What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is scarce, decentralized, and global digital money that cannot be censored.

• Transactions once confirmed generally cannot be reversed
• Less than 21 million Bitcoin will exist
• Bitcoin is highly divisible to allow for micro-transactions (up to 13 decimal places in a payment channel)
• Bitcoin is an open, collaborative project that no company or government controls belonging to the people
• Bitcoin is more than just money, but a secure timestamping ledger, payment rail, and smart contract platform

Please read the Whitepaper for an general overview of bitcoin as designed
https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

Quick Advice

• Do not invest in Bitcoin until you do basic research, paid off all high interest debt, and have a emergency savings account of a stable fiat currency.
• If investing do not expect to get rich quickly. You should expect to wait at least 1-2 years before taking profits. Bitcoin is currently very volatile. In the interim spend and replace Bitcoin because it's a useful currency.
• Beginners should avoid all mining and day trading until at least very familiar with Bitcoin. Mining is very professional (You cannot efficiently mine with your computer and need to buy special ASIC machines) and most people lose money day trading.
• Never store your Bitcoins on an exchange or web wallet. Buy your bitcoins and withdraw it to your personal wallet where you actually own them instead of IOUs. Services like webull, and Revoult should be avoided because you cannot withdraw or use Bitcoin.
• Make sure you make a backup of your wallet (software holding keys to your BTC) and preferably keep it offline and physical and private. Typically 12 to 24 words you write down on paper or metal. This onetime backup will restore all your keys, addresses, and Bitcoins on a new wallet if you lose your old wallet.
• Beginners should avoid altcoins, tokens, and ICOs at least initially until they learn about Bitcoin. Most of these are scams and you should be familiar with the basics first. Bitcoin is referred to as BTC or XBT.

Common Questions

What happens when all the Bitcoin are mined; how will miners be paid?
This will happen when we all are dead near the year 2140.
Total block reward = Inflation (coinbase reward) + transaction fees
Where there is a slow transition as inflation drops in a controlled supply where more and more of the total reward is made up of transaction fees
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Controlled_supply
After 2140 all of the reward for miners to secure the network will be transaction fees but sending bitcoin will still be inexpensive because most transactions will occur on other layers like lightning and in aggregate settle onchain .
Also keep in mind that if hashrate drops too low we can simply wait for more confirmations onchain to increase the level of security and this doesn't effect the end user much because if they use a lightning wallet once its setup they still get instant confirmations.

Some foundational Principles of security

If you don't own much value in Bitcoin these principles are not for you. There is no one solution and most people have different risk profiles and make multiple trade offs in a risk vs convenience spectrum.

1. Never store your bitcoins in a web wallet or exchange . You own 0 bitcoins if you do not control your private keys.
2. Do not trust strangers on the Internet to help you setup your personal wallet. This is someone you must do yourself or have a personal friend or family member help you with in real life where they cannot see your backup seed.
3. Buy your hardware wallet directly from the producer or amazon site under the producers name. Verify the integrity of the hardware wallet if you are extra paranoid :

http://doc.satoshilabs.com/trezor-faq/threats.html#reflashing-the-trezor-with-evil-firmware
https://digitalbitbox.com/faq
https://coldcard.com/docs/ultra-quick
https://help.blockstream.com/hc/en-us/articles/5712308134809-What-are-the-best-practices-when-setting-up-Jade-
First update the firmware of your HW wallet before using
4) Never brag about your wealth to others
5) Never invest in any investment scheme or get greedy thinking you can quickly increase the amount of Bitcoin you have with daytrading
6) Consider more secure means of backing up your 12 or 24 BIP39 backups in case of floods or fire - https://jlopp.github.io/metal-bitcoin-storage-reviews/
7) Setup your hardware wallet , transfer a small amount of btc to it, wipe it clean , and restore it to give you confidence that the backup was done right and give you experience in the recovery process.
8) Keep your Mnemonic 12 or 24 word seed secret and private and show to no one. Never use premade 12-24 word backups , you create new keys and backups upon setup.
9) The most secure , "active" wallet would be a hardware wallet integrated with a full node. HW wallet + electrum personal server and electrum is the popular way to do this
10) Use a passphrase with the hardware wallet (most the security concerns with HW wallets are solved with a passphrase.) keep the passphrase written down a separate from your seed words
https://wiki.trezor.io/Passphrase
https://help.blockstream.com/hc/en-us/articles/5131416184601-What-is-a-passphrase
https://coldcardwallet.com/docs/passphrase
https://shiftcrypto.support/help/en-us/21-optional-passphrase
Make sure the passphrase is also written down somewhere private so you do not forget it! Do not keep the passphrase in the same location as your 12-24 seed backup words. Passphrases should include random words and not words found in lyrics or literature or personal details related to your life.
Here is a good strategy for most people with hardware wallets -
Location 1 12 to 24 seed words preferably on metal
https://jlopp.github.io/metal-bitcoin-storage-reviews/
Location 2 same 12 to 24 seed words preferably offsite
Location 3 5-7 word passphrase unlocking your real wallet preferably offsite
Location your head pin for HW wallet and passphrase. If you don't use your passphrase at least once a month than its better to have 2 written copies stored on paper or metal as backups and kept separate than each other and seed words
Thus you have both the passphrase and seed word backup in 2 locations and can lose either one and if someone finds your seed words or passphrase alone they can only see your decoy wallet at most and under duress(torture) you can hand over one of your seed word backups or enter in your pin instead of passphrase and give the attacker your decoy wallet alone.
Every 6 months check to see if your backup seed words or passphrase written on paper or metal is disturbed or removed.(these need to be stored separately!) It is best to hide them in such a manner if you can tell if someone has tampered with them or found them so you are aware if either your seed words or passphrase becomes compromised.

Recommended Wallets

Best wallets for securing small amounts of BTC
Blue wallet Android and IOS and OSX
https://bluewallet.io/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9mq1a8bLbQ
electrum For Windows, OSX, Linux and Android
https://electrum.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4EhZg5QslI
Blockstream Green For Windows, OSX, Linux, IOS and Android
https://blockstream.com/green/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesN85bWmGA
Best wallets for securing small amounts of BTC and sending lightning transactions
Breez LN wallet for Android and IOS
https://breez.technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_4b-y4T8bY
Or Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtMXsJxx1X0
Other Lightning wallets - http://lightningnetworkstores.com/wallets
Lightning wallets are not intended for long term storage where you never open them for many months. They are intended for spending wallets that you regularly use.
Securing Larger amounts of Bitcoin
Trezor Safe 3 = ~79 USD https://trezor.io/trezor-safe-3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWRI4VTHiuI
Trezor Model T = ~219 USD https://trezor.io/trezor-model-t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3BIo5Ac_n4
Blockstream Jade = $65 https://blockstream.com/jade/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLFmd98mKNw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_9Dtcc1nlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2VsgoFh78o
Cold Card Hardware wallet = $148 mk4 https://store.coinkite.com/store/coldcard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kocEpndQcsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8dBNrlwJ0k
Digital Bitbox 02 = 124 USD https://shiftcrypto.ch/bitbox02/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdP_7LgZw7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7nRq2OEhiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D4FgJo3j64
Seedsigner ~80 dollars per-assembled
https://seedsigner.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZqlIkJf0mA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c5SR8v8l1M
Best Advanced Bitcoin Wallet= Sparrow
Pros= Great privacy and security
Cons= UX is for more experienced users, takes ~week to sync and requires ~7GB minimum disk space if pruned. Only available in desktop so typically should be used with a hardware wallet
https://sparrowwallet.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLi8p9aTlBQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSHyKTigNQY

Further Resources

https://www.lopp.net/bitcoin-information.html
https://www.lopp.net/lightning-information.html
https://10hoursofbitcoin.com/
https://bitcoin-resources.com
https://www.bitcoin101.club
https://21lessons.com
https://bitcoiner.guide

Common types of Scams to avoid

"Helping" Hand A thief will contact you privately by DM or email, or get listed in a directory as a "Professional Blockchain Expert" and help you setup a Bitcoin wallet , an exchange account, and buy Bitcoin but will end up stealing it later. One of their favorite wallets to use is Blockchain.com online web wallet(You should avoid using this wallet regardless for other reasons) where they can remotely help you. They will either ask for your 12 backup seed words or when you are logged in create another backdoor recovery to take over your wallet without you knowing. When setting up a wallet it is important that you do this yourself and never reveal any passwords , pins , passphrases, of backup seed words to anyone. Do not allow some stranger to remotely help you setup your wallet or account. If you need help in person and trust a family member or friend this is fine but have them walk away/turn their head when you create a password , and write down your backup seed words and never reveal this information to others. Use your own personal computer or cellphone and not theirs to create your account. After you have verified the backup words with the wallet software they can than help you further. Never allow them to see or copy your exchange or email passwords or backup authy/authenticator key as well. Do not keep your passwords in plaintext digital spreadsheets or word/text documents. Use a password manager like keepass/lastpass or at minimum keep a book of your passwords that is secure and privately written down outside the computer. This scam can also manifest itself after you have had your BTC stolen by a friendly "hacker" claiming they can recover your BTC for a modest fee, which is practically never the case.
Unfortunate Events Professional Beggars will create many posts or hundreds of DMs under various fake (shill) identities to solicit sympathy and ask for a Bitcoin donations because they were scammed or had some unfortunate crisis.
Advanced Fee Fraud- This is one of the most common forms of fraud, and is popular even outside the cryptocurrency ecosystem. With cryptocurrency it often takes to form of these variations:
a) The con artist will claim they have a large amount of Bitcoin "stuck" in an exchange because of legal reasons or some other excuse and need your assistance to withdraw the Bitcoin. They offer you their username and password to log into their account and claim that you can even keep a large reward and than send them the difference of Bitcoins to their personal wallet. When you login to withdraw the Bitcoin you will notice a high withdraw fee or deposit that needs to be made for verification before you are allowed to withdraw the Bitcoin that cannot be subtracted from the balance. Since the fee is much less than your expected reward and the exchange looks legitimate despite being one you are unfamiliar with you pay the fee and than realize that the exchange is a fake one that will never allow you to withdraw the Bitcoin.
b) You are trying to sell something online and someone offers you a pre-payment in fiat with a payment service, a cashiers check, or a regular check and than "accidentally" overpays and asks for a refund to be sent to them in Bitcoin or by other methods. You are confident you receive the money because you deposit the check and it appears to clear and shows up in your bank account or digitally shows in your paypal account or other platform and so you are happy to send them the difference in over payment. One key aspect is international money transfers, gift card payments, or Bitcoin are typically non-reversible while most other payments are reversible and this can occur at almost anytime in the future. The check or payment can be involved in fraud or be fake and the payment platform or bank will reverse the deposit(possibly leaving you with a negative balance) and you will be legally liable to reimburse the bank. You will than be left with having to reimburse the bank and be out of Bitcoin and the product you sold the scammer.
c) A company offers you an investment or mining opportunity and to gain your trust is even willing to send you some Bitcoin up front to gain your confidence. Problem is the Bitcoin is frozen in their platform , a watch only wallet, represented in a fake blockchain explorer, or you did not wait for a confirmation to insure that you can use it and you invest in them not knowing that the Bitcoin they sent you is unusable. Common scam here is saying that you can connect your blockchain.com wallet to their "mining server" to mine for free and than require you to pay a fee to withdraw BTC that is watch only because they setup your account for you.
d) A contest or free giveaway usually promoted by a celebrity(typically a fake account on twitter) offers you free Bitcoin or cryptocurrency if you make a small bitcoin deposit up front to enter. The grifter will take your BTC and run.
e) A company solicits to hire you for assistance in buying Bitcoin for them at various ATMs or with your account and offers a salary for this service. They will never pay you or send checks that will eventually bounce as fiat currency lacks transaction finality that bitcoin has.
f) Someone offers you a large amount of Bitcoin as a gift or to pay for a good or service by giving you words to import or a private key to import into a wallet instead of sending Bitcoin to an address you provided them from a wallet you setup independent of them. You open up the wallet and they claim that in order to unlock the full amount you need to buy more bitcoin and add it to the wallet or send to them when in reality the amount of bitcoin you imported is a small amount or unspendable.
Investment Opportunity- These take the form of a company that allows you to make an investment and has promised guaranteed returns due to them trading cryptocurrency, mining cryptocurrency, fx or binary option trading, or any other investment enterprise such as real estate. Some will simply take your Bitcoin and run and others are ponzi schemes which will slowly payout rewards to their platform that you can never withdraw or make payouts but these never add up to your total investment.
Two quickest warning signs that an investment scheme is extremely likely to be a scam is they promise guaranteed returns , and their promised returns exceed 10% per year.
Altcoins, ICOs, Security tokens 99% of these are pointless projects or scams which make dishonest marketing claims that most people don't have the technical ability to evaluate. Even projects that have the best of intentions fail because the incentives are all misaligned for an exit when you give 100% funding upfront without regulation, contract with preconditions, and invested from unqualified credulous investors. Sticking to projects that are 100% proof of work with no premine or instamine from the start is a way to filter through most of these projects but in the end you should do your due diligence and learn about the project before investing. This applies to Bitcoin as well. People should be free to invest in whatever project they wish but one should do so with an understanding in what they are investing in.

We Vikings fans are, very understandably, upset about losing Kirk Cousins. He was a good QB and the Falcons clearly tampered with him, which was illegal and disrespectful. However...when all is said and done, this whole situation could very well end up being a net positive for the Vikings, because:

1. Kirk Cousins may well have left anyway. There is a legal tampering period and by all accounts he wanted a huge contract that the Vikings weren't willing to give him.
2. By not re-signing Cousins, the Vikings are saving many tens of millions to use on other free agents and should also get a compensatory draft pick, which will be especially important given all the picks we traded away.
3. The Vikings are still set at QB. KOC and Kwesi managed to snag JJ freaking McCarthy, ahead of Sean Payton's Broncos, without giving up 23 or next year's first. Darnold is here as a bridge for a year while JJ gets acclimated and then he can really ball out. The comp I tend to see for him is..."athletic Kirk Cousins," and that level of talent on a rookie contract is a GREAT DEAL. I could go on about how much of a blessing JJ McCarthy is for the Vikings, but I'll save most of that for another post. Suffice it to say that this was the year to get our franchise QB of the future, and Cousins leaving forced the issue for us.
4. Because the Falcons tampered with Cousins, they're under the threat of losing their first-round pick next year. If not for that, they more than likely would have taken the BPA at a position of more immediate need for them...but because they may not be able to get Cousins' replacement next year, they felt they had to jump for Penix this year, letting Dallas Turner fall straight into our laps. Check and mate. For him, too, KAM managed to take a swing without selling the farm. He and KOC deserve every pixel of their joyous expressions.

So, in short...yes, we're still salty with the Falcons for tampering with Cousins, but it looks like we're gaining more than we lost from it. To borrow a saying from my Michigan fandom, it's great...to be...a Minnesota Viking. SKOL!!!

