Minnesota Twins Wishlist Offseason '23-'24

Okay so I did this back in September well before the season was over & the Twins brass announced they were going to shed payroll. Hopefully that doesn't come true if they can find a new Broadcast partner to help bring in some extra money.

OUTSIDE OPTIONS:

 SP - Ohtani / Kershaw / Urias / Nola / Giolito / Snell / E.Rodriguez / Montas / Flaherty / J.Teheran

As much as I'd absolutely love to add Ohtani to this team that's just a pipe dream,  Snell might have also priced himself out of options available with the season he just had but with the 4 losses(coming right up) I believe the money should be there to land Snell or even Rodriguez

TEAM OPTIONS:

Losses: S.Gray / T.Mahle / K.Maeda / D.Keuchel

Gray hurts a lot, would absolutely love to see him back I just don't believe that's what will happen, I could see the team bringing back King Kenta, I guess time will tell.

HOPEFULL ROTATION:

Projected:  P. Lopez / B. Snell / J.Ryan / B.Ober / F.Montas / C.Paddock 

Having 3 top of the line pitchers(Lopez/Snell/Ryan) can get you into the playoffs and give you a chance in the post season, Adding another one of these pitchers if they end up losing Gray is a absolute must if the team wants to compete & I just don't see how ownership(yeah right I'm kidding mostly but the Pohlad's are cheap & I just don't care about the recent contracts given out to Buxton & Correa.  Buxton was home grown & we were told the new well not so new now stadium was to help keep those type of players so Buxton doesn't count he's just ownerships way of coming through with their "promises").

Montas & Paddock give me durability concerns so hopefully one of them can fill out that 5th spot in the rotation

OUTSIDE OPTIONS:

RP - M.Moore / A.Chapman / T.Rosenthal / S.Miller

TEAM OPTIONS:

Losses: E.Pagan / D.Floro

HOPEFULL BULLPEN:

Projected: J.Duran / A.Chapman / S.Woods-Robinson / G.Jax / J.Moran / B.Stewart / C.Thielbar 

OUTSIDE OPTIONS:

OF - L.Gurriel Jr / W. Merrifield

TEAM OPTIONS:

Losses - J.Gallo / M.Taylor / M. Kepler

HOPEFULL:

Projected: LF - W. Merrifield / CF - B.Buxton / RF - M.Wallner / OF - T.Larnach

OUTSIDE OPTIONS:

INF - 2B - W.Merrifield

TEAM OPTIONS:

Losses - D.Solano

HOPEFULL

Projected: W.Merrifield / E.Julien

TRADES:

MN - OF - Juan Soto

SD - 2B - Jorge Polanco / OF - Trevor Larnach / SP - Louis Varland / RP - Josh Winder / OF - Emmanuel Rodriguez

I'm not sure if that will be enough to land Soto but for a 1yr rental I don't think it's a bad offer at all.  This is the splash play via Trade.  The Twins lineup is missing that 1 piece that scares opposing teams.  Royce Lewis was that guy during the playoffs this past season but they need to bring in another Bat & not just hope & pray on the young guys.

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Projected Lineup:

C - Ryan Jeffers / Christian Vazquez

1B - Alex Kirilloff 

2B - Edouard Julien / (2B/OF)Whit Merrifield

SS - Carlos Correa

3B - Royce Lewis / Jose Miranda

OF - (LF)Juan Soto / (CF)Byron Buxton / (RF)Matt Wallner 

Utility - Willi Castro / Austin Martin 

This is putting a lot of faith in Buxton staying healthy, something he has yet to do during his career so I wouldn't be opposed to bringing back Michael A. Taylor who IMO filled in nicely this past year but if Buxton is a no go for the field it might be time to look into moving him because he's just not a good fit as a DH

2021 Vikings Mock Offseason

 Okay well the NFL season may not be over sadly the Vikings season is so I figured why not get started looking to the future now.  This mock will be more of a "Dream scenario" but trying to keep it somewhat realistic.  Im not a cap guy and havent done much research on exactly what we have so please keep that in mind for v1

Day 1 of the NFL Season The Vikings trade Kirk Cousins to New England.  Bill Belichick gets a guy who he can fit perfectly into his system.  I believe he'll want to get back into the playoffs as soon as possible and have a little chip on his shoulder since Brady's Buc's are in the playoffs and Bill's Patriots missed them for the first time since 2008. 

