The Top 5 Position Battles for the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have many newcomers on their roster, and more will arrive in the draft and as UDFAs, as well as perhaps a couple of veteran free agents later in the offseason.
The Top 5 Position Battles for the Minnesota Vikings
As the roster stands right now, there will be some camp competitions for starting jobs and roles in the rotation.
Mekhi Blackmon vs. Isaiah Rodgers
Byron Murphy Jr. re-signed to be the top corner in the building, but who will play next to him?
Mekhi Blackmon, a 2023 third-rounder, missed his entire sophomore campaign due to a torn ACL. He had a promising rookie season and brings inside/outside flexibility.
The other contestant is Isaiah Rodgers, a free-agent addition. A speedster, Rodgers is just coming off a season that concluded with a Super Bowl trophy as a rotational cornerback for the Eagles.
Unless there’s another significant addition, all three will play big roles, but CB3 Shaq Griffin logged 50% of the snaps last season, while CB2 Stephon Gilmore played 87% of the snaps in the games he appeared in, so there’s a noteworthy difference.
Bo Richter vs. Gabriel Murphy
Patrick Jones II has left the organization for Carolina. That means last year’s first-rounder, Dallas Turner, will be the third guy behind Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel on the depth chart.
Behind them, the Vikings employ a pair of 2024 rookies, both arrived as undrafted free agents. Bo Richter shined in the preseason but was primarily a special teamer in his debut season.
Gabriel Murphy, meanwhile, missed most of the campaign with an injury. Once he was healthy, however, he played snaps ahead of Richter. There’s a decent chance that only one of them will be on the roster in September.
Jalen Nailor vs. Rondale Moore
The receiving group will look differently, but the top three guys remain from last season: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor.
Nailor will face competition from free agent signing Rondale Moore, a shifty after-catch receiver who missed last year with a knee injury suffered in training camp while Nailor was the recipient of six touchdown catches.
Both Nailor and Moore can coexist because they have different skill sets (Nailor can stretch the field, and Moore is predominantly a short-yardage gadget player), but the difference between a 500-yard role and a 100-yard role could just be one competition away.
Dwight McGlothern vs. Jeff Okudah
Another cornerback battle to watch is that between sophomore Dwight McGlothern and Jeff Okudah, a former third-overall pick who has never lived up to that hype.
McGlothern was a preseason standout last season, and there’s a reason why the Vikings kept him on the roster the entire season. Okudah, meanwhile, has been on four teams in as many years.
As an experienced player, Okudah is the favorite, but McGlothern has shown enough promise to be taken seriously.
Jalen Redmond vs. Taki Taimani vs. Levi Drake Rodriguez
Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen join Harrison Phillips on the defensive line, hopefully as massive upgrades.
Behind them, there are three younger guys who want to clinch their roles in the rotation. Although they are vastly different from each other, there won’t be enough snaps for all of them.
Taki Taimani showed some flashes as a run-stopping nose tackle, but Jalen Redmond clinched a starting role late last season and should be considered the next man up after the three veterans. Levi Drake Rodriguez barely played in his rookie season, but coming from Texas A&M Commerce, he has always been expected to be a long-term investment rather than immediate help.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt