My free agent and draft ideas for the Minnesota Vikings rumble through my head daily. They change as often. The one part that always remains the same is that the Vikings need to start with signing their own free agents. Fortunately, that's been the policy of general manager Rick Spielman. He has 11 days to sign right tackle Phil Loadholt (priority #1), fullback Jerome Felton (priority #1a), and safety Jamarca Sanford. It would be nice to have receiver Jerome Simpson and one/both of linebackers Erin Henderson and Jasper Brinkley back. The New York Giants recent signing of tackle William Beatty may have set the market price for Loadholt. Hopefully, that signing and the others come soon. It would be nice to have all the signings done before other teams can get their hands on them.
As for the free-for-all of free agency, I think that it starts at receiver for the Vikings. Big name guys like Mike Wallace and Dwayne Bowe will likely find their big name money in places other than Minnesota. Greg Jennings might be more realistic but I still don't really see that happening either. I just don't see the Vikings getting into any serious bidding wars. I'm thinking that they are more likely to pursue receivers along the lines of Ramses Barden of the New York Giants and Brandon Gibson of the St. Louis Rams. Brian Hartline might fit in there too but I can't see the Miami Dolphins letting him walk. They're as desperate for receivers as the Vikings. Barden and/or Gibson would be nice additions in Minnesota. I think that the Vikings might look to a an NFC North foe to find some help for the defense. Green Bay Packers linebacker Brad Jones would fit in nicely. He has the speed to make plays in coverage. That's something that they've lacked at middle linebacker for way too long. Linebacker and defensive tackle are right with receiver as significant needs for the Vikings. I haven't quite figured out if the Vikings are still looking for a big-bodied run-stuffer at defensive tackle since Pat Williams retired. If they are still looking Sammie Lee Hill of the Detroit Lions could be that guy. He's young and huge. With the nice dept at defensive tackle in the draft they might wait until then to find help for the interior of the defensive line. Barden, Gibson, and Jones aren't splashy and shouldn't be too expensive but they'd be real terrific additions. If the Vikings do spend big on a free agent, I'm thinking that free agent could be Miami Dolphins corner Sean Smith. You can never have enough corners and Smith is just hitting his stride. Realistically, I don't see it happening.
The draft. This is the offseason event that does most of the dancing in my head. I had the Vikings selecting Cal receiver Keenan Allen in my recent mock draft. I'd still love that pick but I'm now thinking about a different direction. No matter what they do in free agency receiver, linebacker, defensive tackle and the secondary remain needs. To turn that around, I'm currently liking the idea of drafting Kansas St. linebacker Arthur Brown, Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and Missouri Southern State defensive tackle Brandon Williams. I really think that Brown is going to be a fantastic football player. Maybe even Derrick Brooks fantastic. I question the availability of Hopkins in the second but I can hope. USC receiver Robert Woods would be a nice alternative. This isn't to say that I would be disappointed if Sheldon Richardson, Quinton Patton, and Jon Bostic were the Vikings first three picks. I wouldn't. I wouldn't be disappointed if a corner or safety was thrown in there somewhere. This is a great draft for the Vikings. It's more deep than top heavy. There's no clear-cut #1 choice. The sixth player isn't really that different from the thirty-sixth. The Vikings are going to get a great player at #23. This draft is also really deep at receiver and defensive line. It sets up nicely for the Vikings. Right now, it's Brown, hopefully Hopkins, and Williams with their first three picks. Tomorrow might be different. It'll be like that until April 25th.
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