Minnesota Vikings: Rookie Spotlight on Defensive Lineman Christian Ballard

Today, on Vikings Rookie Spotlight, we'll be taking a look at rookie defensive lineman Christian Ballard from the University of Iowa. 

The Vikings selected Ballard in the fourth round, with the 106th overall pick. 

Ballard was ranked 11th among defensive ends in his draft class, but his real value comes with his versatility that allows him to play on the inside as well. 

After playing his high school ball in Lawrence, Kansas, Ballard moved on to the University of Iowa where he was recruited to play tight end. After his freshman season, Ballard made the transition to defensive, but was slightly overshadowed by DE Adrian Clayborne, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ballard was a three-year starter during him time at Iowa. 

Ballard has excellent size at 6'4" and 288 lbs. and is praised for his freakish athleticism. His lower body strength and ability to drop his shoulder low, when rushing, allows him to often overpower offensive tackles. 

Some knocks against Ballard are that he really struggles when faced with a double-team, especially when he's when playing on the inside. This could be a big issue for the Vikings as they will probably have Ballard play more tackle than end considering Minnesota already has Ray Edwards and Jared Allen.

Another knock against Ballard is that his seemingly "freakish athletic ability" only comes out during one-on-one drills, and tends to disappear during actual games.

According to  pre-draft analysis, Ballard would've been best suited to play DE in a 3-4 system. Since the Vikings run a 4-3, Ballard could use his versatility to play DT instead, though the transition could be tougher than one might expect. 

The way I see it, Ballard has a lot of work to do in training camp before he can be considered a viable candidate for a starting role with the Vikings. He will also have to make sure that he answers those questions about his motor and athleticism before the coaches will give him a real chance to be a long-term option. 

All of that being said, desperate times call for desperate measures and with the Williams Wall being potentially suspended for the first four games of the season, Ballard could work himself into a starting role for those early games before Pat and Kevin Williams return. 

It's tough for any rookie to get decent playing time on the Vikings defensive line because of how strong it has been traditionally. Ballard could rotate in, but I don't see him being a high-impact player for the Vikings, at least not initially. 

Let's hope the kid proves me wrong. 

For the next installment of Vikings Rookie Spotlight, we'll take a look at rookie DB Brandon Burton from the University of Utah.