Samia (suh-MEE-ah) Womens Marcus Epps Jersey , a guard out of Oklahoma, with the 114th pick overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.Rick Spielman said he was the highest ranked..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteDaily Norsemana Minnesota Vikings communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryVikingsOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Vikings 2018 SeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsFiled under:Minnesota Vikings 2019 NFL DraftBreaking Down Dru SamiaNew,78commentsCDTShareTweetShareShareBreaking Down Dru SamiaKevin Jairaj-USA TODAY SportsThe Vikings moved up in the fourth round to take Dru Samia (suh-MEE-ah), a guard out of Oklahoma, with the 114th pick overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.Rick Spielman said he was the highest ranked player on their board at the time, so let’s see why the Vikings made the move to get him.Nasty Scheme FitDru Samia’s MeasureablesLooking at Samia’s measureables, he’s close to average among offensive linemen in just about every one.About average size and athleticism across the board - and yet he’s often noted for his athleticism in scouting reports.He’s also thought to be on the small side for a guard, but at 305lbs. that’s pretty close to average these days.In any case, Samia brings a lot of experience - he was a 4-year starter at Oklahoma with 48 career starts for the Sooners.His first year was at right tackle, and the remaining years at right guard.During his time at Oklahoma, he was seen as a leader among the offensive line group, setting the tone with his nasty Ameer Abdullah Jersey , physical demeanor - which remains his leading characteristic. Oklahoma ran a lot of zone blocking, which is a strength for Samia, and makes him a good fit for the Vikings in Kubiak’s offense.Moreover, having played guard, rather than a tackle prospect more suited to play guard in the NFL, Samia is positioned to compete for a starting guard spot in training camp.In meetings during the pre-draft process, Samia said that many teams asked him about his physicality and brawler style of play. Of course most teams liked his physicality, intensity and heart with which he plays, but also talked about prioritizing technique ever so slightly over his physical style of play.The reason, and this shows up on tape on occasion, is that sometimes he seems to prefer his mauling style over proper technique, which can get him in trouble against more adept defenders.So there are technique issues for Samia to clean up and improve.These may not necessarily be new techniques he needs to learn Danielle Hunter Jersey , but rather becoming more consistent and disciplined with techniques he already knows and uses.Last season Samia allowed no sacks, 2 QB hits and 9 QB hurries over 440 pass blocking Vocal leader who has cut his teeth with an Oklahoma offensive line that has dripped with aggression and attitude during his four years as a starter. Samia is a loose-limbed, athletic guard whose foot quickness and second-level agility make him much more attractive as a move guard rather than a base-blocking option. His length and movement skills are a big plus, but issues with core strength and body control at the point of attack must be improved in order to survive against NFL power.- Lance Zierleinsnaps, leading to a 98.8% pass blocking efficiency rate, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).His run-blocking success rate was 90.9%.Those measures ranked 26th and 30th respectively among guards in this year’s draft class. He also had 3 penalties.By comparison, perhaps the top pure guard in this year’s draft class - Chris Lindstrom - had a pass blocking efficiency of 99.5%, and a run blocking success rate of 91.8%.In other words, Lindstrom had about 8 fewer negative snaps (4 each in run and pass blocking) last year than Samia over a roughly 870 snap season.Scouting ReportsHere are some scouting report summaries on Dru Samia:Scouting FilmHere are some game films from 2018 featuring the Oklahoma offensive line.Dru Samia is #75 and plays right guard.The toughest opposition was the Alabama defensive front featuring Raekwon Smith (#99) and Quinnen Williams (#92). EAGAN, Minn. — Since the Minnesota Vikings made him their top draft pick last year, Dalvin Cook has played in only seven of a possible 24 regular-season games.That means the early lessons have been just as much about handling injuries and making the most of the inaction as they’ve been about picking up the playbook and adjusting to NFL speed.More Vikings coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Rookie Bradbury is central figure to Vikings’ overhauled offensive lineVikings depth at cornerback being tested, Hughes still not clearedPlayers to watch at Minnesota Vikings 2019 training campTop Tweets: Vikings WR Diggs makes push for All-NFL Style Team“I’ve just been gaining knowledge from my teammates Linval Joseph Jersey , all the older guys,” Cook said. “The guys in my room have just been pushing me through it. I’ve been learning through this whole process, and I’m just trying to become a better player and better person.“That’s what I’ve been getting from the whole experience, and it’s nothing negative. Yeah, I’ve been injured and banged up, but I’m just learning through the whole experience. Once I get back, it’s going to be on.”That’s the kind of attitude that pushed him through the grueling rehab after a torn ACL in his left knee, suffered in the fourth game of his rookie season against Detroit. He stayed ahead of schedule and was ready in time for the opener this year, contributing 95 total yards in his first performance under new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who eagerly sought to maximize the versatile and elusive Cook’s impact as a ball carrier and a pass-catcher as soon as he was hired last winter.This fall has, by some measures, been more frustrating because of the seemingly minor hamstring injury Cook experienced on a hot afternoon in Green Bay on Sept. 16. He was ruled out of the following game Brett Jones Jersey , listed as questionable to play at Los Angeles on Sept. 27 and lined up at tailback in a limited role that night. Cook was deemed questionable again to play at Philadelphia on Oct. 7 and against Arizona on Oct. 14, but he ultimately watched both of those games from the sideline, too.Then the Vikings decided enough was enough and kept him off the practice field for two full weeks. After sitting out against New Orleans, his fifth absence in the last six games, Cook returned to practice as a limited participant on Wednesday. He said he never had a setback. The injury simply didn’t fully subside.“With these things, if you kind of keep stepping on them and keep doing what you’re doing, they’re just going to keep lingering along,” Cook said. “You’ve got to kind of shut the body down. That’s why I’m so confident in our medical staff, because they’ve got the right plan set up for me. We’ve been going by what my body has for me daily. My body’s been reacting to it good, so it was very important.”Cook was listed as questionable for the game against Detroit on Sunday when this week’s injury report was announced after practice on Friday. With the bye week coming next, the Vikings could always play it safe and give him even more time to heal. Coach Mike Zimmer downplayed the significance of the bye in the decision.“If guys can play, they play Dan Bailey Jersey ,” Zimmer said. “That’s just how we do it around here.”No matter how many times Cook has tested the hamstring, there’s no telling whether it’s back to normal until that first carry.“You can practice. You can run around. You can run straight. You can do all that,” Cook said. “But it’s about going out there and the person chasing you and you turning your body and you twisting your body and having the twitch to do it. That’s when hamstrings occur.”Other players listed as questionable for Sunday were wide receiver Stefon Diggs (rib), left tackle Riley Reiff (foot), cornerback Xavier Rhodes (foot) and strong safety Andrew Sendejo (groin). Linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring), left guard Tom Compton (knee) and backup running back Roc Thomas (hamstring) were ruled out.
