Dark Horse Tavern » A day after the San Francisco 49ers elected Richard Sh

erman as their player representative Laquon Treadwell Jersey , the veteran cornerback believes a lockout is coming when the NFL collective bargaining agreement expires."It's going to happen, so it's not like guys are guessing," Sherman said before the 49ers' workout Thursday.The current CBA between players and NFL owners doesn't expire until after the 2020 season, but there have been rumblings that players might dig in their heels in order to get certain economic changes, including more guaranteed money in contracts.Owners locked out the players for four months during the 2011 offseason, but the sides eventually hammered out a 10-year deal before the regular season was jeopardized.Sherman said he's expecting a lockout this time around "because there was a lockout before. We don't plan on changing anything about the deal we currently have right now ... I don't think it's going to be negotiated before the end of the CBA."That issue is for down the road. For now, the three-time All-Pro cornerback eagerly awaits his 49ers debut Sunday at Minnesota. After being released by Seattle in March, Sherman, 30, signed a three-year deal with San Francisco.He appears fully recovered from a ruptured right Achilles tendon that ended his 2017 season in November. But Sunday's game offers Sherman his first true test to prove he's still the same shutdown defender he was before the injury. And the opener comes against a Vikings team that expects big things offensively after signing quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason.So far, Sherman has drawn rave reviews for the leadership role he's taken with a young 49ers defense."It's inspiring just to play across from a guy like that that's played at a high level," cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon said. "I've always looked up to him, always thought highly of him. To be able to pick his brain just inspires me to take my game to the next level."Asked if this week of preparation feels different given his new surroundings, Sherman replied:"I got my Kobe cleats."Nike has a line of football cleats endorsed by former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant Womens Xavier Rhodes Jersey , a friend of Sherman's who offered the cornerback advice on how to rehab from an Achilles injury, since Bryant experienced the same setback.Sherman said he'll feel butterflies when he takes the field for his 49ers debut, but he said it won't be so different from his previous seven years with the Seahawks."(There's) always that rookie inside me. I don't think it changes from your first year to your eighth year," he said. "I think you always go into it knowing you're gonna have a chance to do something special and you're excited about the possibilities."NOTES: Weakside linebacker Malcolm Smith (hamstring) participated in Thursday's practice and is expected to be ready Sunday, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. ... Saleh also said that rookie Fred Warner will start at middle linebacker. Let’s do a quick rundown of where the Vikings need to look in this year’s NFL Draft."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Vikings 2018 SeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsMinnesota Vikings 2019 NFL DraftMinnesota Vikings Top 5 Draft Needs: Running back, #5New,141commentsLet’s do a quick rundown of where the Vikings need to look in this year’s NFL Draft.CDTShareTweetShareShareMinnesota Vikings Top 5 Draft Needs: Running back, #5Brad Rempel-USA TODAY SportsWith the 2019 NFL Draft now, officially, just a few days away, it’s time to take a look at the Vikings’ biggest areas of need. I’m going to do a quick series of articles throughout the next couple of days to look at what I think the team’s biggest needs lie and where they could potentially look for a player at those spots. This is just one man’s opinion, and your mileage may vary.We’ll start with what I feel is the team’s fifth-biggest need, that being the running back position.Current Vikings running backs: Dalvin Cook (starter), Ameer Abdullah Ben Gedeon Jersey , Mike Boone, Roc Thomas, C.J. Ham (fullback)We’ve gotten glimpses of what Dalvin Cook is capable of over the past two seasons. He’s great at catching the ball out of the backfield, he can get tough yardage between the tackles, and he has the speed to break long runs when he gets to the second level. The problem with Cook thus far certainly hasn’t been his talent. . .it’s been his availability.Since the Vikings drafted Cook, they have played in 34 games, counting the postseason. Cook has played in 15 of those games. He has just two career games where he’s carried the ball 20 or more times, and he hasn’t done that since Week 3 of his rookie season. Until Cook shows that he can be on the field consistently and be someone that the Vikings can rely upon, having a solid backup for him is going to be a necessity.The loss of Latavius Murray this offseason is significant, because he served as that solid option for the Vikings for the past couple of years, whether as part of a tandem with Jerick McKinnon in 2017 or carrying most of the load last season. With Mike Zimmer, apparently, wanting to continue to emphasize running the football, that need becomes even bigger http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/authentic-mackensie-alexander-jersey , which is why I have it in my Top 5 Vikings needs.Of the options currently on the roster, Mike Boone probably has the best chance of emerging as an in-house option, but he only saw 11 season. (For comparison, Stefon Diggs carried the ball 10 times.) Roc Thomas now has off-field issues to deal with, and I’m not sure if anyone considers Ameer Abdullah as a guy that’s going to get serious time at the running back spot. I mean, he might, but it seems that the Vikings view him as more of a special teams option at this point.Who could they look at and when: Obviously, with placing this at #5 on the list, I don’t think this is a position that the Vikings need to spend a pick on until Day 3. The devaluation of the running back position plays a role in this as well.With the Vikings’ current picks, the spot for them to address this might be in the fourth round at #120 overall. (Yes, I suspect that Rick Spielman is going to acquire more picks, but right now he doesn’t have them.) The homer in me thinks that they would be well-served to take someone like a Bruce Anderson from North Dakota State (though they might be able to get him later), as he seems to be the sort of back that could step into the Murray role sooner rather than later. If they want to wait a little longer, they could look at a player like Jalin Moore from Appalachian State Womens Adam Thielen Jersey , who is an outstanding athlete but had an ankle injury that cut his 2018 season short and could see his stock drop as a result.Another possibility would be Bryce Love out of Stanford, but the Vikings would have to weigh whether or not they can wait for him to recover from the knee injury he suffered at the end of 2018. His talent would be well worth the risk if the Vikings think they can wait for him to recover.If the Vikings do want to address this on the first couple of days of the draft, they could grab someone like Penn State running back Miles Sanders, Iowa State’s David Montgomery, or Rodney Anderson out of Oklahoma with their third-round selection. Anderson, like Love, suffered a knee injury last season, but he had his much earlier than Love did, so he could be closer to contributing early on than Love is.What do you think about the Vikings’ need at running back? Have I put it too high or too low on the list, or is this just about the right spot?