With the team announcements for MCC Kick-Off, I think a lot of us have noticed the number of newcomers, with six, and a couple more players returning after a long time off! The MCC games can be a big learning curve, especially for someone who doesn't play a lot of Minecraft or who hasn't watched a lot of MCC. This post is meant to provide a comprehensive guide to each MCC game for any newcomers (or anyone else who wants to read) to follow!
Each game will be separated into three sections: An objective overview of the game and its scoring, a discussion of some of the most common strategies or things to consider, and a list of vods that you may want to review to get an idea of how the games run.
Just a little disclaimer- MCC is at its core a for fun event, and nobody should feel pressured to practice or vod review a ton. I am just making this for anyone who may be relatively unfamiliar with MCC and wants to learn (and because I want to and think it will be fun to put together). That is why this post will include vods as well as an overview of the game/strategy, so those who just want a general idea can read the basic overviews, while if you want to sweat or practice a ton, you can also watch the vods I provide!
Also, I am not a participant and do not have any experience playing MCC, I am just a viewer who has watched a lot of MCC and really enjoys the strategy/analysis aspect of it. If any other viewers or participants disagree with anything I say or have anything to add, feel free to let me know! I am open to any discussion and/or criticism.
Ace Race
Overview: Ace Race is a three to four lap race consisting of speed pads, jump pads, elytras, tridents, and swimming. This game is purely an individual movement game, and scoring is based on your end placement, with better placements earning more coins. The exact scoring can be found on noxcrew.com/mcc
Strategy: Ace Race will take place on one of its existing maps. Each map will have a relatively straightforward path, however each map also consists of various skips and shortcuts. These shortcuts vary in difficulty, some only requiring a simple variation in path while others should only be attempted by those with a high mechanical skill. The best way to find these skips would be to look through some top players' vods, but this shouldn't be super necessary to get a decent time, and you shouldn't feel pressured to do a ton of excessive vod reviewing just to find a couple of skips. This also probably wouldn't be a good idea to do far in advance, as we won't know the map until the day before when the update video comes out. Also, coming back from this long of a break there is a decent chance we will see a brand new map! My biggest piece of advice in terms of skips is to know your skill. If you think you can make some more difficult skips, then go for them! But it is always better to finish with a relatively good placement than to lose a ton of time because you went for a ton of risky skips.
It is also important to note that there are a few features in Ace Race that don't exist in vanilla Minecraft, in particular the speed and jump pads. I would recommend finding time to hop on the practice server for around fifteen minutes before the event to get a hang of how these features work. Additionally, the Ace Race tridents are a bit different from vanilla tridents. Instead of needing to release the trident to fly forward, these tridents release automatically. I also recommend the practice server to get a hang of these!
Vods: I've attached the fastest pov for each map I believe could be in rotation this MCC (they're all pete, my ace race goat)
Clouds II- Petezahutt MCC33 https://youtu.be/ZO8alq9a8ts?si=1VoTHalItELpg79T&t=5233
Turtle Run- Petezahutt MCC25 https://youtu.be/OQS_RjH74Ow?si=gzrpv3ls_LTmgxm7&t=6342
Yeti Set Go!- Petezahutt MCC35 https://youtu.be/Qr7nIDQLvz0?si=AazMGyH6HYKc2FLE
Battle Box
Overview: Battle Box is a round-robin PVP game that takes place over nine rounds. In each round, each member of your team will select from one of four kits, and then you will fight the other team in a small, enclosed map. In the center of each map, there is a three-by-three square of concrete, where your goal is to break the concrete and replace it with your team's own color. If you manage to replace all of the concrete with your own, you win the round! Coins are awarded based on coins and round wins, with 15 coins awarded to a player for each kill, and 160 coins awarded for each win, split among the team.
Strategy: Specific strategies for how to play are difficult to discuss in a post such as this, as they are very map and team-dependent. However, the general strategy for teams is to try and kill the other players and then fill the middle, because you can earn a lot more points from kills as well as round wins over just winning every round. However, sometimes if a team's strongest suit is not PVP, or if they are struggling to win rounds from just killing, they may instead try and wool rush. This means instead of trying to fight, the team will just try and rush the center of the map and fill in their concrete without fighting in an attempt to win the round. This is often effective in getting a few win points when your team is struggling, although you don't get as many points as when you get kills. Also, it is always very important to keep your eye on the center of the map, so you can make sure you are not also getting rushed!
This game is also very easy to practice, as it is on both MCCI and the practice server.
Vods: Here are some first-place battle boxes, where you can see some general strategies/flow of the game:
Kratzy MCC 35 https://youtu.be/J2Pr4wAzUGk?si=s5AJeMsD7XcxiJJx&t=5979
Wallibear MCC 32 https://youtu.be/KhxRZANqCKk?si=sfv87dMq_aaPTojy&t=3563
Sapnap MCC 24 https://youtu.be/PAOiMx11Z3k?si=ypWorHuZhAUL9LXM&t=5627
These Vods are some I think implemented the wool rush strat pretty well:
Fruitberries MCC AS https://youtu.be/1RRPpZjuvks?si=YsL95MEj8uSROmus
FireBreathMan MCC Scuffed https://youtu.be/jYRU8xdJSnI?si=EGFupilu0IapUa6M&t=3295
Big Sales at Build Mart
Overview: Build Mart is a purely team-based game where your goal is to recreate certain builds as a team using the resources you can find in the map. To get these resources, you fly up on your elytra and mine the blocks you need, then bring them back to the portal and place them in your team's plots to complete your builds. Points are awarded based on completions, with more points awarded for completing builds first. Some builds have a gold border around them and are known as golden builds, and are worth double the points.
Strategy: Build Mart is known as one of the more controversial MCC games, and therefore has not been in rotation much recently. I think it is relatively unlikely we see Build Mart in this upcoming MCC unless we see a revamp of some sort, but I will still cover the most commonly known strategy for Build Mart.
The most common current strategy for Build Mart is known as the floater strategy. This strategy consists of three players focusing on one of the three build plots each, while the fourth player is what is known as the "floater." The floater's job is right at the beginning to get some of each wood, and then after they are basically on command for each other player. The other players need to be constantly communicating with the floater about what they may need, and the floater should always be moving and collecting resources. It is also important to focus on the golden builds when they come up, as those will reward you with the most points. Make sure to always keep comms clear and stay calm!
Vods: Grian MCC 17 https://www.youtube.com/live/yThkemDpp7I?si=y68H55rx_fhThlTf&t=6977
Here is a good floater pov: Sapnap MCC 18 https://youtu.be/PEoiYE_vMrc?si=FqhhxrXVpoCKIxYE&t=6511
Grid Runners
Overview: Grid Runners is a team-based game that consists of a series of puzzle rooms that you must move through and complete as a team. This game requires clear communication from your whole team. Coins are awarded based on the speed at which you complete each room. You receive coins for each individual room, as well as a bonus from your overall placement.
Strategy: There is no overall strategy for grid runners, as it is just a series of unique puzzles, so instead I will just give some pointers or things to watch out for.
Make sure to pay attention to the obvious details of the room, such as the room title and the resources given. Players often miss clues hidden in details such as the room title or don't see a key feature of a resource they are given that will help them complete a room. Make sure comms are always clear, and try to avoid speaking over each other. Also, this might be a game where it is good to turn to a more experienced player for leadership, as many of the rooms you will see are repeats and your teammates who have played multiple events may have seen them in previous MCCs.
Vods: FireBreathMan MCC 30 https://youtu.be/6l3qxzN9Sds?si=umR3L4I-qdatbIS1&t=6263
HBomb MCC 29 https://youtu.be/x4oEG4ckTO0?si=E_Aq4oPVan0v14VS&t=7827
This one is a personal favorite of mine, although they started very behind, they were able to catch up quickly and ended up getting first- Ranboo MCC 26 https://youtu.be/IbsZiNWunbg?si=dnF0ZgD5LNeBf7E1&t=7649
Hole In The Wall
Overview: Hole in the Wall is a movement game where the goal is to stay alive as long as possible over three different rounds. Slime walls will move toward you from four directions, and you need to move and jump through them to survive. As the round progresses, the walls will move faster and will become harder to move through. The longer you stay alive, the more coins you earn. Specific scoring can be found at noxcrew.com/mcc
Strategy: I think the best way to prepare for Hole in the Wall would be to practice it either on MCCI or the practice server, but this isn't a game with any specific strategy that needs to be learned. Most players tend to play in f5, but this is mostly up to personal preference. This isn't a game that I think requires a ton of review unless you're wanting to really sweat it. This game is mostly learning the mechanics through playing it and just being a strong movement player.
Vods: Jojosolos MCC 22 https://youtu.be/5N1U3Wciqo0?si=djmKGqyqyLVGjfIe&t=3697
PeteZahHutt MCC 34 https://youtu.be/ekEpCuvFqB4?si=hl0lS1N4pwBOr-f2&t=3359
Parkour Tag
Overview: Parkour Tag is a round-robin movement game that takes place over nine rounds. Each round, one player on your team will choose to be the hunter. This player will hunt three players from the other team for that round for one minute in a map consisting of parkour jumps and obstacles. At the same time, the other three players will be running from the opposing team's hunter. Points are awarded for survival time and for hunting opposing players, with a bonus if you survive the entire round. Your team also receives a bonus if you hunt all of the opposing team before they manage to hunt you. Specific scoring can again be found at noxcrew.com/mcc
Runners are always glowing and visible to the hunter, while the hunter is not glowing to the runners. The runners have an item called runner vision which allows them to see a glowing outline of the hunters for three seconds, with a cooldown of ten seconds.
Strategy: The most important aspects to remember for Parkour Tag are to stay apart and communicate. When running, it is very important to stay far away from your teammates, as sticking together makes it easy for the hunter to pick you off right after each other. Make sure you stay apart and are always communicating about the hunter. You should be saying where the hunter is, who they're going for, if they're cutting someone off, or any other important information. When you die, you need to make sure you keep an eye on the hunter and communicate with your alive teammates. While it is frustrating to get tagged, you need to remember that even though you are dead, you still have an important role in this game, so make sure you shake it off quickly and talk to your team!
Vods: Fruitberries MCC 34 https://youtu.be/MaQN4zIteIU?si=FRtxbYkZfrpfowBM&t=2049
PeteZahHutt MCC 22 https://youtu.be/4eWsFj-dgGE?si=fF6JlBSPVUwVAZTt&t=10908
Sands of Time
Overview: In Sands of Time, each team is placed into its own identical dungeon. Throughout the dungeon, you will find coins, puzzles, parkour, mobs, hidden rooms, and more that you will need to explore and collect. However, your time in the dungeon is timed, and the only way to extend the timer is to collect sand from around the map and place it into the sand timer in the middle of the map. Each sand will extend the timer by 10 seconds. At the end of the game, you must bank all of the coins you've collected as you leave the dungeon through the portal. If you are not through the portal when the time runs out, you are locked in the dungeon and lose everything.
Throughout the dungeon, there are four colors of keys corresponding to matching vaults: green, blue, red, and gold. The vaults will be down hallways with markings on the wall of their respective colors. Unlocking the various vaults rewards you with a large amount of coins. You can also find rusty keys around the map, which can be used to unlock brown doors that will open to more pathways.
Sands of Time is a high-risk high-reward game, the deeper into the dungeon and the more dangerous you are, the more coins you can earn, but it also increases your risk of death. If you die, your teammate can bring you back to life by sacrificing one sand. Your coins and items will drop where you die, but you will lose 20% of your coins. (If you die in lava, all of your items and coins will be lost.)
Strategy: Sands of Time is easily the most complex game in MCC. If you only had time to review or learn one game, I would recommend spending that time learning Sands of Time. There are too many intricacies for this game to fit into a few short paragraphs for this post, so I recommend reading this post by u/klarinn. While the post is from a few years ago, I think it still contains a lot of useful information, and the strategies are still relatively up-to-date to current MCC.
During a game of SOT, three players will take the role of runners while one player will be known as the sandkeeper. The sandkeeper is traditionally a player who is less comfortable running. The sandkeeper's job is to clear out the center room of the dungeon, flicking all spawners, and collecting all coins and sand from the center. The sandkeeper needs to make sure they are constantly keeping an eye on the timer, and constantly comming how much time is left and how much sand they have. The sandkeeper is in charge of letting the runners know when they need to return to the main room, and the runners will always hand the sand they've collected off to the sandkeepers. The main thing to remember as sandkeeper is you should always know how much time is left and should always be communicating this to your teammates. In my opinion, the difference between a good sandkeeper and a top sandkeeper is that they can communicate clearly, effectively, and constantly.
The other three players will be known as runners. The runners' jobs are to explore the dungeon and collect coins. My biggest piece of general advice for runners is to not take unnecessary risks (unless it's played late and you are in desperate need of coins), and to offhand your torches and make sure to always place them on spawners before you break them (hello hbomb).
The most common strategy for runners is called the vault runners strategy. This strategy is more for people who tend to lead their team or who are very into sweating and strategizing the event, so if that's not you, you don't need to worry about this too much, but it still might be useful to have a general idea of it. In this strategy, one player will always go for the blue vault key first, which is always underneath the sand timer in the middle, and then find the blue path, fully explore it, and search for the blue vault. A second runner will do the same with the red key, which is always found in a puzzle room directly off spawn. The last runner will find either an unmarked path or the gold vault path and will explore it fully.
Vods: Some Top Runner Povs:
HBomb MCC 31 https://youtu.be/1WNcsi83bb4?si=YzQz5XP913J7hf50&t=14025
Jojosolos MCC 28 https://youtu.be/VV6rdBLcEV0?si=HO5hT7XL0sFceGgE&t=10262
Some Top Sandkeeper Povs:
Aimsey MCC 24 https://youtu.be/gcS7etUhoQI?si=c8CjGCtKocGUIeyU&t=9575
Eret MCC 31 https://youtu.be/8h4Uy-re3s8?si=L4kVdKqULLhaSp2B&t=8836
Again, if you were to watch one vod in preparation for MCC, I would 100% recommend it be a SOT vod. This game has a lot of different parts to it and is often particularly difficult for newcomers, and watching the game be played is the best way to get a hang of it!
Sky Battle
Overview: Sky Battle is a PVP game that takes place over three rounds. Teams spawn on islands in the sky with unlimited blocks and must collect resources and move toward the center island, fighting other teams on their way. Coins are awarded based on kills and survival. Specific scoring can be found at noxcrew.com/mcc
Strategy: If you've played Sky Battle on MCCI, the first thing you need to understand is MCC Sky Battle is played completely differently. In MCC Sky Battle, teams are all sticking together, acting very carefully, and strategizing in a way that MCCI players don't do. There really is no specific strategy for Sky Battle, other than stick together with your team and try to not take any too risky fights early on. Generally, the Sky Battle points are very kill-focused, and only surviving until the end with no kills does not reward many points.
Vods: Antfrost MCC 32 https://youtu.be/huAhwyPMD3M?si=zUNhvRUfgZg-p0eF&t=9518
Quig MCC 20 https://youtu.be/4IF5BXwQaTk?si=lk7wCfDRdEVumwWH&t=10756
Fruitberries MCC 32 https://youtu.be/CfxmI4P-s2I?si=oHtSlZVbVD0RfPwi&t=8642
Survival Games
Overview: Survival Games is your classic Hunger Games style PVP game, players spawn around the center, collect chests, and fight to the death! Coins are awarded based on kills and survival. Additionally, throughout the game airdrops will drop from the sky throughout the map, and breaking them will award you extra coins.
Strategy: Survival Games is only one round, which means you need to use your one life carefully! Make sure you always stick together with your team, and be very careful taking early fights unless your team is extremely confident you can win. The biggest reason I see teams struggle is due to them being too greedy and going for kills they shouldn't, causing them to die early and lose a lot of coins.
Vods: Fruitberries MCC 19 https://youtu.be/JAcj7T6RtKo?si=Xyh9dwOcg4HAlNQZ&t=9097
Olliegamerz MCC 31 https://youtu.be/WPJX07gyEXs?si=NCwLh0luL2kwWRK2&t=8123
To Get To The Other Side
Overview: TGTTOS is a movement-based game that takes place over six rounds on six different maps. The goal of each round is simple- to get to the other side of the map and punch one of the NPCs at the end. The maps vary from parkour, to block placing, to elytra, and more. Coins are awarded based on the placement in which you finish, with a bonus being awarded to the first four teams to have all four members finish.
Strategy: While TGTTOS is a game of speed, sometimes trying to do some crazy movement that you aren't really mechanically skilled at can hurt you more than help you. Players who are very good at block placing can try to take the lead, but if that's not you, it's probably more in your interest to follow another player. The team bonuses are huge in this game, so consistently getting alright placements that help your team with the bonus is much better than trying to risk it for top placement and failing. "Follow Fruit" or "Follow Purpled" are very viable strategies and can really help your team with those bonuses.
Vods: FBM MCC 31 https://youtu.be/QJsngifOq4s?si=2TF7eiOOZJJ9VCKf&t=6459
Purpled MCC 29 https://youtu.be/0vFEw0TbQNw?si=nRI9bmHVrPq9y-W6&t=9438
Sapnap MCC 34 https://youtu.be/KFHT5uQl_SM?si=cSFNCQfGm8548bIQ&t=8416 - I put this vod as a way to show the importance of team bonuses, even though their team isn't getting any crazy placements, they are consistently doing well and the team bonuses are putting them in first.
Rocket Spleef Rush
Overview: RSR is a movement game that takes place over three rounds, where the goal is to be the last one standing. Players spawn on floating platforms with an elytra and a rocket launcher that boosts them and destroys blocks. As the platform is destroyed, a new one will spawn that players must fly to. Players are also given one updraft that they may use to save their life a single time. Coins are awarded based on placement and kills.
Strategy: Rocket Spleef Rush is easily one of the least newcomer-friendly games in the event. The rocket jumping mechanics are pretty unique to the event and will likely require some practice, so I recommend hopping on the practice server or MCCI and just getting a hang of the simple boosting mechanics.
In general, players will play RSR in one of two ways: traditional rocket boosting or elytra hopping. Rocket boosting just consists of gliding, landing, boosting, and repeating, while elytra hopping uses momentum from the elytra to jump into the air. Both strategies are very viable, and I don't personally believe one is more effective than the other. Rocket boosting is usually preferred for its simplicity and consistency, while elytra hopping is preferred for its ability to conserve momentum.
Kills are another way to earn coins in RSR, however, specifically going for kills is risky except for in specific situations. I would recommend not specifically trying to get kills, as it can easily backfire on you. There are some situations where it is beneficial to get kills, such in final platform situations where you need to spleef the other player to win. In general, take kills as a fun little bonus when you get them, not as something to try for.
A couple more pieces of advice: be very careful when using your updraft. The updraft will shoot you straight up, and when you are falling it is very easy to panic use your updraft and boost right into a block above your head. When using the updraft, make sure the area above you is clear and safe to boost into! Also, a common strategy used by players is the "horizon strategy," where players look directly at the horizon to lose the least amount of height while gliding.
Vods: Rocket Boosting Strategy:
Purpled MCC 26 https://youtu.be/XfScje4wTHg?si=MNMuniDNiOEScNwH&t=9772
Purpled MCC 31 https://youtu.be/PX3dKlqUZJc?si=P7QyoV8ond5SzF_q&t=1448
Elytra Hopping:
PeteZahHutt MCC 21 https://youtu.be/o_VQ5lWf7k0?si=A-KhGqP58IA_g7XZ&t=12860
PeteZahHutt MCC 31 https://youtu.be/D8iJBAWK11Q?si=vCYW5DC_-Tsf2KOc&t=1838
And a vod that shows how you can correctly go for kills:
Philza MCC 29 https://youtu.be/4K-oyKit_JA?si=p52JViNF61C0lIZH&t=2815
Meltdown
Overview: Meltdown is a bow PVP game that takes place over three rounds. Players spawn scattered in a lab with different rooms that slowly melt as the game progresses. Each player can freeze their opponents with one shot from a bow, and players can unfreeze their teammates by placing down their heater next to their frozen teammate.
Throughout the map, there are scattered coin crates that can be mined using the telepickaxe- an item that one person can wield at a time per team. There are also a large amount of these coin crates at five different capture points throughout the map. The players must traverse through the map, finding coin crates, fighting players, and avoiding melting rooms.
Coins are awarded based on kills, coin crates, and survival. Specific scoring can be found at noxcrew.com/mcc.
Strategy: One of the most important things to remember for Meltdown is to always be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to the map and where you need to go, always be peeking corners, and keep comms clear so your team knows what to do. The specific strategy your team uses often varies based on what your team wants to do, but commonly one person will be in charge of the telepickaxe and mining capture points and coin crates.
The biggest thing that I believe is important for newcomers to remember is to BREAK ENENMY HEATERS! If you are in a fight with an enemy team and they place heaters on their teammates, make sure you break them so they can't respawn. This may seem obvious, but MCC is stressful, and at the moment it's very easy to panic and forget.
Vods: Quig MCC 23 https://youtu.be/wEq3FYEBRUk?si=9BvLnBmh93mJ1TjG&t=12763
Sapnap MCC 30 https://youtu.be/RdlN2PJeKJI?si=yB1qNiziUPEh53mC&t=5299
Purpled MCC 31 https://youtu.be/PX3dKlqUZJc?si=pi90ZII0kcu8AVCV&t=7150
Parkour Warrior
Overview: Parkour Warrior is a movement game where the goal is to earn as many medals as possible. The course consists of one main path consisting of relatively easy sections, while every three sections there is an optional bonus path branching off to the side. The more bonus paths you complete, the more medals you earn. Each main path section gives a stone medal, while the bonus paths give a bronze medal for completing the first section, a silver medal for completing the second, and a gold medal for completing the entire bonus path. At any point while completing a bonus path, you are able to click the scroll in your hotbar and reset to the main path.
At the end of the course, the path will split into three endings: easy, medium, and hard. Whichever ending you complete will apply a multiplier to your team's score depending on which one you complete. The easy path adds 0.15x, medium adds 0.35x, and hard adds 0.8x. If you are attempting a more difficult ending, you can reset and try a different ending up until there are 30 seconds left in the game, when your scroll will be taken away. After the 10 minutes of the game end, there are 30 seconds of overtime in which you can still complete the game, but you will be down to your last life.
Coins are awarded based on the amount of medals you collect, multiplied by your team's total multiplier. Specific scoring can be found at noxcrew.com/mcc.
Strategy: The biggest piece of advice I have for Parkour Warrior is to know your own skill, and to time yourself well. There is a progress bar at the top of your screen that you can use to track your progress and see if you are on pace to finish. While the bonus paths are important and give good coins, the most important part is to finish. The multiplier you get from even the easy ending is huge for your temas score. If you are attempting a bonus path and you are really struggling, it is okay to reset and keep going down the main path. Make sure you leave enough time to finish your goal ending!
Vods: There are two perfect completions of parkour warrior, and viewing these will give you an idea of the type of obstacles you will face. Remember, these are perfect completions, and you are not necessarily expected to complete these as fast as they are. Just try your best, and work with your own skill level!
Purpled MCC 32 https://youtu.be/O4VVGnbqIsE?si=x14rtSl5BttQmSDK&t=6799
Fruitberries MCC 34 https://youtu.be/MaQN4zIteIU?si=LcD1jwm2cQ9iQvdh&t=5885
Bingo But Fast
Overview: Bingo But Fast is a team game where your goal is to obtain the various items or complete the challenges on your bingo card. Your team will need to explore the world, mine, kill, and craft for all your various items. Players spawn with a bingo card, an elytra, speed, saturation, a teleportation pearl that can be used to teleport to their teammates, and a full set of enchanted netherite tools.
Coins are awarded for each item you collect, with the amount of points awarded decreasing every time another team collects that same item. Teams are also given a bonus when they complete lines on their bingo card. Specific scoring can be found at noxcrew.com/mcc.
Strategy: Bingo is still a relatively new game, so there is no specific widespread strategy. However, I would recommend focusing on the easy-to-get-off spawn items first, as the sooner you get them, the more points they will be worth. And as always, make sure you are always communicating clearly with your team about what you need and what you have!
Vods: Smajor MCC 35 https://youtu.be/sFGXvEWeUr8?si=E0waL8BOEeY3G-lw&t=4696
PeteZahHutt MCC 34 https://youtu.be/00IqQWr3TVA?si=Umg0WAX0YCcUlnpx&t=2569

