2021 Team Outlook: Minnesota Vikings

We have decided to take a look at all 32 NFL teams ahead of the preseason and break down the team position by position. Of course we will be finding all kinds of names that we desperately want to find signed jerseys, autographed helmets and all sorts of sports collectibles in our NFL live breaks. Today we will take a look at the Minnesota Vikings.

A few years back, the Minnesota Vikings were just a bad call away from making the Super Bowl. Now, the team has had a hard time just getting over the .500 mark. Let’s take a look at this squad and see if they can regain their former glory. 

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins has been the quarterback for the team over the past few seasons and has been solid. That said, one has to wonder if the relationship is beginning to sour. The Vikings spent an early 3rd round pick on Kellen Mond in this year's draft. And while the a 3rd round pick isn’t the biggest draft capital in the world, RGIII who was covering the draft for Bleacher Report and played with Kirk Cousins had this to say “You can tell No. 8 in Minnesota is not real happy right now, because Kellen Mond represents everything he isn’t”.

Running Back

Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the NFL and there’s really no debate about it. His career started slowly due to injuries but once the 2019 season began, Cook was off and running. Behind him, Alexander Mattison has performed really well and the Vikings also invested a 4th round pick in Kene Nwangwu to help with depth and special teams duties.

Wide Receiver

The Vikings hit a goldmine in 2020 when they drafted Justin Jefferson in the first round. Jefferson had 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns in his rookie campaign which is relatively unheard of for such a young player. Adam Theilen also performed well last season and the combo should be one of the top units once again this coming season. The real question is who will be the 3rd receiver this season. Chad Beebee and Bisi Johnson are both candidates, but I would keep and eye on Ihmir Smith-Marsette who was a 5th round pick out of Iowa. 

Tight End

Long time frontman Kyle Rudoulph is now a member of the New York Giants. This leaves Irv Smith to be the main asset in the tight end room. He has the opportunity to become one of the upper end assets in the league. Tyler Conklin is also a factor here but he will likely be used more in the blocking game than anything else. 

Offensive Line

The unit added Christian Darrisaw in the first round of the draft this past season and he will be a much welcomed addition. PFF graded the offensive line as one of the worst units in the league, which was particularly true for the pass protection. Most importantly, the interior of the line (Ezra Cleveland, Garret Bradbury, Dakota Dozier) are all returning and none of them cracked the top 32 at their respective positions, which is concerning. 

Defensive Line
Defensive end Danielle Hunter is one of the better players at his position in the league. Similar things could be said of Dalvin Tomlinson. One of the enigma’s for this defense though will be Michael Pierce. Pierce opted out of the 2020 football season due to COVID concerns, but before that he was considered one of the better players at his position. If all three of these players are back and healthy then they should be a very good unit. 

Linebackers

Eric Kendricks is an amazing player in both the run game and pass game. Despite the downfall of this defense in 2020, Kendricks was one of the few things holding this total unit together. Anthony Barr is another talented linebacker on this team but missed practically the entire season with a torn pectoral muscle. If he is back and healthy, he will be a key cog for the team. They also added 3rd round linebacker Chazz Surratt in the draft and he could be a big part of their future. 

Secondary

This will likely be the weakest part of the defense. Outside of Harrison Smith, who has been amazing for nearly a decade, the rest of this group is very suspect.

We have decided to take a look at all 32 NFL teams ahead of the preseason and break down the team position by position. Of course we will be finding all kinds of names that we desperately want to find signed jerseys, autographed helmets and all sorts of sports collectibles in our NFL live breaks. Today we will take a look at the Minnesota Vikings.

A few years back, the Minnesota Vikings were just a bad call away from making the Super Bowl. Now, the team has had a hard time just getting over the .500 mark. Let’s take a look at this squad and see if they can regain their former glory. 

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins has been the quarterback for the team over the past few seasons and has been solid. That said, one has to wonder if the relationship is beginning to sour. The Vikings spent an early 3rd round pick on Kellen Mond in this year's draft. And while the a 3rd round pick isn’t the biggest draft capital in the world, RGIII who was covering the draft for Bleacher Report and played with Kirk Cousins had this to say “You can tell No. 8 in Minnesota is not real happy right now, because Kellen Mond represents everything he isn’t”.

Running Back

Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the NFL and there’s really no debate about it. His career started slowly due to injuries but once the 2019 season began, Cook was off and running. Behind him, Alexander Mattison has performed really well and the Vikings also invested a 4th round pick in Kene Nwangwu to help with depth and special teams duties.

Wide Receiver

The Vikings hit a goldmine in 2020 when they drafted Justin Jefferson in the first round. Jefferson had 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns in his rookie campaign which is relatively unheard of for such a young player. Adam Theilen also performed well last season and the combo should be one of the top units once again this coming season. The real question is who will be the 3rd receiver this season. Chad Beebee and Bisi Johnson are both candidates, but I would keep and eye on Ihmir Smith-Marsette who was a 5th round pick out of Iowa. 

Tight End

Long time frontman Kyle Rudoulph is now a member of the New York Giants. This leaves Irv Smith to be the main asset in the tight end room. He has the opportunity to become one of the upper end assets in the league. Tyler Conklin is also a factor here but he will likely be used more in the blocking game than anything else. 

Offensive Line

The unit added Christian Darrisaw in the first round of the draft this past season and he will be a much welcomed addition. PFF graded the offensive line as one of the worst units in the league, which was particularly true for the pass protection. Most importantly, the interior of the line (Ezra Cleveland, Garret Bradbury, Dakota Dozier) are all returning and none of them cracked the top 32 at their respective positions, which is concerning. 

Defensive Line
Defensive end Danielle Hunter is one of the better players at his position in the league. Similar things could be said of Dalvin Tomlinson. One of the enigma’s for this defense though will be Michael Pierce. Pierce opted out of the 2020 football season due to COVID concerns, but before that he was considered one of the better players at his position. If all three of these players are back and healthy then they should be a very good unit. 

Linebackers

Eric Kendricks is an amazing player in both the run game and pass game. Despite the downfall of this defense in 2020, Kendricks was one of the few things holding this total unit together. Anthony Barr is another talented linebacker on this team but missed practically the entire season with a torn pectoral muscle. If he is back and healthy, he will be a key cog for the team. They also added 3rd round linebacker Chazz Surratt in the draft and he could be a big part of their future. 

Secondary

This will likely be the weakest part of the defense. Outside of Harrison Smith, who has been amazing for nearly a decade, the rest of this group is very suspect. 

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