It has been awhile since the Minnesota Vikings have gone into a season with the talent and depth at cornerback that they currently have. Still, they could use some help at the position, and there are a ton of potential free agents to choose from if they want to dip into that pool.
Antoine Winfield is a possible cap casualty, although it seems unlikely, and A.J. Jefferson is a restricted free agent. Thus, there are no pressing vacancies at the position at this point, but an NFL team can never have too many good cornerbacks and should never stop looking for upgrades.
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Despite the lengthy list of free agent cornerbacks, I am not sure that any belong in this category, but I feel most strongly that Leodis McKelvin out of Buffalo has the highest ceiling. Plus, he is the most likely to actually hit the open market since Buffalo has so many pending free agents. He has been pretty solid as a spot starter and provides excellent skills on special teams, and I think he could compete for a starting job across from Chris Cook while also helping out the special teams unit.
Keenan Lewis was very solid for Pittsburgh as a starter in 2012 and could start for most NFL teams, including the Vikings. Meanwhile, Miami’s Sean Smith underachieved for most of last season, but there is little doubt he still possesses the ability to play at a very high level in this league.
There seems to be a perception out there that the Vikings would be best served by addressing their biggest need, wide receiver, later on in the 2013 NFL Draft. The reasoning seems to be that the value will be better at the position in rounds two and three.
I’m not certain that I agree that there aren’t a number of receivers deserving of being selected at #23 by the Vikings, but one has to wonder what direction the Vikings could go if there isn’t a receiver available that they deem worthy of the selection.
Linebacker, safety, defensive tackle, and cornerback could all make sense without a doubt. However, I also think that an instant-starter guard could do a lot to bolster an already formidable offensive line. Charlie Johnson and Brandon Fusco aren’t scaring any defensive coordinators and could be considered a weakness.
So, with all of that being said, who could possibly be considered when the Vikings are on the clock. I think we have to start with the guy that seems to be the consensus top guard in this year’s class, Chris Warmack.
Coming out of Alabama, Warmack weighs in at about 6’ 3” and 320 pounds, and appears to be a surefire first rounder that may not even be available to the Vikings at #23. In fact, as of this posting, my mock draft has Warmack being selected by the Rams at #16. Brett’s mock draft has him as a top ten pick going to the Jets.
Most mock drafts, in fact, have Warmack being selected before the Vikings get to pick and that alone should be a good indicator that he would be heavily considered should he somehow fall to them.
Going up against some of the toughest competition in the nation, Warmack has been a dominant force that capped a decorated college career by helping to power his offense over Notre Dame for a national championship.
Warmack plays with an impressive amount of strength and explosiveness, and plays in which he run blocks immediately jump off the screen because of how well he clears a path for his running backs. Like current left tackle Matt Kalil, however, Warmack also displays very sound fundamentals and technique in pass protection. He plays a very well rounded game and possesses all the attributes that should be attractive to every NFL team.
It is often stated on the comments page of this site that the Vikings should always look for the biggest, meanest, nastiest offensive lineman they can find. Warmack is exactly that, but also has the athleticism to succeed in a zone blocking scheme, and it would be incredible to watch him play between Kalil and current center John Sullivan.
There really are very few things about Warmack that a scout is going to point out as a negative, and when they do find something it will probably be pretty minor. He is a tad shorter than the prototypical NFL guard and will need to continue building on his strength at the next level. He has been the occasional victim of powerful bull rushes (See: SEC Championship against Georgia’s John Jenkins), but almost every NFL guard has those same issues from time to time.
In the end, if those little faults are enough to cause Warmack to fall to #23, then that might be a very good thing for the Vikings because they would be getting a heck of a football player out of the deal.
The following video is a little different than the normal highlight reel because it features commentary, but it is smart stuff and worth a watch.
The Vikings operated under the whole “safeties don’t really have a huge impact in our defensive scheme” mentality for a long time, but Harrison Smith blew the lid off that theory in his rookie year. Seeing what Smith could do has Vikings fans salivating for another top notch safety to play next to him.
Mistral Raymond and Robert Blanton would provide some decent depth at the position if the Vikings decided to bring in a new starting safety, and it is still possible that they could re-sign Jamarca Sanford to compete and provide added depth.
Here is who might be available next month:
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I really only put one player in this category, and that player is Jairus Byrd from the Bills, who might hit the open market with the Bills having a lot of offseason issues to attend to. Of all the free agents in all of the positions, Byrd has to be in my top three favorite targets for Minnesota. With decent run support skills, some of the best coverage skills in the league, and a nose for the football it is no wonder that Byrd grades out as an elite safety in this league.
The media is currently in the middle of regurgitating old Percy Harvin storylines, but the truth is that nobody has any idea how that whole situation is going to shake out. What we do know is that the Vikings need to arm their offense with pass catching weapons, and losing a guy like Harvin would be one huge step backwards, which is not a direction they can really afford to go in.
The Vikings need so much help at receiver, in fact, I would consider almost every option to be viable and would fully expect to see some fireworks during free agency. Here are some of the options:
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1. Dwayne Bowe, KC
There is no doubt that Bowe’s career has been plagued by inconsistencies and a knucklehead attitude. With that being said, the guy is very talented and has produced at a high level despite poor quarterbacks filtering through Kansas City over the years, and that offense misses him greatly when he isn’t there. He would immediately provide some legitimacy to the Vikings offense.
Back when mid-season reports broke that the Vikings were in talks with right tackle Phil Loadholt I opined that they need not rush into a blockbuster deal with a simply above-average option that played better during his contract year, especially with a whole lot of options existing in free agency and the Draft.
A Pro Football Talk article recently confirmed that this notion exists in NFL front offices. With so many tackle options, especially right tackle options, set to be available to teams there seems to be little reason to shell out the big money.
Loadholt is not a bad option moving forward, especially with continuity always acting as an added bonus, but he is far from the only option.
Left tackle isn’t going to be a priority this offseason, with Matt Kalil looking like the real deal, but things are unsettled on the right side and towards the bottom of the depth chart. Lets take a look at what options exist:
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1. Sebastian Vollmer, NE
You are going to see most rankings have Jake Long or Ryan Clady in this spot, but they will demand left tackle money, and the Vikings are set on the left side with Kalil holding down the post. It isn’t that Kalil or one of these guys couldn’t play on the right side, it’s that the Vikings probably don’t want to pay them to. Vollmer is arguably the best right tackle in the NFL and will demand a fair amount of money, but in my mind would present a clear upgrade over Loadholt.
[NOTE: Click the links to see our free agency rankings for quarterbacks, running backs, and fullbacks. We’ll continue our way through all of the positions this week.]
The Vikings are in an interesting position at tight end. Any drama hinges on their willingness to keep John Carlson who underachieved in his first year with the Vikings, but would cost just as much cap space to cut as he would to keep.
With Kyle Rudolph in command of the tight end depth chart and Rhett Ellison showing signs of being a great role player, the Vikings seem unlikely to make any big moves at the position, but it is always worth looking to see who is out there.
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Even after 16 years in the NFL Tony Gonzalez is producing in Atlanta’s offense, and if he decides to keep playing, then it seems very likely that Atlanta is where he will stay. Martellus Bennett seems equally as likely to stay put with his Giants team that boosted his career in a big way.
If I had a man crush on one tight end free agent it would have to be San Francisco’s Delanie Walker. The seven year veteran seems to give everything he can every time he steps on the field. He isn’t going be a focal point of an offense, the Niners already pay Vernon Davis to be that, but he is an excellent option for team’s that like to use multiple tight end sets like the Vikings do.
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