Brad Penner USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings made a lot of progress in 2014, even if they only had two more wins compared to 2013. But Teddy Bridgewater is in place as the quarterback of the present and future, and a group of young players has the future looking bright for Minnesota.
The Vikings do, however, have some key areas of need heading into the 2015 NFL Draft. Adding depth along the offensive line, at wide receiver and in the secondary should all still be priorities for general manager Rick Spielman, who has a history of making shrewd trades during the first round.
Cornerback Trae Waynes and wide receiver DeVante Parker are popular picks for the Vikings in the first round of mock drafts, and both guys would address a big need. But it’s possible a player that is considered a top-10 pick falls to them, or a player other teams want to trade up for is still available when the Vikings are on the clock at No. 11 overall. Spielman would surely take the opportunity to trade down and still get a player he likes, while accumulating more picks, and he wouldn’t be blamed for doing so.
The Vikings can literally take the best player available with the 11th overall pick and they would not be making the wrong move, as long as that player is not a quarterback obviously. An argument can be made for adding a player at virtually any other position on the field, but adding someone who can start and make an impact right away at a position of significant need would be ideal in the first round.
I’ve had a hard time predicting who the Vikings will take in the first round, but I don’t know if it really matters as long as it’s a player they like that can be an immediate contributor. Six more picks, as of now, will allow Spielman to add good depth to the roster later in the draft.
Wide receiver, cornerback, linebacker, safety and offensive line are the top needs for Minnesota heading into the draft, and the first three on that list should be addressed with their first three current picks (No.11, No. 45 and No. 76 overall). As long as that happens, and competition is added at safety and along the offensive line afterward, that will be the best case scenario for the Vikings during the 2015 draft.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
