4 biggest unsung zeros for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021

Chris Herndon – TE

Chris Herndon has been called out for his lack of production this season a little bit, but more negativity should revolve around him. Herndon has been largely ineffective all season long and hasn’t come close to living up to the fourth-round value the Vikings gave up to acquire his services back in early September.

Herndon has been an afterthought in the Vikings’ offense. He has just four receptions on the season for a measly 40 yards. He did score on one of those, but that is a horrible return for what Spielman gave up to get him.

In comparison, the Vikings signed Luke Stocker off the streets about five games into the season, and he has two receptions for 12 yards and is a much better blocker than Herndon. He’s arguably had more of an impact on this offense than the guy the Vikings traded a fourth-round pick for.

Some of the blame should be put on Herndon. Clearly, he isn’t impressing enough to earn a more prominent role on the offense, but most of the blame should be placed on Rick Spielman for making the desperation trade and giving away too much draft capital.

After Irv Smith went down, Spielman could’ve just rolled with Tyler Conklin and Brandon Dillon, and then looked to the waiver wire for a guy like Stocker. Instead, the Vikings gave up a fourth-round pick for barely any production, and that decision deserves much more scrutiny than it is getting.