1. Irv Smith Jr., TE
Irv Smith Jr. is probably on every talking head's and Vikings fan's mind when it comes to Minnesota's potential breakout candidates. As a rookie last season, Smith showed tantalizing hints of the player that he has the ability to become. The best of Jordan Reed comes to mind when I think of Smith's potential. It helps that both are about the same size. It also helps that both have/had Kirk Cousins as their quarterback. Smith really is a big receiver. He can run routes and run with the football like few tight ends can. With the departure of Stefon Diggs, he might be the Vikings' #2 receiving threat right now. At least until Justin Jefferson can take over.
2. Justin Jefferson, WR
Justin Jefferson was the Vikings' first pick pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was selected with the first round pick that was received in the Stefon Diggs trade. Jefferson was drafted to replace Diggs. He has to be on this list because the Vikings need him to break out this season. In a draft class loaded with gifted receivers, Jefferson was probably the most polished, most ready for the NFL. I'm not as concerned with the abbreviated offseason and training camp as most talking heads. I think that Jefferson has the work ethic, smarts, and ability to effectively work through this situation. Gary Kubiak, in his play calling, and Kirk Cousins, in his quarterbacking, will give Jefferson an opportunity to make an impact. Will that impact be at the breakout level? We'll see.
3. Brian O'Neill, RT
Brian O'Neill probably shouldn't be on this list because many would say that he broke out last season. In two seasons he's outplayed his second round draft status. I have him on this list because I believe that he'll play his way into the group of elite right tackles in the game.
4. Garrett Bradbury, C
Some might say that Garrett Bradbury didn't play so well in his rookie season. I prefer to look at the moments in which he played exactly like the center and director of the offensive line that he was drafted in the first round to be. He's a smart, hard-working football player. He has to get stronger. Just like Brian O'Neill had to get stronger. This season, I believe that Bradbury's fine moments will be much more prolonged than flashes.
5. Armon Watts, DT
Irv Smith Jr. is my top breakout candidate on offense. Armon Watts is my top breakout candidate on defense. He was impressive when he finally got some playing time at the end of the 2019 season. He impressed me so much that I've had him penciled in as the starter at three-technique. My biggest concern was an apparent preference of the coach's to play him at nose tackle. They know better than some clown on a couch. During a Zoom conference call on Friday, defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Andre Patterson said that all of the tackles are expected to play both spots. I just want to see Watts on the football field.
6. Ifeadi Odenigbo, DE
Is Ifeadi Odenigbo a placeholder for D.J. Wonnum like Brian Robison was for Danielle Hunter? As part of the line rotation, Odenigbo had seven sacks rushing from a variety of spots along the line. Can he handle the right side of the line on a regular basis while Hunter continues to dominate from the left? There are questions surrounding Odenigbo as a full-time defensive end. I think that he answers them in a positive manner and holds off Wonnum for a while just as Robison held off Hunter.
7. Mike Hughes, CB
The Vikings lost their top three cornerbacks this offseason. The talk heads honk about that as a reason to expect a defensive dip in Minnesota. They fail to also honk about the team's disappointing corner play last season. With only five starts in two seasons, Mike Hughes is now the senior member of the cornerback room. It's a new cornerback era in Minnesota. I expect that it's going to be a fun one. Since Hughes' first training camp, head coach Mike Zimmer has praised him for his ability to quickly pick up the intricacies of a complex scheme. He's a fluid, instinctual athlete. The only knock on his first two years in the league has been his ability to stay on the field. Obviously, he has to stay on the field in order to break out. I expect him to start on the outside and move inside in nickel. Seeing as the Vikings are in nickel far more than base in today's NFL, Hughes will be in the slot far more often than outside.
8. Jeff Gladney, CB
By the time the 2020 NFL Draft arrived, Jeff Gladney had become my favorite corner prospect. I just loved his feisty, physical play. I expect that feisty, physical play to transition nicely to the NFL. It's quite a jump going from handling big receivers in college to handling big receivers in the NFL when you're only 5'10". I think that Gladney makes that jump and emerges as one of the Vikings' starting outside corners.
9. Holton Hill, CB
If Jeff Gladney doesn't immediately emerge as one of the starting outside corners it's because Holton Hill kept him from doing so. No matter which corner starts opposite Mike Hughes in the Vikings' base defense, I expect Hughes, Gladney, and Hill to be the corner trio in nickel. In my thinking, Hill and Gladney will be the outside corners and Hughes will play the slot. I love the potential of this young trio and I expect a perceived weakness to be a strength.
10. Kirk Cousins, QB
Why the hell not? The Vikings haven't had the same quarterback start three consecutive seasons since Daunte Culpepper did it at the start of this century. I expect Kirk Cousins to have his best season this season. That should qualify as a breakout.
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Wouldn't it be fun if all ten of the above did break out this season? What's considered a breakout season anyway? That's a matter of opinion and opinions vary greatly. I consider a player a breakout player if the player moves from the roster shadows to routinely making an impact. Then there are players like Brian O'Neill and Kirk Cousins on this list that are already impact players. If they make a leap from impact players to elite players, I also think of those players as breakout players.
Wouldn't it be fun if all ten of the above did break out this season? That would likely make the 2020 NFL season a fun football season in Minnesota.
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