Minnesota

Picks, Needs, Possible Targets on Saturday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 27, 2024

Picks, Needs, Possible Targets on Saturday

After a busy first night of the 2024 NFL Draft saw the Vikings land J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, Day 2 came and went without Minnesota making any picks. Their second-rounder was traded in March in a deal for the 23rd pick, and their third-rounder was moved a couple years ago in the T.J. Hockenson deal.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings will be back in action for Day 3 on Saturday, with five picks at their disposal and plenty of needs to address. As is always the case, there’s still plenty of talent available after the first three rounds. Here’s a quick preview of an important day for the Vikings, which begins at 11 a.m. CT.

Vikings 2024 draft picks

* Round 1, Pick 10: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
* Round 1, Pick 17: Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama
* Round 4, Pick 108
* Round 6, Pick 177
* Round 6, Pick 203
* Round 7, Pick 230
* Round 7, Pick 232

Day 3 needs

Defensive tackle: Minnesota has one of the five worst DT rooms in the NFL. Harrison Phillips is a solid nose tackle, but Jonathan Bullard is a replacement-level player who starts for the Vikings and the pressure-creating options are Jerry Tillery and Jaquelin Roy. This is a glaring need.

Cornerback: The Vikings’ starting corners are in place with Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin, and Mekhi Blackmon, but they could really use another young piece at that position with a chance to develop into a contributor. 2022 draft picks Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans have not panned out.

Left guard: Dalton Risner remains a free agent, so the Vikings’ current projected starter at LG is Blake Brandel, who has been a backup throughout his career. They need competition at that spot.

Wide receiver: You can never have too many wide receivers. The Vikings let K.J. Osborn walk in free agency, so it would be helpful if they could grab someone who can enter the depth mix with Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield, and Jalen Nailor.

Kicker: The Vikings need to add a kicker to compete with John Parker Romo, who they signed from the XFL. That could be an option in the seventh round or undrafted free agency.

Others: On defense, linebacker and safety are both options where the Vikings could add someone with versatility and special teams value. They could also take another edge rusher. On offense, don’t rule out tight end or running back. Basically the only position that would be surprising is quarterback.

Potential targets with pick 108

If the Vikings don’t trade down (which feels like a real possibility), they’ll have the eighth pick of the fourth round on Saturday morning, and then nothing until the first pick of the sixth round. These players are among those who would make sense at 108:

Vikings have the 8th pick in the fourth round tomorrow morning. Some notable names still on the board:
CB Khyree Jackson
CB TJ Tampa
CB Cam Hart
DT Mekhi Wingo
DT Brandon Dorlus
OG Christian Mahogany
OG Mason McCormick
WR Javon Baker
WR Troy Franklin
LB Cedric Gray
S Jaden Hicks
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) April 27, 2024

That’s obviously just a small portion of the players who could be under consideration for the Vikings in the fourth round. Keep an eye on Jackson and Baker, who took top-30 visits to Minnesota recently.

Late-round names to know

The following players visited the Vikings during the pre-draft process and could be options in the 6th or 7th round (or as UDFAs).

* LSU IOL Charles Turner III
* Oregon DT Taki Taimani
* Tennessee TE McCallan Castles
* UNC OT Spencer Rolland
* UNI DT Khristian Boyd
* Washington RB Dillon Johnson
* Iowa TE Erick All
* USF OT Donovan Jennings
* CFL CB Qwan’tez Stiggers
* Ohio State S Josh Proctor
* Memphis RB Blake Watson
* UTSA WR Joshua Cephus
* TCU S Millard Bradford

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long.

Follow Will Ragatz on X/Twitter

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Minnesota

Prince's 'Purple Rain' coat to be displayed for free at Minnesota History Center

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Press Room

Prince's 'Purple Rain' coat to be displayed for free at Minnesota History Center

The 40th anniversary of “Purple Rain” is coming this summer and Minnesota is all in to join the party.

To celebrate the 1984 movie that catapulted Prince to international stardom, the Minnesota History Center will showcase one of his iconic outfits from the film.

A purple trench coat with a studded right shoulder and white ruffled shirt will be on display in the lobby of the Gale Family Library at the History Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays May 9 through July 27. There is no charge to view it.

The outfit was designed by Louis Wells, Vaughn Terry and Marie France. The Minneapolis music icon wore it during one of his performances at First Avenue in the movie.

The History Center acquired the outfit and other Prince memorabilia in 1987.

The movie, which was shot mostly in Minneapolis, and its soundtrack led to three Grammys and an Oscar and featured the hit songs “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Purple Rain.”