1. CHI: Caleb Williams, QB

This was the easy pick. Caleb is the best QB in this class and easily one of the best prospects I have graded. His arm talent, instincts, creativity out of the pocket and playmaking-ability are rare. I dont put any weight into concerns about him being sensitive or nonsense like that, if so I see it the opposite because I want my QBs to care. He gets himself into trouble sometimes playing hero-ball, but some people act like he just couldn’t possibly play in rhythm which I think is not the case. This is a great pick for Chicago and he gets into a very good situation.
Grade: A

1. WAS: Jayden Daniels, QB

As expected, Daniels is the pick at 1.02. He is a dynamic athlete, who was way better in-rhythm and with short-area accuracy than I would have expected. His footwork and elite athleticism make him navigate the pocket well and if he escapes he is a real threat to pick up large chunks on the ground. I really like his placement on outside balls and he throws the f… out of those inside fades. I have some questions about him really attacking the middle, but am not too worried about it. He also just has an adequate arm in my view and needs to take more care of his slender frame when running. Also, he struggled a bit on keeping his eyes downfield when escaping the pocket, sometimes running a bit prematurely.
I would have slightly preferred Maye, but I still like this pick.
Grade: B+

1. NE: Drake Maye, QB

I love Maye. His arm strength jumps off the screen and his prototypical frame just helps him in every aspect of the game. I don’t love his framework and release sometimes, which causes him to skip some balls outside, but when everything is in-sync he can make every throw from every arm angle. Also, it somehow is understated how creative he can be and what he can do running and extending the play. I think this is a superb pick.
Grade: A

1. AZ: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR

Arizona got themselves the best receiver in the class. MHJ is everything you’d ever want in a receiver with premier route-running at every level, sticky hands, good size and just elite ball skills. If I had to mention one negative it would be his limited YAC ability. Very good pick!
Grade: A

1. LAC: Joe Alt, OT

It seems like the Chargers prioritize mauling people, which makes sense given the hire of Greg Roman. I would have loved Nabers or Odunze but was expecting something different here. I think Joe Alt is a terrific prospect with his combination of size and agility. He blocks with a great pad level and basically just does everything well. I don’t really LOVE the fit, as one of Slater or Alt will have to move to RT. I think Alt can do it, but this is why this cant be an „A“ for me.
Grade: B

1. NYG: Malik Nabers, WR

I am just happy for Giants fans that they resisted the temptation to draft a mediocre QB upgrade. Instead, they get an explosive receiver that can win all over the field. Nabers was often used on slants/shallow crosses where he was given the opportunity to showcase his ability after the catch. He wins consistently with his uber-explosive first-step release and not just with speed, but also with finesse route-running on double-moves. Still, he will not consistently separate off of route-running ability alone and I think he sometimes struggles attacking balls that are not perfectly thrown.
I would have preferred Odunze a bit more, as he would have given the Giants a true outside receiver in a mold that they don’t have right now. Still, Nabers walks into this room as the best receiver instantly and you can’t really complain about a pick like that.
Grade: A-

1. TEN: JC Latham, OT

I didn’t love Latham and this landing spot doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I thought he would fit best somewhere, where he can slot in at RT, but it seems as though the Titans want to play him at LT, where I didn’t really see him. His best strength is his play strength and the way he mauls defenders in the run-game, but he has inconsistens habits pass-blocking. If someone is able to fix it, it will probably be Bill Callahan, though.
Grade: B-

1. ATL: Michael Penix, QB

I think I was just as surprised as everyone else about this. Penix is probably the most talented pure thrower in the draft when his feet are set and he can unload. I love his deep balls and thought he was very composed under pressure. His release and the zip he puts on the ball are just very pretty. However, I do not really like his ability to extend plays and he struggled to consistently make throws across his body and on the run. Added to me seeing Penix as more of a Late 1st/Early 2nd grade, I cant believe the Falcons did this. I get getting a successor to Cousins, but not at No. 8, when you want to compete with Cousins right now. I don’t like this.
Grade: D-

1. CHI: Rome Odunze, WR

What a day to be a Bears fan. I cannot overstate how much I love Odunze. He has great size, can win at every level, and tracks balls at an elite level. I love how he attacks the ball in contested situations and comes down with it routinely (he made the catch on 21 of 28 contested catch situations this year). Despite his size, he explodes off the line and creates separation through size, speed and finesse, while smartly using his body through the route and at the catch point to shield off defenders.
I think Odunze will pair really well with Caleb and will have a huge impact, at least in Year 2 when Keenan is gone, but also immediately. I LOVE this.
Grade: A+

1. MIN: JJ McCarthy, QB

I really liked JJ more than I thought I would. He looks good in-rhythm, flashes the ability to make full-field reads and showed that he can consistently put the ball in tight windows in the middle of the field. His mechanics looked very far along and he moves well in the pocket while always keeping his eyes downfiled. I liked how he showed the ability to layer in throws.
Negatively, he was sometimes a bit low outside and his deep balls were worrisome to me, as the placement and decision-making on them was consistently awful.
I think KOCs point-and-shoot system will fit McCarthy really well, though, and I like that they didn’t give up the farm to trade up. If JJ was going to succeed, this is the situation to do so.
Grade: B+

1. NYJ: Olu Fashanu, OT

This to me makes a lot of sense. Fashanu is one of the best pass blockers in the draft, which the Jets with their very old tackle tandem should really strive for. His run-blocking is a bit of a work in progress, but the most important thing is keeping freshly-healed Rodgers upright.
I had Fashanu ranked 12th on my big board, so this fits well. I also like how Douglas picked up a couple more picks through moving down just one spot.
Grade: A

1. DEN: Bo Nix, QB

Man I just don’t see Bo that way. Positively, I think he will be ready to start very soon as you can see his experience in his consistently sound mechanics and his ability to know where to go with the ball. He delivers the ball accurately, with good pace and consistent placement when everything is on time. I really worry about his ability to extend plays however, because while he has sufficient athleticism, his accuracy and decision-making seem to take a real hit under pressure or while extending plays.
I just believe his ceiling is not high enough to warrant being picked this high (he was a Late 2nd grade for me), but I get the need to just get a guy in the building.
Grade: C

1. LV: Brock Bowers, TE

I don’t get the criticism of this pick. Yes, they drafted Mayer last year, but he doesn’t stop you from drafting a talent like Bowers. This was clearly a value pick, as I had Bowers No. 6 on my board. I like the TE pairing with Mayer as I think it allows Bowers to be used the way he is supposed to: as a receiver. He moves incredibly well with the ball in his hands, can break or elude tackles and offers a very reliable target over the middle. His upper body strength is second-to-none. He is not the biggest guy, which is why I like having Mayer to block more and I thought he wasn’t really a route-technician as he was mostly used close to the LOS where they found quick ways to get him the ball.
Grade: A-

1. NO: Taliese Fuaga, OT

This is a really good fit, as I think Fuaga can slot right in at RT, but can also spend his first season inside if needed. He reminds me of Taylor Decker with his play strength. I don’t love his movement ability, which may make him a better guard, but all in all this is a very good pick.
Grade: A-

1. IND: Laiatu Latu, EDGE

Latu is probably the most technically sound edge rusher in this draft and he clearly fills a position of need for the Colts. Getting your favorite defensive player at 15 must feel good. I think ceiling-wise Turner or Verse are more talented, but I just love the way Latu plays. It seems like his medical red flags were cleared, so that is that.
Grade: B+

1. SEA: Byron Murphy II, DT

I love this pick. I think he could have been chosen as early as 8 without any complaints and I really like the fit in this new Seattle defense as a very easy comparison seems to be Justin Madubuike. While his size isn’t ideal, his twitch, power and disruptive energy from a 3-tech position will be a problem for every Guard he’s facing. In a DL with Leonard Williams, Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu, this may be a new-look Seahawks defense.
Grade: A

1. MIN: Dallas Turner, EDGE

Turner is long, explosive and plays with good strength and hand usage from the Edge. I really like this fit with the Vikings and think this was a smart trade-up. He needs to mature his rushing versatility a bit, but he is an athletic freak, who has every tool to succeed.
Grade: A-

1. CIN: Amarius Mims, OT

I really liked this fit through the entire draft process, as Mims fits the Bengals’ mold of humongous tackles. Mims is often portrayed as raw, but he is more inexperienced than raw as he showed that he knows how to play tackle. Still, he can easily sit a year in this scenario. I like this selection.
Grade: A-

1. LAR: Jared Verse, EDGE

This is a really good pick for the Rams to bolster their D-Line around promising 2nd year player Kobie Turner. Verse is a disruptive player, who explodes off the line and displays mature hand-usage. He needs to work on his bend.
Grade: B+

1. PIT: Troy Fautanu, OL

I LOVE this. In my opinion Fautanu is a Top 3 tackle and a Top 1 guard in this class. With his run-blocking ability and strength in pass-protection, I think he could be an All-Pro guard and offers 5-position-flexibility to a team that wants to continue bolstering their line. He also was my No. 7 player, so this is really good value.
Grade: A+

1. MIA: Chop Robinson, EDGE

This is fine to me. I like Chop, as he is the most explosive rusher in this class and portrays very well in a wide-nine stance with his get-off and aggressive hands. He doesn’t really have finesse in his rush, which makes it difficult for me to believe that he is going to start right away (maybe if Jaelan Phillips is still hurt). I would have preferred an instant impact player at corner.
Grade: B-

1. PHI: Quinyon Mitchell, CB

This is perfect. I never thought he would last this long and he just fits the Eagles perfectly. His instincts, toughness and aggressiveness just scream Philly and they had a huge need at CB.
Grade: A+

1. JAX: Brian Thomas Jr., WR

I was worried that BTJ was going to be overdrafted, but this is a very appropriate spot for him. He is an amazingly talented deep-ball receiver that wins early with size and speed and tracks deep-balls reliably. However, he only runs hooks/curls and go-routes and has the occasional concentration drop. I would have liked this more if the Jags didn’t overpay Gabe Davis, but this is a good selection still.
Grade: B+

1. DET: Terrion Arnold, CB

Really good player at one of the seldom positions of need for the Lions. I have nothing negative.
Grade: A+

1. GB: Jordan Morgan, OL

While he was announced as a tackle, I hope the plan is to move him to guard, as I think his skill set projects much better there and I feel like that would fit GBs needs better. He excels with good footwork and aggressive run-blocking, but struggles a bit in lateral agility, which at guard could be compensated better.
Grade: B

1. TB: Graham Barton, OC/OG

I really liked how Graham Barton projects inside. He has the footwork and strong hands to be an above-average starter at guard. He reminds me of Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Grade: A

1. AZ: Darius Robinson, EDGE

I am fine with this. Arizona just needs sound players on their D-Line and Robinson is that. He is a solid Base player, who can occasionally move inside and wins with his size and length.
Grade: B

1. KC: Xavier Worthy, WR

This is a tough grade for me. First, I don’t really get the trade-up as I don’t really get who would have taken Worthy in front of them except the Bills. Secondly, I think Worthy is overdrafted here by around one round. I get the appeal, as he has difference-making speed and in comparison to a guy like Jalin Hyatt actually has a few releases in his bag. However, his strength profile is worrying, to say the least, and his hands aren’t great. He also doesn’t run any real routes with crispness.
However, no matter what I say, his QB is Mahomes and he will work out. But because of the trade-up I will refuse to grade this higher.
Grade: C+

1. DAL: Tyler Guyton

I didn’t love Guyton as a prospect but at No. 29 this is absolutely 100% fine with me. I wish they would have gotten someone with a little inside-flexibility (imo Guyton is a pure RT, maybe LT), but I don’t see a player here that I would clearly prefer so I can’t hold that against them.
Grade: B

1. BAL: Nate Wiggins, CB

I was a bit shocked by this, as I didn’t think the Ravens would like Wiggins. With a very slight frame, the way he holds up against stronger receivers or in the run game is a real concern. However, his ball skills and fluidity really impressed me and I consider this a solid value.
Grade: B

1. SF: Ricky Pearsall, WR

I would have loved DeJean here, but it seems like either Aiyuk or Deebo are on the move and this is their successor. I am fine with the value of Pearsall here, as I had him graded as an Early 2nd receiver. He is used all over the field and especially tough over the middle, making some really tough catches over the middle, consistently showing good concentration. Still, while he has sufficient athleticism, for his small frame he won´t fly by anyone and I thought he struggled a bit against press coverage, which probably makes him purely a slot receiver. I would have preferred a guy like Lagette, AD Mitchell, Coleman, … type-wise.
Grade: B-

1. CAR: Xavier Lagette, WR

I am a huge fan of Lagette and really like this pick accordingly. I didn’t understand the obsession with Carolina as a landing spot for McConkey as they already have Diontae Johnson in that mold. Lagette moves extremely well for his impressive size and can be a true YAC weapon when used on slants and similar routes with really good acceleration and end speed. I really like his release and the way he uses his frame throughout the route and at the catch point.
On the negative side, I felt like he sometimes pushed off a bit too obviously and he struggled a bit in running truly crisp routes as he mostly rounded them off.
I still feel like this is really good for the Panthers, as he gives them a weapon around the LOS to get the ball to quickly with potential for huge gains through YAC, but also downfield with his size and jump-ball ability.
Grade: A

Clarification, I know jack shit about the logistics and technical aspects of professional football coaching/coordinating, so I look at this as a potential teaching moment from the community and appreciate your insights as fans. This is also the first year I’ve followed the Vikings offseason closely.
Toward the end of the season last year, a lot of folks were saying the opposing teams had begun to “crack Flores defense code”. I know Flores was using a scheme rooted in college ball that wasn’t typically seen in the nfl, so how does a good DC adjust during the offseason to keep the opponent guessing the following season? Do they have to devise an entirely different kind of defensive philosophy, or is it likely we see the same kind of aggressive, heavy blitz Vikings D as last season with some added tweaks to make things a little more unpredictable? I know during the ‘22 Dona-shell era people were pissed because we were basically locked into that scheme all season and apparently it was too late to make any major changes to it.
Also last year there were, as far as I could tell, some real concerns about KOC as a game manager and in our red-zone performance. What are a few areas do you guys think KOC absolutely needs to work on as a HC this year?
Obliged.

