Minnesota Gophers - 2020 NFL Draft

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This is a share thread for everything Minnesota Golden Gophers 2020 draft prospects and news.

Feel free to add and discuss.

The 2020 NFL Draft is on April 23-25 in Paradise, Nevada.

The four often mentioned 2020 draft prospects for the Gophers are Tyler Johnson, Antoine Winfield Jr, Carter Coughlin, and Kamal Martin. Potentially, one or two of these guys may go undrafted. These guys have the chance to be one of 255 draft picks selected in this year's NFL Draft. Good luck to all of them.

CBS Sports Top 250 - https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/quarterbacks/
Tyler Johnson #64
Antoine Winfield Jr. #73
Carter Coughlin #124
Kamal Martin #203

The Draft Network - (Click on names for player reports) https://thedraftnetwork.com/prospect-rankings
Antoine Winfield Jr #63
Tyler Johnson #99
Carter Coughlin #160
Kamal Martin #178

Minnesota Machine: Tyler Johnson Is A First Round WR Prospect | The Draft Network

Coming out of high school as a three-star athlete from Minneapolis, Minnesota, I don't think many ca...
thedraftnetwork.com thedraftnetwork.com

Walter Football202 NFL Draft Prospects
Tyler Johnson #10 WR - projected round 2-3

2020 NFL Draft Prospects: Wide Receivers – WalterFootball

walterfootball.com walterfootball.com
Antoine Winfield Jr #11 Safety - projected round 3-5

2020 NFL Draft Prospects: Safeties – WalterFootball

walterfootball.com walterfootball.com
Kamal Martin #17 OLB - projected round 4-6
Carter Coughlin #21 OLB - projected round 4-6

The most intriguing early (November 30, 2019) team top targets in the 2020 NFL Draft conversations have Tyler Johnson going to the Green Bay Packers, and Antoine Winfield Jr going to the Minnesota Vikings - Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report - Every NFL Team's Early Top Target in the 2020 NFL Draft

Green Bay Packers: WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
Evaluations can become too complicated. Sure, certain baseline traits are necessary to be a pro. But talent evaluators often overthink their decisions because so much information is at their disposal.
So it goes with the Minnesota Golden Gophers' Tyler Johnson, who is one of the most effective, productive wide receivers in the 2020 draft class. He won't blow away scouts with his size or speed (6'2", 205 lbs). But he does what every team should want from its targets: He gets open and is reliable.
Johnson has caught 144 passes for 2,194 yards and 22 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He's a skilled route-runner with outstanding body control.
The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, continue their search for a legitimate second option beyond Davante Adams. None of the other wide receivers on the roster seem to have earned Aaron Rodgers' trust to the point where the offense consistently clicks. Geronimo Allison is second among the team's wide receivers with only 26 receptions.
Johnson's skill set screams a future trusted Rodgers target. - Brent Sobleski

Minnesota Vikings: S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
Certain matches just feel right.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was born to play for the Minnesota Vikings after his father spent nine seasons with the franchise. The potential pairing of Winfield with his father's old team is far more than nostalgia, though. He is arguably college football's best ball hawk and playmaker at safety.
The Minnesota Gophers defensive back was college football's highest-graded safety well into November, according to Pro Football Focus. As of two weeks ago, Winfield allowed an impressively low 0.31 yards per coverage snap and 38.5 passer rating when targeted, per PFF. The redshirt sophomore is third in the nation with seven interceptions. He's also a fantastic open-field tackler, just like his dad was—Winfield leads the Gophers with 76 total tackles.
The Vikings will likely need safety help after this year since Anthony Harris, Jayron Kearse and the recently reacquired Andrew Sendejo could test free agency in 2020. Winfield can pair with Harrison Smith to provide Minnesota with the game's best set of safeties. - Brent Sobleski
 
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255 picks? I just did the math and 32 teams does not divide equally in to that number. Are there other picks involved instead of just the "standard" picks?

Isn't it nice to wonder each year how many Gophers will get drafted? There were years when no Gophers were drafted. (I don't want to go back to those days!)
 
