Which young players should the Minnesota Vikings not give up on just yet?
The 2020 season didn’t go as planned for the Minnesota Vikings. The team started with a three-game losing streak, and after six games, they were looking at a 1-5 record. Things did get a bit better, but the team fell short of its goal, finishing at 7-9 with one of the worst defenses in the entire NFL.
The stink of this season will linger in the air for at least a few more months and there were some players on the team that were the smelliest of them all with their putrid play on the field. Some of those players will be gone in the offseason, but some were younger players who were either getting their first shot at playing time or saw an extended role on the team. These players definitely contributed to the losing cause but are still young and now have a full offseason and preseason to get better for 2021.
While many players deserve to be cut for their performances last year, these are young players that the team shouldn’t give up on just yet. Some were rookies in 2020 and others were players who were thrust into starting spots. Regardless of experience, these players deserve one more shot with the team.
Ifeadi Odenigbo – DE
There was plenty of hype surrounding Ifeadi Odenigbo as the 2020 season approached. He was coming off a breakout season where he had seven sacks and played with a ton of energy, speed, and aggression. He was tabbed as the next breakout lineman from pass-rushing whisperer Andre Patterson and was looked at as a probable starter next to Danielle Hunter.
Things went sour quickly, Hunter got hurt, the team traded for Yannick Ngakoue, and Odenigbo regressed. Though his snap count increased, Odenigbo’s production went down. His tackles went up to 35, but his pass-rushing production dropped to a measly 3.5 sacks and just 3 tackles for a loss. Despite playing in only six games for the Vikings, Ngakoue had 1.5 more sacks than Odenigbo, which is pretty embarrassing.
Despite the down year, the Vikings shouldn’t give up on Odenigbo just yet. Perhaps he’s not cut out to be a starter. The team should look to put him back into his situational pass-rushing role and see if he can find the success he did in 2019 coming off the bench. The team could draft an edge rusher to start opposite Hunter or put Wonnum in that role. Odenigbo can rotate in with one of those guys and hopefully see his production swing back upward to the 2019 levels.
Dru Samia – OG
There’s no way to sugarcoat it; Dru Samia was awful in his debut for the Vikings. Fans were ecstatic when he came in to replace Pat Elfelin, who was awful once again in his role as a starting guard for the Vikings. Many fans figured things couldn’t get worse. They were wrong. Samia was okay in run blocking, but his pass protection was atrocious.
Samia looked lost and unsure of his assignments. He also lacked the strength to hold up against bull rushes and was basically a free pass to the quarterback for the man he was supposed to be blocking. Despite his struggles, the Vikings continued to roll Samia out there week after week until he got hurt and couldn’t suit up. That injury was a blessing in disguise for the Vikings and Samia. While the experience he lost will hurt his progression, perhaps saving his confidence was more important and will turn out to be more beneficial down the road.
The Vikings shouldn’t give up on Samia just yet. They should definitely address the guard position in the draft and in free agency and bring in more competition. Samia should be given just as fair a shot of earning a starting spot as anyone. He will benefit from another offseason, his experience last year, and a full preseason. If he can beat out the young guys by improving his strength and technique, then he deserves another shot to start. If he continues to struggle, he could be a cut candidate and will go down as one of the bigger Vikings’ draft busts in recent memory.
K.J. Osborn – PR/KR
This one is tough for this writer because I’m not a fan of K.J. Osborn and think he was easily the worst choice the Vikings made in the 2020 NFL Draft. That being said, the kid deserves at least one more full camp to show he can be the team’s primary returner just as they envisioned last April.
Osborn lacked the necessary boost or wiggle to be a successful NFL returner. He also showed questionable hands and had trouble fielding punts and then hanging onto the ball. Those issues and the fact he was dead last in punt return average caused him to be inactive on a handful of gameday, being replaced by the very players he was supposed to be replacing.
Osborn didn’t get a sniff on offense either. He was supposed to be a wide receiver in addition to his role as a returner, but when the team needed an extra body when Thielen went out, they turned to Tajae Sharpe instead of Osborn. That was disappointing to see and it created a lot of questions about Osborn’s role with the team.
Whether or not Osborn sticks with the team in the future, he does deserve a chance to make the roster during the preseason. If he improves with a full offseason under his belt great, if not, maybe he can find success with a different team.
James Lynch – DT
James Lynch was another underwhelming rookie from the 2020 class. He was coming off a collegiate season where he racked up 13.5 sacks and was seen as a player who could create that interior pressure the middle of the Vikings’ defense was lacking.
Lynch was brought along slowly and didn’t see any action until week 5. He flashed with a beautiful bull rush in that game, pushing the guard back into Russell Wilson getting his first NFL Sack. Unfortunately, that is where he peaked on the season, and we didn’t see much of anything else from Lynch despite the issues the Vikings had in the middle of their defensive line. Lynch finished his rookie season with just three tackles on the season and that lone sack.
While Lynch’s stats were underwhelming, he should get every shot to win a starting job during the preseason. He can be explosive off the ball and just needs more coaching up. Hopefully, the experience he did get in 2020 helps him realize the areas he has to work on.
The Vikings will be losing Jaleel Johnson in free agency and Shamar Stephen should also be cut. Michael Pierce will come back from opting out, and he can be the run stuffer. The Vikings could look to add a three-technique in free agency but will almost assuredly add a few during the draft.
5 players the Minnesota Vikings regret not drafting in 2020
The 2020 season is just about over, so the Minnesota Vikings can now go back and look at the players they've should've drafted last April.
Lynch can compete with those guys, and if he emerges as the best option, then great, but after seeing how this guy fared in year one, that looks like a long shot at best.