1.) CHI - Caleb Williams, QB, USC Not much to say here. They need a QB and he is the best available.
2.) WAS - Drake Maye, QB, UNC A ton of buzz about Daniels here, and the thought process of Mariota as a backup/QB makes sense. But I think they moved Howell to avoid the awkwardness of that situation. I still like Maye at 2.
3.) NE - Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU Talks of a trade down or possible as this team has many holes. But without a franchise QB, you can't compete. NE goes with their QB of the future here and does what they can in the draft to try and surround him with weapons.
4.) ARI - Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, OSU Another popular pick here, but I won't overthink it. Talks of a trade down for JJ here are possible, but after listening to Dane Brugler's comp of Marvin and Larry Fitz, I believe this is too great a talent to pass on.
5.) MIN*- JJ McCarthy, QB, UM Though I don't understand the hype on this kid, I can see why MIN would want a similar, cheaper option for Kirk's replacement. I believe KOC can make this kid a viable QB, but top 5 for him to me is crazy. They must do this to jump NYG, though.
6.) NYG - Malik Nabers, WR, LSU Nabers falls into NYG's lap at 6 here. One where you can't over think it, take the guy that is going to make the most immediate impact. QB is a question mark, but thanks to Tommy Devito's unfortunate win's, NYG is just not in a position to get a top guy this year. Do I dare say Arch? Time will tell.
7.) TEN - Joe Alt, OL, ND Another popular pick here, TEN did a good job getting who they could in free agency. They seem to be all in on Levis and protecting him with the best OL in the draft should be the top priority. I wouldn't hate Bowers here.
8.) NYJ* - Rome Odunze, WR, Washington The Jets make a splash here and jump CHI to grab Rome. With a stellar defense, NYJ does the irresponsible thing here and passes on an OL to surround Aaron for weapons in his last gasp.
9.) CHI - Dallas Turner, EDGE, Bama After getting screwed by ATL, they screw them back by grabbing the guy most believe they want. Flus will Flus and in his last season as head coach, he and Poles grab the best edge rusher in the draft.
10.) ATL*- Terrion Arnold, CB, Bama A name that has risen as the draft process has gone on, ATL grabs the Bama standout. Morris knows a thing or two about D-backs, and an Arnold/Terrell secondary could become the best young duo in the league if Terrell gets back to his former self.
11.) LAC*- Taliese Fuaga, OL, Oregon State I believe Jim has a plan to build a solid run game and keep Herbert from having to be a hero. To do this, he bolsters his OL with another fast riser in the draft process.
12.) DEN - Jared Verse, EDGE, FSU There are many directions DEN could go with this pick, but I don't believe they go QB at this range. Verse is a tremendous athlete and DEN needs to generate some sort of pass rush to stand a chance in their division.
13.) LV - Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo Another team that could be vying for a QB, I think they play it safe with a corner many believe could be the best in the draft. The Raiders secondary was awful last season, Mitchell will add some much needed help.
14.) NO - Brian Thomas, WR, LSU With the departure of Michael Thomas, NO looks to replace him with a familiar name, who in most drafts would be the best WR out of LSU. They go all in on Derek Carr before the inevitable rebuild next year.
15.) IND - Brock Bowers, TE, UGA If this happens I think it is the biggest steal in the draft. Bowers is a stud and building around AR5 would really help him become a great player. CB is the smart play here, but you cannot pass on Bowers if he slides this far.
16.) SEA - Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OL, Penn State In an awkward spot here, SEA plays it safe and bolsters the OL. I wouldn't rule out a QB here, but recent history tells us drafting a QB in the first round after pick 12 is a no no.
17.) JAX - Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson Outside of Allen and Trevor, who is honestly a question mark right now, JAX has really done a bad job drafting as of late. Wiggins is a day one starter for a secondary that could use a boost.
18.) CIN - Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington Keeping Burrow healthy has to be the number one priority right now. One more injury and it could be the end for him. Keeping the O-Line strong is the number one way to keep him healthy.
19.) LAR - Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon LAR has done a tremendous job of rebuilding their o-line the past season. To complete the rebuild, they draft the best center in the draft before PHI or PIT have the opportunity.
20.) PIT - Tyler Guyton, OL, Oklahoma Russ has been sacked more than any other play in the NFL the past decade. They have to keep addressing the OL and protect him if they want to preserve their 9-8 season.
21.) MIA - Graham Barton, OL, Duke With the departure of Robert Hunt, MIA addresses an immediate need. Some may see it as a reach but if he is a day one contributor that can keep Tua off the turf, it is a win.
22.) PHI - Laiatu Latu, LB, UCLA A much needed addition to a linebacking core that has not had much to brag about the past few seasons, Latu is the best in the draft. A great filler for the loss of Reddick.
23.) LAC*- Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State With LAC's edge rushers getting old and expensive, it might not be a bad idea to a add young, cheap stud to the rotation.
24.) DAL - Amarius Mims, OL, UGA With the departure of Tyron Smith, DAL addresses an immediate need.
25.) GB - Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa I could see GB making a move to trade up in this draft, but if they sit tight I think grabbing the midwest kid and keeping him there would be a homerun for the young, up and coming Packers.
26.) TB - Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Bama The surprising fall of McKinstry stops here as TB addresses an immediate need.
27.) ARI - Darius Robinson, DL, Mizzou A DL that hasn't had much to brag about since JJ Watt left, the defensive minded Gannon can't leave the first round without one defensive pick.
28.) BUF - Keon Coleman, WR, FSU A boring pick, but I can't see how they pass on Coleman. One of the most underrated players in the draft in my opinion, obviously fills a need.
29.) DET - Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB, Mizzou With the likely loss of Cam Sutton, Detroit adds to it's secondary that also lost CGJ this off-season.
30.) BAL - JC Latham, OL, Bama Baltimore addresses a need here and stacks up it's offensive line with the addition of Derrick Henry.
31.) SF - Zach Frazier, OL, WVU The biggest weakness of SF is undoubtedly their O-line. With the loss of Armstead, I think DL is in play here. But another guy I believe is very underrated in Frazier could be a day one contributor for the best running back in the league.
32.) KC - TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa State Questions marks around Rashee Rice could keep WR in play here, but I think they believe Mahomes can do whatever, with whoever. Because of this, I think they immediate adress the loss of Sneed and draft the 6'2" stud out of ISU.
*denotes trade
Please excuse spelling errors and such as I did not spell check.
Let the roast begin!

Hello,
Coming from Sicilians living in New Orleans, I was brought up by an extremely Catholic extended family (everyone was in the KOC or church choir and if you couldn’t find someone there was a 80% they were at church) — All throughout my youth, I went to Mass each Sunday and participated in my church’s youth programs. Most of it was to appease my Catholic grandparents, aunts, and uncles who lived in another state — But I did enjoy it, especially knowing how much it meant to the family I loved so much.
I began to grow distant from the church when I was about 15-16; It seemed the closer I got confirmation, the less I felt at home there in spite of what I believed to be my faith. I got bullied quite frequently by the other kids in my youth programs, and a lot of my ministry leaders wouldn’t listen to me when I looked to them for help because my bullies were their own children, their friends’ children, or kids that were selected to be youth leaders. Because of this, I wasn’t at all “engaged” in my church outside of required confirmation meetings when I was young, and I feel this had a major part in why I grew distant from an early age. Apart from how I was treated, I think I lost interest in the church pre-confirmation because I never really got to experience scripture. During my Mass my church used to take everyone 11 and under away during the readings — And in our separate education room, we never went over relevant or similar scripture.. just vague “moral” lessons. During our youth meetings, all we learned of were prayers and rituals. I was never taught of Scripture, The Saints, of The Vatican, of Jesuits, of Novenas, of Feast days (and most Church holidays, for that matter), or of the Church’s contributions to science, philosophy, and discovery. Learning these things as an adult has lead me to realize the church was heavily undersold to me by my educators as a youth — And I know now how glorious, massive, and beautiful the church is.
I’m 23 now. In my adult years, I’ve taken greater initiative to study scripture and practice prayer than I ever did as a youth — And it’s changed my entire perception on the church and my faith. I’ve also spoken to my elder family members about the harder questions surrounding our faith — Something I was always intimidated to do as a boy.
For the greater part of 2 months now, I’ve finally gotten back into going to mass and receiving the eucharist. I actually went to confession for the first time in 14 years, as well. I’ve decided I want to sign up for different volunteer gigs with the church, and I’ve also started to look into joining our KOC chapter. I’ve also started making a habit of praying my rosary every day for the first time since I was a young boy.. And all of this has brought me more peace and clarity than I’ve felt in over 10 years.
What I ask you is this: What is the church’s perception of someone like me? Should I seek advice/help from my clergy on “adjusting back into things” before getting more involved or just get used to it again? I am genuinely versed in the faith, but I made a noticeable step away from the church for quite some time (leaving me somewhat rusty on some rituals and prayers i remember differently). I want to get involved in my church and in my community, but I fear my inconsistent history with my faith will pose a barrier to doing so and cause someone to question my reliability and piety.

My content diet is getting out of control. Ever since Kirk signed with the falcons, Vikings speculation has consumed a concerning amount of my mental bandwidth.
Rather than wallow in the hell I have created for myself, I thought I would share some of the highlights of the information gathered during this painful process.
Hopefully you enjoy, but you probably won’t.
………
Scouts need to be fixated on traits on tape while coaches are more concerned with process on tape. While scouts have been watching these guys for months or years, coaches don’t enter the process until about March. This is why you see a lot of prospects rising in march. Scouts may be unimpressed with their traits but then coaches start watching them doing all the right things and say “hey I could use that”.
Traits are a bit of a gift and a curse, if you can coach up a player with great traits you have Josh Allen. If you can’t you have JaMarcus Russell. This is what is so fascinating to me about what the Vikings end up doing with respect to Drake Maye. He is sloppy, he drifts in the pocket, he misses throws that p-squad players could make, he has a long wind-up delivery and on and on. At the same time he has legit Josh Allen type traits. Thinking back, Josh didn’t really develop until year 3… do KOC and Kwesi really have that long?
The Washington Huskies have created the meta for college football and eventually the NFL… This is why Grubbs is now in Seattle, the scheme won there. Now the question is, how much of it was the scheme and how much was Penix? On top of that, you had Penix playing on an offense where 7-8 players are going to get drafted. I do think the injury history is a consideration point for teams, but how he will translate is a bigger question mark for me.
On translation, JJ McCarthy is the only QB out of the 6 that isn't coming from an Air Raid style offense. Obviously, other players have made the transition, but actually playing in a system where your drop and your reads are connected would give JJ a huge leg up when it comes to learning our scheme specifically.
I thought it was interesting when KOC said at thr owners meeting that "we want to live in a world where we can play more man coverage". He also mentioned preferring Byron to play exclusively Nickel. Thing is, Josh played alot of Nickel last year and was effective. This leads me to believe we are going to transition to something closer to what Flo deployed in Miami with Josh playing a hybrid Will/Saftey role like Eric Rowe did for him in MIA… we are going to need some more corners.
A big reason we signed Josh Oliver last year was because teams were countering our 11 with base, this made it difficult to run the ball. KOCs solution was to play more 12 (with oliver) but that didnt really work either. Over in LA, McVays solution was different… straight up switch to a gap heavy run scheme and boom, the were one of the most efficient run teams in the league. Very curious what direction KOC takes in that respect this offseason.

Hi, I'm planning on going Bodrum - Selcuk - Izmir - Cesme this summer. I'm trying to sort busses, but I'm not seeing these options on FlixBus (Kamil Koc). I tried some other sites too but had some issues with the translations. The schedules aren't up for June yet, so I've been using May for reference.
I can see Bodrum to Soke, then Soke to Selcuk. But then no busses from Selcuk to Izmir, but also no busses back to Soke?
And for Cesme as well, it suggests a bus from Manila instead of Izmir, but then lists Izmir as a stop along the way.
Anyone know if my route is actually possible? Or how I would go about booking it?

In 2014 Cartoon Network created the CN Sayin’ App, which allowed viewers to upload videos and have a chance at being featured in bumpers for the network. The app has since been shut down and now a lot of the bumpers can’t be found on the internet. I was in one of these bumpers that aired starting in September 2015, I already made a post about it on lostmedia a while ago, but basically it included this clip from Steven Universe along with me introducing the clip. If you’ve seen that creepy ad and PSA iceberg video and saw the “lost Cartoon Network bump with me in it” entry, this is what that was referring to.
I’m not the only one who’s having this problem. 2 months ago somebody else made a post to lostmedia about their own lost Cartoon Network bump seemingly to no avail.
Here’s another user posting about the app
So basically the app I used to record the video on doesn’t exist anymore, I’ve scanned the internet for years in search of the bump to no avail, and now a lot of other redditors are sharing the same problem that I’m having. I have no idea how I would be able to get any leads on this or how the bumps were even selected and produced, so the best I can do is make a post here see if people will take notice.

This summary is from user u/griwulf regarding what Ali Koç said in todays press conference

• GS has been saying a lot of crap recently. They're provoking us and their own fans. They're the biggest threat to Turkish football, perhaps even to our country.
• They threaten the league stakeholders after a loss and invite everyone to remain calm after a win (Koc showed some videos of Dwarf and Penguin). They keep the refs and federation under a lot of pressure through blackmailing and slander, like they did in the BJK game.
  
• They said they'd broadcast the ref mistakes on their TV channel. They never did, and then they shut down the channel.
  
• They use trashy tactics like "oh, that guy works for a Koc subsidiary" to slander people. They used this on Lale Orta. How can they even use this as an argument when the current TFF president is a member of GS?
  
• They complained about the rant we shared on Twitter during the HT of the Alanya game last March. Ten days later, they did the same thing themselves. They're two-faced.
  
• Okan doesn't want foreign refs because he knows how games are refereed in Europe. Ask Okan who his closest referee friend is.
  
• They cheated in Morutan and Bakambu transfers. They sign players for a low salary and give them more money through "sponsorships". And they declare transfer fees lowehigher as it benefits them.
  
• Eyupspor, Pendikspor, and Galatasaray have a coalition.
  
• Their ex-players deliberately perform badly against them.
  
• They told everyone that Zaniolo chose them even though Fener offered more money. An independent investigation has revealed that they offered him more than us through bonuses.
  
• Fener players were shown 15 yellow cards in the last 4 games, GS players were shown 4. They're clearly being backed, as also seen in the Icardi situation, and the fact that they postponed the games when Halil Umut Meler got punched in the face instead of sliding all the games by a week, which created an advantage for GS.
  
• Abdulkadir Bitigen admitted in a public meeting that one of his penalty decisions in favor of GS was incorrect. How can you VAR a penalty position and still make the wrong call?
  
• They messed up the Super Cup organization and tried to blame it on Fener.
  
• There was government involvement in Penguin becoming the GS president for the 3rd time.
  