To New England: QB - Kirk Cousins & 6th round pick(#175 overall)

To Minnesota: 2nd Round Pick(#46 overall) & 4th round pick(#111 overall)

Day 2 of the Season sees Minnesota makes another huge move this time with the Houston Texans who are going full rebuild mode using some of their last assets.  This is a much needed move after the team traded away their 1st & 2nd round picks to Miami.  They could probably get a better haul but in this instance I'm looking at their recent track record along with ours and I don't think this is completely nuts.

To Houston: 1st round pick(#14), 2nd round pick(2022), 4th round pick(#110), 4th round pick(#111) & 5th round pick(2022) 

To Minnesota: QB - Deshaun Watson & DE - JJ Watt 

*Note - Please don't mention salary cap (its only a myth) but for those of you who will still do this. Watson's contract basically flips with Cousins.   Watt's in the last year of his deal, could easily flip what's remaining to a bonus with a new extension. As an added bonus it'd be really fun to watch/listen to Packer fans about the local guy playing across the border.

QB - Colt McCoy(2.5M/1yr)

WR/KR - Cordarrelle Patterson (4M/3yrs)

DT - Hassan Ridgeway (1.5M/3yrs)

FS - Sean Davis (2.5M/4yrs)

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DRAFT: (used TDN rankings)

2 - 46  - OG - Alex Leatherwood - Alabama

3 - 79 - DT - Jaylen Twyman - Pittsburgh

3 - 90 - CB - Kary Vincent Jr - LSU

4 - 115 - S - Caden Sterns -Texas

4 - 125 - LB - Charles Snowden - Virginia

5 - 141 - OT - Tyler Vrabel - Boston College

5 - 154 - TE - Tre McKitty - Georgia

7 - 206 - HB - Master Teague - Ohio St

UDFA - LB - Ventrell Miller - Florida

UDFA - CB - Trey Dean III - Florida

UDFA - QB - Sam Ehlinger - Texas

UDFA - Edge - Xavier Thomas - Clemson

UDFA - WR - Charleston Rambo - Oklahoma

UDFA - S/LB - BJ Foster - Texas

Roster: OFFENSE(25)

QB - Deshaun Watson / McCoy / Ehlinger

HB - Cook / Mattison / Teague / Ham

WR - Thielen / Jefferson / O. Johnson / Patterson / C. Beebe 

TE -  ISJ / Conklin / McKitty

OT - O'Neil / Reiff / Udoh / Vrabel

OG - Cleveland / Leatherwood / Hinton / Samia

OC - Bradbury / Jones

Roster: DEFENSE(24)

DE - Hunter / Watt / Odenigbo / Wonnum / Ma'ta'afa 

DT - Pierce / Watts / Twyman / Lynch

LB - Barr / Kendricks / Dye / Snowden / Nickerson / BJ Foster

CB - Danztler / Gladney / Vincent Jr / Boyd / Hand / Hughes(IR)

S - Smith / Davis / Sterns / Mettelus

Roster: ST

K - Bailey 

P - Colquitt

Practice Squad:

QB - Nate Stanley

WR - Osborn

WR - Chisena

WR - C. Rambo

CB - Dean III

LB - V. Miller

Edge - X. Thomas

3 Keys for the Vikings Heading into Training Camp & Pre-Season

So it's that time of the year again where every teams fan base believes their team has a chance & in a league that has so much parity it isn't hard to understand why. During the past 3 seasons we've had 3 different teams from the NFC reach the Superbowl.(Atlanta '17, Philadelphia '18 & Los Angeles Rams '19) & 24 different teams in all reached the playoffs during those 3 years.  Also worth noting are the Patriots who with Bill Belichick being the man in charge & Tom Brady continually defying father time made it really hard on the AFC & the East especially taking up one of those spots every year & the other being the Cleveland Browns who have gone 8 - 39 - 1 during that same span however the Browns look to have turned the page with Baker Mayfield under center & other key pieces they brought in this offseason but I won't be surprised at all when another 3 or 4 teams make the playoffs this season who were "written" off.  This is the stuff that makes the NFL great, Hope, nothing is better then legitimately feeling like this could be our year.  With that said lets dive into 3 keys for the Vikings to return to the playoffs.

