Minnesota Vikings 2012 Offseason Team Needs
The Minnesota Vikings suffered as much as any team in the NFL last season from the injury bug, and it resulted in one of the worst seasons in recent franchise history. Here’s how the Vikings need to upgrade their roster this offseason:
1. Offensive Line
The Vikings got rid of Bryant McKinnie, and they have lost a lot in terms of the talent on their offensive line. If Matt Kalil is available with their first round pick, I think they’ll take a look. There are a few people who think if the Vikings trade down, Riley Reiff would be a great selection as well. They need to protect their investment in Christian Ponder, and more importantly, star running back Adrian Peterson, who suffered a season-ending injury.
2. Cornerback
Losing Antoine Winfield for the season really hurt the Vikings, but even if he is fully healthy, this team has missed on some picks and could use talent at this position. One option is taking Morris Claiborne with their first round pick, which is something a lot of people think they could do. If not, the Vikings could be aggressive in free agency and go after a guy like Brandon Carr or Cortland Finnegan, possibly Stanford Routt.
3. Safety
The Vikings have some serviceable starters in the defensive backfield, but that’s pretty much it. Jamarca Sanford, Eric Frampton, Tyrell Johnson, Husain Abdullah, and Eric Frampton are all better special teams players than they are regulars in a defensive rotation. This could be a position of focus for the team in free agency and the draft, though it’s not particularly deep in either group of players.
4. Wide Receiver
The Vikings lost Sidney Rice last year, and aside from Percy Harvin, the talent at the WR position on this team is pretty terrible. There are plenty of receivers who will be available in free agency that could be big pickups for the Vikings, such as Marques Colston of the Saints or Vincent Jackson of the Chargers. I think the Vikings need to look at receivers both in free agency as well as the draft to upgrade on this team. Percy Harvin was great last year considering, but he could be even better with some legitimate targets around him.
5. Defensive Tackle
Losing Pat Williams turned out to be a much bigger deal than many expected, and Kevin Williams is still playing at a high level but he’s getting older and the Vikings need another reliable starter up front. They were able to put together a good rotation last year, but possibly a guy like Josh Chapman in the third round could be a good fit for the Vikings, a space eater on the interior.
6. Speed Running Back
The Vikings have Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, but they need another home run hitter back in the backfield. This could come in the form of a later round draft pick or undrafted free agent, but they were definitely looking for one by picking up guys like Derrick Locke, Jordan Todman, and some others. They may have found a gem in Todman, but I think competition couldn’t hurt.