Offensive Tackle

Bryant McKinnie showed up so fat to training camp that they cut him even though they didn’t have a clear successor. They were forced to sign Charlie Johnson, who did an awful job of protecting Peyton Manning’s blindside in Indianapolis in 2010. He predictably struggled, surrendering 8 sacks, 32 pressures, and committing 5 penalties. If they’re going to give Christian Ponder a fair shot to prove that he’s a franchise quarterback, they need to better protect his blindside. The Vikings would be thrilled if Matt Kalil fell to them at 3. If not, they could trade down with a quarterback needy team looking to jump Cleveland for Robert Griffin and grab either Riley Reiff or Jonathan Martin later in the top 10.

Wide Receiver

More help for Christian Ponder, Percy Harvin was his only reliable wide receiver this year. It’s pathetic how much playing time guys like Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu got last year. If Kalil is not available at 3 and they can’t move down, Justin Blackmon makes a lot of sense. If they don’t end up with him, look for them to take a wide receiver sometime in rounds 2-3.

Cornerback

The Vikings ranked 30^th against the pass last year with 8.1 YPA allowed. They were especially bad after Antoine Winfield suffered a season ending injury. Winfield has had a great career, but he’ll be a 35 year old coming off a major injury next season. Meanwhile, Cedric Griffin has cleaned out his locker as he does not expect to be back as a potential cap casualty this offseason, Chris Cook could be going to jail, and Asher Allen was awful last year. If they can’t get Kalil or trade down and they don’t want Blackmon, Morris Claiborne is likely the pick there. If not, they’ll spend a pick in rounds 2-4 on another cornerback in the mix.

Guard

Another need upfront for the Vikings, right guard Anthony Herrera has been consistently mediocre and seems to always be mentioned on needs lists as someone who needs to be upgraded. Meanwhile, left guard Steve Hutchinson is contemplating retirement, which would be a huge blow because he’s probably their best offensive lineman.

 

Safety

Their struggles against the pass didn’t end with the cornerback, poor safety play was a huge part of the reason why they ranked 30^th against the pass despite leading the league in sacks with 50. Guys like Husain Abdullah, Jamarca Sanford, and Tyrell Johnson were awful for them at safety, especially Sanford who started every game at free safety and allowed 8 touchdowns in coverage. Rookie Mistral Raymond showed some promise down the stretch at strong safety, but best case scenario, they need one more safety to play opposite him next season.

Defensive tackle

Pat Williams was missed this season. The rotation of LeTroy Guion, Fred Evans, and Remi Ayodele wasn’t bad, but at the same time, it wasn’t that good either so if the value makes sense, they could spend a relatively early pick on a defensive tackle.

Middle linebacker

EJ Henderson is a free agent. The soon to be 32 year old has seen better days and might not be back with the team. I think they can get away with resigning him for another year, but they need another linebacker in the mix regardless.

Running back

Adrian Peterson could start next season on the PUP and miss at least 6 games. If the Vikings start 1-5 or 2-4 in their 6 games (definitely possible), the Vikings might decide it doesn’t make sense to bring him back and risk further injury. With him out, Toby Gerhart is their only decent running back. They should bring in another one in the offseason.

Outside linebacker

EJ’s brother Erin is also a free agent. Unlike EJ, Erin is a promising young player who should be their #1 priority to resign.