#1 - Locate & find a 3rd Receiver

This doesn't necessarily have to come from the Wide Receiver position, maybe someone like Irv Smith Jr can become this but for now I'll focus on just the Wide Receiver group. A couple names I'm looking at for that spot are Chad Beebe who has amazing hands, runs good routes & something I really like the Bloodlines.  I also like the fact that he has a little chip on his shoulder from going undrafted, players who work their way onto a 53 man roster the hard way(going undrafted) always seem to have that Dog mentality.  Chris Tomasson reported the other day that Beebe is wearing out his dads old JUGS machine.  It's just another one of those things that support my Dog Mentality, this kid isn't afraid of the work that needs to be done, I wouldn't count him out.

The other player being Jordan Taylor. A guy who has great size, something the Vikings current group of receivers currently lack( Thielen, Treadwell & Zylstra all come in at 6'2").  They need someone other than Kyle Rudolph who can be that great End Zone target who Kirk can just throw the ball up to & Taylor can just go get it but the thing is, he's so much more than just a Red Zone guy.  Taylor is very athletic & tracks the ball well.  Also working in his favor is his familiarity with Gary Kubiak.  I think the biggest concern will be how he comes back from his double hip surgery which sidelined him all last year.

My early favorite here is Chad Beebe. My only concern is that I think he gets the Punt Return job & Im not sure the team would want to run the extra risk of their 3rd receiver taking those extra hits but he seems to me like the next feel good story of an undrafted player making something of themselves.

#2 - Figure Out The Offensive Line

Ground & Pound Baby.  Okay seriously though this starts in the trenches something the Vikings again addressed & I believe they did a good job at doing just that. They signed Josh Kline & Dakota Dozier & drafted Garrett Bradbury(1st) & Dru Samia(4th) & Olisaemeka Udoh(6th).  The hope here is that Kline regains his 2017-18 form and slides right into the RG spot, Bradbury starts at Center & Samia can provide quality depth.  The key to this position group will be Brian O'Neil's development & if he can build off of a very impressive rookie campaign.  As well as how Pat Elflein adjusts to playing LG atlhough he was a better guard at OSU than he was a center so I don't see the issue there but he will need to improve his strength.  A starting unit of Reiff/Elflein/Bradbury/Kline/O'Neil could surprise a lot of people and give the Vikings not only the ability to actually run the ball with success but give Kirk more time to find some of those great receiving options he has.

The guy here I'm most excited to watch and see what he does next is Brian O'Neil. He was the bright spot on that Offensive Line that they have something to build around.  Will he start getting reps at LT or do the Vikings keep him strictly a RT?

#3 - Re-Find Their Identity On Defense

So last year was a failure, we added two huge pieces one on offense(Cousins) & one on defense in Sheldon Richardson who were supposed to be the final pieces.  Sheldon was supposed to help shore up the run defense but that never came, the Vikings were much better the previous year with Shamar Stephen, well fast forward a year and Sheldon is gone & Stephen is back, hopefully this will lead to more of a DLBC(Defensive Line By Committee) as the Vikings have a lot of intriguing pieces for Coach Zimmer to work with.  One of those is Hercules Mata'afa who could be moved all over the place as one of those chess pieces however Im hoping that he sticks at UT.  Jaleel Johnson & Jalyn Holmes are the other two pieces who Im excited to see what happens.

The player I'm most excited about to watch on this Defense outside of the main guys is Jayron Kearse, will he play Safety? Linebacker? Corner? He is the ultimate chess piece that could be moved all over the field something to help disguise the coverage & give the Vikings that Identity back.

Madden League '20 Mock Draft

1. Vikings - LT - Trey Smith - Tennessee             2. Steelers - LT - Walker Little - Stanford
3. Cowboys - RE - Nick Coe - Auburn                 4. Vikings - DT - Isaiah Loudermilk - Wisconsin
5. Giants - C - Tyler Biadasz - Wisconsin             6. Steelers - WR - Jerry Jeudy - Alabama
7. Rams - QB - Tua Tagovailoa - Alabama           8. Raiders - MLB - Kenneth Murray - Oklahoma
9. Dolphins - DT - Lorenzo Neal - Purdue            10. Chiefs - ROLB - Vosean Joesph - Florida
11. Steelers - CB - CJ Henderson - Florida            12. Saints - LOLB - Jaelen Phillips - UCLA
13. Bengals - MLB - Tuf Borland -                       14. Texans - LT - Liam Eichenberg - Notre Dame
15. Vikings - SS - Romeo Finley - Miami              16. Ravens - LT - Trey Adams - Washington
17. Rams - CB - Byron Murphy - Washington       18. Broncos - CB - Champ Rhodes - Georgia
19. Vikings - LOLB - Isaiah Simmons - Clemson   20. Redskins - LE - Chase Young - Ohio St
21. Vikings - WR - Riley Ridley - Georgia              22. Dolphins - SS - Daniel Thomas - Auburn
23. Giants - CB - Jaylon Jonnson - Utah               24. Giants - HB - Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin
25. Ravens - C - Nick Buchanan - Florida              26. Seahawks - LG - Darryl Williams - Miss. St
27. Panthers - QB - Dwayne Haskins - Ohio St     28. Colts - DT - Boss Tagaloa - UCLA
29. Eagles - LG - Ben Bledeson - Michigan            30.Falcons - QB - Jake Fromm - Georgia
31. Chargers - FS - Brandon Jones - Texas             32. Falcons - RT - Matt Womak - Alabama

Madden League: Winners/Losers Of '19 Free Agency

Well its that time of the year again where teams gave players their pitch on why they should come join them or stay with them and we're on the verge of the Draft so who are some winners and losers of Free Agency?

Winner: Washington Redskins

After just missing the playoffs last year Washington looks to have reloaded when they signed 5 players during Free Agency. Among them were: RT - Rob Havenstein(79) , WR - Kendall Wright(78), MLB - CJ Mosley(86) &  CB's  - Trevor Williams(85) & Bradley Roby(84). All of them should play significant roles on what was already a playoff roster.

Havenstein gives them the 11th best RT in the league last year allowing Morgan Moses to move into that swing OL that every team needs.  Moses was quoted as saying he's up for the challenge & isn't looking at it as a demotion but rather as motivation & doing what ever it takes to get those W's 

Wright will probably have the hardest chance among this FA class to make an impact however Gruden assured Kendall they had a role for him.  For now Wright is 4th on the depth chart and although we don't see a big role for him unless an injury happens we just have to believe the Head Coach right?

Mosley will pair with Zach Brown to possibly pair the leagues fiercest MLB tandem. They were ranked as the 6th & 8th best MLB's last season however it doesn't just stop there both players are quick and just know how to lay the wood & play with smarts inside the system, opposing offenses will need to have a strong game plan coming into games against Washington if they want to pick up a win.

Williams & Roby decided to form the deepest CB tandem in the entire league and although Washington was expected to go after one CB no one expected them to sign two top guys. Williams was the 22nd best CB last year & Roby was the 27th, so adding them opposite Josh Norman as the other outside & slot Corners and still having Quinton Dunbar who is no slouch and was the 52nd ranked CB as your Dime guy is just outstanding depth.  Im not really sure what offenses will do against this defense but it's going to be tough to run or pass the ball.

Loser: Baltimore Ravens & Houston Texans

Both teams had a lot of needs and neither team did anything in Free Agency at this point we're not really sure how either Head Coach is still employed but you have to be thinking the the GM is watching them closely and if they don't have a amazing draft and lots of player development that they could be looking for work elsewhere.

Winner: Miami Dolphins
Miami seen holes and they not only secured their bag but they reeled in the biggest catch of Free Agency when they inked DT - David Irving(87) to a 4yr/56.6M deal.  They also signed Outside Linebackers Clay Matthews(82) & Shaquil Barrett(81) to go with CB - Justin Coleman(77) & FS - Corey Moore(79) to complete what they feel should be a top half of the league defense.
On the other side of the ball the Dolphins brought in C - Matt Paradis(80) & RG - Jack Mewhort(79) to help clear some lanes for Kenyan Drake & hopefully keep the pocket clean so Ryan Tannehill can give the franchise some clarity on the position, at 31yrs old its time for him to either deliver or depart.

