| WR | Stefon Diggs |
| TE | Kyle Rudolph |
| T | Matt Kalil |
| G | Alex Boone |
| C | John Sullivan |
| T | Andre Smith |
| WR | Laquon Treadwell |
| QB | Teddy Bridgewater |
| RB | Adrian Peterson |
| FB | Zach Line |
| DE | Everson Griffen |
| DT | Linval Joseph |
| DT | Sharrif Floyd |
| DE | Brian Robison |
| SLB | Anthony Barr |
| MLB | Eric Kendricks |
| WLB | Chad Greenway |
| CB | Xavier Rhodes |
| CB | Trae Waynes |
| S | Harrison Smith |
| S | Anthony Harris |
| K | Blair Walsh |
| P | Jeff Locke |
| LS | Kevin McDermott |
Some explaining.
Offense
The hope and expectation is probably for Laquon Treadwell to be one of the starting receivers. After all, the Vikings did spend a first round pick on him. Charles Johnson might have something to say about those expectations. He was terrific through the offseason workouts and enters training camp on top of the depth chart. Despite lacking timed speed, Treadwell is a special talent and could be a special football player. No matter which receivers are on the field for the first offensive snap of each game a lot of receivers will play.
Andre Smith is far from a certain start at right tackle. His competition with Phil Loadholt will probably be one of the more interesting competitions of training camp. Actually, there will be competition at nearly every spot on the offensive line. Alex Boone is probably the only lineman assured of starting.
Defense
Second-year defensive end Danielle Hunter was a rookie surprise last year. The Vikings drafted him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the understanding that he was a raw player and as a result a bit of a project. He proved to be quick study and was a dynamite pass rusher down the stretch last season. He'll throw a serious challenge into Brian Robison's five-year hold on the left defensive end spot.
Chad Greenway has been a Vikings defensive fixture at linebacker since 2007. He returns for what is expected to be his final season. He's no longer an every-down player but he's still an effective player. He's always been a team leader. Emmanuel Lamur may poach some of Greenway's snaps this season.
I hope that Trae Waynes wrestles the starting cornerback spot from veteran, and 2015 starer, Terence Newman simply to shut up all of the people proclaiming Waynes a bust. There's nothing wrong with a player sitting for a season as he learns and adjusts to the NFL. Waynes was a first-round rookie corner last season and looked like a first-round rookie corner in preseason. Newman was a solid, veteran presence all season. He's also played in Mike Zimmer's defense for about a decade. Waynes could have learned on the job but why force it? Especially when you have a talented, veteran player doing a fine job in front of him. Waynes was solid when he got a few snaps late in the season. He was better than solid when injuries forced him on the field in the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. He even collected his first interception in that game. Waynes has the natural, physical skills to be a top-notch corner and he should get his starting shot this year.
The Vikings have been looking for a talented safety to pair with Harrison Smith since they drafted Smith in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The training camp competition for that spot should rival the offensive line competitions in interest and importance. Veteran Michael Griffin was signed in the offseason to be that talented safety for a year or two. He'll face competition from incumbent Andrew Sendejo and youngsters Anthony Harris, Antone Exum, and Jayron Kearse. I give Harris the edge in this projection simply because he does everything right. Coaches like that.
There it is. A way too early projection of the Vikings 2016 starting lineup. This is a talented football team with excellent depth. While most of the starting spots are fairly set there will be a lot of competition throughout the roster. That should make this year's stay in Mankato one of the most interesting and intense in recent memory.
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