Dein erstes Forum » The Minnesota Vikings selected Alabama tight end

EAGAN http://www.jaguarscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-quincy-williams-ii-jersey , Minn. — with the 50th overall pick in the second round on Friday night, adding another potential field-stretching pass-catcher for quarterback Kirk Cousins.Smith became the fourth Alabama tight end drafted in the last eight years, with O.J. Howard the most recent in 2017 by Tampa Bay with the 19th overall pick in the first round. Smith is the son of former NFL tight end Irv Smith, who played the first five of his seven seasons in the league with New Orleans after being drafted in the first round in 1993 out of Notre Dame.Vikings NFL Draft CoverageHow NFL draft affected Vikings’ 2019 opponentsMinnesota Vikings 2019 NFL Draft gradesMinnesota Vikings 2019 NFL draft capsulesVikings take fliers on CB Boyd, WR Mitchell, WR Johnson, LS Cutting in seventh roundVikings use sixth round to draft DT Watts, S Epps, OT UdohVikings draft USC linebacker Cameron Smith in fifth roundVikings trade up in fourth round, draft guard Dru SamiaVikings trade down four times, use third-round pick to select RB MattisonPotential Vikings Day 2 picks in 2019 NFL draftVikings select C Garrett Bradbury with 18th overall pick in 2019 NFL draft“Just seeing all his footballs, his helmets, his trophies, everything around the house, just seeing all that motivated me to put myself in the position I’m in today,” Smith said Ryquell Armstead Jersey , acknowledging on a conference call with reporters that, yes, his father had plenty to do with him settling at the same position.“He said, ‘You can either be a slow receiver or a fast tight end,'” Smith said. “I went with being a fast tight end, and it worked out.”With the Crimson Tide, Smith played sparingly as a freshman in 2016 while Howard was still a primary cog in the offense. For the 2017 national champions, Smith became more involved with 14 catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Then last year as a junior, he flourished with 44 receptions for 710 yards and seven scores. Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, the fourth-fastest among tight ends, and he was the third player off the board at his position after Iowa teammates T.J. Hockenson (eighth overall to Detroit) and Noah Fant (20th overall to Denver) went in the first round on Thursday night.“We can line him up wide. We can line him up in tight. We can use him in the backfield. He has a lot of versatility,” Vikings director of college scouting Jamaal Stephenson said, adding: “We want to be more explosive on offense.”As a run blocker?“He’s OK. He’s a work in progress, more from that standpoint, but he’s certainly tough enough and willing, which are the two things you look for to project improvement http://www.jaguarscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-gardner-minshew-ii-jersey ,” Stephenson said.The Vikings have Kyle Rudolph and David Morgan for that, for now. The ninth-year veteran Rudolph has not missed a game in five seasons, is a bulwark in the community, has two Pro Bowl selections on his resume and is coming off a strong 2018, but he’s in the final year of his contract with a $7.625 million salary cap hit. Smith’s presence could make Rudolph expendable, should the Vikings seek more space under the cap.“All the best tight ends in the NFL and all the greats, they’re able to do both, run block and make plays in the passing game, so it opens a lot for you and it helps a team in all phases of the game,” Smith said.Make no mistake, though. He’s here to create a mismatch by lining up in the slot and giving defenses concerned about wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs pause about who to cover him with.“I believe no linebacker or safety one-on-one can stay with me, and I’m going to keep proving to people that’s how I feel,” Smith said.The Vikings picked North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury in the first round on Thursday, shoring up their greatest need: the interior of the offensive line. The Vikings netted an additional sixth-rounder for Saturday by swapping spots in the third round with Detroit. METAIRIE, La. (AP) — New Saints running back Latavius Murray doesn’t see himself as a replacement for his friend and former offseason training partner, Mark Ingram — not that he can’t appreciate why others might view him as such.“Human nature for fans or anybody is to compare us Marquise Brown Jersey , because obviously a very good running back leaves and we have to fill that void,” Murray said Thursday after New Orleans completed its sixth full-squad voluntary practice of the offseason.“My job is to come in here and do what I can do and provide for this team what I can provide, so there’s no added pressure when it comes to that.“To think about replacing someone — I don’t think of it as that. I can’t,” Murray added. “They brought me in because they feel that I can help.”Murray, 29, who has rushed for as many as 1,066 yards in a season (in 2015 with the Raiders), sees himself as a short-yardage, power rusher who can serve as an effective complement to New Orleans’ versatile and shifty first-string running back, Alvin Kamara.“What’s most important for a back is to bring to the table what you can bring and just be you,” Murray said. “There’s different guys that can do different things and obviously Alvin does some things different — better — than I can do. But I know what I can bring to the table.”Murray said he is not averse to experimenting as a potential receiving target out of the backfield, but figures he needs to focus most on running “between the tackles, downhill, scoring when I’m down there, getting tough yards, protecting the quarterback — those are things that I pride myself in and those are things that I’ve done well.”Murray was signed by New Orleans as a free agent in March http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/jaylon-ferguson-jersey-authentic , shortly before Ingram — the Saints’ 2011 first-round draft pick — accepted a free-agent offer from Baltimore .Shortly after, Murray said he called Ingram and “just told him, first off, I was happy for him and his new deal and his new team, which is a really good team. And he just told me to hit him up if I needed any advice, anything around the area, and just told me that I would love this locker room and love the guys in there.”Murray is also joining some fellow former Vikings who also have recently signed with New Orleans, including interior lineman Nick Easton. Murray bonds well with offensive linemen and his “physicality” as a runner stands out, Easton said.“He knows how to get a first down and he breaks a few (long runs), so he’s a good back,” Easton said.Murray is entering his seventh pro season out of UCF, where as a senior in 2012 he rushed for 1,106 yards, caught 27 passes and finished with 1,337 yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage.The Oakland Raiders, then coached by current Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen Miles Boykin Jersey , drafted Murray in the sixth round.An ankle injury landed Murry on injured reserve in August 2013, wiping out his rookie season, but he has played in 77 regular-season games during the previous five seasons — the first three with Oakland and past two with Minnesota.While with the Raiders, he conducted some offseason workouts in south Florida with Ingram, and more recently joined Ingram on a USO tour.During his stint with the Vikings, Murray worked in tandem with running back Dalvin Cook and mistakenly said, “Dalvin,” when referring to Kamara before quickly correcting himself.“Sorry. Alvin. I’ve got to get used to that,” Murray said with a self-effacing smile. “When you get Alvin out there in space against some linebackers and here I’m in the backfield and the (opposing) team doesn’t know if you’re going to hand the ball off or throw it to one of the guys out there … things like that are just hard to defend.“It’s just my job to make sure I’m doing what I do best so that I’m involved in those situations and can continue to make them an advantage for us.”Notes: Kamara missed Thursday’s practice with what coach Sean Payton described as a “stomach bug.” … Payton also said starting right guard Larry Warford, who has not been seen at practices open to reporters this week and last week, is rehabilitating from an undisclosed injury and should be available to practice “sooner than later.”