• Penguin wanted to meet with me in private through one of our mutual friends. He thinks there are plots against him within GS, that TFF president enjoys and benefits from the FB - GS fight, and that we should find a solution together. But then in public he'll say all kinds of things about me.
  
• The game we're playing here is not football. We should be stronger than ever as an organization and defend our team together.
  
• We're not making any progress with the "28 championships" situation. It's been with TFF for 3 years now with no progress.
  

Whats your opinion on this?

Team: Minnesota Vikings
Division: NFC North
Record: 7-10
Playoffs: Hey, at least the Twins finally broke their streak!
Warning: there are a lot of words in this write-up. For those who prefer a more succinct analysis, important sections have been translated into "TL;DR" pieces made up of just a few sentences. Hit "ctr+F" and type in "TL;DR" to find them. Also, in the positional analysis section, names are in italics, if you want to search for a specific player.
Key Departures:
A full list of departures can be found here under "signed elsewhere."
WR - Adam Thielen
A time ago, Adam Thielen made the rare jump from “beloved local hero” to “legitimately dominant NFL force.” The peak of his powers came in 2017 and 2018 when Case Keenum and Kirk Cousins realized his speed wasn’t just a sideshow; the Detroit Lakes native could stretch the defense and open up lanes for Stefon Diggs and company. Back-to-back 1200+ yard seasons earned him a pair of Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro selection—unheard-of accolades for a once undrafted special teams hero.
But those years were gone. Thielen lost steps. He suddenly became an elite red zone force in 2020 and 2021, hauling in 24 combined touchdowns, but his yards dropped, and the team no longer believed the 33-year-old could compliment their regal superstar with adequate production. The Vikings released Thielen on March 10th. He eventually signed with the Panthers.
LB - Eric Kendricks
Before Fred Warner established himself as the unrivaled inside-linebacking force in the league, Eric Kendricks was one of the many who staked his claim to being the best in the business. His deft senses and quickness anchored the heart of some of Mike Zimmer’s classic defenses, providing needed support to the D-Line and secondary as the kind of fast-twitch linebacker who could do whatever Zimmer asked. He earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 2019.
However—like Thielen—that was some time ago. Kendricks’ intelligence was clearly intact, but his athleticism continued to decline, and the Vikings released their second-round pick from 2015 before the season began. He signed with the Chargers.
EDGE - Za’Darius Smith
You’d be forgiven if you forgot about Za’Darius Smith’s one-year stint with Minnesota. The edge rusher shifted over one state when the team inked him to a pillow contract before the season. An odd falling out and a disappearance in production at the end of the year spurned Smith enough to demand out after just one year in purple (Minnesota’s purple, that is.) He went to yet another North team: the Browns.
RB - Dalvin Cook
Here’s the big one. Dalvin Cook was once a running back leviathan; his grace and surprising power made him one of the NFL’s top backfield options. His first 1000-yard season came in 2019, and it kicked off a string of four-straight Pro Bowl seasons leading up to his departure from Minnesota. He was good in 2022, but his movement dropped ever so slightly, and—knowing that all running backs must turn 27 eventually—the team released Cook after finding his trade market barren.
Cook signed with the Jets and proved the Vikings absolutely correct in their assessment; he ran the ball just 67 times all year and churned out 214 yards for a ghastly 3.2 yards per carry. His NFL career is likely over.
DC - Ed Donatell
“Key” as in notable, not necessarily painful. Ed Donatell went one-and-done as Vikings DC: his maligned “shell” defense couldn’t contain a team of sloths, and his unit finished 28th in points allowed per game. The worst of it came during Minnesota’s Wild Card matchup against the Giants, where his unit made Playoff Daniel Jones look like Regular Season Lamar Jackson; Jones threw for 301 yards and scampered for 78 more. That performance likely ended his tenure in Minnesota, and the longtime defensive coach sat jobless during the 2023 season.
CB - Patrick Peterson
The once Cardinal corner artist rebounded from the washed allegations to put together a legitimately great season. He looked a decade younger, snagging five picks while earning his best PFF grade since 2018. That excellent year gave Minnesota a conundrum: do they pay for the rebound or skeptically view the 32-year-old's year as a fluke? They chose the latter, and Peterson signed with the Steelers.
Key Departures TL;DR
The Vikings let long-term veterans like Eric Kendricks, Dalvin Cook, and Adam Thielen leave the team in the hopes that shedding age would make the team more dynamic and athletic. DC Ed Donatell also exited following one poor season calling defensive plays.
Key Additions:
A full list of additions can be found here under "agreed to terms."
TE - Josh Oliver
Minnesota certainly made a strong bid for the WHO? signing of the season when they inked Josh Oliver to a three-year deal. You can’t blame people for raising their eyebrows: blocking tight ends don’t crack headlines.
EDGE - Marcus Davenport
Marcus Davenport joined Minnesota on a pillow contract to help him rewrite his label as a talented yet often-injured pass-rusher. The production was there; the Vikings were betting on the injury bug staying away for the first time in his career.
CB - Byron Murphy Jr.
Ever since Xavier Rhodes and old man Terence Newman ran one of the tightest secondary groups in the league, the Vikings have tried desperately to find their next lockdown star. Murphy wasn’t quite that, but he proved to be occasionally great and often competent with Arizona—a potentially relieving sight after fans watched Mike Hughes, Cameron Dantzler, and Jeff Gladney all fail to establish themselves at the pro level.
DC - Brian Flores
The Brian Flores hiring was a home run before any games were played. Perhaps that's a sign of overanxious fans looking to latch onto anyone following the disastrous defense in 2022, but Flores brought real, unique defensive chops to the team. Would the man who favors amorphous blitz packages and relentless pressure take Minnesota’s unit into freshly-hired Mike Zimmer territory? We shall see.
Key Additions TL;DR
The Vikings opted for a tepid free agency. Players like Josh Oliver, Byron Murphy Jr., and Marcus Davenport either filled in a specific niche or were buy-low guys the team hoped could perform given a different situation. Brian Flores was the big move; his defensive mindset appeared to be the antidote to Ed Donatell's venomous "let the offense do whatever they want" philosophy.
The Draft:
Round 1, Pick 23 - WR Jordan Addison, USC
Thielen’s departure created a chasm at WR, with the Vikings needing to add talent to complement Justin Jefferson. A run of WRs opened the door for them to take USC’s Jordan Addison with the 23rd overall pick. Addison didn’t possess the overwhelming physical dominance of a Quinten Johnston, taken two spots ahead of him; rather, he used tremendous body control and elegant route-running to make his bread. In broad strokes, his profile sounded a hell of a lot like Jefferson's. Would he be able to translate like his LSU counterpart?
Round 3, Pick 102 - CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC
Minnesota dealt their second-round pick in the deal that netted them T.J. Hockenson, making pick 102 their next selection. They went back to the USC well with Mekhi Blackmon, an “aggressive man-corner whose physical play brings both passes defensed and penalties.” In a secondary lacking dominant corner talent, Blackmon seemed like a solid bet to quickly earn playing time.
Round 4, Pick 134 - S Jay Ward, LSU
With Harrison Smith continuing to age and Cam Bynum coming off an inconsistent year, Minnesota looked to LSU to provide some talent. Enter Jay Ward: the 6’1” DB could cover safety and nickel corner, providing quality run support and so-so coverage skills along with immense leadership.
Round 5, Pick 141 - DT Jaquelin Roy, LSU
The first two picks were USC guys; the next two were LSU. Jaquelin Roy was a former top-100 recruit coming out of high school. He wasn’t the best athlete on the field, but his production and stamina were unusual for a player at his position. And one of his NFL comps was Dalvin Tomlinson—a player the Vikings just had at their defensive tackle position in 2022.
Round 5, Pick - QB Jaren Hall, BYU
After whiffing hard on a QB with Kellen Mond, Minnesota tried once more to find a guy who could potentially supplement Kirk Cousins’ job in the future. Jaren Hall’s precision and touch made him intriguing to the Vikings, who haven’t shown much of a care for QBs with outstanding size or arm strength.
Round 7, Pick 222 - RB DeWayne McBride, UAB
That’s the University of Alabama at Birmingham—the alma mater of Roddy White and the legendary Joe Webb—if you were confused. Minnesota took a flyer on the explosive DeWayne McBridge, figuring he was as good a bet as any to become the next late-round running back to ascend to quality starter status. His main knock was fumbles; defenses knocked the ball loose five times in 11 games.
Season Review (provided by Darth_Brooks_II)
A month before the season, Dorktown came out with a seven-episode history of the Minnesota Vikings. In the end, one theme stood out: the Minnesota Vikings can never not be weird. Strangeness is set in the organization's very fabric. That would play out as much during the 2023 season as it has in the previous.
Game One, home versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers, L 17–20
After a crazy 2022, the new season started with the opportunity to catch a team in transition. Tom Brady had retired and the Baker Mayfield was on his fourth team after being chucked out of Cleveland. Instead, Minnesota found itself plagued by turnovers in critical spots and troubles with the rush game (be prepared for this theme). The second drive ended with a fumble at Tampa's 26. This was followed by a second fumble that led to a Tampa TD. Then, with the score tied with twenty seconds left in the half, Kirk Cousins threw an INT at Tampa's goal line. Minnesota's final two drives following an early 4th quarter score resulted in six yards. The game also featured a disappointing run game, with Alexander Mattison only getting 34 yards in eleven attempts.
Game Two, at Philadelphia Eagles, L 28–34
The game against Philly was seen as a good litmus test for the 2023 team. The Vikings had been blown out the previous year and it would be interesting to see the difference between Ed Donatell and Brian Flores.
The difference was apparent pretty quickly as the defense pestered Jalen Hurts in a way unique to what he saw the previous season. The issues with turnovers and the nonexistent run game continued with four turnovers and a miserable twenty-eight yards rushing. In the second half, Philly decided to put the shell up and play some real old-timey smash-mouth football. They controlled the clock enough to win. Cousins shed his night game blues and balled out with 364 yards and 4 TDs, keeping the game more competitive than it had any business being. It was a match neither team walked out feeling great about.
Game Three, home versus Los Angeles Chargers, L 24–28
After not playing run defense for the second game, the Vikings decided to not play pass defense for the third. The Chargers got thirty yards on the ground, but Herbert threw for 445 yards, so who really cares about running the ball? An interception in the end zone (at this point, a very familiar occurrence) with seven seconds left snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Game Four, at Carolina Panthers, W 21–13
After a rough start, Minnesota got to play the little sisters of Mercy, wearing Carolina Blue. Even so, they almost let it get away from them. The scoring started with another turnover in the red zone, this one a ninety-nine-yard defensive TD off an errant Cousins pass. Between a couple of Cousins to Jefferson TD passes, the defense had a long fumble recovery for a TD, Harrison Smith sacked Bryce Young three times, and that was enough to give Minnesota their first win of the season.
Game Five, home versus Kansas City Chiefs, L 20–27
One of the assumptions of the 2023 season is that the team might have a worse record than in 2022 but actually be a better team. By the time the Kansas City Chiefs game rolled around, that prediction was looking very good. What was also true is that the turnover bug continued, with an "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" fumble on the first play.
While the defense played well, holding the Chiefs to 266 yards in the air and 67 on the ground, so far in the year, the team wasn't getting turnovers, so mistakes on offense were painful. Also painful was the injury to Justin Jefferson. The world-class receiver would be out for seven games. Ironically he would be out just as a win streak started.
Yet again, Minnesota lost a game they could have won if a few plays went a different way. Fortune cares not for the unlucky, though, so they had to sit on a sour 1-4 record. They lost four games in all of 2022.
Game Six, at Chicago Bears, W 19–13
A game against a 1-4 team should have been a stress-free win, but the game against Chicago and the season were more troublesome than expected. Minnesota missed Justin Jefferson and both defenses dominated. Justin Fields got hurt and his backup's fumble led to the winning score for Minnesota. People paid real money to watch this game.
Game Seven, home versus San Francisco 49ers, W 22–17
This was the best game of the season for Minnesota. The offense and defense both clicked (well, at least the passing offense.) Jordan Addison had a breakout game, fathering Charvarius Ward with a massive 60-yard TD to cap off the 1st half, and the team led from the beginning against what could have been considered the best team in the NFC. Cam Bynum fooled Brock Purdy for a pair of picks. For everyone who thought the team had some real positives, this game was vindication.
Game Eight, at Green Bay Packers, W 24–10
Played before the Packers got their season righted, the Vikings dominated the clock and the scoreboard, with the passing attack well distributed between Hockenson, Addison, and K.J. Osborn. The team was clicking. And then something in Kirk Cousins' ankle clicked and his Achilles tendon tore, ending his season and potentially his career in Minnesota, utterly ruining a tremendous victory over the bastard Packers. Now is when the Twilight Zone part of the season began
Game Nine, at Atlanta Falcons, W 31–28
This may very well be the game that gave the best showcase of just how good a coach Kevin O'Connell is. After losing Cousins, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall, the Vikings were down to a quarterback who had absolutely no familiarity with the playbook, didn't know his teammate's names, and needed O'Connell to walk him through the reads as he called the play. Josh Dobbs was a career backup who had packed up and moved eight times before walking in the door, including being on the practice squad twice. He had started for the Cardinals, going 1-7 before being traded along with a seventh-round pick for a conditional sixth-round.
Despite a rough start—Dobbs turned the ball over like a guy trying to recall if he was reading a dagger or crosser—the new man on campus turned on his athletic jets and willed the team to one of their most unlikely wins of the year, capped by a game-winning TD to Brandon Powell.
Game Ten, home versus New Orleans Saints, W 27–19
Passtronaut mania continued as the Vikings jumped out to a 24-3 lead by halftime. The Dobbs-led offense wasn't pretty, and he ran for nearly as many yards as Ty Chandler. It was crazy but it worked. The defense held NO to drives of 28, 46(FG), 9, -1, 13, and 5 yards before Jameis Winston led a couple of drives for TDs. Jameis followed up those drives with a pair of game ending INT's, as is want for him. There was a strange vibe in Minnesota. Could the team actually be better without Kirk Cousins? Dobbs was leading a team without its top-five QB, while Justin Jefferson sat unused with a bad hamstring. The Vikings were now 6-4 and looking like a lock to make the playoffs and possibly do some damage.
Game Eleven, at Denver Broncos, L 20–21
Russell Wilson's late-game heroics have been codified into RWBS. I'll let you guess what that stands for, but what it means on the field is seeing a whole bunch of late-game plays that leave you shaking your head. Going into the third quarter with Minnesota up 17-9, RWBS kicked in, and JDBS fell apart. The last four drives for Minnesota ended in a fumble, an INT, a FG, and turnover by downs.
Game Twelve, at home versus Chicago Bears, L 10–12
Since the trade for Montez Sweat, the Bears' defensive play improved by leaps and bounds. Both teams had a couple of 60+ yard drives but not much else. This would have been the game where Justin Fields gave away the game with two late INTs, but Josh Dobbs had already given it away with four (which honestly could have been like six). At this point, a confused desperation was beginning to set in as the losses were coming far too many and far too fast. As the team realized that Cousin's career in Minnesota might be over, the question of who would take his place grew in importance.
bye (rest up, Justin!)
Game Thirteen, at Las Vegas Raiders, W 3–0
This was the game where the clock struck twelve on Josh Dobbs and, with it, the Vikings season. Despite being a win, his poor performance led to a 4th-quarter benching in favor of Nick Mullens. The game was as excruciating as its low score implies; the offenses combined for 433 yards. Combined. Also, Jefferson lasted all of one quarter before a Dobbs hospital pass literally sent him to the hospital.
Game Fourteen, at Cincinnati Bengals, L 24–27 (OT)
Two late-season games featuring two teams on QBs they'd rather never see the field. A pretty evenly matched game (with the Vikings actually gaining more yards on the ground for once.) It was decided by an absolute failure of an effort by Nick Mullens on fourth down in overtime, as he failed to net a first down on two straight QB sneaks.
Game Fifteen, home versus versus Detroit Lions, L 24–30
The largest post-Cousins decision was who would be the starting QB: Hall, Dobbs, or Mullins. It was made more pointed because even late, the Vikings were still in a position to make the playoffs. Hall was a rookie who showed promise in his first drive. Dobbs seemed to get worse the better he knew the playbook. As frustrating as the last game ended, Mullins looked like the best fit. He was a veteran, he knew the offense better than the other two and his play style fit KOC's goals for the offense.
At this juncture, if the Vikings were to have any hope of getting to the playoffs, the wins needed to come in a hurry. At home, versus Detroit, the teams traded identical drives for TDs before exchanging turnovers and three-and-outs. After a Detroit field goal, Mullens again threw an interception, only this one led to a TD. The absolutely abominable rushing game was an issue again, with seventeen yards in eleven attempts. The Vikings had the lead for a short time in the third quarter, but having the backup QB trying to play hero ball is never a good thing. Two more INTs closed out the hopes of the game and the season.
Game Sixteen, home versus versus Green Bay Packers, L 10–33
One of the questions hanging on the Vikings season centered around Jaren Hall. He had played well before being injured very early in the Falcons game and fans wondered if he could show anything for the future. Given the tailspin of a season, it was reasonable to see what he could do with more time. Painful as it is to say, the answer was "Not much." At halftime, he had completed five passes for sixty-seven yards, and he was mercifully replaced by Mullens, essentially the starter by default at this point. The score, which was then 23 - 3, never got any closer.
The final crash, at Detroit Lions, L 20–30
Mullens started to finish out the season, not that anyone cared all that much. While he threw for close to 400 yards, he also handed Detroit a pair of interceptions. The quarterbacking woes drew attention away from other issues. The running game was a constant issue throughout the season. While for much of the year, the defense was a great improvement over the previous year, the lack of talent combined with injuries caused it to fall off at the end of the year: after shutting out the Raiders, they gave up 27 or more points over the last four games of the season.
Season Highlights
Week One, Jordan Addison scores his first career TD in just his second quarter of play
Week Two, Kirk Cousins eviscerates Philadelphia's secondary
Week Four, Harrison Smith sacks Bryce Young three times
Week Seven, Jordan Addison out-muscles Charvarius Ward and steals a TD before half
Week Nine, Josh Dobbs improbably leads the Vikings to a comeback win against the Falcons
Week Ten, Josh Dobbs weaves around the Saints' defense to score a magical TD
Week Fourteen, Minnesota's defense pitches its first shutout since 2017
Week Fifteen, Nick Mullens somehow finds Jordan Addison as he's falling down to score a ridiculous TD
Week Eighteen, Justin Jefferson goes off for 192 yards to end the season
Season Review TL;DR
Turnovers and a godawful run game kept Minnesota stuck in the mud to start the year, while a season-ending injury to Kirk Cousins soiled their attempt at a comeback. They shuffled through QBs to mild success before four straight losses to end the season kept them out of the playoffs.
Stats:

