Minnesota Vikings first 2015 depth chart surprises

The Minnesota Vikings released their first unofficial depth chart this week. The reason for that is because the team will be playing against Pittsburgh in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 8, 2015. After taking a good look at the chart, there are a couple of surprises.

Here are some of the things that surprised me about the Minnesota Vikings depth chart for the Vikings/Steelers game:

Tayler Heinicke ahead of Mike Kafka for quarterbacks. Fans of the Purple People Podcast know that I like a young player with a higher ceiling over an established player with a higher floor. However, former Vikings teams would have placed Kafka, a former 4th round draft pick in 2010, above undrafted free agent quarterback Heinicke. This leads me to believe that the team will stash the rookie on the practice squad and use him as the QB3 in that manner.

DuJuan Harris at the bottom of the running backs. I’ve had the opportunity to watch Harris on several occasions, and he’s a decent running back who has established himself as a solid backup. However, seeing both Joe Banyard and Dominique Williams above him on the depth chart is surprising because of just how established Harris is. It will be interesting to see if he can climb the depth chart during the preseason.

Nov 2, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end

Chase Ford

(86) celebrates his touchdown with tight end

Rhett Ellison

(85) during the second quarter against the Washington Redskins at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Almost the entire list of Tight Ends. I get that Kyle Rudolph will be the starter, but past that there are some big surprises. Rhett Ellison as second on the list with rookie MyCole Pruitt as the third option are interesting choices over Chase Ford, who proved himself in several situations over the past couple seasons and has shown some chemistry with Teddy Bridgewater. Not surprisingly, Brandon Bostick was the last tight end on the list.

Isame Faciane‘s position change. The former defensive lineman has switched to the offensive side of the ball. Now, he’s listed as the #3 right guard on the chart behind current penciled in starter Mike Harris and rookie Tyrus Thompson.

A name missing for punt returns. Listed for the punt returners are Marcus Sherels and Jarius Wright. It’s interesting that Wright was listed instead of Adam Thielen, who has performed this duty in the past, and rookie Stefon Diggs, who was an electrifying return man in college.

While looking at these early depth charts are fun and you can learn a bit about where each player is at by looking at them, they are likely to change multiple times leading into the 2015 regular season. Plus, many of these guys are young players who are just now having their ability and NFL potential analyzed.

What did you think? Were any of these surprises to you? Is there a different way you would have organized these Minnesota Vikings depth charts or are you confident the way they currently stand? Let me know in the comments below.

For the full unofficial 2015 Minnesota Vikings depth chart, click HERE.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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