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GopherJack said:
255 picks? I just did the math and 32 teams does not divide equally in to that number. Are there other picks involved instead of just the "standard" picks?

Isn't it nice to wonder each year how many Gophers will get drafted? There were years when no Gophers were drafted. (I don't want to go back to those days!)
Click to expand...

There's compensatory picks in the NFL draft from rounds 3-7 (32 total I believe). There's some secret formula for how it works. But basically you can get a compensatory pick for a player you lost in free agency (not someone a team cut) minus free agents the team signs.

I'm sure someone can provide more details.

And yes, much more exciting to follow the draft (and combine) when the Gophers are involved more. Was looking at a few mocks and seeing iowa and wisconsin guys in the 1st and want to at least semi-consistently get to that level
 

pharmacygopher said:
There's compensatory picks in the NFL draft from rounds 3-7 (32 total I believe). There's some secret formula for how it works. But basically you can get a compensatory pick for a player you lost in free agency (not someone a team cut) minus free agents the team signs.

I'm sure someone can provide more details.

And yes, much more exciting to follow the draft (and combine) when the Gophers are involved more. Was looking at a few mocks and seeing iowa and wisconsin guys in the 1st and want to at least semi-consistently get to that level
Click to expand...


Yes. It is compensatory picks. There's some more info in the link below.

 

Once you get to rounds 6-7; it's, oftentimes, more beneficial for a prospect to go undrafted and sign with teams as a FA. They can get the best deal financially, or they may cherry pick the team that fits their skill set best or has a friendly depth chart on making the team.
 


hungan1 said:
This is a share thread for everything Minnesota Golden Gophers 2020 draft prospects and news.

Feel free to add and discuss.

The 2020 NFL Draft is on April 23-25 in Paradise, Nevada.

The four often mentioned 2020 draft prospects for the Gophers are Tyler Johnson, Antoine Winfield Jr, Carter Coughlin, and Kamal Martin. Potentially, one or two of these guys may go undrafted. These guys have the chance to be one of 255 draft picks selected in this year's NFL Draft. Good luck to all of them.

CBS Sports Top 250 - https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/quarterbacks/
Tyler Johnson #64
Antoine Winfield Jr. #73
Carter Coughlin #124
Kamal Martin #203

The Draft Network - (Click on names for player reports) https://thedraftnetwork.com/prospect-rankings
Antoine Winfield Jr #63
Tyler Johnson #99
Carter Coughlin #160
Kamal Martin #178

Minnesota Machine: Tyler Johnson Is A First Round WR Prospect | The Draft Network

Coming out of high school as a three-star athlete from Minneapolis, Minnesota, I don't think many ca...
thedraftnetwork.com thedraftnetwork.com

Walter Football202 NFL Draft Prospects
Tyler Johnson #10 WR - projected round 2-3

2020 NFL Draft Prospects: Wide Receivers – WalterFootball

walterfootball.com walterfootball.com
Antoine Winfield Jr #11 Safety - projected round 3-5

2020 NFL Draft Prospects: Safeties – WalterFootball

walterfootball.com walterfootball.com
Kamal Martin #17 OLB - projected round 4-6
Carter Coughlin #21 OLB - projected round 4-6

The most intriguing early (November 30, 2019) team top targets in the 2020 NFL Draft conversations have Tyler Johnson going to the Green Bay Packers, and Antoine Winfield Jr going to the Minnesota Vikings - Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report - Every NFL Team's Early Top Target in the 2020 NFL Draft

Green Bay Packers: WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
Evaluations can become too complicated. Sure, certain baseline traits are necessary to be a pro. But talent evaluators often overthink their decisions because so much information is at their disposal.
So it goes with the Minnesota Golden Gophers' Tyler Johnson, who is one of the most effective, productive wide receivers in the 2020 draft class. He won't blow away scouts with his size or speed (6'2", 205 lbs). But he does what every team should want from its targets: He gets open and is reliable.
Johnson has caught 144 passes for 2,194 yards and 22 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He's a skilled route-runner with outstanding body control.
The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, continue their search for a legitimate second option beyond Davante Adams. None of the other wide receivers on the roster seem to have earned Aaron Rodgers' trust to the point where the offense consistently clicks. Geronimo Allison is second among the team's wide receivers with only 26 receptions.
Johnson's skill set screams a future trusted Rodgers target. - Brent Sobleski

