Written By Arif Hasan (ColdOmaha.com)
With the 23rd pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Laquon Treadwell, receiver from Ole Miss. Ranked as the top receiver in the consensus board, and the 11th-best player overall, the Vikings continue their tradition of selecting players that fall according to the consensus and underpaying for players that are highly regarded by insiders and third-party evaluators.
Treadwell is one of the youngest players in the draft, matching the Vikings’ young picks early on for Teddy Bridgewater and Anthony Barr.
That youth is one of the cornerstones of the pick for the Vikings, and general manager Rick Spielman was happy to mention that youth has been a big part of their recent draft strategy.
A player who experienced a precipitous fall because of his poor pro day—one marked not just by a poor 40-yard dash, but beyond subpar metrics in the vertical leap and broad jump—the Vikings seemingly deviated from a tactic they’ve relied on pretty extensively the last few years, which was to take high-level athletes in the early round. To that end, Spielman argued that Treadwell fit the mold of what they do perfectly, and that his 2014 play showcased what they were looking for from that standpoint.
“I know coming out of the ’14 season, probably without the injury, [he] was probably the top rated receiver,” said Spielman. “We felt very strongly that he was one of the top receivers in this draft. I think the 40 time may have knocked him some, but you have to go off what you see on tape, too. And we try to make estimates on speed, on what we see on tape and I felt very strongly that he plays faster than what he ran at his pro day.”