Of the Minnesota Vikings’ 11 selections in this year’s NFL Draft, who can help out the most in their very first season with the team?
Starting on Friday, May 5, the Minnesota Vikings will get their first look at how all their rookies look in purple as the team will be holding their rookie mini-camp from Friday to Sunday. This will be a great opportunity for the Vikings’ draft picks to prove exactly why they were worthy of the team’s selection this year.
Of Minnesota’s 11 new players from the 2017 draft, there are some that are more ready to make the switch from college to the NFL than others.
Over the next few months, the Vikings will be able to figure out exactly which players in their newest rookie class will actually be able to see some playing time. Of the rookies that are expected to see some time on the field in 2017, which can make the most impact for Minnesota during their upcoming season?
Dalvin Cook, RB
By drafting a player like Cook with their first draft selection, the Vikings have every intention of getting their new running back on the field as much as possible in 2017.
Minnesota’s offensive backfield is going to look very different this year. For the first time since 2007, the Vikings will be starting a running back not named Adrian Peterson in their opening game.
But that is not a bad thing. The combination of Cook, Latavius Murray, and even Jerick McKinnon could prove to be a lethal one. Many of the top rushing offenses in the NFL last year, including Murray’s old team in Oakland, were from teams that used more of a committee in their backfield rather than just one player getting a majority of the snaps.
With Cook, Minnesota has the opportunity to have a pretty versatile offense for the first time in a long time.
Bucky Hodges, TE
Speaking of versatility, Hodges has the potential to add a unique element to the Vikings’ offense in 2017.
At 6-foot-6, 257 pounds, the young tight end could end up turning into a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. He is already coming to the team with a chip on his shoulder after falling to the sixth round of the draft and that should only add more fuel to his fire during his rookie season.
In 2016, he averaged almost 15 yards per catch and a touchdown reception every other game. If Hodges finds a way to get some decent time in the offense this year, the combination of him and Kyle Rudolph on the field at the same time could send shivers down the spines of Minnesota’s 2017 opponents.
Pat Elflein, C
After being recognized as the best at his position in college, many are predicting Elflein to be the Vikings’ starting center for Week 1.
Of course, that depends on how he does during the offseason and how confident Minnesota feels about starting a rookie offensive lineman on purpose. But if everything works out, Elflein could find himself as an opening day starter in the middle of the Vikings’ offensive line in between guards Alex Boone and Joe Berger.
Barring injuries, Minnesota’s offensive line this season should be vastly improved compared to the train wreck of a unit they put out on the field a year ago.
Rodney Adams, WR
After losing wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to free agency this offseason, the Vikings have to find someone new in 2017 to take Patterson’s place as the team’s kick returner.
Enter Adams, a speedy pass catcher out of USF who returned kicks for the school in 2015 in and 2016. On 38 returns in the past two years, Adams ran back one kick for a touchdown and averaged 26.3 yards per kickoff return.
In addition to his possible role as the team’s new kick returner, Minnesota could also use Adams as another element to their ever-expanding offense. In college, he just had a knack for finding the end zone as he scored a total of 21 touchdowns in his last two seasons at USF.
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