Minnesota Vikings: S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
Certain matches just feel right.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was born to play for the Minnesota Vikings after his father spent nine seasons with the franchise. The potential pairing of Winfield with his father's old team is far more than nostalgia, though. He is arguably college football's best ball hawk and playmaker at safety.
The Minnesota Gophers defensive back was college football's highest-graded safety well into November, according to Pro Football Focus. As of two weeks ago, Winfield allowed an impressively low 0.31 yards per coverage snap and 38.5 passer rating when targeted, per PFF. The redshirt sophomore is third in the nation with seven interceptions. He's also a fantastic open-field tackler, just like his dad was—Winfield leads the Gophers with 76 total tackles.
The Vikings will likely need safety help after this year since Anthony Harris, Jayron Kearse and the recently reacquired Andrew Sendejo could test free agency in 2020. Winfield can pair with Harrison Smith to provide Minnesota with the game's best set of safeties. - Brent Sobleski
Click to expand...
Walter Football mock - updated Jan. 16
Winfield #56 to Dolphins
Johnson #92 to the Ravens
Coughlin and Martin not in the 1st 4 rounds
**Side note: Vikings take Cephus 4th round
 

OddStack said:
Once you get to rounds 6-7; it's, oftentimes, more beneficial for a prospect to go undrafted and sign with teams as a FA. They can get the best deal financially, or they may cherry pick the team that fits their skill set best or has a friendly depth chart on making the team.
Click to expand...

Agree to a certain degree but if you are drafted you are at least guaranteed some NFL money from the team that drafts you. UDFA are on their own going up against all the other guys that go undrafted and are looking for a spot to play. Can cherrypick where you want to try out but no guarantees of any kind.
 

The Vikings landing TJ or AWjr or both would be a huge PR Bonanza. I'd venture to say that these two wouldn't last past mid 3rd Round.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Agree to a certain degree but if you are drafted you are at least guaranteed some NFL money from the team that drafts you. UDFA are on their own going up against all the other guys that go undrafted and are looking for a spot to play. Can cherrypick where you want to try out but no guarantees of any kind.
Click to expand...
And NFL teams are likely slightly more invested and patient with their late round draft picks than their undrafted free agent signings which makes it at least a little harder to get cut.
 



Is there any draft talk about Smith? I figured that he could possibly be a late round guy.
 

stocker08 said:
Is there any draft talk about Smith? I figured that he could possibly be a late round guy.
Click to expand...

I don't see any chatter pre draft about him at all. His one-year hiatus due to injury doesn't help his cause. IMHO, his best shot is UDFA or CFL.
 

hungan1 said:
I don't see any chatter pre draft about him at all. His one-year hiatus due to injury doesn't help his cause. IMHO, his best shot is UDFA or CFL.
Click to expand...

RB just don't hold the same value in the new look NFL as they once did. For a guy like Smith, his injury history will probably scare a lot of teams away. He will have to prove it as an UDFA or as you mentioned look at something like the CFL.
 

I'm curious to see if Renner can stick somewhere. I really doubt he'll be drafted and haven't heard any chatter of that happening, but hopefully he can land somewhere.
 




MNVCGUY said:
RB just don't hold the same value in the new look NFL as they once did. For a guy like Smith, his injury history will probably scare a lot of teams away. He will have to prove it as an UDFA or as you mentioned look at something like the CFL.
Click to expand...

Most teams in the NFL adopted a passing game tilt today.
 

matt said:
I'm curious to see if Renner can stick somewhere. I really doubt he'll be drafted and haven't heard any chatter of that happening, but hopefully he can land somewhere.
Click to expand...

