Ranking the Vikings Draft Needs Post-Free Agency

Cincinnati Bearcats cornerback Ahmad Gardner (1) celebrates a sack of Houston Cougars quarterback Clayton Tune (3) in the second quarter during the American Athletic Conference championship football game, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Houston Cougars At Cincinnati Bearcats Aac Championship Dec 4

The 2022 NFL offseason has been one of historic proportions. The number of trades including franchise-altering players has been a roller coaster that makes it difficult to truly decide who is the king of the hill in the league. As for the Minnesota Vikings, the first few weeks of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first offseason in charge went by without more than a peep.

In recent days though, the Vikings GM has begun to flex his negotiation muscles. He’s poached a pair of defenders from the rival Green Bay Packers, and the Vikings have plenty of cap left to improve other areas of the roster. While the Vikings could make one final splash into the free agent pool, the overall free agency period is in its waning stages. In the endless cycle that is the NFL calendar, the end of free agency means that the draft is officially upon us. With that said, what exactly are the Vikings biggest draft needs following their free agency acquistions?

1. Center

To be clear, putting center at the top of this list does not mean that it necessarily should be their first-round pick. Rather, it is simply the position that most desperately needs improving. Put simply, Garrett Bradbury has proven over the course of three years that he is not capable of being a quality starter in the NFL, and there is no obvious replacement for him already on the Vikings roster. Perhaps Minnesota signs JC Tretter as their final free agency splash, but if not, the Vikings need to address this position within the first three rounds of the draft. Not only that, but they need to find an instant contributor.

2. Cornerback

It’d be very easy to call this the number one Vikings need in the draft, especially with the amount of talent at CB that will undoubtedly go in the first round. That said, the Za’Darius Smith signing combined with the confirmed return of Danielle Hunter changes my focus for two reasons:

  1. An elite pass-rush can cover up a lot of mistakes in the secondary.
  2. Kirk Cousins needs a clean pocket to maximize his effectiveness.

The Vikings already have an established starter at corner in Cameron Dantzler, and they are the favorites to bring back Patrick Peterson as well. I mentioned above that the center needs to be able to contribute immediately whereas there is a little bit more leeway for a cornerback like Ahmad Gardner or anyone else to have a few growing pains here or there.

3. Right Guard

After the top two positions, there is certainly a bit of a drop-off for the rest of these needs. At this point in time, a guard would be a very nice insurance policy, but it isn’t particularly critical for Minnesota to find success in 2022. Oli Udoh had his blemishes in 2021, but if push comes to shove, he can take some snaps at the position. Secondly, the Vikings may already have their insurance policy in-house with Wyatt Davis.

It seems that Davis was not exactly viewed in the most positive light under the old coaching staff, so it’s feasible that a fresh start with Kevin O’Connell at the lead could be the turning point. Any real reservations about the Vikings guards should be held until August when we see them take the field. Again though, if the Vikings roll into the season with a similar performance from the offensive line as last season, there may not be much that can be done to improve the offensive output in 2022.

4. Tight End

This continues to be a position that flies under the radar, but the Vikings do need to find themselves a quality tight end that can take some of the pressure off of Irv Smith in his first season post-ACL tear. As it currently stands, the Vikings do not have a tight end on the roster that caught a pass in 2021. Smith is not necessarily known for being an elite blocker at the position, so finding a player that can take over on those snaps is crucial as well. The good news for Minnesota is that this class has a number of players that fit the bill, and they don’t necessarily need to spend a premium draft pick to get one.

5. Linebacker

The Vikings roll into 2022 with a 3-4 defense that will presumably feature Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks, and Za’Darius Smith at the linebacker spots. It’s certainly a star-studded group, but some question marks remain. The most glaring of these concerns is that two of the four players have not played a 3-4 defense at the NFL level. Kendricks should be able to adjust as his role remains largely the same, but there may be a learning curve. The more worrisome part of this is predicting how Danielle Hunter will adjust to his new role where he has to drop back into pass coverage.

More concerning, this quartet of players missed a combined 28 games in 2021, with Hicks being the only one to play the entire season. The Vikings do not have a ton of depth at either ILB or OLB that inspire a ton of confidence if anyone were to miss games this year. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest in someone, even if they are just taking a few extra snaps to keep the veterans healthy and rested.

Share: