The Minnesota Vikings made the playoffs in 2015 just as I predicted they would (of course the Vikings were thought to have no shot of making the playoffs a year ago). The Mike Zimmer era has Vikings fans optimistic about the upcoming season with a very strong roster. What can we expect from Minnesota in 2016.
3 Position Battles To Watch:
- Right Tackle: T.J. Clemmings vs. Andre Smith
Matt Khalil has the left side locked down but the right tackle spot will be a fascinating battle. Clemmings started all 16 games for the Vikings in 2015 but was an inferior pass blocker. Smith on the other hand had a down year for the Bengals after starting 73 games in 7 seasons. It’s possible the loser gets kicked inside to guard where Mike Harris and Brandon Fusco are currently battling as well.
2. Wide Receiver: Charles Johnson vs. Cordarrelle Paterson vs. Jarius Wright
First round pick Laquon Treadwell is slated to start. So is speedster Stefon Diggs creating a battle to see who becomes the 3rd option. Johnson and Wright appear to be the obvious choices as Paterson has been pretty much an afterthought as he is basically a kick returner only at this point.
3. Defensive End: Danielle Hunter vs. Brian Robison
Hunter was considered a raw prospect coming out of LSU having virtually zero sack production in college. All he did was explode onto the scene down the stretch recording 4.5 sacks in his final four games. Robison by contrast has been Mr. Reliable recording 35 sacks since the 2011 season. The future defensive end duo of Hunter and Anthony Barr looks bright but it may not happen initially.
Ready To Breakout: Eric Kendricks
I called Eric Kendricks a can’t miss prospect a year ago and all he did was deliver on that promise. In 11 starts Kendricks was a tackling machine recording 92 of them. He also had 4 sacks to go along with it at the inside linebacker spot. Heading into year two expect Kendricks to make the jump and become one of the best linebackers in football.
Fantasy Sleeper: Laquon Treadwell
A lot of times rookie wide outs fail to delivery in year one. I don’t expect this to be the case with Treadwell. The former Ole Miss receiver is red zone threat who could pull in a large number of touchdowns. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner turned Vincent Jackson into a star in San Diego, I expect the same to happen here.
Rookie To Watch: Kentrell Brothers
The Vikings nailed the draft again this year as there were a number of players I could have picked here. For all intensive purposes I’ll go with Brothers who led the NCAA in tackles a year ago. For whatever reason Brothers got lost in the shuffle and slipped all the way to the 5th round.
As of this moment I’m going to take the Vikings to repeat as division champs again in 2016. The Vikes were a missed field goal away from taking down Seattle in the playoffs a year ago, expect them to get the job done this year.