Stat	2022	2023
Net Y/A	6.2 (13th)	6.4 (12th)
Rushing Y/A	4.1 (25th)	4.0 (21st)
Yards/Play	5.5 (13th)	5.5 (10th)
Points/Drive	2.04 (12th)	1.85 (18th)
Red Zone%	62.5 (8th)	47.1 (28th)
Net Y/A (Defense)	6.9 (30th)	6.1 (15th)
Rushing Y/A	4.5 (19th)	3.8 (7th)
Yards/Play	5.9 (30th)	5.2 (14th)
Points/Drive	2.09 (27th)	1.91 (18th)
Red Zone%	57.1 (12)	54.0 (19th)

Positional Analysis:
QB
Ah, Kirk Cousins, the most malleable man in sports. He can be whatever you want him to be. He’s somehow an overrated choker, an undervalued savvy veteran, a thief robbing Minnesota blind, and the reason why the season tanked. All of this from a man with the personality of vanilla ice cream. 2024 may have been the best thing to ever happen to his reputation: he entered the game against Green Bay playing some of the best ball of his life as the team appeared set to turn their season around, and he ended the day limping off the field after ripping up his Achilles. Out for the season. Woof.
Because his year was shortened, though, a thick sense of missed opportunity has altered his narrative. He's now positioned in the good graces of the NFL's shared experience and could easily hit yet another big payday if (when) a team gets desperate for a QB.
His injury opened the door for the rookie Jaren Hall, who finished off the Green Bay match and later started in two other games. His Atlanta game started off promising—especially when he fired a 47-yard dart to Alexander Mattison in his second drive. But then his scramble right to the end zone only found three things: a Falcon defender, the ground, and a concussion. Woof.
He later returned for a disastrous game on New Year's Eve against the Packers, in which he turned in 67 yards and a pick before being benched. Hall will likely remain as a backup. It’s clear he’s not ready yet to start at the NFL level.
Then, there was The Josh Dobbs Experience. For about three weeks, the Vikings appeared to have struck gold on a hyper-athletic actual rocket scientist known as the “Passtronaut.” He completed a late-game comeback against Atlanta and orchestrated a brilliant offensive outpouring against the Saints before delivering a decidedly mediocre game against the Broncos. The downslide continued: he played atrociously against the Bears before a 4th quarter 0-0 stalemate against the Raiders finally brought his season to an end.
At his best, Dobbs is an exciting dual-threat QB capable of both melting away from defenders' grasps and bowling them over if he feels like it. At his worst, Dobbs holds onto the ball for a century and throws hospital passes only seen at the high school level.
Finally, we have Nick Mullens. Nick Mullens is what you get when you combine Brett Favre’s confidence with Teddy Bridgewater’s arm talent. Mullens posted legitimately eye-popping yard totals in his five games, but those yards came with more interceptions than touchdowns, leading to losses in four of those matchups. He’s the rare backup QB who’s probably more aggressive than the starter. That’s where he’s best suited, though: the backup role.
Conclusion: There’s a chance that no one named here takes a snap for Minnesota next year. Kirk is finally a free agent, and the team didn’t seem too focused on handing him another contract. Perhaps having to watch three other guys righteously muck it up changes their tune, but the appealing QB draft class may move the Vikings to look at a youngster to change their fortunes.
RB
The Vikings proved wise when they let Dalvin Cook go after a tremendous stint in purple; their clairvoyance turned limited when they made Alexander Mattison the full-time starter. Mattison was a fan-favorite change-of-pace guy who was excellent at smashing the line for a guaranteed three to four yards as Cook rested on the sideline. He suddenly looked overmatched when there was no one else to provide a spark.
It’s not necessarily his fault; Mattison was essentially who he always has been, running for 3.9 yards per carry compared to 4.1 for his career. But 3.9 looks a hell of a lot worse when you’re running the ball three or four times a game more. It’s clear that Mattison is a Chester Taylor, not an Adrian Peterson.
Minnesota may have anticipated this as such. Following the opening week of the season, they swung a deal for Cam Akers after he and the Rams had a sudden, bizarre falling out. Akers was somehow even less efficient than Mattison, and he tore his Achilles in the Falcons game, ending his season before it really got going. Woof.
That brings us to Ty Chandler, the people’s running back. A 5th-round choice in 2022, Chandler barely saw the field his first year but became the natural next man up when Mattison struggled and Akers blew out his Achilles. As it turns out, the kid could play: he ran for 4.5 yards per carry—including multiple big runs called back for a penalty unrelated to him—and flashed the kind of big play potential fans were dying to see from the position. Pass protection proved to be a bugaboo for the second-year man, though, necessitating extra playing time for…
C.J. Ham. That’s right! It’s fullback time, baby. The longtime local hero continued his slide as a ball-carrying weapon, but his blocking remained effective enough to negate his static uselessness as a playmaker—and he earned his second career Pro Bowl nod.
Conclusion: The Mattison experiment failed miserably, allowing Ty Chandler to rise in his ashes. Chandler carries worts—mainly in pass protection—which may push the team to look elsewhere for their next every-down back.
WR
Missing seven games couldn’t stop Justin Jefferson from reaching 1000 yards. His brilliance is so apparent it’s almost becoming dull; 180 yards and a TD feels like business as usual, not a noteworthy game. He actually performed slightly better on a yards/game basis than in 2022, when he took home OPOY honors. The only real question with JJ is just how much is he going to reset the WR market with his inevitable extension.
Jefferson’s injury forced Jordan Addison into receiving the lion’s share of targets. He responded beautifully. The first-round selection revealed Minnesota’s wisdom immediately: he reeled in a TD in his first game, caught another one the next week, and rode his splendid route-running to a highly promising 911-yard, 10-TD season. There were some duds—including a donut against Carolina—but his breakout games were truly impressive. He could become the best #2 receiver in the game.
That’s bad news for K.J. Osborn. The Miami product has been something of a fan favorite for the past few years. His production hasn’t evolved beyond mild, though, and the addition of T.J. Hockenson last year pushed him back to being an obvious fourth option in Minnesota’s offense. He’s JAG—not bad, but not great, and he will soon hit free agency.
Brandon Powell rounds out the corps. Already a journeyman at 28, Kevin O’Connell seemed to have a knack for playing to the forgotten receiver’s strengths; Powell hauled in 29 receptions for 324 yards, making 2023 by far his most productive year. The targets fell once Jefferson returned, though. He’s likely to be the offensive version of Marcus Sherels (IYKYK).
Conclusion: This positional group is easily Minnesota’s strongest. Justin Jefferson is the league’s best receiver, Jordan Addison would be a #1 on a lot of teams, and everyone else falls into line nicely. Don’t expect much, if any, change here, although Powell's free agency and drop in production later in the year may lead to his poaching by a different franchise.
TE
The Vikings broke their conservative habits and brokered a big trade for T.J. Hockenson partway through last season, giving the team their best option at the position since Kyle Rudolph was galloping through defenses. Actually, Hockenson was even better: in his first full season, Hockenson caught a career-high 95 passes for a career-high 960 yards. The only issue? It wasn’t a full year. T.J. tore his ACL and MCL on Christmas Eve in a loss to Detroit. Unless he has some Adrian Peterson magic in him, the injury will likely stop him from playing at the beginning of the 2024 season.
Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt served as ancillary targets who specialize more in blocking. They both do that well, but receiving threats they are not.
Conclusion: Hockenson’s injury puts the Vikings in a tough place for next year, but their recent contract extension with him makes it unlikely that they bring in a short-term replacement. They’ll most likely choose to ride it out with him and work around their offensive deficiency without the big guy.
OL
We’ll keep this short and sweet, given that I know as much about O-Line play as Randy Moss knows about paying with credit cards.
Christian Darrisaw firmly established himself as a franchise left tackle in 2023. His play was promising before; this year, he was undeniably dominant. Ezra Cleveland started the year as Minnesota’s left guard before they shipped him to Jacksonville at the trade deadline. They did so because their multiple-month courtship of Dalton Risner finally resulted in him signing with the team—and his play proved solid enough to make Cleveland, soon to be a free agent, expendable.
Garrett Bradbury returned for his fifth year as the man hiking the ball. He turned in what may be his best season as a pro, allowing just three sacks all year as his pass protection took a major step forward. Ed Ingram started at right guard for the second season. His previous year invoked images of Beatings and Rented Mules, but 2023 was decidedly ok for him, even good, at times. Brian O’Neill—the veteran of the group—once again had a fabulous season at right tackle.
Conclusion: This was probably the best Minnesota offensive line in years. Risner is the only incumbent set to become a free agent. Given how quickly he adapted to the community, the team should move quickly to bring him back for next year and potentially beyond.
DL
The line starts with one terrifying, destructive force: Danielle Hunter. He’s only improved with age, haunting QBs all season to the tune of 16.5 sacks (a career-high) and a league-leading 23 tackles for loss. He’s right up there in the conversation for the best pass-rushers in football. He made his fourth Pro Bowl in 2023.
It gets dicey after Hunter, though. Longtime complimentary piece, D.J. Wonnum, roped in eight sacks and even scored his first NFL touchdown, but he partially tore his quad in the same game Hockenson went down with his injury; he will become a free agent.
Marcus Davenport was supposed to be a part of the non-Hunterian pass rush help the team has needed for years; he played in just four games and recorded two sacks.
Harrison Phillips was his usual, fine run-stuffing self, giving the team brawn and muster up front. He played a major part in the team’s defense allowing the seventh-fewest yards per attempt on runs at 3.8.
Conclusion: You can probably tell from the barebones write-up that the team needs help on the defensive line. The days of Jared Allen and the Williams Wall are over. Hunter is an excellent starting piece, but he's set to hit the open market, and the team struggled to find consistent pressure outside of him and Wonnum. The Davenport signing went nowhere. It’s very likely that—if a QB they like isn’t available when they pick in the 1st round—they will look to shore up this unit.
LB
Jordan Hicks enjoyed one of his finest seasons as a pro. The wonders of what getting rid of Ed Donatell can do. The veteran captained the middle of the field and—despite missing four games due to injury—still recorded over 100 tackles. Like Hunter, Hicks is set to be a free agent, but Minnesota may be less inclined to bring him back thanks to the arrival of…
Ivan Pace Jr. Learn his name. Learn to love him. The former Bearcat was a beast in college, but his short stature (5 '10”) caused him to go undrafted. Minnesota is ecstatic about everyone else’s mistake. Pace leveraged his tenaciousness and outstanding run-stuffing to earn one of the highest off-ball rookie grades PFF gave to any defensive rookie, not just linebackers. Hicks’ four-game absence made Pace the man with the green dot—and the defense allowed just 15 points on average during that stretch. He’s an absolute stud and will likely be a long-term fixture at the heart of the Vikings' defense.
Conclusion: Minnesota’s linebacking corps under Flores was elite. Both Hicks and Pace flourished as roaming, blitzing forces, turning the former into a potential undrafted legend. Hicks may leave, but Pace’s ascension made him somewhat redundant. Wally Pipp strikes again.
DB
The star of the secondary is split between two men: Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus. Bynum improved upon his promising yet inconsistent first year as a full-time starter to make 137 goddamn tackles. Teams picked on his coverage at times, revealing some future growth needed in his game or, perhaps, a need for the team to have better corners. Still, you won’t find a much better run-stopping safety in the game.
For our purposes, Metellus is a safety simply because there’s nothing else to really call him. His position is “defense.” He’s almost just as likely to rush the QB as he is to drop back in coverage. His coverage resulted in an abnormally large volume of targets and completions—are you sensing a pattern here—but his 29 pressures were the most of any safety, and his chops in the run game were elite.
Unfortunately, Harrison Smith continued to decline in 2023. Once a one-man dominant force—essentially a perfect extension of Mike Zimmer’s defensive philosophy—Smith is now merely good. The days of him roaming around playing wherever he feels at a dominant level are gone. However, some of that old Smith magic is still there; he totaled three sacks against the Panthers, matching his career high in a season. He did it in one half.
Byron Murphy Jr. brought some competence to the CB position—far more competence than the team has seen over the past few years. The former Cardinal flashed premium upside, like in his outstanding performance against the Falcons, but missed three critical games down the stretch and wasn’t much of a force in the run game.
More encouraging than Murphy, though, was the play of Mekhi Blackmon. 3rd-round picks aren’t always day one studs, but no one told that to Blackmon; the USC product combined tenaciousness with discipline to turn in an impressive rookie performance at one of the hardest positions on the field to master. He looks to be a long-term fixture on the Vikings defense.
Akayleb Evans is… a different story. At times, he was impressive; most of the time, he was burnt. His final few games during Murphy’s absence were especially brutal; he earned grades of 46.7, 30.1, and 32.4, respectively, during those matches.
The solution to their corner problem may involve former 2nd-round pick Andrew Booth Jr., who played well in a limited role. He’s barely seen the field since being selected, though, and a team actively avoiding using their former high draft pick in a position of needs tells you all you need to know of their internal evaluations.
Conclusion: The Vikings are well-set at safety, with a trio of do-it-all guys in Smith, Bynum, and Metellus, though Smith’s long-in-the-toothness may necessitate a diminished role in the coming year. Corner is still a problem. Fans may groan to hear it, but a high-round pick may be in the cards for the team at the position if they can’t find a free agent to help spell their woes.
K
Yes, special teams players are people too. Greg Joseph was one of the worst field goal kickers last year, making just 80% of his non-extra point kicks while going 3-of-6 from between 40-49 yards and 4-of-7 on 50+ yard kicks. Only two other full-time kickers had a lower make rate than Joseph (good lord, Chad Ryland).
P
Ryan Wright was a tremendous coffin corner kicker in 2022, pinning teams within the 20-yard line at the 5th-best rate in the league. That regressed to 27th in 2023. His gross average kick rose, though, to the 11th-highest in the NFL. What does any of this mean? I have absolutely no idea.
Conclusion: The team definitely needs a new kicker; we shall see if they decide to draft one in the hopes of finding the next Brandon Aubrey or if they go the retread route and place their trust in an available veteran.
Post is continued here.

The last part of the title is mostly facetious in nature. Anyways... book recommendations get asked about here all the time. I read a ton of business biographies and autobiographies.
I take solace in the fact that many other successful entrepreneurs are fans of biographies as well. For example, Charlie Munger called himself "A biography nut". I've run my business full-time for what will be 5 years soon (fifth anniversary is in March 🎉).
I found these books very helpful in starting and running my business. So, here are my favorite biographies and autobiographies by and for entrepreneurs. When I feel like it, I'll add a note on the book and why I like it. If you have any questions about the books, just comment or send me a message. :) I added Amazon links to make it easy for you to get info on the books. NO affiliate links used, of course.

My Personal Top 5

1. Against the Odds by James Dyson - This was my favorite book that I read in 2023. By far the most inspiring founder autobiography I've ever read.
2. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\* - Franklin was a business founder before he was a founding father.
3. The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie
4. My Life and Work by Henry Ford
5. Copy This by Paul Orfaela - I particularly liked this book because like me, Orfaela has ADHD. In the book, he gives great strategies for using ADHD as what he calls a "learning opportunity" to get ahead as an entrepreneur.

Other Biographies / Autobiographies I Really Liked

These aren't in exact order of my recommendation level. However, they are in rough order of how much I like them. I'm by and large writing from memory, so the ones I like the most will cluster near the top. Additionally, if I think something should be near the top, I'll make efforts to place it closer to the top.