2017 Vikings Mock Offseason v1.0

Players Not Brought Back

QB - Shaun Hill *Retires*

RB - Matt Asiata

WR - Charles Johnson

RG - Brandon Fusco

RT - Andre Smith

LT - Matt Kalil

DE - Justin Trattou

DT - Tom Johnson *Released*

LB - Chad Greenway *Retires*

LB - Audie Cole

CB - Terrance Newman *Retires* 

Players Re-Signed

RB - Adrian Peterson (Reworks his current deal for some guaranteed money on a 2 year deal with incentives to make up to 10M, new Contract will pay him 5.5M which would be 9th best next season)

FB - Zach Line

WR - Cordarrelle Patterson (With Shumur being brought back Patterson has a clear role on this team not only as a WR but as a KR)

WR - Adam Thielen

TE - Rhett Ellison

OG - Zac Kerin

RT - Jeremiah Sirles

CB - Captain Munnerlyn

P - Jeff Locke

Trades

WR - Jarius Wright to the Bills for 5th round pick

DT - Sharrif Floyd to the Saints for 3rd Round pick

Free Agency

Target #1 - Riley Reiff - RT

A player with experience at LT if things go completely south again but a guy who can hold his own and give us some stability at RT something that is clearly lacking here

Target #2 - Manti Te'o - LB

I personally don't feel comfortable with Lamur as my starting/3rd LB 

Target #3 - Andrew Whitworth - LT

Stop gap LT, the Vikings finally decide to move on from Kalil and improve their offensive line in the process

Draft

2(46) - Taylor Moton (OL) Western Michigan | 6'5" 328lbs

"His max squat is 570 pounds and he throws up 400 pounds on the bench press with ease.
“He’s got tremendous power,” said Western Michigan offensive line coach Brian Callahan. “He’s tremendously strong.”
Excellent strength and possesses elite power.  Very versatile, and can play inside or outside. Working on his footwork as a tackle, but already a top level run blocker."

3(76) - Julie'n Davenport (OT) Bucknell | 6'6" 315lbs

"He's big, he's quick and he's a ferocious blocker when confronted.   He's also a two-time team captain for the Bisons."

3(80) - D'Onta Foreman (RB) Texas | 6'1" 249lbs

"A very powerful back that has been the most productive back in the FBS this year. He is not just your typical power back, though, as has the agility to make defenders miss.  He also has the ability to accelerate very quickly for a back his size.
Big-bodied running back prospect who features deceptive speed. In fact, he has arguably the best 2nd gear in the 2017 NFL Draft running back class. This is someone who quickly shoots through open holes and takes it to the house.
North-south runner who looks to get up field. He shows the ability to run with patience and allow his blocks to set up.
Power back with burst.
Incredible in pass protection. Perhaps the best in the draft.
Great vision and cutting ability."

3(87) - Jarron Jones (DT) Notre Dame | 6'5" 315lbs

"For a man of his size, Jones shows good initial quickness and flexibility to slip through gaps.
His best asset, however, is his power and length. Jones generates a powerful bull rush, showing impressive upper body strength as well as leg drive to push opponents into the backfield."

4(111) - Tanoh Kpassagnon (DE) Villanova | 6'6" 285lbs

"Fires off the ball, routinely blowing past offensive tackles with his initial burst to the outside. Complements his speed rush with an effective counter back to the inside off of a strong jab step. Strong hands to rip through the reach of tackles, slapping them away. Good flexibility and core strength to fight through contact on his way to the backfield, including through double-teams.
Voted a team captain and is highly respected by the Villanova coaching staff and teammates for his commitment towards maximizing his potential on and off the field."

