Vikings Pass Catchers

The Minnesota Vikings currently have seven receivers on their roster.

Stefon Diggs
Jarius Wright
Charles Johnson
Cordarrelle Patterson
Adam Thielen
Isaac Fruechte
Terrell Sinkfield

This is the sort of group that has prompted nearly every prominent mock-drafter to pencil in a receiver for the Vikings first round pick. With TCU pass catcher Josh Doctson getting the most votes. The projections of those draft analysts have been proven accurate by the actions of the Vikings decision-makers in recent weeks. General manager Rick Spielman spent some time with Corey Coleman at Baylor's recent Pro Day. Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer spent a lot one-on-one time with Doctson at TCU's Pro Day. Zimmer was even seen covering Doctson one-on-one on a route. Actually, he didn't do much more than stand in front of Doctson at the snap. Zimmer just wanted to see how Doctson got off the line with a defender in his face but it was still fun to see the head coach actively involved in the process.

The Vikings seven receivers aren't a star-studded group but they are interesting. Diggs showed tremendous potential as a rookie last season. If he continues to improve, and he's shown a great willingness to work to do so, he could be a star. Wright has been solid and reliable since he was drafted in 2012. His solid and reliable play was enough for the Vikings to reward him with a contract extension last summer. Some have criticized that contract and some have criticized his lack of big-time numbers. Wright might not put up big numbers but he makes big plays. He's often making catches that convert third downs. He's moving the chains. Besides, no one receiver is putting up big numbers in the Vikings offense as it's currently constructed. As long as Adrian Peterson is carrying the football the Vikings are a run first, move the chains offense. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater isn't asked to throw the football a lot but a lot of receivers are catching his passes. He spreads the ball around. 8-10 players are catching passes every game. Diggs and Wright are probably the only pass-catching certainties currently on the Vikings roster moving forward.

Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson are the wildcards. With both about 6'2" and over 215 lbs, they are the two "big" receivers on the roster. If they had no question marks at the moment and their production to date matched the potential that they possess the Vikings would have no need for a receiver in the upcoming draft. Patterson was a first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He's probably been the best kick returner in the league since he first stepped back to field one. So, it's not quite accurate to say that he's been a bust. Outside of a handful of electric plays he hasn't done much on offense. He hasn't seemed willing to grasp the nuances of the receiver position. His inability to be where he's supposed to be when he's supposed to be there has caused his snap count to drop to about zero. He simply hasn't been a factor on offense in the last 15 regular season games and one playoff game. Indications so far this offseason is that he's working to change all of it. He's working to change his understanding of the receiver position. Perhaps he's finally realized that the position is so much more than running down the field and turning around. He's working to change his dedication to his craft. He's even going to Miami to work with his quarterback and fellow pass catchers. If his offseason work and apparent new found dedication pay off the Vikings have a superstar talent at the position. The question marks surrounding Charles Johnson are much less defined than those surrounding Patterson. Johnson took a much less celebrated route to the NFL. He was a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers out of itty-bitty Grand Valley State in 2013. The Cleveland Browns plucked him from the Packers practice squad in October of the 2013 season. That's when and where current Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner got to know him. A knee injury from his time in Green Bay kept him from ever being active in Cleveland. The Vikings plucked him from the Browns practice squad early in the 2014 season. The reunion with Turner was fruitful. Johnson was dynamite for the Vikings during the last third of that season and big things were expected of him 2015. It didn't happen. Injuries slowed him and the emergence of Stefon Diggs kept him on the bench. He was probably inactive for more games than he was active and finished the season with only nine catches. It was an extremely disappointing season after his outstanding performance at the end of the 2014 season. Unlike Patterson, Johnson has shown a very good grasp of the nuances of the receiver position. He's a terrific route-runner. When healthy he's shown an ability to get open a lot. Quarterbacks like that sort of ability in a receiver.

Adam Thielen is one of those high-effort football players that every team needs. Even with the most complimentary of intentions "high-effort" is often seen as a slight. It's not for Thielen. He has emerged from training camp-invite to productive football player for the Vikings. He's been a special teams cornerstone for a couple of seasons. He's made some highlight-reel, game-changing plays in that capacity. He's also been a reliable receiver on offense. He should no longer be considered a training camp long-shot each season. Isaac Fruechte is hoping to follow in Thielen's path. Local, undrafted, training camp invite to Minnesota Vikings football player. He was on the practice squad all last season. Fruechte's biggest obstacle to an active roster spot is probably Thielen. The one thing that Fruechte really has going for him is his 6'3" size.

The most recent addition to the Vikings receiving group is Terrell Sinkfield. He was signed in January. After a college career at Northern Iowa he played with the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He's fast. At the University of Minnesota Pro Day in 2013 he clocked a ridiculous 4.19 in the 40. At the Northern Iowa Pro Day a few weeks later he ran a more realistic 4.3. He's probably the fastest pass catcher on the roster. He's probably even the fastest player on the roster.

If Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson emerge as the dynamic football players that they have the talent to be the Vikings pass catchers go from shaky to scary. Scary for defenses. Diggs, Wright, Patterson, Johnson, and Thielen. Each is young, fast, and athletic. Even the long-shots Fruechte and Sinkfield provide some intriguing skills. Unfortunately there's no way of knowing anything for certain about this group before the draft. Actually there's no way of knowing anything for certain about this group until they produce on the field. Over an extended period of time. After all, Patterson and Johnson have had some excellent moments and now their respective careers are considered in doubt. Even if the most optimistic of projections come to be for this group there's room for another receiver on this roster. Especially if that receiver possesses a certain set of skills. There's room on the roster for a receiver that can go up and get contested passes. Especially in the red zone. The Vikings settled for way too many short field goals last season. They have to get touchdowns in those situations. A couple of their five losses could have been wins if they had scored touchdowns rather than field goals after they had driven nearly the length of the field. A receiver like Josh Doctson or Mississippi's Laquon Treadwell, or Cal's Kenny Lawler would help change that. Pitt's Tyler Boyd might not have the height of those receivers but he has the aggressiveness, body control, and hands to win the fight for contested passes. The Vikings have an interesting group of receivers but interesting doesn't win football games. Talent and production does. The Vikings could use more of the former and a lot more of the latter at the receiver position.