The East West Shrine Bowl is tonight and the Senior Bowl practices are underway. If you are a draft doofus like me then this is a great time right now. Obviously, free agency for the Vikings is going to be crucial and very interesting. I have no problem with anything they do really. I like to discuss as many of the options that I can think of though.
2025 East-West Shrine Bowl player standouts to know for 2025 draft
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter named 10. These are his 10 standout players from the week.
Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks
Kansas CB Cobee Bryant
Kansas OL Bruce Cabeldue
North Carolina DB Alihag Huzzie
Memphis LB Chandler Martin
Syracuse QB Kyle McCord
Maryland DT Jordan Phillips
Virginia Tech EDGE Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Tennessee WR Dont’e Thornton
Lindenwood OL Gareth Warren
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson named six standout players, including McCord and Bryant. The other four he had different from Reuter are:
SMU EDGE Elijah Roberts
Colorado WR Will Sheppard
Syracuse WR Jackson Meeks
Middlebury OL Thomas Perry
One Maryland football player makes East-West Shrine Bowl All-Practice Team
Phillips has been shining all week long in practice and it’s not a shock that he made the All-Practice Team. This past season, Phillips recorded 29 tackles and one tackle for loss. The 6-3, 320-pound lineman left school after three seasons to pursue the NFL. He came to Maryland after spending his freshman season with Tennessee. Phillips started 11 games in 2023 for the Terrapins and all 12 this past season. He was named to Bruce Feldman’s Freak’s List and was also named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.
2025 Senior Bowl Day One Practice Report
The most mind-blowing thing I saw today was North Carolina IOL Willie Lampkin. He was a standout at Coastal Carolina before transferring to UNC this past year. Lampkin measured in at 5’10” and 270 pounds. But he is one of the most technically sound linemen I have seen in my years at the Senior Bowl. I am genuinely curious to see how he transitions to the next level. Lampkin could truly be the outlier of all outliers.
2025 Senior Bowl Day 1 standouts: TE Elijah Arroyo sizzles; Jack Bech, Jalen Royals star at WR
Walter Nolen
Mississippi · DT · Junior
Nolen is my top-rated defensive tackle in this year’s draft class because of his explosiveness and productivity on all three downs.
In Tuesday’s practice, Nolen stormed through his one-on-one matchups. He consistently was able to get on top of blockers with a big burst off the snap and pushed them into the pocket with relative ease. There were some up-and-down reps during the scrimmage phase, but overall, Nolen did what he needed to do maintain his standing.
Grey Zabel
North Dakota State · IOL · Senior
North Dakota State had an offensive lineman drafted in the first four rounds for three straight years from 2021 to 2023 (Cody Mauch, Cordell Volson, Dillon Radunz). I expect Zabel to join them in that club this year. He has taken snaps at each spot on the offensive line, but he really stood out at both guard and center during Tuesday’s practice.
He displayed good core strength and an impressive anchor in one-on-one matchups against powerful interior rushers. He has shorter arms but a good build and the potential to add a few more pounds on his frame. Zabel’s ability to offer position flexibility and pass protection value will push him up the board if he continues to play well this week.
2025 Senior Bowl Day 2 standouts: Two of NFL draft’s top pass rushers wreaking havoc
https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-senior-bowl-day-2-standouts-two-of-nfl-draft-s-top-pass-rushers-wreaking-havoc
Mac McWilliams
UCF · CB · Senior
McWilliams showed off his talent for smothering the break point in his one-on-one battles on Wednesday. He consistently anticipated the route and played physical at the top of the route. He had a good deep-ball rep during the scrimmage portion of practice, as well.
Smael Mondon Jr.
Georgia · LB · Senior
Versatility is the name of the game nowadays in the NFL and that is exactly what Mondon offers. He battled a foot injury for chunks of 2023 and 2024, but it didn’t look like a problem in Wednesday’s practice.
He flashed acceleration and sideline-to-sideline range during the scrimmage portion of the day. He also shined in some of his one-on-one coverage reps that tend to heavily favor the offensive player. In pass-rush drills, Mondon was able to overwhelm running backs who tried to slow him.
Shemar Stewart
Texas A&M · Edge · Junior
There might not be a player here who looks the part quite like Stewart. He checked in at just over 6-5 and 281 pounds with a wingspan that nearly touched seven feet. The knock on Stewart is that despite his elite traits and explosive athletic ability, he simply doesn’t have much sack production (4.5 in three seasons).
On Wednesday, Stewart’s rush potential was on full display. He was able to win in one-on-one matchups with a powerful bull-rush that rolled the tackle back deep into the pocket. In the scrimmage portion, he was able to get into the pocket with power and an edge attack around the corner. I saw some of the same inconsistency that shows up on his game tape.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Report: Vikings, Camryn Bynum ‘open’ to pre-FA contract extension
The Vikings and safety Camryn Bynum are reportedly open to getting a contract extension done before he hits the open market as a free agent when the new league year starts.
“The Vikings and Bynum have had discussions about an extension,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “While nothing has materialized, both sides are open to it, and this could get done before mid-March.”
Can Vikings keep winning without succeeding in NFL draft?
