Takedown Report

Wrestling shaped Mike Zimmer; it also shaped the Vikings’ draft

TDR Editor’s Notes ; What an interesting perspective by a football coach that having lineman to wrestle in the off season as it makes them better football players! It seems he would know in his profession.
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MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings headed into the NFL draft needing to bolster the middle of their offensive and defensive lines. It’s probably no coincidence that two of the players they targeted were standouts in the sport that coach Mike Zimmer has called the toughest thing he’s ever done.
Ohio State center Pat Elflein and Iowa defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson — whom the Vikings picked in the third and fourth round, respectively — were standout wrestlers in high school before they became Big Ten opponents. Elflein was a state and national tournament qualifier his senior year as a heavyweight at Pickerington North High School just outside Columbus, Ohio, while Johnson went 21-3 as a junior at St. Joseph’s High School outside Chicago.
Rest of the story at ….http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/22712/wrestling-shaped-mike-zimmer-it-also-shaped-the-vikings-draft?mc_cid=00ef6b57b7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

May 10, 2017 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized