Minnesota Vikings Must Address Key Needs At CB, TE, Interior OL In 2022 Draft

The Minnesota Vikings have taken a breath after their foray into free agency and are head-up into NFL Draft preparation. When the NFL’s 32 teams convene on April 28, the idea for most of them will be to build strengths and plug as many holes as they have in their roster.

The NFL Draft is always a time for subterfuge. Teams rarely want to give any hints to their competitors about which players they believe are the real thing and which players are overrated. As a result, they will give off conflicting signals when asked about their evaluations of next year’s crop of rookies.

Additionally, nearly all teams will spout nonsense about drafting the best available football player regardless of need. This is fine for teams like the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams or other talent-laden teams. But teams that have weaknesses must fill those spots or they will be exploited once again in the 2022 season.

The only time teams can take the “best available football player” without regard to the position is when there is a player with Hall of Fame talent coming out in a given year. Think former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor or the late Reggie White, who made his reputation with the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.

It has been more than 40 years since Taylor was drafted out of North Carolina, and White played two seasons in the USFL right after his college career at Tennessee, playing with the Memphis Showboats in 1984 and ’85. The Eagles had his NFL rights as a result of the team using the No. 4 pick in the supplemental draft on him, and he began his NFL career in ’85 and was a dominant, game-changing player

The Vikings have three positions that they are in most need of help – besides the quarterback spot. We will not belabor the further association with Kirk Cousins at this point because the deed is done. But the Vikings must address cornerback, tight end and interior offensive line.

The Vikings are bringing back Patrick Peterson and he was something of an upgrade last year after coming to the team from the Arizona Cardinals. However, Peterson is not the Pro Bowl stud he was in the prime of his career. He’s got the know-how and the guile, but Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand and Chandon Sullivan are just not good enough to get the job done.

Derek Stingley Jr. of LSU and Trent McDuffie of Washington are the two best players in the draft at this position, and the Vikings would be wise to select either one of them with the No. 12 pick in the first round. Stingley is 6-0 and 190, and he has the kind of speed that will make him an elite player at the next level.

He excels in press-man coverage and has the kind of tools that most taller corners don’t have. While he does have a history of past injuries, he has too much talent to pass up.

McDuffie is a bit shorter at 5-11 and 193 pounds, but he is perhaps the toughest cornerback in this year’s draft. He is a powerful tackler with eye-catching acceleration when he turns on the speed. His primary experience is in zone coverage, and he will have to prove himself as a man-to-man corner.

The Vikings are in big trouble at the tight end position because Irv Smith Jr. has a very difficult time staying healthy and Tyler Conklin has moved on to the Jets.

Isaiah Likely of Coastal Carolina would seem to fit the bill at the position for rookie head coach Kevin O’Connell. Likely is 6-5 and 245 pounds, and he is an outstanding route runner who also has the speed to get deep and beat the coverage on long routes. He has an array of moves that should make him dangerous from the start, but he will have to prove himself as a blocker.

The Vikings always seem to need help at the interior offensive line positions, but that’s not a lot different from many other teams. Garrett Bradbury was a first-round pick in 2019, but he has not proven to be the elite center the Vikings though he would be when they drafted him.

Two of the top centers include Tyler Linderbaum of Iowa and Dylan Parham of Memphis. Linderbaum is 6-2 and 295, and he has made tremendous improvement throughout the run of his career with the Hawkeyes. He is very athletic and moves around the field with shocking speed for a big man.

Parham is 6-3 and 311, and he has very athletic feet for his size. He is a sharp drive blocker, and he is relentless in his pursuit to move his man backwards. He must show that he can absorb the pounding from an oncoming rusher and still deliver a powerful shot of his own.