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Minnesota Vikings should avoid Will Fuller during 2016 NFL Draft

By Adam Carlson

Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller (7) runs for a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller (7) runs for a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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During the 2016 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings should stay far away from Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller when selecting with the #23 overall pick.

There is no questioning that the Minnesota Vikings are taking long, hard looks at all the wide receiver prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft. With the defense going strong, free agency addressing many of the issues on the offensive line, Adrian Peterson returning and Teddy Bridgewater holding down the quarterback spot, it’s natural to look at offensive weapons to help one of the league’s worst passing teams.

However, sometimes there are players that just don’t fit well with a team’s scheme, system or other players. In fact, there is a glaring example of that kind of poor relationship between the Vikings and Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller.

Not only has Pro Football Focus called this potential pick a disaster for the Vikings, but watching game tape can confirm it. Fuller seems like a great player to take the top off defenses, but struggles to run other routes well and drops far more passes than he should. If that sounds familiar, it should. Because Minnesota just got rid of a guy like that when they released Mike Wallace.

Related Story: Draft evaluation: Notre Dame WR Will Fuller

A recent article on ESPN’s website agreed with Pro Football Focus and sees Fuller as a bad match for the Vikings:

"“Fuller’s game is predicated on his deep speed, similar to former Viking Mike Wallace, and that is not a good fit for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Schematically, Fuller fits the vertical passing style that offensive coordinator Norv Turner likes to employ, but Bridgewater is not a great deep thrower — his minus-4.0 grade on passes thrown at least 30 yards in the air ranked 37th out of 40 qualifiers last season. Of course the argument could be made that Fuller could only enhance those numbers, but with Wallace-like speed and the same questionable ball skills on contested catches, that’s unlikely to be the case.”"

Next: 2016 NFL Draft: First round mock draft

This isn’t to say that Fuller will be a bad professional football player. That isn’t the case at all. Look at the success that guys like Mike Wallace had early in his career as well as how Ted Ginn Jr. exploded back onto the scene last year for the Panthers. He could definitely find success, but if he lands in Minnesota, those odds could be much lower. Minnesota needs to be careful and not gamble their first round pick on a guy like Fuller and continue building for the future.

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