• Principles by Ray Dalio. Honestly, I liked the PDF he published for his employees at Bridgewater more (it used to be on the Bridgewater website). I read the original back in 2016, and it changed my life completely. It gave me a whole new way of thinking about life, solving problems, creating value, and reaching success. If we consider the original PDF a "biography", I'd probably rank it at #1 or #2 in my top 5.
• Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton
• Grinding it Out by Ray Kroc - Advice for success direct from the man who made McDonald's what it is today
• Call Me Ted by Ted Turner
• A Passion to Win by Sumner Redstone Charlie Munger wrote "If you want to win in business or law, think like Mr. Redstone." for a reason. I would hate to have had to compete against Redstone in his prime.
• What It Takes by Steven A Schwarzman
• Sell It Like Serhant by Ryan Serhant
• Direct from Dell by Michael Dell
• Play Nice by Win by Michael Dell - I didn't like it as much as his first book, but it's still a good read.
• My Life & the Principles for Success by Ross Perot
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
• Build by Tony Faddell - It was quite interesting to hear about Steve Jobs era Apple from another high level executive. It was also cool and inspiring to read as Faddell went on to build a great company of his own, Nest.
• The Cobbler by Steve Madden - Another entrepreneur with ADHD. It was great to read his tips for succeeding with ADHD. He also tells his perspective of the whole Stratton Oakmont (Wolf of Wall Street) era. Pretty much everything he said in his autobiography aligned with what the movie represented and what Jordan Belfort has described
• Girl Boss by Sophia Amoruso - Well what do you know? Another successful entrepreneur with ADHD! haha It was inspiring to see her go from bad (as in really bad) student to successful entrepreneur. She shares all of the trials and tribulations.
• Doing Business by the Good Book by David Seward. Although this book is told from a religious point of view, you don't need to be religious to get value from this book. Considering his company has been around since 1990 and does multiple billions in revenue, one might say Seward knows a thing or
• Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by 50 Cent - This was one of the top 5 books I read in 2023. It was a dark horse for sure. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. This book is full of wisdom for anyone running a business or dreaming of starting one. I was 4 years into my business when I read it, and I collected valuable lessons.
• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - You'd be surprised how often Nike almost blew up. They were literally saved (and I don't use that term lightly here) multiple times through the grace of others because Nike's suppliers and business partners liked Nike as a company and what it stood for.
• Do You! by Russell Simmons
• How to Make a Few Billion Dollars by Brad Jacobs - Because of the title, I probably would not have read this book if I had not heard about it from David Senra (creator of the "Founders" podcast. The title almost makes it sound like a "get rich quick" book. Brad Jacobs (founder of XPO) has started 7 billion dollar companies, so he knows a thing or two about starting billion dollar companies. haha The first chapter alone is worth far more than the price of the book.
• How to Get Rich - by Felix Dennis - This is another book with a title that makes it look like a get rich quick book. It's anything but. He got rich the old fashioned way, by starting and running a business (and not a business of teaching other people how to get rich. lol). He tells you point blank that getting rich will suck, that it'll be painful, that it will cost you dearly... and that it may not even be worth it. He also warns multiple times in the book about the aforementioned items. Still, I'd say this is one of the most "tell all" books on getting rich. The content does match the title
• *I would also consider Poor Richard's Almanack by Ben Franlkin to be a great "companion book" to his autobiography
• How Did You Do It, Truett? A Recipe for Success by Truett Cathy
• Start Where You Are by Chris Gardner - This is the guy from "The Pursuit of Happyness [sic]" - Great advice for those starting from the bottom

I will also say there are some historical figures who have what David Senra calls "founder mentality". These are people who have the qualities of successful founders (both in action and mentality). Accordingly, I'll list some of my favorite books on historical figures with founder mentality below.

1. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford - This was my second favorite book I read in 2023. It covers the Mongolian Empire from the rise with Genghis Khan, the life and times of Kublain Khan, and through the fall of the empire. I think this is an underrated part of history to study.
2. Alexander the Great by Philip Freeman

That's all, folks! For now :)

I've been using Ultrabox for a while now, and wanted to see how one of my songs would do here Starlight's Lightshow

Been giving this some thought and I feel this path could be foolproof path for the off-season:

1. re-sign JJ
2. re-sign danielle
3. let kirk walk / sign bridge QB
4. Sign Christian Wilkins

Draft:

1. take elite pass rusher (Jared verse, Dallas turner, etc) at 11
2. trade back into the 1st round for Qb (jj mccarthy, bo nix, etc)

This path takes care of the things we really care about ( re-signing JJ and danielle) while also bringing in a rock star DT in Wilkins and adding a rookie elite prospect at pass rusher. Being able to get pressure on the QB is extremely important and a line that consists of harrison phillips, d hunter , wilkins and a blue chip rookie edge transforms this front 4 from very average to potentially elite. The bridge qb is only there until the rookie is ready and then they will take over from there whether thats week 1 or later into the season. As weve seen KOC scheme creates open receivers and you couple that with addison, jj, and hock and we will just need someone who can get the ball out on time. Not trading up for a Qb also allows us to try again next year if we feel the need to move on.
Not sure how much cap space we would have left this year after signing wilkins, hunter and jj but I believe we will definitely have enough to potentially sign a solid player or two. whatever floats your boat there as the important pieces are already in the fold. So any other player they bring in would just be a cherry on top.
THIS in my opinion would be the fastest path forward as not only would we be raising the level of the entire defense by making the d line elite it also takes a swing at the future at Qb while opening up the cap for 2025 which we are currently projected at 50+ mill right now. So worse case scenario we would be able to use free agency to bring in elite pieces we need along with the draft.
Let me know your thoughts! Big offseason ahead for us but one we can definitely come out on top !

Entering the 2024 offseason, the Vikings face massive uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball. Only Harrison Smith remains from the veteran core of the defenses built by Mike Zimmer, and even he could end up a cap casualty. With Danielle Hunter's contract expiring, the Vikings have just $64.3M committed to defensive players on the 2024 roster, roughly 27% of the salary cap. Brian Flores made the most of a ragtag unit in 2023, but needs exist at every position group. With the team finally emerging from the bloated contracts of the Spielman/Zimmer era, how will they attack a defensive rebuild? Will certain positions be prioritized, either in free agency or the draft?
To answer these questions, I've compiled a history of how Flores' teams have used draft picks, trades, free agency, and extensions to build a defense. The past cannot predict the future, but it can help us identify any patterns in Flores' history, and what that may mean for the Vikings' plans on defense this offseason.
Process:

1. Draft picks used on defensive players have been valued using the Rich Hill Pick Value Chart, which assigns point values to picks based on actual trades made by NFL teams, giving more credence to recent years.
2. Contract data includes both free agent signings and extensions of internal players, and was pulled from Over-The-Cap's website. Contract data only exists in full dating back to 2013, plus significant contracts dating back to 2006. Over-The-Cap includes a feature that modifies prior years' financial data to their 2024 equivalents, which is what I've pulled in this analysis to standardize the data across years in which the salary cap has fluctuated significantly.
3. To avoid watering down contract data, UDFA & Practice Squad signings have been filtered out of the data.
4. Trades include the net draft pick value given up for the player, while contracts assumed are included in the contracts data.

Results:
Draft
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Full Draft History
While the number of selections is fairly even for each position, a clear priority is placed on DT and S. Flores' teams have used high picks on DT dating back to his first year in the NFL, when the Patriots selected Vince Wilfork 21st overall, all the way to his first selection as HC in Miami, Christian Wilkins at 13th. Investing the lowest total draft capital in edge rushers is another major takeaway at first glance, given the perceived importance of the position. The lack of draft capital at edge suggests Flores believes in either finding value at edge using other resources, or generating pressure schematically using interior defenders and blitzes.
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1st Round Draft History
Looking specifically at the first round of the draft, a couple trends immediately jump out. As expected from the full draft chart, DT is a major foundational piece in a Brian Flores defense, and is far and away the leader in early pick usage. But contradictory to the full draft chart, EDGE and LB have also been picked early, and with great success; the four selections are Jerod Mayo, Jaelan Phillips, Chandler Jones, and Dont'a Hightower. There's a clear emphasis on spending high picks on the front seven.
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Day 2 Draft History
Day 2 draft history paints an entirely different picture than the first round data, as this is the range Flores' teams have spent pick after pick on the secondary. Deploying many DBs and in a variety of ways is a tried-and-true approach of the Flores defense, with players like Patrick Chung, Jevon Holland, Ellis Hobbs, and Duron Harmon taken in this range. Edge rusher and LB selections are rare on Day 2, and tend to come much later into round 3.
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Day 3 Draft History
Interestingly, the DB trend from Day 2 continues into the 4th round of the draft, then drop off significantly near the end, as evidenced by the high average value of Day 3 selections at CB and S. Edge rusher is a popular position in rounds 4-5, with Flores' teams especially effective at identifying "tweener" players, both at DT/DE and LB/Edge. Guys like Trey Flowers, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Deatrich Wise Jr. highlight great gems found here, and why Flores may be comfortable waiting to select edge rushers.
Trades
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Flores' teams have not been inclined to trade high-value picks for players, opting instead for veteran reclamations like Aqib Talib or Albert Haynesworth that can be acquired for a Day 3 pick. Of the 17 trades for defensive players, only the acquisition of Kyle Van Noy (another "tweener") proved to be a revelation. Van Noy was acquired in a 7th round pick swap netting 1 whole point on the draft value chart. The largest draft capital ever traded for a defensive player in Flores' career was picks 95 and 168 for Duane Starks and pick 145 in 2005; suffice to say, Flores comes from an organization that believes in scouting, drafting, and developing defenders, not trading draft capital for them.
Contracts
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Defensive Cash Spend by Year
As noted in my process, full contract detail is only available dating back to 2013, omitting Flores' first decade in New England. Interestingly, despite the draft capital invested at DT, it's the lowest-paid position on Flores' defenses over this time period. This may be a reflection of how the NFL as a whole has valued the position. Edge rusher, however, is typically a high-paid position across the league, yet Flores' teams have spent relatively little at the position, similar to the draft capital invested at the position. Instead, the highest spending in Flores' teams has been at DB, and it's not particularly close. The addition of Byron Murphy, and retention of Harrison Smith, make much more sense with this in mind.
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Free Agency History
Perhaps the most applicable chart to the Vikings' 2024 plans on defense, there are two clear positions Flores' teams have prioritized: EDGE and CB. At each stop, Flores' teams have spent big in free agency on these two positions, with the top five contracts handed out to Darrelle Revis, Byron Jones, Stephon Gilmore, Kyle Van Noy, and Marcus Davenport. Very little is spent at DT or S, which is fitting with the amount of draft capital invested at those positions.
Extensions
Extensions tend to overlap with where a team hits on a draft pick, and this chart definitely tells that tale. LBs like Dont'a Hightower and Jerod Mayo defined the Patriots' dynasty, and those two alone total $186M of the extensions handed out to LBs in the chart above. Interestingly, edge rushers received very little in extension money on Flores' teams, with Rob Ninkovich the only Patriots mainstay. Chandler Jones was traded away in the final year of his rookie contract to avoid an expensive extension, while Flores was ousted from Miami prior to Jaelan Phillips coming due for a payday.
Conclusions:

1. If the Vikings spend their 1st round pick on defense, expect it to be on the defensive line. Not only is this what Flores' teams have done, but it aligns with a draft class that has several DL with consensus first round grades.
2. The middle of the draft is the money zone for DBs. Depending on what is done with Harrison Smith's contract, Flores could be hunting for another versatile safety, or be looking to add a CB he's comfortable leaving on an island in Cover 0, similar to Mekhi Blackmon a year ago.
3. If there's a splash free agent signing on defense (excluding Hunter), expect it to be at CB. Flores' teams have made huge signings here, including Darrelle Revis, Stephon Gilmore, and Byron Jones. Names topping the 2024 CB class include L'Jarius Sneed, Jaylon Johnson, Stephon Gilmore, Chidobe Awuzie, and Kendall Fuller.
4. Expect a veteran addition at ILB. Flores' defenses have prioritized continuity and experience at LB, from the aforementioned Jerod Mayo and Dont'a Hightower to Jerome Baker and Elandon Roberts in Miami. Whether it's bringing back Jordan Hicks, or a reunion with free agent Jerome Baker, Flores will want a player he trusts communicating the defense.
5. On the topic of former players, Flores may want to sign players he coached in Miami. While HC in Miami, Flores prioritized New England players he was familiar with in free agency, including Kyle Van Noy, Eric Rowe, Adam Butler, Elandon Roberts, and Jason McCourty. He may look to do the same here, with notable options including Christian Wilkins, Andrew Van Ginkel, Kyle Van Noy, and Raekwon Davis. Wilkins draws the most headlines and speculation, but the data suggests Van Ginkel is the much more likely target for a reunion.
6. Flores' defenses have a long history of using hybrid edge / linebacker players, such as Rob Ninkovich, Kyle Van Noy, and Andrew Van Ginkel. Ivan Pace Jr. has excelled as a blitzing LB in a similar vain, and there are several intriguing options on the free agent market that possess this skillset: Frankie Luvu, Patrick Queen, Devin White, and Drue Tranquill. Flores often used D.J. Wonnum in this role in 2023, so there's a decent chance he's re-signed as well.
7. There really isn't a precedent to help us predict what will be done with Danielle Hunter. The closest example we have is New England trading away Chandler Jones rather than paying him, but New England also extended players it viewed as foundations of its defense. Hunter seems committed to maximizing what's maybe his last shot at a huge contract, so this situation feels destined for free agency, and whether Kwesi / KOC / Flores can stomach the cost he'll command.

TL;DR - Flores historically targets DT and S in the draft, while paying big money for CB. EDGE is all-or-nothing, either a 1st round draft pick, big free agent signing, or late picks and cheap signings on scheme-specific players. At LB, the hit rate is very high, and the biggest expenditure is typically to extend good players rather than bring in new ones.
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Let's start with KOC's musing that there is no trade that would turn the Lakers into favorites, but they would have a "better chance" if they added "more two-way talent."
Well, yes, certainly any team in the association would benefit and have a greater shot at a title if they had "more two-way talent" in a sport that demands two ways - both offense AND defense. What a keen observation!
KOC continues that the pressure should be on Pelinka to improve the roster, and on Darvin Ham to optimize the roster! Well, sure, certainly there should be pressure on every coach to coach well and every GM to get good players. That's kind of their jobs! But isn't this effectively the same roster and the same coach that got the Lakers to the conference finals last season? I know Ham's line-ups have been quite questionable, but what combinations would materially alter their results? And which magical players should they have brought in last off-season? Perhaps the ghost of Bill Russell instead of Jaxson Hayes?
KOC then goes on to evaluate the "quite a lot of assets" that the Lakers possess. Those include: Austin Reaves, who is the Lakers third best player. While his D is atrocious, any trade involving Reeves would certainly hinder the Lakers' already inept offense, particularly if traded for someone who lacks his playmaking ability and shot-creation.
Then he lists ... D'Angelo Russell! Who, to anyone who has watched any meaningful basketball over the last nine season, could tell you is woefully inconsistent, plays no defense, disappears in the playoffs, cannot play off-ball, and is owed nearly $19 million next year. But KOC says he's "only age 27." Sure, certainly he can drastically change himself as a basketball player after a decade in the league and five teams, including playing for Steve Kerr and next to LeBron and Steph.
Then we get Jalen Hood-Schifino, because he's ummm, been good in the G-league?
Rui Hachimura. Lol.
Gabe Vincent, who KOC acknowledges "has barely played this season and is currently sidelined following knee surgery." Sure, there's that, but every team should be desperate for the 7th best player two years ago on The Heat, whose role players immediately suck when they go anywhere else.
Max Christie. Well, he's 20, so in KOC logic, that gives him many years to show he actually doesn't suck at basketball.
The we get Maxwell Lewis, who I will be honest, I have no idea who he is.
But how about the picks!?! Surely, a 2029 first, which you can receive AFTER the next presidential term, sounds mighty enticing?!
Shall we dive into the "Lakers' Biggest Needs?" Can't wait for this!
"Perimeter Shot Creators Who Can Defend." So, this would be like, 12 guys in the entire league? Who's KOC's example? Dejounte Murray. Okay, sure, he's been a bad fit in Atlanta. He's probably on the block, after ATL traded four firsts for him. So, wait, how are the Lakers going to get him? "Russell, the 2029 first, and a swap."
Realllllly. Surely, the Hawks can't wait to end this experiment and pair Trae Young with D'Lo, who would be such a great fit with his defensive and off-ball skills! I really couldn't think of a worse fit next to Trae Young ... in the entire league ... at any price? If the Lakers offered D'Lo to the Hawks for a second round pick, they should politely decline and then have a good laugh about it over some lemon pepper wings. Absurd!
Then KOC suggests ... okay maybe this is far-fetched ... how about Austin Reeves and salary filler for Murray? Well, again, why would the Hawks be dying to pair their franchise player with an absolutely atrocious defender? And even if they chomped at the opportunity, is Dejounte Murray, a career 34.5% three point shooter, who isn't working with Trae BECAUSE MURRAY CAN'T PLAY OFF-BALL, going to solve the problems for the Lakers?
How about Bruce Brown, the sixth man on the Nuggets championship team? Surely, that softy Masai would love to get him off his hands for a pick five years from now. And even if the Lakers just added Bruce Brown to this roster, he's the key to elevate them to a contender? Really? Does he come with Jokic?
Okay, what else can the Lakers use behind All-defensive wings who could play-make like prime John Stockton? "Wings that can hit 3s and defend." Oh, those guys. Yes, those guys tend to be very helpful in the modern sport of basketball. Why don't other teams think to snatch those guys up? So, who are the dudes here?!
Jerami Grant. Sure, Jerami grant would be very good on the Lakers. That same Jerami Grant who left Denver because Jokic was taking too much of his shine.
"Are Hachimura, Vincent, one swap, and one first enough for Portland to deal Grant?" Let me answer that for you, KOC. No, no it is not.
How about Dorian Finney-Smith, who the Nets are reportedly asking two first-round pick for? Wait, what was that? The Lakers can only trade one first in the year of our Lord 2029? Let us move on...
Alright, well know what else would be nice, "a more reliable backup center." Yes, truly, what the Lakers need to contend is someone capable to swallow up the eight minutes per night AD won't be playing. That will make alllll of the difference. Who we got, KOC? Kelly Olynyk! Is this 2018? When I think of Father Kelly, I think of Mr. Reliable, coming in off the bench to shore up rim protection, feast on the boards, and hit 32% of open threes. He's just the ticket!
Well, looks like the Lakers might struggle in the getting players department. Any other ideas? "A better head coach." Okay. Steve Kerr, employed. Spo, employed. Frank Vogel, fired. What's Phil Jackson up to these days?
How about if the Lakers look "ahead to the summer." Surely, that will help them compete for the 2024 title!
You know what, maybe the Lakers should just trade LeBron and let him compete somewhere else. Honestly, not a bad idea, KOC!
"I can’t help but wonder whether the best time for both LeBron and the Lakers to make a change is now, ahead of the deadline: James could join a contender, and Los Angeles could get something in return. Would the Heat, Knicks, or Sixers make an all-in move?"
Here's my issue, which this article seems to neglect. LeBron is a 39-year-old, 21-year NBA veteran who plays limited defense, plays at a snail's pace, doesn't move at all when the ball is not in his hands, and has shown no ability at any point over the last half-decade to play any diminished role. He's still amazing, but no team is winning a title with LeBron commandeering the offense, particularly at the expense of guys like Brunson, Embiid, or Jimmy Butler.
Would the Heat or Knicks be better with LeBron? Would the Nuggets or Wolves or Thunder? Sure, in most of those instances, probably. Is LeBron going to OKC or Denver or Minnesota. No, he will certainly not. Would the Heat or Knicks win the title with LeBron? I'd bet no, but why not, let's see and find out.

