Armon Watts
I had Armon Watts pegged as a breakout candidate in 2020 after a strong rookie season. The defense as a whole was a mess that season due to injuries and health concerns. No one played well on the Vikings defense during that disappointing season. Watts rebounded with a solid season in 2021. This is his contract year and all that comes with that. He can play all along the Vikings new 3-4 front. He’s currently penciled in as a starter with Dalvin Tomlinson and Harrison Phillips. Watts can get to the quarterback. He’s stout against the run. A very good NFL career and nice payday is all in front of him.
James Lynch
There may be no other Vikings defensive lineman more excited about the team’s switch to a 3-4 front than James Lynch. One only has to look at his sparkling final season at Baylor to see what he can do as a 3-4 end. 19.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, first-team AP All-American, Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year. The Vikings hoped to see something close to that from Lynch as a three-technique. Active, powerful, quick first step, gets into the backfield quickly. He’s probably penciled in as a rotational defensive lineman and situational interior pass rusher. I think that he pushes the coaches to get him on the field more often than that.
Janarius Robinson
Last year, Janarius Robinson was the rookie edge rusher that intrigued me the most. Then he was lost for the season to injury before the season even started. There’s something about his length and raw traits that reminds me of Danielle Hunter coming out of LSU. Robinson looks the part. Now he has to play the part. The Vikings are well set with Hunter and Za’Darius Smith as the edge starters. There’s a wide open competition for the snaps that the starters don’t take. Robinson should be in the thick of that competition.
Brian Asamoah
Probably due to the fact that Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks are firmly in place as the linebacker starters, I wasn’t initially sold on the selection of Brian Asamoah in the third round. Instead of bashing the pick I learned more about the pick. Now, Asamoah is one of my rookie favorites. I can easily see him as an every-down linebacker and team leader for a long time. How much he plays on defense this season is up to him. I think that he forces the coaches to get him on the field. I think that he forces the coaches to develop sub-packages that include him. I think that he makes an impact on defense as a rookie.
Cam Dantzler
Cam Dantzler has often shown that he can be a high-end NFL cornerback. It’s the lapses. It’s a play like the one that ended the second Detroit Lions game that brings questions . If he can play consistently, the Vikings should be set at one cornerback spot for a long time. This season, Dantzler should line up opposite Patrick Peterson. The Vikings selected Andrew Booth Jr. in the second round. Initially, I thought that Booth would challenge Dantzler for playing time. Maybe Booth actually cuts into Petereson’s snaps. Who knows? I don’t. I do know that an NFL team can never have enough corners. Dantzler, Peterson, and Booth will be on the field. After two years, Dantzler is ready and has the talent to break out.
Lewis Cine
I can not wait to see Lewis Cine on a football field. I was initially surprised by Cine’s selection in the first round. I had Harrison Smith and second-year Camryn Bynum as a strong safety pair. I wasn’t thinking safety in any of the draft’s early rounds. Cine’s play in college over the past couple seasons reminded me of a more explosive Harrison Smith. Everything that I’ve seen of Cine on a football field has impressed me. Everything that I’ve seen of Cine off the football since the draft has impressed me even more. Without even taking a snap with the team, Lewis Cine is one of my favorite Vikings players.
Camryn Bynum
Two safeties breaking out? Maybe. Camryn Bynum was one of my favorite Cal football players of the past couple decades. I was thrilled when the Vikings selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Bynum and Harrison Smith were going to form a terrific safety duo for a few years. All that changed when the Vikings selected Lewis Cine in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. I think that Bynum will force the Vikings to occasionally go with a three-safety nickel. I dread the day that Smith is no longer on the Vikings roster but the team will be in a good safety place with Bynum and Cine.
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Looking at these defensive breakout candidates, I have Watts, Lynch, and Robinson getting significant pass rushing snaps, Asamoah forcing the coaches to go with an extra linebacker, Bynum forcing the coaches to go with an extra safety, and the talent at corner forcing the coaches to play a more traditional nickel. Either the Vikings are going to sneak about 15 players on the field or the defense is going to face a lot of snaps. In reality, there’s going to be a lot of competition throughout the defense for the snaps that they do face. That’s a very good thing.
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