If you've been paying any attention at all to the Mock Drafts and Draft analysis that has come out over the past few weeks leading up to the opening round this Thursday, you've probably seen or heard the Vikings being tied to an offensive guard named Isaiah Wynn. Wynn fits a need for the Vikings on the right side of the offensive line and could be a day one starter.
But it's not all roses for Isaiah Wynn...
Below are some of the reasons that we could see Wynn drop in the draft and why the Vikings should be sure to do all of their due diligence before making their pick at #30 on Thursday night in Dallas.
1. He has incredibly small hands for a big man...
We did this experience on The Power Trip once and measured everybody's hands. For a reference point, Isaiah Wynn has hands that are about the size of Chris Hawkey's! They measure in at 8.5 inches. It seems like it's such a small thing to make a big deal about but when it comes to the NFL and the NFL Combine everything is scrutinized.
Here's why it matters...
For offensive linemen, their hands are their grappling hooks. Sure they're not supposed to hold but making that first contact and latching on to a rushing defensive player is of the utmost importance. Beyond that, think common sense here. The larger the surface area, the large the wallop that you can deliver to the chest of a defensive tackle.
2. He's still recovering from labrum surgery...
In November of last year, Isaiah Wynn tore the labrum in his shoulder. He toughed it out and kept playing as with the nature of the injury, once the labrum is torn you can't make it worse, it's just a pain tolerance and effectiveness of play.
Wynn had surgery after the season to repair the tear, but here's the deal. This just in, labrum's are important for offensive lineman. At a position where so much of your success is centered around yoru core and the extended strength of your extremities, you better be darn sure that he's going to be back at 100% and back there soon. This draft pick is expected to be someone who comes in and has an impact right away, especially if they do go offensive line.
3. He didn't work out at combine or pro day...at all...
With the labrum injury and recovery from surgery Wynn did not participate in any activities at the NFL Scouting Combine or at Georgia's Pro Day. Watching a player do drills and seeing them in a one-on-one workout against air isn't as important to teams as watching his tape from the entirety of the season in the SEC, but where it does matter is gauging his health.
Sure they'll see doctor's reports and sure they had their own doctors look into his situation, but there's not a team out there that didn't want to see physically where he was at after that shoulder surgery.
4. He's built more like a tackle than a guard, but he's too short...
You'll hear this mentioned a few times on Draft Night when Wynn is on the board, but one of the knocks against him is that he's built like a tackle more than a guard. It's not all that surprising and here's what that means. In layman's terms, it would appear as if Wynn missed leg day. His upper body has the requisite strength, but his base is slim, arguable too slim to be an interior lineman in the NFL. That's fine when you're on the outside as it aides in your movement in space against edge rushers. The only problem, Wynn is only 6' 2" tall, which is far too short to play tackle in the NFL.
Scouts have said that they are worried that Wynn won't easily be able to add much more strength to that frame and thus the concern
5. Struggles with second level blocking...
There's also some concern with Wynn's second level blocking. This occurs more often in space and has to do with some of the open area quickness and it's heavy on the technique and timing which is essential in the NFL. The Vikings employ an athletic offensive line so opening up and pulling a blocker is something you'll see often. That's not a strong suit for Wynn either.