Hardy Nickerson Jr. – LB
The Vikings were decimated by injuries in 2020, and no position was hit harder than linebacker.
The team lost Anthony Barr in Week 2, and then his backup Troy Dye was also injured. This forced Minnesota to go out and sign players like Todd Davis and Hardy Nickerson Jr.
Later in the year, Eric Kendricks went down with a freak calf injury and the Vikings had to begin to rely on these players they signed off the street.
Nickerson spent a few seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he didn’t make the team in 2020. The Vikings signed him to their practice squad, cut him once, and then brought him back.
Nickerson ended up playing in 14 games and he started in one. He totaled 14 tackles in his tenure with Minnesota and he even intercepted one pass.
It is possible that Nickerson is back with the Vikings in 2021, but those chances are slim. Barr, Kendricks, and Dye will all be at full strength and the team could re-sign Davis.
Blake Lynch also played well when given the chance, and Minnesota could add a linebacker in the draft.
Vikings Draft 2021: Pre-Super Bowl five-round mock draft
With only one game left in the 2020 season, the time is now to think about who the Minnesota Vikings will select in this year's NFL Draft.
If Nickerson doesn’t come back, he’ll become a nice piece of Vikings trivia down the road when someone is asked to name a random linebacker who started for the team in 2020.