A Too Early Guess At The Minnesota Vikings 53-man Roster

I hate guessing at the Minnesota Vikings roster immediately following the draft. I hate “cutting” players before they even get a chance at a minicamp practice, let alone training camp and preseason games. I hate doing it but I can’t stop myself from doing it. As soon as the Vikings make a selection in the draft I’m thinking about their chances of making the final roster. The good thing about this exercise is that my opinion on a player making the final roster has no bearing on their chances of actually making the final roster. Perhaps it’s a recency bias but I have all 11 of the Vikings picks in last week’s draft making the 53-man roster. Anyway, here are my guesses.

Minnesota Vikings 53-man Roster?

Offense (24 Players)

Quarterbacks (2)
  8 Kirk Cousins

11 Kellon Mond

Out:

  3 Jake Browning

14 Nate Stanley

I’d much rather see Kellon Mond as the backup than Sean Mannion or any other cheap veteran option.

Running Backs (3)

33 Dalvin Cook
25 Alexander Mattison

26 Kene Nwangwu

Out:

31 Ameer Abdullah

36 A.J. Rose

Perhaps at the expense of one of the receivers, I could see Ameer Abdullah making it four running backs on the roster. 

Fullbacks (1)

30 C.J. Ham

Out:

34 Jake Bargas

Receivers (6)
19 Adam Thielen
18 Justin Jefferson
81 Olabisi Johnson

15 Ihmir Smith-Marsette

12 Chad Beebe

85 Dan Chisena

Out:

17 K.J. Osborn

13 Blake Proehl

16 Whop Philyor

87 Myron Mitchell

The competition for the final receiver spots will be very interesting to watch. I think that the only receivers certain to be on the 53-man roster are Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Last year, the Vikings kept two receivers on the roster solely for special teams purposes, K.J. Osborn and Dan Chisena. It didn’t work great. I felt that Chisena made strides in kick coverage as the season progressed and I see him continuing to improve this season. With his size and speed, it’d be nice if he added something on offense. Maybe he eventually will. For now, I have him on the roster for his role on special teams. Smith-Marsette was drafted with his return ability in mind. He’ll compete with fellow rookie Kene Nwangwu for the return roles. Smith-Marsette should be much more than “just a returner.” The #3 receiver job is wide open and he can provide a downfield explosiveness that the offense doesn’t really have right now. If Thielen, Jefferson, Smith-Marsette, and Chisena are on the roster for their respective reasons. Thielen and Jefferson because they’re great, Smith-Marsette for returns and explosiveness, and Chisena for special teams. That leaves Olabisi Johnson, Chad Beebe, K.J. Osborn, and the rookie undrafted free agents competing for one, maybe two, roster spots. Johnson and Beebe clearly have the edge but I think that it’s wide open. For his name alone, I’d love to see Whop Philyor make the roster. 

Tight Ends (3)
84 Irv Smith Jr.
83 Tyler Conklin

40 Zach Robinson

Out:

86 Brandon Dillon

     Shane Zylstra

If this is the tight end group, it starts and stops with Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin. Zach Robinson might be too raw to make the roster but he might be too talented to put on the practice squad.

Offensive Tackles (4)
75 Brian O'Neill

71 Christian Darrisaw
69 Rashod Hill
74 Oli Udoh

Out:

64 Blake Brandel

This seems pretty straightforward. I believe that Oli Udoh can provide some tackle-guard flexibility. 

Offensive Guards (4)

72 Ezra Cleveland

51 Wyatt Davis

52 Mason Cole

68 Kyle Hinton

Out:

78 Dakota Dozier

73 Dru Samia

65 Zack Bailey 

I think that I’ve seen enough of Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia on the Vikings roster. As an example of how pointless a May roster projection is, I had Samia as one of the Vikings starting guards at this time last year. 

Centers (1)

56 Garrett Bradbury

Guards Mason Cole and/or Kyle Hinton should also provide center depth. 

Defense (26 Players)

Defensive Ends (5)
99 Danielle Hunter

98 D.J. Wonnum

91 Stephen Weatherly

93 Patrick Jones II

95 Janarius Robinson

Out:

90 Jalyn Holmes

50 Hercules Mata’afa

79 Kenny Willekes

58 Jordan Brailford

The defensive end competition will probably be the most interesting competition of training camp. I like the raw talent and potential of recent draft picks D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, and Janarius Robinson so much that Stephen Weatherly might be competing for a roster spot rather than a starting spot.  

Defensive Tackles (5)

94 Dalvin Tomlinson

97 Michael Pierce
96 Armon Watts
92 James Lynch

76 Jaylen Twyman

Out:

62 Zeandae Johnson

66 Jordan Scott

The biggest question with the defensive tackles is whether the Vikings keep four or five. For me, it’s five because I can’t cut any of those five. 

Linebackers (6)
55 Anthony Barr

54 Eric Kendricks
59 Nick Vigil

45 Troy Dye

32 Cameron Smith

41 Chazz Surratt

Out:

57 Ryan Connelly

48 Blake Lynch 

47 Tuf Borland

49 Christian Elliss

Outside of Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, the linebacker competition is wide open. Free agent addition Nick Vigil could be a starter or cut. 

Cornerbacks (6)

27 Cameron Dantzler
  7 Patrick Peterson

20 Jeff Gladney

24 Mackensie Alexander

21 Mike Hughes

38 Harrison Hand

Out:

29 Kris Boyd

37 Dylan Mabin

The Vikings biggest roster question is the status of Jeff Gladney. If he’s gone or suspended, Kris Boyd is the sixth corner and the depth takes a serious hit. That’s not because Boyd is on the roster. It’s because one of the team’s most talented corners isn’t. 

Safeties (4)

22 Harrison Smith
23 Xavier Woods

43 Camryn Bynum

44 Josh Metellus

Out:

46 Myles Dorn

35 Luther Kirk

The safety group is pretty straightforward. I wouldn’t be surprised if Camryn Bynum emerges as the starter over free agent addition Xavier Woods. 

Special Teams (3 Players)

Kicker

 6 Riley Patterson

Out:

 1 Greg Joseph

Greg Joseph is the veteran candidate for the kicking job. Riley Patterson is the rookie candidate. Neither has ever kicked for the Vikings. The competition is wide open. 

Punter
 2 Britton Colquitt

 

Out:

9 Zach Von Rosenberg

While I’m intrigued by rookie Zach Von Rosenberg, I’m guessing that the Vikings will go with the consistency of Britton Colquitt. With kicker and long snapper possibly being rookies, the Vikings might need the steady presence of the veteran. 

Long Snapper

60 Turner Bernard

Out:

42 Andrew DePaola

Seeing as I’ve never seen Turner Bernard snap this is more of a coin-flip decision than a reasoned one.