up: NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks and draft analyst Dane Brugler, who writes for The Athletic, both have Allen as the second-best edge rusher behind . Brooks wrote that Allen “is a cheetah off the edge,” while Brugler said there is no debate Allen is among the elite players in this draft class. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com had Allen as the third overall player on his most-recent list of the Top 50 prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft, which is the same spot he had him before the combine.

Quite the correlation: Allen’s 17 sacks in 2018 were good for an average of 1.31 per game that was the second- best rate in Division I FBS. That translated to team success, as Kentucky’s defense did not allow a single point on a drive in which Allen recorded a sack.