It’s that time of year again where NFL fan bases are getting excited about the players their team acquired within the first week of free agency. Teams that believe they are only a few key pieces away from making a deep run in the playoffs have begun to make those big splashes in free agency.
For the Minnesota Vikings, this week has been the exact opposite of landing flashy free agents. The team that Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman have built over the years lost some of its biggest pieces that have made them successful.
Names like Mackensie Alexander, Trae Waynes, Linval Joseph, Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo have all been reportedly lost in the free agency market, while Xavier Rhodes and Everson Griffen are still exploring the market. The Vikings also released Josh Kline and traded away Stefon Diggs for a first, fifth and sixth round pick in this year’s draft and a fourth rounder in 2021.
The Vikings biggest reported addition has been former Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce. The team also resigned Dan Bailey, Britton Colquitt and restructured Danielle Hunter’s contract. The Vikings extended C.J. Ham and Kirk Cousins, too.
Though there haven’t been too many big moves up to this point, the Vikings restructuring Hunter’s contract should still leave fans hopeful that some sort of move is coming in the near future. The team is extremely thin at cornerback, wide receiver, defensive line and offensive line, so some sort of free agency additions will be critical heading into the 2020 season.
Having said that, the Vikings have 12 total selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. Rick Spielman has been known for moving around frequently in the draft, so that could be the case again this year given he has the inventory to move around.
Here are some names to keep an eye on in the first round of the Draft:
TCU WR Jalen Reagor
After trading Stefon Diggs, the Vikings are extremely thin at the wide receiver position. Adam Thielen is still in his prime, but the drop off on the depth chart after him is too big to ignore. Reagor’s stats don’t jump off the stat sheets, but that is due to the fact that he had inconsistent quarterback play throughout college.
He is an athletic receiver who is able to stretch the field with his speed. Reagor would bring that aspect back to Minnesota, along with being great at contested catches. With the departure of Diggs, a wide receiver should be a necessity early on in the draft for the Vikings.
LSU CB Kristian Fulton
Coming off of a national championship season, Fulton makes a lot of sense for the Vikings. With Waynes and Alexander already on new teams, and Rhodes still exploring the market, the cornerback position is another big need for Minnesota.
Fulton plays with confidence and is good in man coverage. He would be able to come in on day one and play well alongside Mike Hughes. With the limited depth at the position, Fulton would make too much sense if he’s still there at 22.
Houston OT Josh Jones
There are still decisions to be made along the Vikings offensive line, but landing a tackle in this draft class seems like yet another necessity for the Vikings. The bad thing for the Vikings is the limited depth on the interior of the offensive line in this draft, another weak spot on the team’s roster.
Jones would come in with a lot of talent, but would still need to develop more at the position. If one of the top tackles doesn’t fall, it would make sense for the Vikings to try and add offensive line depth on day two or three of the draft.
South Carolina IDL Javon Kinlaw
In a perfect world, Kinlaw would fall to the Vikings and be able to revamp their defensive line from the get-go. He was impressive during the Senior Bowl and quickly jumped up on the majority of mock drafts.
If Kinlaw were to fall to the Vikings at 22 it would be a no brainer pick. However, with his level of talent, it is likely the Vikings would have to trade up in order to get Kinlaw alongside Pierce, Hunter and Odenigbo.
TCU CB Jeff Gladney
Another TCU player projected to be a first-round pick, Gladney is a fast cornerback that excels in man coverage. It would be weird for the Vikings to select a pair of teammates on day one, but Gladney and Reagor are both at the top of their position groups heading into the draft.
LSU WR Justin Jefferson
The Tigers have six players with day-one talent in this year’s draft class, so maybe the Vikings end up taking a pair of LSU teammates at some point.
Jefferson is a great route runner, and played a big role in Joe Burrow’s historic season at LSU. Again, the receiver position needs to be repaired, and landing Jefferson would do exactly that for the Vikings.
The Vikings have a lot of areas that need improvement this offseason. The two most critical needs right now seem to be at wide receiver and cornerback. Of course, both the offensive and defensive line need to be addressed as well, but the Vikings have done a historically good job at finding talent on day two and three of the draft.
Although there are many areas that need depth and improvement, the Vikings have 12 total picks in a draft class that seems to be deep at the wide receiver and cornerback positions. If the Vikings want to contend in 2020, they will have to fill their biggest needs on all three days of the 2020 draft.