There will be all kinds of other commemorative activities including concerts by the Revolution at First Avenue, a 40th anniversary book by podcaster Andrea Swensson and the annual Celebration at Paisley Park.

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Minnesota

Toronto cruises past Minnesota 4-0 in first PWHL playoff game

Published

9 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

Toronto cruises past Minnesota 4-0 in first PWHL playoff game

WCCO digital update: Afternoon of May 8, 2024

02:05

Blayre Turnbull scored two goals to lead Toronto to a 4-0 win over Minnesota in the first-ever Professional Women’s Hockey League playoff game on Wednesday night.

Natalie Spooner, with the opening goal and one assist, and Emma Maltais also scored for top-seeded Toronto in front of 8,473 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum, the home of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies.

Kristen Campbell posted a 26-save shutout. Nicole Hensley stopped 16 shots for fourth-seeded Minnesota.

Game 2 in the best-of-five semifinal is set for Friday in Toronto.

The hosts entered Wednesday winners of four straight to close the regular season, including a 4-1 win over Minnesota last Wednesday.

Toronto went 2-1-0-1 against Minnesota in the regular season. Minnesota earned a 3-1 victory on Jan. 10.

Spooner opened the scoring at 9:47 of the first period to the delight of the deafening home crowd. The PWHL scoring champion took a pass from Hannah Miller and fired a wrister that went top corner past Hensley’s glove.

Maltais made it 2-0 at the 55-second mark of the second period. Nurse drew the attention of two defenders approaching the slot and found a streaking Maltais who backhanded it between Hensley’s pads.

Turnbull got in on the action with 4:55 remaining in the middle frame. She took the puck up ice, sent it off to Spooner who dished it back and Turnbull tapped it in.

Turnbull netted her second of the contest with 37.8 seconds left in the game. She buried home a rebound from a Miller miss.

Minnesota ended with a 26-20 edge in shots.

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Minnesota

Minnesota Baseball: Gophers to Retire John Anderson’s #14

Published

16 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

Minnesota Baseball: Gophers to Retire John Anderson’s #14

The Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team announced on Wednesday that they will be retiring long time Minnesota manager John Anderson’s #14 in a ceremony prior to Saturday’s game. Anderson who announced in December that he would be retiring at the end of the season will manage his final three games at Siebert Field this weekend when the Gophers host Michigan State. This season is his 43rd leading the Gophers and his 49th overall at Minnesota including his time spent as a player, student assistant coach, graduate assistant and assistant coach.

Before the second game of the series between the Gophers and Spartans on Saturday a special ceremony will be held to honor Anderson. A mural of Anderson will be unveiled on the left field wall at Siebert Field. Anderson’s mural will be the seventh added to the wall in left field. He will join former Gophers Paul Giel (No. 34), Dick Siebert (No. 24), Dave Winfield (No. 31), Paul Molitor (No. 11), David Chelesnik (No. 26) and Herb “Ike” Isakson (No. 5) in having his number retired. Siebert Field will open at 12:30 p.m. and fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 1:15 p.m. The game against Michigan State is slated to start at 2 p.m. after the on-field ceremony.

Anderson has had a long and illustrious career as the manager of the Gophers. In 43 seasons he is the winningest baseball coach in the history of the Big Ten. During his tenure, the Gophers have won 11 Big Ten titles, 10 Big Ten Tournament championships and made 18 NCAA tournament appearances.

Anderson has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year eight times, most recently in 2018 after leading Minnesota to a Big Ten Championship and the Super Regionals for the first time in program history.

Under his watch, 115 Gophers have been drafted to the MLB. With two selections in the 2023 draft, the Gophers extended their draft streak to 36 consecutive years. The streak is the longest in the Big Ten with Ohio State (12 years) and Michigan (10 years) as the next closest Big Ten teams. Anderson has coached 28 All-America selections, nine Big Ten Players of the Year, three Big Ten Pitchers of the Year and four Big Ten Freshman of the Year during his tenure. He’s had a winning record in 36 seasons.

It’s a crucial series for the Gophers who are fighting to get into the top 8 in the Big Ten standings to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota currently sits in a tie for 11th place at 7-11 in Big Ten play while Michigan State is in 7th place at 9-9. Minnesota closes out the regular season next weekend at last place Northwestern. The Gophers at minimum most likely need to take two of the from MSU this weekend.

Minnesota will have Anderson themed give-aways both Friday and Saturday. On Friday night the first 250 people will receive a free #14 jersey koozie, and on Saturday the first 500 people will receive a free John Anderson commerative pennant. Sunday will be all about the students as the Gophers honor Anderson’s final Senior Day.

Congrats to Coach Anderson and good luck to the Gophers!

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