Posted as a comment previously but decided to expand and create a post. Mostly based on what I think would happen in 1st round but also what I want to see in later 2
1st Round
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1. Bears: Jayden Daniels, QB (LSU). No trolling genuinely believe Caleb won’t be Eberflus' cup of tea. Think that passing on Kingsbury as OC could also mean this is more than smoke. Daniels is a mature player who played alot of football including as a true freshman before having a Burrowesque rise at LSU.
2. Commanders: Caleb Williams, QB (USC). Washington sprints the card in and swing for the fences. Caleb could be great and has the best arm and throwing motion but therere rumblings of Josh Rosen like personality quirks that could impact his chance of being saucerful when facing adversity. If Ben Johnson is HC this would be perfect spot with the weapons already here.
3. Patriots: Drake Maye, QB (North Carolina). Best player available at the most important position. Maye isn’t a perfect prospect but he has all the tools to succeed in the right situation.
4. Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr, WR (Ohio State). Chalk pick but with good reason. Kyler needs weapons and Maserati Marv is him.
5. Chargers: Joe Alt, OT (Notre Dame). Think this depends on who is the head coach. If it is Ben Johnson then maybe Malik Nabers is the choice. But if it is Harbaugh, I think building a dominant oline with Alt is more his style. Even if Mike Williams is released, Allen, Palmer and QJ are good options for Herbert.
6. Giants: Malik Nabers, WR (LSU). Giants need weapons whomever is the Qb in 2024 and beyond.
7. Titans: Olu Fashanu, OT (Penn State). Titans need to rebuild its oline and takes blue chip prospects in back to back drafts to protect Levis.
8. Falcons: Jared Verse, Edge (Florida State). Again depending on who the HC is here I think the Falcons could seriously consider Bo Nix here. But am guessing itll be BB who would prefer a veteran like Russell Wilson and draft defense. Jared Verse is the bpa on defense in my opinion, great against the run and good pass rusher
9. Bears: Rome Odunze, WR (Washington). New Qb1 Daniels gets another weapon to pair with Moore.
10. Jets: Taliese Fuaga, OT (Oregon State). Have seen some mocks with Boweres here and he would totally be worth a top 10 pick but Fuaga is the best player available at a position of desperate need.
11. Vikings: JJ McCarthy, QB (Michigan). I think Kirk resigns for one more year but KOC drafts his heir apparent and insurance policy. Perfect situation for McCarthy who has alot of tools but would benefit from great coaching and time to develop.
12. Broncos: Bo Nix, QB (Oregon). Sean Payton needs a Qb and selects Nix who had alot of experience in very different offensive systems. Really think that "older" prospects at the Qb position is no longer a bad thing given the success of Burrow and Purdy.
13. Raiders: Jer'Zhan Newton, DT (Illinois). AP understands Raiders football and appreciates what great DTs can do for you LBs and Edge rushers. Newton here would make the entire defense and team improve.
14. Saints: Amarius Mims, OT (Georgia). The Saints probably need to blow this roster up and reset. Take best player available that will be part of a foundation for upcoming seasons e.g. the bama edge rusher. But they keep chugging along with Derek Carr and draft for need to compete now.
15. Colts: Brock Bowers, TE (Georgia). One of the best football players at a position that doesn’t command a premium could slide but fall into the perfect situation for an ascending team.
16. Seahawks: JC Latham, OT (Alabama). Latham is a guard. A potentially spectacular guard that can help open holes for K9 and allow Geno to climb up in the pocket against the Aaron Donalds of the NFL.
17. Jaguars: Terrion Arnold, CB (Alabama). Jags could stand to improve the oline but need secondary help that can get opposing offences off the field on third down and give their offence more opportunities.
18. Bengals: Jordan Morgan, OT (Arizona). Bengals could take a WR here to replace Tee wholl probably get a bag from the Panthers or Texans. But in a reversal of the debate between taking receiver or oline think they go tackle this time to keep Joe upright and healthy. Theres also a steeper drop at OT than wr and think they can figure the receivers out with later picks.
19. Rams: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB (Alabama). McVay knows the value of a shutdown corner and hope thats what Kool-Aid is.
20. Steelers: Dallas Turner, Edge (Alabama). Lots of needs for Pittsburgh but with so many teams taking offence early and such talented edges dropping they go best player available. Turner could learn from and spell Watt, eventually replacing him once the injuries continue to pile up.
21. Dolphins: Cooper DeJean, CB/S (Iowa). Considered dropping this kid due to the broccoli cut but McDaniels would prolly be into that. And they do need secondary help with the likelihood of moving on from Howard.
22. Eagles: Nate Wiggins, CB (Clemson). Any secondary help will be welcome. Wiggins may be the best cover man the bama guys and Dejean, so this would be something of a steal.
23. Texans: Laiatu Latu, Edge (UCLA). Demeco adds another pass rusher to continue his 49ers dline replication. Laiatu has serious medical red flags so could fall further than anticipated, but his talent is legit and this could be an outstanding landing spot.
24. Cowboys: Brian Thomas Jr, WR (LSU). Dak needs more weapons and BTJ could be it. Explosive field stretcher could compliment CD perfectly and the run game.
25. Packers: Chris Braswell, Edge (Alabama). Preston smith is probably gone and the Packers seem to love athletes at this position. Braswell is more of a workman compared to his teammate Dallas and hell have a similar role here opposite of Gary.
26. Buccaneers: Troy Fautanu, G (Washington). I would personally love to see Penix here. Baker is a nice story but he isn’t The guy. Despite Penixs medical flags the Bucs should roll the Qb dice. But Bowles is so conservative hell almost pass and may take a guard to help improve the run game. Game against the lions aside.
27. Cardinals: Bralen Trice, Edge (Washington). Cards need to improve their dline and Trice offers great physicality and some inside pass rush.
28. Bills: Troy Franklin, WR (Oregon). Buffalo needs some juice out wide and thats what Franklin is. There are rumors that they may move on from Diggs and/or lose Davis so receiver is their biggest need and offers great value at the bottom of the 1st.
29. Chiefs: Keon Coleman, WR (Florida State). Coleman isnt a perfect receiver. Doesnt have perfect hands, or run perfect routes, and is a bit stiff, but he really does remind me of DK who the chiefs couldve had so would love to see this happen.
30. 49ers: Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB (Missouri). PFFs highest corner available.
31. Ravens: Adonai Mitchell, WR (Texas). More juice for Lamar. Odell is probably gone and Bateman hasnt really lived up to his draft status so would love to see Bmore go back to the wr well.
32. Lions: Quinyon Mitchell, CB (Toledo). Aaron Glenn has done a lot better job than people gave him credit for considering the state of the lions secondary. Adding a player like Mitchell here would be perfect.

2nd Round

1. Panthers: Kingsley Suamataia, OT (BYU). If they could sign Tee Higgins or Mike williams in free agency, picking a tackle with this athletic profile could be a boon for Bryce.
   
2. Patriots: Graham Darton, OT (Duke). Patriots have lots of offensive holes so really hope Mayo commits to improving that side of the ball to give his new QB a chance.
   
3. Cardinals: TJ Tampa, DB (Iowa). If the Cards could come away with a WR, DL and CB, they wouldve address 3 of their biggest needs. If they all can play along with the 3 other picks in the top 100 this could be similar to Seahawks 2012 haul.
   
4. Commanders: Tyler Guyton, OT (Oklahoma). Guyton is an intriguing prospect with good length and strength but sloppy feet. Washington needs to protect their QB so could take him and hope he finds a role.
   
5. Chargers: Leonard Taylor, DT (Miami). Total Harbaugh draft improve the trenches and bring toughness to LA.
   
6. Titans: Devontez Walker, WR (NC). Callahan was brought in to help Levis improve and giving him oline and wr help should be the priority.
   
7. Giants: Michael Penix Jr, QB (Washington). Danny dimes days are numbered and the gmen take the chance on Penix. Medicals aside he has a quick release and diagnoses the defense well. Would be a good fit for Daboll.
   
8. Commanders: Tyler Nubin, S (Minnesota). Nubin is a very underrated safety that is somehow pigeon holed as a box guy. Very physical and loves the hit but has good range and reads formations well.
   
9. Packers: Kam Kinchens, S (Miami). Kinchens could be insurance in case Savage or Mr Simone Biles isnt resigned, or could be a great 3rd safety with slot versatility.
   
10. Vikings: Bryon Murphy, DL (Texas). Vikings have alot of holes along the Dline and Bryon could be a good 3tech in Flores scheme.
    
11. Falcons: Kamari Lassiler, CB (Georgia). Falcons have a fairly solid roster outside the most import position so bpa here. This pick could be traded for a veteran QB but dont think Fields or especially Wilson will command more than a 3rd.
    
12. Raiders: Jackson Powers, C (Oregon). Oline Dline. Raider nation this is your identity. Win the trenches and beat teams up.
    
13. Saints: Xavier Legette, WR (USC). Legette is an absolute specimen who could go in the bottom of the first round depending on the combine or how teams view the guys I had ahead of him. If hes here he would be a good compliment to Olave and replacement for Thomas.
    
14. Colts: Kalen King, CB (Penn State). Colts have a few players in the secondary that they need to develop and King could be added to the mix to make this a position of strength moving forward.
    
15. Giants: Kiran Amegadjie, OT (Yale). Amegadjie could kick in to guard while giving the Giants a swig tackle versatility incase of injuries to Andrews or Evans.
    
16. Jaguars: Calen Bullock, S (SoCal). Jaguars could use a lineman here but think the talent of Bullock is top much to pass up. Despite his down year he is still a very rangy safety that can play well in the slot. Jags could make the secondary into a strength here.
    
17. Bengals: Xavier Worthy, WR (Texas). Bengals add some speed to their wr core to complement to all world Chase.
    
18. Eagles: Ladd McConleary, WR (Georgia). Eagles take another bulldog despite the broccoli lettuce shenanigans to shore up their wr core. If Kelce does hang them up Oline could be in play here but Eagles have address this possibley previously with Cam Jergens.
    
19. Rams: Patrick Paul, OT (Houston) Paul has good length and strength and could be a potential swing tackle or heir apparent on the right side once Havensteins contract ends.
    
20. Steelers: Zach Frazier, C (WV). Frazier is one of the best true centers in this draft and is an area of need for Pittsburgh.
    
21. Dolphins: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE (Texas). Sanders is an intriguing player with a lot of plus receiver skills. Struggles as a blocker which is something McDaniel was not a fan of with Gesicki but TE is an area of need and this could be good value.
    
22. Browns: Jermaine Burton, WR (Alabama). Amari stays hurt, Elijah is ok but really just a guy, while Cedric and Bell arent very dynamic. Burton has produced as much as previous bama receivers but that could be due to Qb and he may end up being better in the NFL.
    
23. Eagles: Junior Colson, LB (Michigan) Philly fans would probably prefer the legacy pick of Trotter Jr but I think Colson is the better football player.
    
24. Cowboys: Jon Brooks, RB (Texas). Brooks has excellent contact balance and could thrive behind the cowboys oline. Him sharing touches with Pollard could also help him improve which is a plus for the cowboys run game and Dak.
    
25. Packers: Kris Jenkins, DL (Michigan). Pairing Jenkins with Wyatt could cause the Packers front seven to really be a strength of the team.
    
26. Buccaneers: Edgerrin Cooper, LB (TAM). Devin white is almost certainly gone and Lavonte is getting long in the tooth. Adding Edge here would give Tampa a rangy LB that though struggles in coverage his length to at least make throws in the middle more difficult.
    
27. Texans: Josh Newton, CB (TCU). Nice corner prospect to replace Desmond Kind and/or Kareem Jackson opposite Stingley.
    
28. Bills: TVondre Sweat, DT (Texas). Huge DT that can absorb double teams and free up Ed Oliver and the Bills edge rusher sand Lb. .
    
29. Chiefs: Brandon Dorlus, DL (Oregon). Chris Jones isn’t going anywhere but maybe Nnamdi will be and Dorlus would be a good replacement.
    
30. 49ers: Zak Zinter, G (Michigan). Zinter is an outstanding lineman who slips due to injuries. He will be ready by the Fall and could be a day one starter for San Fran.
    

63 Ravens: Jonah Eliss, Edge )Utah) High energy player that lacks ideal length. Could be a good compliment to Odafe who has been something of a disappointment given his athletic profile and draft position. Chop could be considered here but went with Jonah due to better production
64 Lions: Chop Robinson, Edge (Penn State). This is a huge drop for Chop who could be in the 1st round depending on the combine. But he does lack polish and the Lions would be more than happy to grab him as bpa and add him to the rotation with Okwara and Paschal opposite Hutch.

Predict what you think Kwesi will actually do, not what you want to happen.
The Vikings usually go the opposite direction of what I think we should do. In rare instances like 2022 we're on the same page. Predicted 14-3, we finished 13-4. Knew our DC would be our downfall though if we didn't make changes but KOC stuck with Donatell.
Last offseason I hated everything we did outside of Flores. Predicted 8-9, finished 7-10. I don't like the trajectory this team is headed.
This offseason I think we're finally going into rebuild mode contrary to what Kwesi said. I don't think he has any intention of signing Kirk unless Kirk asks for like a 1 year extension. That's why Kirk made it clear the structure of the contract is the most important. Meaning how many years, is the money guaranteed, no trade clause etc.
I think Kirk wants a 3 year deal to finish out his career as a Viking and retire. Kwesi wants 1 year IMO. I think both sides are too far apart and Kirk will walk.
I believe Kwesi's plan is to use that money to try to bring Hunter back instead. The problem is Hunters age. He's getting up there now. He'll be looking to sign with a Super Bowl contender and get paid big time. At that point we wouldn't even have a starting QB on our roster with Kirk gone. Personally I don't think he stays either.
So going into the draft we'll be focusing on QB, DE, DT, and CB. We'll have to draft a QB high. Probably sign a bridge QB cheap in free agency. How our season goes will depend a lot on how those QB's play. If they can't step up then this is going to be a very long season.
The elephant in the room is JJ. I don't think he'll sign anything until he sees where we are at QB next offseason. If our QBs suck I could see him asking to be traded.
This is why moving on from an elite QB like Kirk is such a huge risk. Your entire team can collapse. Just look at what happened this season. From 6-4 to 7-10. 99% because we didn't have a good QB.