4(118) - Damontae Kazee (CB) San Diego St | 5'10" 190lbs

 "Confident in press man coverage, showing a low, tight backpedal and smooth turning motion. Good route anticipation and understands angles, keep his frame between the receiver and the quarterback.
Competitive open-field tackler, who aggressively slithers his way past would-be blockers to get into the action. Not an imposing hitter but is a sure tackler who wraps his arms for the secure stop.
Tracks the ball well, exhibiting the body control and concentration to make difficult over-the-shoulder grabs."

5 - Travin Dural (WR) LSU | 6'2" 203lbs

"Dural offers rare straight-line speed for a receiver of his size.
He accelerates smoothly, showing a distinct second gear to track down deep throws. Dural tracks the ball well over his shoulder and shows excellent timing on his leaps and hand-eye coordination to contort in space to make the tough grab outside of his frame."

5 - Kendell Beckwith (LB) LSU | 6'2" 252lbs

"Beckwith is extremely patient with a natural feel to sift through the trash, find the ball and make the stop. He is a fundamentally sound tackler with strong hands to hook, stay low and drop the ballcarrier, using leverage to wrap and finish.
Beckwith has the power and physical mentality to take on linemen at the second level, acting as a hammer between the tackles vs. the run game.
Beckwith is viewed as one of the veteran leaders in the locker room."

6 - Jalen Reeves-Maybin (LB) Tennessee | 6'0" 230lbs

"Has terrific diagnosis skills, frequently breaking through the line of scrimmage on outside runs and is especially keen to blowing up screen passes.
His previous experience at safety shows with his comfort with his back to the ball. He's also a savvy blitzer, showing good timing, burst and active hands to defeat blocks." 

7 - Greg Pyke (OG) Georgia | 6'5" 313lbs

"Pyke possesses great core strength and leg drive which allows him to push defensive tackles off the ball on his way toward the second level.
In pass protection, Pyke shows good initial quickness, as well as lateral agility to mirror defenders. He attacks defenders with a strong initial punch and anchors well due to proper knee bend and his core strength. Alert to stunts and surprise blitzes."

Final Roster

Offense(24)
QB(2) - Sam Bradford | Taylor Heinicke | Teddy Bridgewater(PUP)
HB(4) - Adrian Peterson | D'Onta Foreman | Jerick McKinnon | Zach Line
WR(5) - S. Diggs | A. Thielen | L. Treadwell | C.Patterson | T. Dural
TE(3) - Kyle Rudolph | David Morgan | Rhett Ellison
OT(5) - Whitworth | Reiff | Davenport | Clemmings | Sirles
OG(3) - Boone | [color=blue]Moton[/color] | Kerin | Pyke(PS) | ?Harris?
OC(2) - Easton | Berger

Defense(27)
DE(4) - E. Griffen | Hunter | B. Robison | T. Kpassagnon
DT(5) - Joesph | Stephen | J. Jones | Toby Johnson | S. Cricton 
OLB(5) - Barr | Lamur | Te'o | E. Robinson | Reeves-Maybin
ILB(3) - Kendricks | Beckwith | Brothers
CB(6) - Rhodes | Waynes | Munnerlyn | Alexander | Kazee | Sherels 
S(4) - Smith | Sendejo | Kearse | Harris 

Special Teams(2)
K - Forbath
P - Locke

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Love it or hate it, let me hear about it!

Early 2017 Minnesota Vikings Needs(Through 5 Weeks)

Okay so it's still early only a game over the quarter mark.  Although it's still early I do believe our needs have changed, we've dealt with a lot of injuries from players who were supposed to play significant roles but that hasn't stopped this team from looking like an early favorite to be playing in the Super Bowl.  I don't want to get ahead of myself though and I know Mike Zimmer will keep the players heads on the goal which should be take 1 week at a time.  Anyways this is the way I see our top 5 needs playing out 5 weeks in.

