Dec 2, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley (54) after catching a pass during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Going into the Draft this year, most Vikings fans expected the team to pick a Middle Linebacker early on.  They had three chances in the first round of the draft to draft a replacement for Jasper Brinkley, who was signed this offseason by the Arizona Cardinals.  It wasn’t due to a lack of talent in the remaining players, either.  Most of the top Linebackers in the draft were available at the end of the first round .  Their decision to pass on them was confusing.

Now that we are approximately one week removed from the 2013 NFL Draft, the Vikings have started showing some of their cards.  The team didn’t seem as worried about the Middle Linebacker position because they had a plan.

Dec 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Erin Henderson (50) warms up against the Houston Texans before the game at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Recently, Vikings Linebacker Erin Henderson revealed that he has bulked up to 248 pounds in anticipation of the move from Outside Linebacker to Middle Linebacker.  The fact that Henderson has had the time to add that weight to his frame says that Minnesota was anticipating this move all along.  They pulled the wool over the eyes of every NFL expert and fan by publicly flirting with the idea of taking a player like Manti Te’o.  Instead, the Vikings were able to fill three other positions of need in the draft by moving a player to another spot on the defense.

Whether or not Henderson will win the starting job in training camp is still unknown, but he seems to be the club favorite to take over the spot.  He will face competition from Audie Cole and Michael Mauti along with others, but he seems to be penciled in as the Vikings current starter at the position.

Dec 30, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley (54) raises his arms during his introduction to the game with the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The top-tier free agents got the attention in the first day of NFL free agency, but now that the first day madness has calmed down, the rest of the pack can start exploring their options on the market.

One such player is Vikings free-agent linebacker, Jasper Brinkley.

Brinkley, who was the starting middle linebacker for the Vikings last year after missing the 2011 season with a hip injury,  is looking to capitalize on his first shot at free agency.

MLB Jasper Brinkley (Vikings) visiting the Giants today, per source.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 13, 2013

The Giants have a hole in the middle of their linebacking core as well with Chase Blackburn, last year’s starter in the middle, also available in free agency.

Brinkley is known for his powerful hitting, but he’s a liability in pass coverage and seemed to be losing his wallup toward the end of the 2012 season.

It’s hard enough paying a linebacker who really can’t cover, but paying a middle linebacker who can’t cover and isn’t even your best run-stopper is simply out of the question.

Surely the Vikings have a standing lowball offer out there for him, but chances are Brinkley will find a new home for 2013.

Could we soon be seeing Audi Cole in the starting lineup? Or dare I say it, Manti Teo?

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Oct 17, 2010; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley (54) during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Friday night Jasper Brinkley took a big step forward in his quest to become a viable starting NFL middle linebacker. That’s what we keep hearing from the team and that’s what some local media people have gone with. But not everyone is buying that Brinkley showed huge improvement Friday night. Those tapehounds at Pro Football Focus broke Brinkley down and they are not that impressed. Here’s what the PFF boys had to say:

For the most part Brinkley was an invisible man. Once, in the first drive, the announcers mentioned Brinkley missed a tackle, but really it was Greenway while Brinkley wasn’t actually on the field for the play. He was often the second or third guy to get to the offensive player, but early on didn’t come up with any sort of big play. He did allow a first down catch by Kory Sperry though.

It wasn’t until the fourth drive when Brinkley made an impact as he tallied an unblocked sack. On the following play he read a screen successfully, and later on had another unblocked pass rush where he hit Whitehurst as he threw. While those were all good plays, they came at a point where almost everyone on the field for San Diego was a backup even though the Vikings kept their starters in for the most part. Since he is just a two down player, Brinkley shouldn’t be that big of a liability for the Vikings, but it would’ve been nice for him to have made more of an impact in the run game.

Run defense is where Brinkley is going to either prove himself or not prove himself. He’s not going to make hay pass blitzing, especially when he’s going up against real starting offensive lines. He’s not even going to be in with the nickel package so coverage is not a major factor. It’s all about him improving sideline-to-sideline and generally playing under control. Is he getting better in those areas? Hard to get a read off what we’ve seen so far in preseason. Not saying Brinkley won’t get the job done, just saying he’s still very much a work in progress.

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