2009 NFL Draft Team Needs: Minnesota Vikings

Featured Blogger: Dan Zinski from The Viking Age

The Minnesota Vikings have three glaring positional needs going into this year’s draft, at right tackle, widereceiver and cornerback.  The biggest among these is at right tackle.  Incumbent Ryan Cook has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff, and the team’s hope of pursuing Carolina’s Jordan Gross was dashed when he re-upped with the Panthers.  This leaves the Vikings with a choice:  sign a stopgap free agent like Mark Tauscher or spend the #22 overall pick on a tackle who can step in right away.  With the high-end tackles all figuring to be off the board by22, the Vikes’ best option would appear to be Arizona’s Eben Britton, who most believe can start in his first year. Should Britton not be available, the Vikes may go with UConn’s William Beatty, though he is somewhat raw and may not provide the immediate answer the team is looking for.  The Vikings could also elect to trade down, and select massive Oklahoma tackle Phil Loadholt, a borderline 1st-round prospect.

After right tackle, the Vikings’ biggest need would seem to be at wide receiver, a position that has proven troublesome for them ever since they traded away Randy Moss. The signing of Bernard Berrian before last season at least gave them a legitimate downfield threat, and Bobby Wade is an adequate slot man, but the team’s lack of a true possession receiver hurt their offense in 2008, and spurred them to their unsuccessful pursuit of free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The draft’s two best receiver prospects, Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin, will be gone by 22,
leaving the Vikes with a grab-bag of second tier options to choose from. The most oft-mentioned among these second line wide-outs has been Percy Harvin, a major talent but not a guy who would necessarily fit the possession receiver profile. The Vikes would have to get creative with Harvin if they took him, perhaps using him occasionally as a running back. North Carolina’s Hakeem Nicks would seem more in line with the team’s need for a big, strong over-the-middle threat, plus, unlike Harvin, Nicks does not have a positive drug test at the combine hanging over his head. One intriguing option might be West Virginia’s Pat White, a college quarterback most see turning receiver in the NFL.

The Vikings’ cornerback situation is less pressing than those at receiver and right tackle: Antoine Winfield is a Pro Bowler, and Cedric Griffin has developed into a solid enough #2 corner to earn a big contract extension this off-season. However, Winfield, who is himself embroiled in contract negotiations, is getting long in the tooth, and the team might want to use their #22 overall pick to select his heir-apparent. With Malcolm Jenkins sure to be off the board in the top 15, the Vikes’ best choice, at least talent-wise, might be Illinois’ Vontae Davis, a big, strong corner with good speed. Unfortunately, like Harvin, Davis’s checkered college career has raised enough red flags for a team like the Vikings to perhaps be hesitant in taking him. After Davis, the best prospect could be Vanderbilt’s D.J. Moore, a smallish player with good ball skills who might be best suited to playing nickelback. Alphonso Smith and Darius Butler could also prove enticing at #22, or perhaps a few spots lower if Minnesota chose
to trade down.