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What do you think are the odds the Vikings will draft both Trae Waynes and Melvin Gordon? -- Dayne Schleusner
I'd say the odds are pretty slim because right now the Vikings are scheduled to select once in the first round and most analysts feel both Gordon and Waynes will be first-round picks. So unless the Vikings are able to attain another first-rounder, I don't think they'll be able to draft both players.
Can a college player forego the draft and start shopping their services during free agency? Like, say for example, could Todd Gurley withdraw from the draft, go to Dallas, and start negotiations today? -- Brian Nock
Nope. Article 6, Section 2(d) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states that no player can play for a NFL team without first being eligible for selection in the NFL draft.
What would happen if a draft pick was not able to reach a contract with the team that drafted them? Does that draftee hit the open like a free agent for other teams to interview and sign? -- Jerry Beck Columbus, Ohio
No, his rights remain with the team that drafted him through the date of the following year's draft. At that point in time, that player can be selected by any team except his original team.
I noticed the Vikings do not have the 11th selection in every round. They move back a few slots in some rounds. Can you explain that? -- Joe Dolan
As you probably know, draft order is determined by the previous year's records, with the team with the fewest amount of wins selecting first and the Super Bowl champion selecting 32nd. This selection order remains the same in subsequent rounds, except in cases where teams finished with identical records. In these cases, the teams cycle their selection order in each round. For example, the Vikings finished with a 7-9 record in 2014, as did the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. Since the tie-breaker procedure dictated that the Vikings would select first among this group in the first round, the Vikings select last among this group in the second round. That pattern continues for the seven rounds of the draft.
In your last Pick 6, you answered a couple questions about the Vikings bye week, so I have a follow up question to that. Why doesn't the League for competitive balance and fairness do a mid-season bye week for all teams in Week 9? -- Kris Utah
I'm guessing there are a variety of reasons the NFL chooses not to do this, but the obvious one to me is that by spreading the byes out during the season the NFL avoids having a week where it is off the radar. In the current setup, there are NFL games every weekend during the season and that is a good way to keep the League atop the sports news cycle without interruption.
The Vikings have two games in prime time in 2015, but they are both on the road (at SF, at Arz). Do you think the Vikings will get prime time home games in 2016 when they open the new stadium? -- Paul Cicero
I'd say it's a safe bet that the Vikings will get at least one home prime time game next season when they open their new stadium. The San Francisco 49ers had two home prime time games last year that I can remember as they opened their new stadium – a Sunday Night Football game against the Bears and their Thursday Night Football game against the Seahawks.
