Re-grading the Minnesota Vikings’ 2016 rookie class

Final Grade and Analysis

8.5/12 = C-

When this class was evaluated after the 2016 season it was a low F. They got next to no production from almost the entire group. After three years, it has improved.

A big part of the improvement is due to the breakout seasons Mackensie Alexander and Stephen Weatherly had in 2018. After looking like busts their first two years with the Vikings, both improved greatly during their third campaign.

Alexander should be Minnesota’s nickel corner next year and Weatherly could possibly be one of the Vikings’ two starting defensive ends, depending on what the team decides to do with Everson Griffen.

This Minnesota rookie class also has solid role players in guys like Kentrell Brothers, David Morgan, and Jayron Kearse.

These guys are all core parts of the Vikings’ special teams and they fill in adequately on offense or defense when their numbers are called. These are the types of players that aren’t going to light up the stat sheet, but they are still an important part of the roster and guys that teams really value.

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota’s 2016 rookie class also had some misses and it started in the first-round with Laquon Treadwell. The Vikings drafted the receiver out of Ole Miss with the intention of him becoming their No. 1 target.

He hasn’t even come close to that as he has been greatly outplayed by both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs over the last three seasons. Treadwell’s inconsistent hands haven’t helped his cause and there are legitimate questions regarding whether or not he’ll even be on Minnesota’s roster in 2019.

The Vikings also missed on fourth-round pick Willie Beavers and their wild card sixth-rounder in German sensation Moritz Bohringer.

Giving this class a C- grade seems just about right with potential contributors in Weatherly and Alexander leading the way. But with Minnesota’s first choice of 2016 being a bust, chances are that this class will never reach a higher grade level.

(For more NFL Draft-related content from Nik Edlund, head on over to SkolHole.com and check out his work.)