Since hiring general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in 2022, the Minnesota Vikings have compiled the NFL’s sixth-best winning percentage — almost exclusively with players drafted by his predecessor or other teams. That unique collection of circumstances will hover over the franchise this offseason and prompt an unusual football question: Can a team build a sustained winner independent of draft outcomes?
As they compiled a 34-17 record (.667) from 2022 to 2024, the Vikings had 107 starts from players drafted during that period. It was the NFL’s second-lowest total over that time frame, according to ESPN Research. The Miami Dolphins were the only team with fewer (31), but their scope was limited by league discipline that forced them to forfeit a first-round pick in 2023 and a third-rounder in 2024.
Adofo-Mensah covered for that draft performance with a stellar free agent class in 2024 that included three Pro Bowlers and 12 players who made at least one start, leaving the Vikings to finish the season with the NFL’s oldest team based on age-weighted snap count. But as he prepares to lead his fourth offseason with the franchise, amid what ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported are contract extension talks with team ownership, Adofo-Mensah will have a narrow opportunity to pursue the lifeblood of most successful organizations: replenishing with young talent.
One way the group has evolved is that the Vikings’ coaching staff inserted itself into the process over the past two seasons, with Adofo-Mensah’s blessing. Coach Kevin O’Connell pushed hard to select receiver Jordan Addison with the No. 23 overall pick in 2023, and O’Connell led the evaluation that resulted in the selection of quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall in 2024.
This month, many around the NFL took note of the Vikings’ priorities when O’Connell was the first to receive a contract extension, announced eight days after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. But owners Zygi and Mark Wilf did not make any changes to the team’s structure or operation as part of O’Connell’s new deal, a team source confirmed, meaning Adofo-Mensah remains the team’s primary football executive.
But Adofo-Mensah put a historic level of faith in acquiring linebacker Dallas Turner, trading six picks and using a seventh to draft him No. 17 overall last spring. At the time, the Vikings had already signed linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency. Both started all 17 games and made the Pro Bowl, while Turner played only 315 defensive snaps (26.8%). A total of 51 rookies around the NFL played more.
“I understood the veteran locker room I was coming into,” Turner said at the end of the season, “and my job was just be a rookie and be a sponge.”
Trading down from 24 feels inevitable for Vikings in this NFL draft
A trade down from 24 feels almost inevitable for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings in this year’s draft. They desperately need more picks; beyond that first-round choice, the Vikings have just a third-round compensatory pick (likely No. 97 overall) and two fifth-rounders. That’s the weakest amount of draft capital in the league by a decent margin. Additionally, this year’s draft is viewed to be a deep one into the second and third rounds, especially at a couple positions of need for Minnesota.
Vikings Get Good News on Possible Return of QB Sam Darnold
All hope is not lost for a reunion between the Minnesota Vikings and Sam Darnold.
Benjamin Solak of ESPN outlined on Tuesday, January 28, how Darnold’s path could lead back to Minneapolis via a long-term contract.
“If Darnold’s market indeed comes in near $40 million per year, the Vikings will likely get priced out as they address other positions. But if Darnold wants to stay in the O’Connell offense and Minnesota can get him at a lower figure, don’t be surprised to see it happen,” Solak wrote. “Plus, Darnold’s contract would become a valuable trade asset if [J.J.] McCarthy is great — and a valuable escape hatch if McCarthy is shaky. This approach is far more preferable than the franchise tag, which would hit the Vikings for $41 million against the 2025 cap and be far more difficult to trade.”
The underlying context to the situation is that Darnold has significant leverage heading into the offseason for a handful of reasons.
First, the NFL draft is weak under center with just two quarterbacks possessing first-round grades: Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward of Miami.
Second, Darnold is the top free agent in another weak class full of older veterans coming off shaky seasons: Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Andy Dalton of the Carolina Panthers, for example. That won’t materially change if the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets cut Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers, respectively.
Finally, there are several teams in the market for a new quarterback this offseason and the supply can’t come close to matching the demand. Solak on Tuesday noted the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants as suitors for Darnold, and that field could easily increase based on how the draft plays out and what the Jets decide to do under center.
“Smart teams don’t let quarterbacks who just performed well over a 14-win season leave the building easily,” Solak continued. “General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who comes from an analytics background, primed coach Kevin O’Connell on the very possibility of Darnold playing his way into a multiyear contract before the 2024 season even began.”
Two Suitors Named For Sam Darnold Ahead Of Free Agency
With free agency less than two months away, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported that Darnold could receive a three-year, $100 million contract. Baker Mayfield landed a similar deal last offseason.
Fowler then mentioned the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants as potential suitors for Darnold.
“Several execs have Darnold in that Baker Mayfield range of contracts, which is around three years and $100 million with strong guarantees,” Fowler wrote. “The Raiders and Giants — both picking outside the top two spots in the draft — might need to pay a quarterback.”
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 1: Quarterback paths
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 2: Rebuilding the RB room
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 3: Are the offensive weapons set?
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 4: Solidifying the offensive line
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 5: What’s next on the D-line?
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 6: Linebackers and safeties
Matthew Coller: The future of the Vikings, Part 7: Cornerbacks
Matthew Coller: Future of the Vikings, Part 8: The timeline
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