Minnesota Vikings ‘not honed in’ on WR in 2016 NFL Draft
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings have a need for a pass catcher, but general manager Rick Spielman says they aren’t honed in on a wide receiver in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Improving the offense should be a priority for the Minnesota Vikings, however general manager Rick Spielman isn’t ready to tip his hand as to which of the pass catchers he likes best and is also stating that picking a wide receiver might not be locked in to their first round selection.
Of course, this is the time of year when teams will throw out red herrings and attempt to distract other teams and draft experts from knowing what their big board looks like. Because of this, anything that coaches, general managers, or teams’ social media accounts talk about should be taken with a grain of salt.
Still, it is interesting to hear Spielman say so matter-of-factly that the team isn’t targeting a pass catcher in the first round to help out Teddy Bridgewater. That statement came in an interview with reporters on Tuesday according to an article on NFL.com:
"“We are not honed in on a receiver in the first round.”"
One things Minnesota Vikings fans should know by now about the franchise is that they aren’t going to reach for talent when drafting. Ever since Rick Spielman took over as the team’s general manager, the Vikings have looked past major needs to draft more talented players, and that has paid dividends for the squad.
Still, that doesn’t mean that wide receiver is out of the question in the first round. If there is a player the team sees worthy of the pick, Minnesota won’t hesitate to select them.
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"“Like I said, we spend a lot of time at all these positions, but I do think there’s a lot of quality at that position as you go down through it,” Spielman said. “There’s different styles, different types, small ones, tall ones. I’ve mentioned earlier, we don’t look so much at the height, per se, as the catching radius. There’s fast guys, there’s possession guys, so there’s a lot of different flavors.”"
Still, the team does have talent on the roster and could likely get by this year without using a high pick on a wide receiver. With Charles Johnson getting healthy, Cordarrelle Patterson honing his craft, and other young guys making strides last year, it’s possible Spielman could be happy with his current crew.
"“I also don’t want to discount our current receivers that we have on this roster. I mean, Charles Johnson did a great job two years ago (before last year’s injuries). … Cordarrelle Patterson has worked extremely hard this offseason, and I know everybody’s excited to see him when we get out on the field here in a couple weeks. Adam Thielen’s a great third, fourth type that fills in and plays on special teams and Jarius Wright is very comparable in the slot.”"
Next: 2016 NFL Draft: First round mock draft
You can watch the 2016 NFL Draft’s first round on Thursday, April 28, 2016 to find out if the Minnesota Vikings end up selecting a wide receiver using their #23 overall pick. Is Rick Spielman throwing up a smokescreen? Or does he feel there is much better talent available at different positions? We’ll find out how the team truly feels when the Vikings are on the clock.