The Minnesota Vikings are one of the youngest teams in the NFL heading into 2020, so which players have the best chance of breaking out?
One look at the Minnesota Vikings roster and it’s clear this is a team in a period of transition. Many of the veterans who have made the Vikings a competitive team the past five seasons have been shown the door, and with that creates an opportunity for younger players to step up.
To put that opportunity into numbers, Spotrac has the Vikings’ average age on the roster at 25.05 years old. That puts Minnesota as the third-youngest team in the NFL behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (24.92) and the Los Angeles Rams (24.88). With so much youth on the team and ample opportunity, it’s apparent that someone will break out next season.
The only question is who that will be.
With the Vikings needing five new starters on the defensive end and a battle royal of sorts along the offensive line, there will be some new faces on both sides of the football. The best players usually mesh talent with said opportunity, which will need to happen if the Vikings don’t want to take a step back.
Here, we’ll look at five Minnesota Vikings players who have both talent and opportunity and what their chances are of breaking out in the 2020 season.
Minnesota Vikings Breakout Candidate No. 1: Justin Jefferson
It’s not a big reach to hope that your first-round NFL Draft pick has a major impact in his rookie season. However, the Vikings need wide receiver Justin Jefferson to step in and produce immediately in the departure of Stefon Diggs, and he’ll have the opportunity to do just that.
Jefferson was a monster at LSU as part of one of the greatest offenses in the history of college football. With 111 catches, 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns, Jefferson was a top target for quarterback Joe Burrow and should slide right in across from veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen to boost the passing game.
There have been concerns about Jefferson’s 92 percent snap rate in the slot last season, but that should be more of a benefit for his production. Jefferson has experience playing on the outside, and while his numbers weren’t as gaudy, they were effective enough to make offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak believe they can use him in the same way Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was used in New Orleans.
When Vikings fans hear the name, Michael Thomas, that should make their ears perk up. The odds are against Jefferson putting up 1998 Randy Moss numbers, but a strong season isn’t out of the question and the Vikings will need it to stay afloat.
Minnesota Vikings Breakout Candidate No. 2: Armon Watts
As a seventh-round pick last season, nobody expected defensive lineman Armon Watts to be an immediate contributor to the Vikings defense. But after a small sample size, there’s a chance Watts could be the next late-round pick to be developed and breakout on the defensive line.
Coming out of Arkansas, Watts was a project for co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson. While he didn’t even see the field in the first three years with the Razorbacks, Watts erupted with seven sacks in his senior season. That performance led him to get drafted and while he had the production, he just needed to learn the technical aspects to become a solid player in the NFL.
That leads to his rookie season, where he didn’t see much time on the field with just 53 pass-rushing snaps per Pro Football Focus. While that doesn’t sound promising, Watts did some damage when he was on the field, recording a 5.7 pass-rusher productivity rating and a pair of sacks in limited action.
It doesn’t get talked about much, but the defensive tackle spot next to Michael Pierce should be up for grabs this season. The Vikings staff loves Shamar Stephen, but he doesn’t do much on the stat sheet. Others, such as Jaleel Johnson and Jalyn Holmes, haven’t done much and Minnesota added some more talent on the inside with fourth-round pick James Lynch.
For a team that had to move EDGEs Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen to the inside during their win over New Orleans, the Vikings need an upgrade at 3-technique, and Watts could be the player who steps up.
Minnesota Vikings Breakout Candidate No. 3: Dru Samia
The “Can He Play Guard?” Battle Royal will be in full swing during training camp as the Vikings continue to play musical chairs at the position. While the Vikings have declared both guard spots will be open, and Gary Kubiak mentioned the best five guys will make up the offensive line, the player with the clearest path to a starting guard spot is Dru Samia.
Samia is another player who didn’t see the field in his rookie season, but he has an intriguing pedigree. As a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Samia was a part of an Oklahoma offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award as the top unit in college football.
While his athleticism didn’t put up elite numbers in the pre-draft process, Samia has enough to be a fit in the Vikings zone-based scheme. Even better, Samia plays with a nasty side the offensive line hasn’t had in years, which would be great going up against pass-rushers like the Green Bay Packers’ Za’Darius Smith and San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa, who both toyed with the Vikings last season.
With Josh Kline released and Pat Elflien fighting for his job, there seems to be a path cleared for Samia to take a starting job.
Training camp will be key as Samia looks to end the Vikings woes in the trenches.
Minnesota Vikings Breakout Candidate No. 4: Ifeadi Odenigbo
We go back to the defensive line for another breakout candidate, and it’s one that’s not a stretch. After years of impressing during the preseason but unable to crack the Vikings roster, Ifeadi Odenigbo did just that in 2019 and will look for another step forward this season.
As a depth piece on the Vikings defensive line, Odenigbo was able to help change things up for Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter and put up solid numbers. While his big number was seven sacks, his 6.2 pass-rusher productivity rating wasn’t outstanding, but he still logged 25 pressures per Pro Football Focus.
By comparison, Griffen posted 66 total pressures last season but played twice the amount of snaps Odenigbo saw.
If there’s one key to a breakout for the Northwestern product, it’s to make up for the projected loss of Griffen. While there’s a chance that Griffen could return to the Vikings if there are no suitors on the open market, Odenigbo should get a chance to start regardless and could be the next Vikings defensive lineman to break out on the edge.
Minnesota Vikings Breakout Candidate No. 5: Irv Smith Jr.
The final player to make the list is one many are hoping takes a step forward in 2020.
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The Vikings selected tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round of the 2019 draft hoping he could provide the explosive weapon at the position the team had been lacking for years. While he didn’t see much playing time in the first half of the season, he took off once he got on the field.
Smith’s final eight games didn’t put up massive yardage totals with 137 yards, but he was more involved in the offense. Quarterback Kirk Cousins handed Smith 30 targets in the final eight contests, and Smith made 21 grabs including his first two professional touchdowns.
Although veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph is only 30 years old, Smith brings something the Vikings haven’t had from the tight end spot. If Smith were to break out, the Vikings could use him all over the formation, which should create opportunities for Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Plus with Smith’s ability to block, it should be something to keep him on the field outside of 12 personnel.
Those hoping for Smith to turn into the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce are sure to be disappointed, but there’s a chance for him to step up and take a bigger role in the Vikings passing attack.