Projecting the starting lineup of an NFL team in May is a fairly stupid thing to do. But, I can't help myself. So, here is my projection of the 2014 Minnesota Vikings starting lineup is:
WR Greg Jennings
T Matt Kalil
G David Yankey
C John Sullivan
G Brandon Fusco
T Phil Loadholt
TE Kyle Rudolph
WR Cordarrelle Patterson
QB Teddy Bridgewater
RB Adrian Peterson
FB Jerome Felton
DE Everson Griffen
DT Sharrif Floyd
DT Linval Joseph
DE Brian Robison
LB Chad Greenway
LB Michael Mauti
LB Anthony Barr
CB Xavier Rhodes
CB Captain Munnerlyn
S Harrison Smith
S Antone Exum
K Blair Walsh
P Jeff Locke
KR Cordarrelle Patterson
PR Jerrick McKinnon
With Mike Zimmer stepping in as the new head coach, there will likely be competition for nearly every spot but Adrian Peterson's running back position. Well, he may not be the only one but he is pretty much assured of starting. I have four rookies starting on offense and defense. Teddy Bridgewater and David Yankey on offense. Anthony Barr and Antone Exum on defense. Jerrick McKinnon at punt returner makes it five. That might be a bit of stretch. Barr starting isn't a stretch. I think that Zimmer is working overtime to find ways to take advantage of Barr's immense athletic ability. Left guard and the safety spot opposite Harrison Smith are likely the most wide open positions on the team. Yankey and Exum are probably the most talented among the competition at their respective positions. If they can adjust to the NFL quickly, they could be starting in September. Then we have Teddy Bridgewater. The guess here is that Bridgewater is going to make it real hard to keep him on the bench. I might be reaching on all the rookie starters but Barr. I might also be reaching on Michael Mauti at middle linebacker. This position is just about as wide open as safety and left guard. It's so wide open that NFL.com's Around the League editor Gregg Rosenthal recently projected the Vikings starters and left middle linebacker off of the list entirely. He adds that Jasper Brinkley and Audie Cole will compete for snaps. He doesn't even mention Mauti. That's a mistake. I think that Zimmer will love Mauti's enthusiasm, leadership, and hustle. It's a wide open position but I like Mauti to take it.
The hiring of Mike Zimmer, the drafting of a potential franchise quarterback in Bridgewater, and the infusion of seven first round picks in the last three years has ignited a lot of excitement in Minnesota. The current construction of a new stadium and the awarding of Super Bowl LII to be played in that stadium has simply increased the super feelings around Minnesota. The Vikings defense was horrible last year. The quarterback position was a mess but the defense was a disaster. If the Vikings had added only Zimmer this offseason, the defense would be improved. The addition of Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn in free agency and Anthony Barr in the draft improves the overall talent. They got younger and faster. On paper, the defense is much improved. The offense should be fine if they get more consistent quarterback play than last year. That shouldn't be hard to do. I think that the Vikings will be fine with Matt Cassel or Bridgewater. Most of the supposed experts are picking the Minnesota Vikings to finish fourth in the NFC North. I say that any of the four can win the division.
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