If only Sam Renner has an extra year of college eligibility, he could have improved his draft stock. He is a late bloomer. Whatever team picks him up if he is not drafted would be pleasantly surprised IMO.
 

hungan1 said:
If only Sam Renner has an extra year of college eligibility, he could have improved his draft stock. He is a late bloomer. Whatever team picks him up if he is not drafted would be pleasantly surprised IMO.
Click to expand...
I wonder if he will instead just start his career in accounting -- I have no inside knowledge just a musing
 

MNVCGUY said:
RB just don't hold the same value in the new look NFL as they once did. For a guy like Smith, his injury history will probably scare a lot of teams away. He will have to prove it as an UDFA or as you mentioned look at something like the CFL.
Click to expand...

Yes...it's risky using a top draft pick on a RB...but late round draft picks? A lot of those guys don't even make the active roster....and teams still need to carry three.
 

stocker08 said:
Yes...it's risky using a top draft pick on a RB...but late round draft picks? A lot of those guys don't even make the active roster....and teams still need to carry three.
Click to expand...

From the little bit of draft study I have done Smith doesn't show up as one of the top 20 RB on most boards. Not surprising with his injury history. He will get a shot at making a roster but nobody is going to spend a draft pick on a RB who might carry some injury risk unless they are a can't miss talent, which Smith is not.

Hopefully it works out for him and he finds his way onto a roster when it is all said and done. He's a talented player, he will just have to prove it at the NFL level.
 


die hard gopher said:
Rossi has said several times that he believes Renner is an NFL guy.
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He won't get drafted but clearly he is a hard worker who has gotten better and better as his career has gone on so he could certainly end up making a team
 



pharmacygopher said:
How about Williamson?

Saw some early clips from the E-W Shrine Bowl practice. Odds he gets drafted?
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Isn't the EW Shrine game designed for the next tier of players for another chance to shine and show NFL Scouts if they are worthy of another look? Maybe Chris Williamson can turn heads worthy of a late round draft pick or UDFA invites.
 

stocker08 said:
Yes...it's risky using a top draft pick on a RB...but late round draft picks? A lot of those guys don't even make the active roster....and teams still need to carry three.
Click to expand...

He will be 24 by the time the draft rolls around. There’s absolutely no way a team uses a draft pick for him. There’s an outside chance that he lands on a practice squad and gets some legit game time, but that’s about it.

I loved him as a Gopher, but he’s way too old to be drafted.
 

MinneStoa said:
He will be 24 by the time the draft rolls around. There’s absolutely no way a team uses a draft pick for him. There’s an outside chance that he lands on a practice squad and gets some legit game time, but that’s about it.

I loved him as a Gopher, but he’s way too old to be drafted.
Click to expand...
I think there's a slight chance he gets drafted. Chris Weinke was a 4th rd pick when he was 28 or 29. Granted Rodney is a longshot regardless, but he has a chance if he has better than expected pre-draft workouts.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
I think there's a slight chance he gets drafted. Chris Weinke was a 4th rd pick when he was 28 or 29. Granted Rodney is a longshot regardless, but he has a chance if he has better than expected pre-draft workouts.
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That’s a pretty bad comparison. That was 20 years ago and Weinke was a quarterback, a position where it’s common for players to play into their late 30s and occasionally early 40s.

Modern NFL teams ditch running backs because they’re getting too old in their late 20s.
 

MinneStoa said:
That’s a pretty bad comparison. That was 20 years ago and Weinke was a quarterback, a position where it’s common for players to play into their late 30s and occasionally early 40s.

Modern NFL teams ditch running backs because they’re getting too old in their late 20s.
Click to expand...

We're not talking first or even second round picks here. This is end of the draft type stuff. Teams drafting towards the end know that those picks are very likely to add much value. If you can pick up an RB in one of the last couple of rounds as a backup on a rookie salary, why wouldn't you? As I said, with those types of players, age doesn't mean a ton.
 

noamfromm said:
I wonder if he will instead just start his career in accounting -- I have no inside knowledge just a musing
Click to expand...
I think big people that are strong and can move with height are valued in NFL I could, Renner at least making a practice squad based on his size.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
I think big people that are strong and can move with height are valued in NFL I could, Renner at least making a practice squad based on his size.
Click to expand...
I wasn't speaking to him being or not being an NFL calibre player, merely that he will have his Masters in Accounting in the spring and may want to get going in his (academic) field
 

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