Minnesota Vikings primed for big plays after NFL Draft
By Josh Zinger
After focusing on improving the team’s explosiveness in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings are ready to kick their offensive production up a notch.
Statistically, the Minnesota Vikings had one of the poorest offensive seasons in the team’s recent history last year, ranking 28th in the league in both total yards and yards per play. While a number of factors—including injuries, play calling, and instability on the coaching staff—went into the team’s disappointing offensive production, the team’s inability to make explosive gains played a substantial role.
Running a rather conservative offense that emphasized ball control and clock management (with varying levels of success), the Vikings struggled to generate big plays. According to sportingcharts.com, which quantifies a “big play” as a rushing gain of 10+ yards or a passing gain of 25+ yards, the Vikings ranked dead last in both total big plays and big play percentage.
In these metrics, the Vikings’ production was abysmally poor, with just 51 total big plays throughout the season, constituting 5.07% of the team’s total plays. To put those numbers in perspective, the league averages were 75.5 big plays and 7.4%— both almost 50% increases over the Vikings.
Thus, already boasting a championship-level defense, getting more explosive on offense was the number-one priority for the Vikings going into this offseason.
While the team’s moves in free agency addressed this area somewhat, upgrading the team’s protection with tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers and signing dynamic running back Latavius Murray, it was through the draft that the team really made a concerted effort to add explosiveness. The Vikings focused on finding athletic, productive playmakers throughout the draft, starting with running back Dalvin Cook in the second round.
Pro Football Focus probably stated it best when they called Cook, who gained 5399 total yards and scored 51 touchdowns in his three years at Florida State, a “home run waiting to happen.”
Referring back to the “big play” statistic, Dalvin Cook had more big plays (54) than the entire Vikings team last year despite playing three fewer games. While the level of competition was obviously different, Cook’s outstanding college production is a very promising indicator of what he will bring to a Vikings offense that desperately lacked explosiveness. A threat to score every time he touches the ball, Cook should open up all aspects of Minnesota’s offense.
The Vikings’ search for playmakers didn’t end with their aggressive move to trade up for Cook, however, as they picked up explosive athletes in Rodney Adams, Bucky Hodges, and Stacey Coley in the later rounds.
While they weren’t ranked among the top players at their positions like Cook was, all three boast intriguing athletic profiles. Bucky Hodges, a tight end out of Virginia Tech, is an especially exciting addition.
At 6’6″ and 257 pounds, Bucky figures to get immediate playing time for the Vikings as a move tight end specializing in the passing game, complementing Kyle Rudolph’s reliable play and David Morgan’s blocking. With a 4.57 forty yard dash and a 39″ vertical, Hodges has rare athletic traits that will make him an immediate mismatch against linebackers in coverage.
Receivers Rodney Adams and Stacey Coley, both specializing in stretching the field, also figure to help out the passing game. While the duo aren’t locks to make the team, both have the potential to add a dynamic that the Vikings have lacked on offense.
The Vikings have very solid receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, but the team doesn’t have a pure deep ball specialist to open up space for other players. With Coley and Adams both running 4.4 forty-yard-dashes and displaying solid ball-tracking skills, there is a good chance that at least one of the two rookies could secure that role in training camp.
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Finally, while he doesn’t come with off-the-charts athletic measurables, mind-boggling college statistics, or much hype from the media, interior offensive lineman Pat Elflein will immediately open up big plays for the Vikings.
Minnesota’s offensive line was by far the biggest obstacle to explosive plays last year, as they were unable to open up running lanes or provide time to let downfield passing routes develop. Along with free agent additions Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers, Elflein should go a long way in remedying the team’s offensive line woes.
Overall, the Vikings are in a much better position offensively after the 2017 draft. Not only did the team focus on getting better on offense, they attacked their specific weakness in generating big plays. Picking up an explosive star in Dalvin Cook, adding immediate contributors in Pat Elflein and Bucky Hodges, and acquiring intriguing receivers Stacy Coley and Rodney Adams in the late rounds, the Vikings left the draft with far more playmaking talent than they entered with.
Next: 2017 NFL draft recap with grades
If all goes according to plan, fans shouldn’t have to suffer through another year of watching the least explosive offense in the NFL. When Dalvin Cook gets his first carry, it’ll only be a matter of time before Paul Allen’s familiar voice calls out… “And he’s loose!”