Questions Answered: Steal of the Draft, Vikings’ Top Roster Weakness, Surprise Cut This Summer
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the May 3rd edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Steal of the Draft, Top Roster Weakness, Surprise Cut This Summer
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Who would you consider the Vikings’ steal of the draft?
Answer: It might be cheating, but we’ll say grabbing J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner without having to trade future 1st-Round picks.
Of course, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah donated a lot of non-1st-Round draft capital to other teams in pursuit of McCarthy and Turner. That isn’t debatable. However, for weeks, Vikings fans envisioned the team trading up the draftboard for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy while leveraging the future via 1st-Round picks. They didn’t have to do that when it was all said and done.
Khyree Jackson has the scouting report to blossom eventually, but give us McCarthy and Turner without dipping into 1st-Round buckets of 2025 and 2026.
Q: What’s the current and most glaring roster weakness for Minnesota?
Answer: Defensive tackle.
Next to Harrison Phillips, the Vikings will presumably roll with a hodgepodge of Jerry Tillery, Jonah Williams, Jonathan Bullard, Jaquelin Roy, and rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez. That group does not inspire much confidence, at least not on paper.
The team could still sign Calais Campbell, for example, but that kind of feels like a last-best-hope pipe dream in early May. Thankfully, without DT majesty last year, Minnesota ranked third-best in the NFL in yards per rush allowed and sixth in total rushing yards allowed.
It just would’ve been sweet to upgrade this position. No luck so far.
Q: How about a surprise summer cut for these Vikings?
A: Lewis Cine or Andrew Booth or C.J. Ham.
Minnesota may not release all three of these guys, but it’s a reasonable bet that at least one exits stage left late in August.
Kevin O’Connell’s offense doesn’t really use a fullback, so eventually, Ham will depart. He’s a team captain; maybe that will keep his spot safe again in 2024. On the defensive backs, well, Minnesota’s secondary is suddenly deep, and Cine or Booth could be the odd men out.
The answer to this one will be clearer at training camp and in the preseason, but those three are worth contemplating with the regular season four months away.
Vikings Soar in NFL.com Power Rankings
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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