Are the Vikings looking to replace Dan Bailey at the 2021 NFL Draft?
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings released Dan Bailey earlier this week, guaranteeing the team will have a new kicker for the 2021 NFL season. Even with Greg Joseph currently on the roster, the purple and gold need to make sure they have the best possible option available.
Recently, a report was made on the Twitter account of Justin Melo from The Draft Network stating that the Vikings were one of the teams who have contacted one of the highest-rated kicking prospects of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Here is what Melo shared:
For those unfamiliar, Evan McPherson spent the last three years as the kicker for the University of Florida and made the decision to forgo his senior year and enter the draft. As a Gator, he connected on 51 of his 60 field goal tries for an 80 percent make rate and only missed one of his 150 extra point attempts.
The Vikings need to do their research on kickers
Minnesota must do as much due diligence on kickers as possible leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft. Although Greg Joseph is interesting, bringing in competition for him is essential, and having one of the nation’s top prospects available would push both kickers to be their very best.
Landing McPherson might be a bit of a challenge. As noted in the tweet, 16 teams have been in contact with the kicker. When half the league is interested in retaining his services, the competition is likely to get tough if the franchises like what they see out of the young man. For that reason, the Vikings need to be sure to check out several kickers leading up to the draft and find the one that would fit the best in Minnesota.
Odds are that the Minnesota Vikings will end up with a rookie kicker on their roster. Whether the team uses a draft pick or pick up an undrafted free agent to bring in some competition at the position will need to be seen, but Evan McPherson would be a nice addition to training camp to push Greg Joseph to the limit.