#1 - OT -  I've liked what I've seen from Clemmings who has had to fill in for the injury prone Matt Kalil, which is completely different from how I felt before the season.  Kalil's move to IR basically means his time with the team is done. Getting back to Clemmings though it's still early enough were he could potentially lock down LT or on the other hand he could force the team to look for another option to protect QB - Sam Bradford and/or Teddy Bridgewater.  Over at Right Tackle we had Andre Smith who was playing pretty poorly but he also went down with an injury and might find himself on IR as well however we've had Jeremiah Sirles who was the teams super sub Offensive Lineman, he filled in for Boone when he got hurt and has since taken over the RT spot when Smith got hurt and he's looked good so far although its a small sample size so far.  Either way the team will need depth.
Early Favorite: Mike McGlinchey - Notre Dame
Available Latter on: Julie'n Davenport - Bucknell

#2 - HB - So Adrian Peterson got hurt again and needed surgery also resulting in him being put on IR however even before his injury he looked like father time had caught up with him, his burst was gone and he looked like he was dancing in the back field too much instead of just hitting the hole and going, maybe this had to do with Defenses still keying on him but either way he was very ineffective and I just can't believe he is back on this team next year at his current salary.  Maybe he restructures his deal idk but I'm going in with the belief that another RB has to be added as I know I wasn't sure about McKinnon's ability to be a work horse back and although he's had a couple good outings in place of the injured Adrian Peterson I still feel that he isn't suited to be the feature back and I'm not all that confident in Matt Asiata.  I'd rather see Asiata in that 3rd RB spot.  Thankfully this is supposed to be a very deep Runningback class.
Early Favorites: Leonard Fournette - LSU & Dalvin Cook - FSU
Available Later On: James Connor - Pittsburgh

#3 - LB - This is Chad Greenway's last year and we'll need to find his replacement, LB could be a spot that the Vikings look to Free Agency to fill and although they did bring in Emmanuel Lamur I believe adding another stud LB could help take this defense to another level which is really saying something with the way this Defense has been playing this year, it's already being compared to some of the greatest Defenses to ever play the game.
Early Favorite ILB: Reuben Foster - Alabama
Early Favorite OLB: Zach Cunningham - Vanderbilt
Available Later On ILB: Hardy Nickerson - Illinois
Available Later On OLB: Davin Bellamy - Georgia

#4 - OG - So I'm not really sure how I feel about Fusco's play. Yes he has played much better on the Right side rather than his play last year on the Left side but I still believe we should add someone in the middle rounds that will be able to compete with him.  Alex Boone has been a good addition but the OLine group as a whole needs more talent.  Once again this could be a spot the team looks to address in FA depending upon how Fusco's play continues throughout the year.
Mid Round Favorite: Johnny Caspers - Stanford
Available Later On: Caleb Peterson - North Carolina

#5 - DT - This will likely come down to how the team feels about Sharrif Floyd, I like what I've seen but no one can deny he's had problems staying healthy.  Well the team does have a lot of depth at the position and we do have Toby Johnson on the Practice Squad at this point all we should figure is that he's a future depth guy with potential.  Tom Johnson is starting to get up there in Football Age and although he doesn't have many miles on his legs getting another stud DT in the middle of the defense could take a great defense to an elite level.
Favorites : None (A position I need to look into a little more)

Honorable Mentions: S, DE & WR.  As for Safety it's obvious that the Vikings need someone next to Harrison Smith and I absolutely loved what I seen out of Jayron Kearse in the pre-season and lets not act like the potential isn't there for him to be good it will just depend upon how long his potential development could take and if he can be anything more than a backup Safety. I would love to add a player like Jabril Peppers - Michigan but with no 1st round pick that's going to be virtually impossible.

At DE it's no secret that Brian Robison is getting up there in age and next year could be his last in a Vikings Uniform. Yes the Vikings have a Stud waiting in the wings but it seems there philosophy has been to grab a guy in the middle rounds with tons of potential & I believe there is another guy who fits that bill perfectly, his name is Bryan Cox - Florida

WR will really depend upon who we decide to bring back.  Currently the only WR's that will for sure be on the roster next year are Jarius Wright, LaQuon Treadwell & Stefon Diggs. It's quite possible that WR won't be a need at all next year but in the scenario that we only bring back 1 guy(Thielen) or even only 2 guys(Thielen & Cordarrelle Patterson) I'd love to add Mike Williams - Clemson but again he's a player who we'd have to trade up for or a player who I think will end up being one of the top 3 wideouts when the class is looked back upon years down the road in Corey Davis - Western Michigan