We’re 26 days from the Minnesota Vikings first training camp practice. That’s good news. The bad news is that we’re still 26 days from that first practice. Those could be long days. Longs days spent hashing out what could happen during those practices. The competition for starting jobs. The competition for roster spots. Here’s a look at some of the Vikings offensive position competitions that will take place on the fields of the TCO Performance Center.
Offensive Line
When the Vikings selected Virginia Tech left tackle Christian Darrisaw in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and Ohio State right guard Wyatt Davis in the third it was inevitable that the offensive line would look like this.
LT Christian Darrisaw
LG Ezra Cleveland
C Garrett Bradbury
RG Wyatt Davis
RT Brian O’Neill
Those five would be the Vikings offensive line this season and each season for the foreseeable future. Great! On paper, a sore spot for most of the past decade is fixed. Finally. That offensive line has two first-round picks (Darrisaw and Bradbury), two second-round picks (Cleveland and O’Neill) and a third-round pick (Davis). After years of failing efforts to assemble a competent group with mid-round picks and free agents the Vikings finally devoted high-end draft picks to building an offensive line. I applaud the effort and hope for splendid results. This is the most promising offensive line that the Vikings have had in years. Still, it’s all promise and potential. O’Neill is the only one of the group that has played even a single season at a solid, consistent level. Bradbury has been the starting center from the moment he was drafted in 2019. His occasional flashes have to become a down-to-down standard. Cleveland moved into the starting right guard spot as a rookie last season. He was flipped to the left side this offseason. Some fans and talking heads have grumbled about the Vikings moving a college left tackle to the interior. Cleveland’s experience and build suggest that the outside would be a more natural place. The Vikings reasoning can probably be found in offensive line coach Rick Dennison saying that Cleveland works well in tight spaces. I’m not sure if the Vikings saw him as a guard when they drafted him but they seemed to see him as one once they got him on the field. Three of the starting offensive line positions are set. Darrisaw was drafted in the first round to be the left tackle. Davis was drafted in the third round to compete for the right guard job. Neither was handed those positions in the offseason. Rashod Hill started at left tackle during OTAs and minicamp. Dakota Dozier started at right guard. The latter simply can’t happen! Hill has developed into a dependable offensive tackle. He can play both tackle positions. He can dash into a game as an injury replacement. He can effectively start for stretches of games. He’s one of the best swing tackles in the league. As such, he’s one of the most important members of the offensive line. He’s a good enough left tackle that the position might not have been the Vikings biggest offensive line need going into the draft. All that being said, it would take something truly extraordinary for Darrisaw to not be the Vikings left tackle. Davis has to take the right guard job from Dozier. That shouldn’t be difficult.
It’s safe to say that Vikings six other offensive starters are set. There will be training camp competitions for some significant offensive roles.
Third Receiver
The third receiver role is so wide open that many fans and talking heads have suggested signing one off the streets. I feel that ship has sailed. If there was a receiver loads better than those on the roster he would’ve been signed already. We’re 26 days from that first training camp practice. The Vikings are a top heavy receiver team. Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson are a terrific starting pair. There’s a jumble of variously talented players after them. It’s been said many times and many ways that the Vikings third receiver is probably tight ends Irv Smith Jr and Tyler Conklin or running back Dalvin Cook. On the somewhat rare occasion that the Vikings do field a third receiver that receiver is probably the fourth or fifth option. So, there’s that but isn’t that the case for many teams? Unfortunately, Thielen and Jefferson can’t take every snap. Personally, I hope fifth-round pick Ihmir Smith-Marsette grabs the #3 spot on the receiver depth chart. I liked what I saw of him at Iowa. He brings an explosive element that the Vikings don’t really have. Perhaps partly because each was selected in the fifth round, I’ve seen some compare his potential to that of Stefon Diggs. I think that Diggs was far more refined coming out of college. After all, he had current Vikings receiver coach Keenan McCardell coaching him at Maryland. Smith-Marsette might be more explosive than Diggs. It’d be nice if the Vikings again struck receiver gold in the fifth round of the draft. Olabisi Johnson and Chad Beebe are the front-runners for the third receiver role. Johnson was a rookie revelation when he was forced into a starting role in 2019 due to Thielen’s hamstring injury. He showed in the Carolina game last season that he could be productive when given an opportunity. The only real knock on Johnson is that he produced little to nothing in the two games before Jefferson took off last season. I feel like Beebe just needs to stay healthy for an entire season. He’s made things happen when he’s on the field. K.J. Osborn has to shine during his second training camp and his first preseason games. He was drafted last year to be primarily the punt returner and secondarily a depth receiver. He did little as the former and nothing as the latter. That’s why it was great that he was one of the surprises of the offseason practices. He must carry that momentum into training camp as he might be the wildcard of the receiver group. Dan Chisena made the roster as an undrafted rookie last season for special teams purposes. It was season of lessons more than a season of plays. He’s big and fast. That’s a nice and unteachable start. He’s got to be more effective on special teams or do something on offense to make the roster a second time. While long-shots for the third receiver role, and maybe the roster, undrafted receivers Whop Philyor, Blake Proehl, and Myron Mitchell are fighting to be the next Adam Thielen, or Chad Beebe.
A couple other competitions on the offensive side of the ball:
Backup Quarterback
Kellen Mond vs Jake Browning. Third-round pick Kellen Mond will be on the roster. The next issue is whether the Vikings keep two or three quarterbacks. If two, the backup is Mond. If three, there’s a competition for the role with Browning currently in the lead. Second-year Nate Stanley needs a strong training camp and preseason to be a factor.
Third Running Back
Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison are a terrific running back tandem. Ameer Abdullah has been a nice change of pace back for the past couple seasons. He’s also carved out a role on special teams. Rookie Kene Nwangwu presents a significant challenge to Abdullah. As a running back and on special teams. The Vikings might’ve selected in Nwangwu in the fourth round with a return role in mind. He was a complimentary back at Iowa State but a dynamite returner. He probably became the Vikings fastest player the moment he was drafted. His speed would be nice on returns and out of the backfield. As with backup quarterback, the third running back competition might be as dependent on how many players the Vikings keep as who they keep. If the Vikings keep four backs, Abdullah and Nwangwu are on the roster. If the Vikings keep three backs, it’s a stiff competition between the two. I give Nwangwu the edge due to his speed as well as his selection in the fourth round.
Third Tight End
Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin are the top two. While still very young, and somewhat unproven their ceiling is very high. Especially Smith. Brandon Dillon, Zach Davidson, and Shane Zylstra are competing for the third tight end spot. Dillon has spent a couple seasons shuttling between the roster and practice squad. Zach Davidson was selected in the fifth round because of his raw athletic talent and size. And he can punt! Zylstra is hoping to move from a big receiver at a small school to a tight end in the NFL. I can see any of the three making the roster. I can even see the competition forcing the Vikings to keep four tight ends. If it’s three, I like Davidson for his athletic ability, potential and 6’7” size.
***
This is how I see some of the offensive training camp competitions. 26 days before they start. I can’t wait to see how it actually plays out.
No comments:
Post a Comment