Trusting his coaches to develop players, Spielman also had a specific focus on athleticism.
Minnesota, after trading out of the third round and holding the second pick in the fourth round, selected Ohio State defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes to start Saturday's third day of the draft. Later, the team added two former basketball players as part of a six-player, final day haul.
"Sticking with the athletic traits we're looking for and relying on this coaching staff to develop a lot of this young talent," Spielman said. "A lot of the traits that they have, you can't teach, you can't coach, but you can sure develop them."
Spielman continued to move around the board on Saturday. The Vikings then made a pair of trades with the New York Jets, adding tight end Tyler Conklin from Central Michigan and the first kicker taken in the draft in Auburn's Daniel Carlson in the fifth round.
Minnesota added guard Colby Gossett from Appalachian State, Tulane defensive end Ade Aruna and California linebacker Devante Downs.
Holmes, a 270-pound defensive end at Ohio State, likely will play inside for the Vikings. He ran 4.82 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, sixth among defensive ends.
Conklin and Aruna were both former basketball players.
Conklin left behind a scholarship at Northwood University as a basketball player to walk on to the football team at Central Michigan. Aruna came to the United States from Nigeria to play high school basketball before switching to football prior to his senior season.
Conklin had the second-best mark among tight ends in the vertical jump and 60-yard shuttle at the combine.
Aruna also flashed his traits at the combine. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound end was second among all defensive lineman in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.60 seconds and had the top vertical jump and broad jump.
"We'll have a hell of an intramural team," Spielman joked. "All these guys are long. All these guys can jump out of the gym. All these guys can run. When you have those traits [url=http://www.cowboyscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-kony-ealy-jersey]Kony Ealy Jersey[/url] , to me and to this coaching staff, our philosophy if we can get athletes in like that, it gives you a chance to hit on some guys that can be pretty special."
Spielman referenced the team's selection of defensive end Danielle Hunter in the third round in 2015 after Hunter had 1陆 sacks as a senior. He's developed into a starting end and has 25陆 sacks in three seasons.
Aruna's basketball background even included a matchup with NBA forward Andrew Wiggins where Aruna was responsible for defending the eventual Minnesota Timberwolves player.
"As soon as we got down to the stadium to play that game, my coach told me, 'Hey, I want you to guard Andrew Wiggins. He's going to be your assignment tonight,'" Aruna said. "I told him, 'No problem, if that's how you want it I will get it done, just like that.' I gave him one of the lowest scoring games of his high school career, that night."
EXTRA POINTS: Carlson could replace Kai Forbath as Minnesota's kicker after hearing his name selected in the fifth round. Carlson was a three-time finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in college football, and was a second-team All-American the past two seasons.
Forbath re-signed with the Vikings in March on a one-year contract after an inconsistent season in which he led the NFL with five missed extra-point attempts and hit just 84.2 percent of his field-goal attempts.
In four years at Auburn, Carlson was perfect on 198 extra-point attempts.
"At this next level, extra points are backed up a little so it is going to take that much more focus and hopefully that can continue to keep that streak alive and take pride in making sure I am mentally locked in," Carlson said.
He hit 80.7 percent of his field-goal attempts, including an 87.5 percent mark in 2016 before hitting 23 of 31 (74.2 percent) last season.
Spielman said Carlson and Forbath will compete for the job during the summer.
CURLING FOR PICKS: Minnesota's fourth-round pick was delivered via the St. Paul Curling Club from the U.S. Olympic men's gold medal-winning curling team. The team led by captain John Schuster [url=http://www.texanscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-christian-covington-jersey]Christian Covington Jersey[/url] , a Minnesota native, announced the pick of Holmes.
Holmes was selected 102nd overall, which was the same pick Washington used to get quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2012. In his first chance at free agency, Cousins signed a three-year contract worth $84 million in March.
STILL NEED: Minnesota went for need during the three days of the draft, hitting the most important spots along the lines and at cornerback. Perhaps more work is needed after the Vikings weren't able to come away with an expected immediate starter on the right side of the offensive line.
One spot Minnesota didn't address was safety, where it returns All-Pro Harrison Smith along with starter Andrew Sendejo. The top backups are Anthony Harris and Jayron Kearse.
Revis Island is closed for business.
Darrelle Revis, a star cornerback with the New York Jets and a Super Bowl winner with their archrivals, the New England Patriots, has retired.
Revis announced Wednesday on social media that he was ending an 11-season career that included four All-Pro selections.
”Today, I am closing a chapter in my life that I once dreamed of as a kid,” Revis wrote . ”The game of football has opened doors for me I once thought were nearly impossible to get through. My passion to play the game at an elite level brought fun and excitement to the term `shutdown corner’ which was nearly on the verge of extinction.
”Covering some of the toughest assignments in league history was a challenge every Sunday, but also an honor …
”Long Live Revis Island.”
The proprietor of that place was a first-round draft pick (14th overall) by the Jets in 2007 who made an instant impact as a coverage demon. Usually charged with handling an opponent’s top receiver, Revis, now 33, often forced offenses to change their game plan to avoid him.
His skills even allowed Rex Ryan, a renowned defensive coordinator before joining the Jets as head coach, to try new schemes that befuddled the opposition.
”When I had him [url=http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-darius-leonard-jersey]Darius Leonard Jersey[/url] , obviously Darrelle was in the prime of his career, and there wasn’t anybody close to him,” Ryan said Wednesday. ”Maybe Deion (Sanders) in his prime, but that would be the only guy.
”Darrelle could handle anybody. I don’t care if it’s Hall of Fame guys, he locked them down and covered them and it wasn’t even close.”
He had 29 career interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, including a 100-yarder against Miami. In 2009, Revis was beaten out by Charles Woodson for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
”That season, he was far and away the most dominant player in the NFL on defense; that he never got (defensive) MVP that year, people are crazy,” said Ryan, now an analyst for ESPN. ”The impact this guy had, and on the best defense in the league, I thought he should have won that.”
Revis excelled against the best, taking the likes of Terrell Owens and Steve Smith out of the game with his coverage. After a particularly lopsided first-half matchup with Smith, who was with the Panthers, the receiver asked Ryan to ”get this guy off me.”
”That ain’t going to happen [url=http://www.cowboyscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-james-hanna-jersey]James Hanna Jersey[/url] ,” Ryan told Smith.
”His confidence and the confidence he had in his own ability, and his preparation, they were phenomenal,” Ryan said about Revis. ”Physical as hell, strong, great recovery speed, and he would beat you up on the line of scrimmage.”
He also would beat you at the bargaining table. Revis played his first six years with the Jets, the latter part of that stint filled with contentious contract negotiations.
Revis was dealt to Tampa Bay in 2013 for a first-round and fourth-round draft pick. He was a Buccaneer for one season, then headed to New England as a free agent, winning the championship in his lone year as a Patriot.
He returned to the Jets for two seasons, with injuries slowing Revis in 2016. He made it into five games for Kansas City last season.
”Darrelle is one of the best technicians to ever play the cornerback position,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. ”As a defensive backs coach, you used his film as a teaching tape for young players. I spent two seasons with Darrelle and he stands out as one of the smartest players I have ever coached.
”He walks away from the game leaving a stamp that everyone who knows the game will remember.”
Ryan predicted that Revis would be walking into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2023
”He dominated every matchup,” Ryan said. ”He was simply the best.”
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