The Minnesota Vikings opened the 2015 NFL Draft by selecting Michigan St. cornerback Trae Waynes in the first round. They went defense again on day two by selecting UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks in the second round and LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter in the third round. That's a lot of defense.
1. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.
2. Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA
3. Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU
The Minnesota Vikings defense was terrible in 2013. Just terrible. Historically bad. That might be a bit much but they weren't good. Mike Zimmer was hired as head coach following that sad season to change pretty much everything on the team let alone that defense. That defense was much improved last year bet there's still a lot of room for improvement. The Vikings had some issues guarding bigger receivers downfield. Adding Waynes to the secondary should remedy that issue. Hopefully immediately. The Vikings also had some issues stopping the run. Adding Kendricks to the middle of the defense as well as a better understanding of Zimmer's defense throughout the line should remedy that issue. Zimmer likes to rotate players along the defensive line. There was limited production at defensive end behind starters Everson Griffen and Brian Robison so the rotation there left much to be desired. Danielle Hunter and the hoped-for development of 2014 third round pick Scott Crichton should provide that depth at defensive end. After the first two days of the draft the Minnesota Vikings have a new and potentially imposing defense.
Here's a peak at what that Minnesota Vikings defense might look like:
DE Everson Griffen
DT Sharrif Floyd
DT Linval Joseph
DE Brian Robison
LB Anthony Barr
LB Eric Kendricks
LB Gerald Hodges/Chad Greenway
CB Xavier Rhodes
CB Trae Waynes
S Harrison Smith
S Robert Blanton/Antone Exum
There's a lot to like with this defense. First it's a very young defense with Robison and Greenway being the only players in their twilight of their careers. Second, it's a very talented defense. Faster, more explosive than last year. Better depth. Waynes might be the top pick but his presence as one of the starting corners in week one is far from assured. He has the talent to be there but he has some work to do. He's terrific in deep coverage where his great speed benefits him well. He needs work on his technique and recognition skills to improve his coverage closer to the line of scrimmage. Areas of the field in which he has to start and stop, change direction. If he responds to the "tough-love" coaching of Zimmer and secondary coach Jerry Gray as well as Xavier Rhodes, Waynes should be on the field soon. Kendricks might have a quicker route to the starting lineup. There's some chatter that he will be tried at "will"(weak outside linebacker) as well as "mike" (middle linebacker) but that is just to assure that they have him in the right place. A side not here: There's so much to like about Mike Zimmer as the head coach of the Vikings. His insistence on getting his hands on a player before he puts that player at any one position is one of those things. Zimmer makes no assumptions until he's certain. Great coach. Back to the new players: Kendricks is a smart, instinctive football player. A great combination for the middle linebacker and hoped-for leader of the defense. A unique benefit to Kendricks is that he's very familiar with last year's top pick Anthony Barr. They were linebacking teammates as well as roommates at UCLA. It's always nice to have friends in a new place. NFL Network draft commentator Mike Mayock said that third round pick Danielle Hunter could have used another year in school. Hunter has only played football for about five years so he has a ton to learn. What he does have going for him is a ton of talent. He's in the right place for that. His NFL comparison by some has been to New York Giants freak of nature Jason Pierre-Paul. That's high praise and an indication of Hunter's unique athletic talents. If the Vikings coaching staff can round Hunter into more than an explosive athlete they will have a beast of a football player.
This is a whole new Minnesota Vikings defense. It's fantastic to see.
Safety could still be addressed today but it might be time to find some football players for the offensive side of the ball. If there's anybody that's unhappy in the Vikings war room it might be Norv Turner.
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