Minnesota Vikings Post Draft Commentary

The Vikings had a very frustrating season in terms of achieving the success the talent on the roster would indicate. The team did win 10 games, but overall the Vikings were far from consistent. One of the biggest issues facing the Vikings is the quarterback position. Tavaris Jackson has been given many opportunities to seize the job, but has not been able to do so as of yet. The team continues to search for a quarterback to lead the team; even going so far as to sign sage Rosenfels as competition.

Coming into the 2009 off season there were very few issues for this Vikings team. Two of the biggest were the offensive line and wide receiver where the team continues to be snake bitten. Sidney Rice took a step back and Bernard Berrian is not the force they hoped he would be. The team needed to add another play maker on the outside to help alleviate some of the eight man fronts the offense was facing. The inconsistent quarterback and wide receiver play has helped to stymie the offense at times. Percy Harvin was taken in the first round as means to open up the offense and provide the team with an explosive weapon on the outside. The problem is that Harvin is not a polished receiver and really is a man without a position in many ways. Hopefully the Vikings can find enough ways to get the ball into Harvin’s hands to utilize his speed and elusiveness.

The offensive line also had issues as Matt Birk was allowed to leave and Ryan Cook is best suited as a backup tackle. The team has decided to rely on John Sullivan rather than dedicating more resources to the position. I am somewhat surprised by this decision, given the depth of the center class in 2009. Adding an insurance policy in case Sullivan does not play as well as the team hopes may have been a good idea. The Vikings did select Phil Loadholt to man the right side of the line and he should be a welcomed addition. Loadholt can get himself off balance when facing a good speed rusher, but his length helps him out a great deal. Loadholt should be able to give the Vikings an upgrade at the position; something the team desperately needed.

Defensively, the Vikings had very few holes to fill other than adding another corner or maybe a defensive end to groom. The team did elect to add Asher Allen to the unit, but veered away from  the defensive end position. The team does have players at the position, but none are as dynamic as Jared Allen. The Vikings could use to bring along another defensive end to play opposite from Allen easing his work load. The team did elect to bring in Jasper Brinkley which was somewhat of a surprise given the depth the team had at linebacker, but with E. J. Henderson having trouble staying healthy, the move does make some sense long term.

The Vikings are clearly the team to beat in the NFC North, regardless of the Bears grabbing Jay Cutler. These two teams will battle it out for the division crown, and personally I think the Vikings have the better overall team. If the level of quarterback play increases, the Vikings have all the pieces to be a championship team. But, will it?

Pre Draft Needs: WR, OL, DL, CB