How did the Minnesota Vikings moves during the first wave of free agency affect their needs for the 2021 NFL Draft?
The Minnesota Vikings went into free agency with very little cap space. Through some tough cuts and contract negotiations, they were able to create some room which allowed them to bring in some veteran help.
The Vikings filled their need at defensive tackle bringing in former New York Giants defender Dalvin Tomlinson to be the disruptive three-technique on their front line for next season. Not only will he be busting through the interior of opposing offensive lines, screwing up the timing of their plays, but he’s a stout run defender, who, when paired with Michael Pierce, will be basically impossible to run against.
Minnesota also brought in all-time great cornerback Patrick Peterson. He’ll bring a veteran presence to the team’s cornerback group and he will be a huge help to the development of young players like Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney.
The Vikings also signed linebacker Nick Vigil, who will compete to start, and they were able to re-sign offensive tackle Rashod Hill and wide receiver Chad Beebe.
These signings helped to fill some holes on Minnesota’s roster and they shuffled the team’s needs for the upcoming NFL Draft. Here’s a ranking of the Vikings’ biggest draft needs after this year’s first wave of free agency.
Wide Receiver
The Vikings can definitely get by with the receivers they currently have on the roster. They have two great ones at the top in Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, but it’s the depth behind them that is the question.
There is Bisi Johnson, who failed to take a step forward in year two, and struggled early in the 2020 season. He did step up when needed later in the year, but he looks to be a solid fourth option, and not someone who should be depended on to contribute every week.
Minnesota did bring back Chad Beebe and he fills a role as an option working out of the slot in addition to being an emergency return man. There’s also K.J. Osborn on the roster. He is a longshot at best to make the team in 2021 after not being asked to do much as a receiver in his first year.
So with the studs at the top combined with factoring the tight ends and running backs as options in the passing game, the Vikings don’t necessarily have to add another pass catcher in this year’s NFL Draft. But they’d be wise to do so.
The problem and concern has to be if either Thielen or Jefferson gets injured next season. Minnesota would be in a world of hurt if Johnson or Beebe had to step up and take on a bigger role. That’s why using a fairly early draft pick on a talented receiver makes sense for the Vikings this year.
Minnesota has four picks in the fourth round and using one of them on a young pass-catcher who could provide a little more pop to the passing attack than Beebe or Bisi, would be a smart investment.
Offensive Tackle
Offensive tackle is a need that has shot up the list for the Vikings after the first wave of free agency.
Minnesota cut Riley Reiff earlier this month, who was a wall at left tackle a season ago. Now they have a question mark on the left side.
The obvious plan would be for the Vikings to put Ezra Cleveland at left tackle next season, as that is believed by most to be the reason why they took him in the second round in last year’s draft. While he could be the answer, he is also unproven, and he could be a huge drop-off in talent from where Reiff was a season ago.
Minnesota did well bringing back Rashod Hill this offseason. He’s proven to be a reliable option off the bench, but he hasn’t fared as well when given a starting job. He can back up both the left and right sides, which is a huge plus.
The depth after Hill is extremely suspect as Oli Udoh and Blake Brandel have a lot to prove. The Vikings have to bring in some more help and they will look to this year’s NFL Draft to do so.
Minnesota could address this need as early as the first round. They could look at someone like Rashawn Slater or Christian Darrisaw to come in and immediately compete with Cleveland to be the team’s new starting left tackle for next season. Slater would be the better option because if he doesn’t win the job, he does have the versatility to slide inside and play guard.
Prior to free agency offensive tackle wasn’t a top-five need for the Vikings. But now, it has become one of the bigger needs for the team and it’s a position that could be worse next season than it was in 2020.
Defensive End
The Vikings added a defensive end prior to the start of free agency and then they lost one after it started.
Minnesota recently brought back a former member of their roster in Stephen Weatherly after he was let go by the Carolina Panthers in February. The Vikings also decided to not place a tender on restricted free agent Ifeadi Odenigbo and he ended up agreeing to terms with the Giants.
So while Weatherly is an upgrade over Odenigbo, Minnesota is kidding themselves if they think he can be depended on as a starter.
Weatherly failed in this role with the Panthers last season, as he didn’t register a single sack in nine starts. The Vikings would be better off using him in a situational role and even moving him inside on passing downs. They still need to find a player who can start opposite Danielle Hunter, like they had when Everson Griffen was still with the team.
Minnesota could look to address this need with their first pick in this year’s NFL Draft at No. 14 overall. There are plenty of pass rushers that could be had there who have the potential to start from day one. They could also wait until the third round and get a pass rusher who falls down the board a bit but could still compete to at least split time with Weatherly.
Getting Hunter back full-time is enough of a boost to lower this need. But the Vikings still need to find another starting defensive end and it will likely have to come from the 2021 NFL Draft.
Safety
The Vikings headed into free agency with some pretty big needs. While they filled one at defensive tackle, one they have left untouched so far is the safety position. This need became even greater this year after Anthony Harris officially left the team by signing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Minnesota has been rumored to be enamored with Will Parks, they have yet to make a move, and they may just be waiting to address this need during this year’s NFL Draft. They can definitely find a starting-caliber safety this April, as it has been proven that young players can make an instant impact at this position.
The Vikings will likely wait to address this need in the third round and look at options like Talanoa Hufanga, Andre Cisco, Hamsah Nasirildeen, or Ar’Darius Washington. These players all have their own strengths and weaknesses, but any of them could come in and start immediately for Minnesota.
The Vikings should actually double up at this position in this year’s draft as the current depth on their roster is shockingly thin. Josh Metellus is the only other safety on the roster and he isn’t even a lock to make the team in 2021. The fact that Minnesota needs to add two safeties makes this one of their bigger needs as the draft approaches.
Guard
Guard is easily the biggest roster hole for the Vikings as the 2021 NFL Draft approaches and the team hasn’t done anything in free agency to lessen this need.
The recent release of Riley Reiff could put Minnesota’s current right guard, Ezra Cleveland at left tackle. If this happens, the Vikings’ current starters at their two guard spots would be Kyle Hinton and Dru Samia. That is a horrifying thought.
Hinton didn’t suit up for a single game last season and fans wish that Samia did the same. Instead, he played even worse than Pat Elflein, and he was thankfully relieved of his duties when he went down with an injury.
Minnesota is well aware of the need at this position, but instead of addressing it this offseason, they have sat on their laurels. They opted to fill a lesser need like cornerback instead of going after a premier interior blocker like Joe Thuney or Kevin Zeitler.
These two might have been too pricey anyway. But the fact that free agency is more than a week old and the Vikings haven’t made a move to fix this hole yet is disappointing.
There have been rumblings that the Vikings are interested in former Los Angeles Chargers guard Forrest Lamp. While he is still relatively young and he possesses upside, he has been injury-prone and below average during his time on the field in the NFL.
Vikings Draft 2021: Four-round mock draft after big free agency signings
The signings of Patrick Peterson and Dalvin Tomlinson have changed the needs of the Minnesota Vikings for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Like the safety position, Minnesota needs to add multiple guards to their roster this year. But what makes this the bigger, and greatest, need, is they don’t currently have an established starter at either spot. This is a need that, if it isn’t touched in free agency, could be addressed early and often in the 2021 NFL Draft.