Name: Christian Ponder
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Position: Quarterback
Years Pro: 2
Draft stock: (Rising) As usual, the Vikings’ entire offseason plans have been centered around the NFL‘s reigning Offensive MVP Adrian Peterson. However, Minnesota’s late-season run in 2012 has many people buying into Ponder as the next quarterback to take the leap from average to pretty good.
2012 fantasy impact: Ponder started the season in a rather large slump, yet he came on later in the year with four touchdowns and just one interception in the last four games of 2012. The long-ball helped Ponder’s development tremendously in his second season, so keep an eye on the Vikings’ big-play offense this fall.
Best-case scenario: Minnesota succeeds with its new offensive weapons as Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson both serve as security blankets for Ponder. With the “elite” label nearing, Ponder excels in crunch time and turned in his first ever 20-touchdown season.
Worst-case scenario: The Vikings’ offense is one-dimensional once again as Ponder doesn’t earn the respect of NFL defenses across the league. Ponder’s job security is in jeopardy with Matt Cassel standing on the sidelines holding a clipboard.
Where you should draft him: Don’t draft Ponder to be your starting quarterback this year. Instead, take him in the later rounds as he poses an interesting low-risk high-reward situation.
Devin O’Barr is the Content Commentator for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DevinOBarrRS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
