The NFL Draft is still three months off Kirk Cousins Jersey , but it’s not too soon to start looking ahe end of April.The Senior Bowl has just concluded, and there won’t be much more to evaluate now until the Combine, which probably isn’t as insightful.The first profile is of OL Dalton Risner (Rise -ner).Risner’s Draft Stock is Rising After the Senior BowlI'm not sure where the consensus had Dalton Risner going in the draft prior to the Senior Bowl, but afterward he looks to be a solid mid-to-late first round pick.Hopefully he'll be an option for the Vikings at #18.Risner is out of Kansas State, where he has dominated at right tackle for the past three years.He played a year at center as well early on.He hasn’t given up a sack since 2016.But the ding against all small school prospects is that they haven’t faced top competition.Risner faced off against Montez Sweat- a top edge rusher in this years draft- in one game, and held up well.Beyond that, however, not so much too competition.That is why the Senior Bowl is so important to his draft stock.The Senior Bowl gives small school prospects the opportunity to show what they can do against top competition, and by pretty much all accounts Risner shined against Senior Bowl competition.Risner Brings Tenacity, Toughness - and LeadershipThe point behind these clips of Risner in the Senior Bowl, however, isn’t so much to Dalton Risner has been one of the better offensive linemen in college football for a long time now, largely due to his masterful hand technique and punishing demeanor. Extremely physical and aggressive, Risner has started three straight seasons at right tackle for Kansas State, locking down every type of rusher and hardly ever losing a 1v1 matchup. In the run game, he brings power and technique, while also being able to get out in space and make high degree of difficulty blocks on a per game basis.- Jon Ledyard, The Draft Networkdemonstrate HOW he played, but WHAT KIND of player he is. Risner has been described as extremely tenacious and nasty Adrian Peterson Jersey , bringing a mauler’s mentality to the trenches.He was also a team captain for three years, and actively communicated with his teammates to make adjustments.He comes across very well spoken and intelligent. These leadership and communication skills will be prized by coaches - along with his nasty streak -and for the Vikings could bring some much needed edge and swagger to an offensive line that seldom imposes its will.Risner can play all five positions along the line if need be, and measured 6”4 5/8” , 308 lbs., with 34 1/4” arms, 10 5/8” hands, and 81” wingspan at the Senior Bowl.But his mauler mentality, communication and leadership skills, combined with some weakness in footwork outside, make him a better fit as an interior lineman in the NFL - most likely center - where he played as a freshman.He would also be a good fit at guard.Risner played all his reps during the Senior Bowl at right tackle, where he’s played for the past three years, which was smart.Sometimes linemen play a new or multiple positions for the Senior Bowl - where they are projected in the NFL, and do poorly as a result.Risner also stated that he wanted to prove himself as a tackle (more money, higher draft position), but that he’d play anywhere his team wanted him to play.He also checks all the boxes in terms of being able to start at a high level as a rookie - solid technique, good anchor, excellent functional strength and hand usage, elite recognition and mental processing to deal with twists and blitzes. He’s also a “high character guy” and a “tough, physical John Randle Jersey , smart football player with a passion for the game of football,” two phrases we’re likely to hear repeated again by Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer as they describe the type of players they’re after in the draft.Kansas State, where Risner played, used primarily inside zone runs but also some gap blocking schemes, so Risner will be used to working with both schemes.The Vikings use more zone blocking these days.So from a scheme standpoint, I wouldn’t expect Risner to have any difficulty adapting to the Vikings scheme. The main drawbacks on Risner is that he’ll be a 24 year old rookie, and he had shoulder surgery after the 2017 season (although he missed only one game in five years at Kansas State).Bottom line, Risner could be just the tonic the Vikings interior offensive line needs to get off the schneid and into a more dominant groove next season.The Vikings reportedly met with Risner during the Senior Bowl, so there is some interest.I would expect a lot of sites mocking him to the Vikings at #18 in the coming months.We’ll see what happens a the end of April.Here is a more complete draft profile of Dalton Risner. The Vikings have had quite a bit of news pop up throughout the week, from Everson Griffen returning, Mike Hughes’ surgery, practice squad moves and a few other notes. I got most of it summarized right here: On Tuesday, the Vikings front office released a statement that said Griffen would resume football activities on Wednesday, Oct. 24. He’s been absent from the team facility for a month. A note other than football, it’s just good to see Griffen get the help he needed, and to see him moving in the right direction. You never want to see anyone in that situation, and I’m sure people who are also struggling with mental health truly feel what he’s going through. It also tells you how supportive the Vikings organization has been with Griffen through the situation. Head coach Mike Zimmer said in a press conference Wednesday that they’ll see how things go over the next few days, but Griffen playing Sunday is just not “the focus right now.” However, he did practice on Wednesday Alan Page Jersey , and if he does the rest of the week, then I could see him getting a few snaps on Sunday night. Hughes, who tore his ACL against the Cardinals a couple weeks ago seemed to have a successful surgery on Tuesday based off this twitter post:It’s never good to see someone go down with an injury regardless of talent, but tough break for the young rook. I wish nothing but the best in his road to return to what he loves doing. Undrafted free agent cornerback Holton Hill could get a lot more clock with Hughes being out. He handled kickoff returns, and did a pretty solid job doing so. He had two returns that averaged 28.5 yards. He also grabbed an interception after he replaced Xavier Rhodes (I believe it was Rhodes he replaced). There are a couple other players that are on this week’s injury list. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes (ankle) did not participate in practice Wednesday. Not a great sign, but hopefully he participates Thursday, and Friday.Linebacker Anthony Barr (knee) did not participate on Wednesday. Another day-by-day situation similar to Rhodes’ situation. Safety Andrew Sendejo didn’t practice. Guard Tom Compton suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday, and will be listed as doubtful heading into the weekend. Linval Joseph (ankle) practiced on Wednesday. Left tackle Riley Reiff (foot) practiced as well. Dalvin Cook will likely be out through the bye-week which is week 10. So, Drew Brees has been breaking these records the past couple of weeks, and that’s great, because he’s truly a legend. But, the Vikings own quarterback Kirk Cousins is on pace of breaking one of Brees’ records. Cousins leads the league with 210 completions. If he continues the path he’s on, then it won’t be long before he surpasses Brees completion record he set back in 2016 with 471. Cousins is on pace to reach 480 completions. He’s also ranked third for passing with 2,162 yards. He only sit behinds Kansas City-sensation Patrick Mahomes (2.223) and Atlanta’s trusted veteran Matt Ryan (2,335). Final notes are regarding practice squad changes. Here’s a tweet from Andrew Krammer:Here’s a link to a more in-depth update on the practice squad moves. SKOL