10 Minnesota Vikings Who Must Improve in 2012

It's been well-documented: The Minnesota Vikings have had a quiet offseason. Outside of the John Carlson signing, Minnesota has kept its wallet tight.

That means the franchise has put its faith in players currently on the roster improving greatly from the 2011 to the 2012 season.

This list assesses which players Minnesota needs to step up their games most in 2012.

The player's position on the list is determined by a combination of how much more improvement is necessary and how vital their improvement will be to the team's success in 2012. All players are expected to be starters at some point this season.

10. Devin Aromashodu

At 27 years old, it's time for Devin Aromashodu to put up or shut up. He's been living off of the "p" word (potential) during his career.

But the clock on that is about to hit midnight and "the magic" of the "p" word will disappear.

The former Auburn Tiger has good size, 6'2" and 201 pounds, and has great speed too. He has the potential to become a deep threat in this league. And he has shown that he can. It is just nowhere near consistent enough.

Minnesota hasn't signed any overly talented receivers this offseason, meaning it'll be Michael Jenkins or Aromashodu as the No. 2 receiver to Percy Harvin with Jenkins expected to earn the honor.

But at this point, Jenkins is who he is. No one expects him to transform into anything more than a slow and tall (6'4") possession receiver.

Minnesota desperately needs a No. 2, let alone a true No. 1 receiver, and the talent is in Aromashodu to become a No. 2 receiver.

Last season, Aromashodu caught 26 passes for 468 yards and one touchdown reception; reception and receiving yard totals were both career highs.

9. Percy Harvin

The biggest problem for Percy Harvin hasn't been his on-field performance. The biggest problem for Harvin has been staying on the field.

Through three NFL seasons, Harvin has only once played in all 16 games as he's struggled with migraines and other nick-knack injuries.

The 2011 season was his first full NFL season and during it Harvin posted career highs in catches (87), receiving yards (967) and touchdown receptions (six).

It was a season in which Harvin was escorted on and off the field in an attempt to keep him healthy; it worked, but it kept him off the field during crucial third downs far too often.

If Minnesota leaves him on the field more, then his numbers will increase.

But he still needs to find a way to add another dimension to his game if he truly is to become a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

Harvin is one of the best in the business at turning crossing routes into big gains, but he needs to make himself a greater deep threat. The speed is there for him to do it.

8. Charlie Johnson

As a left tackle in 2011, Charlie Johnson was downright awful. He could not properly protect the blindside of Minnesota's franchise quarterback Christian Ponder.

Nor should he be allowed to protect the blindside again in 2012. And he won't.

Minnesota let Anthony Herrera and Steve Hutchinson go in the offseason, opening up starting spots on either side of center John Sullivan. The Vikings are expected to draft Matt Kalil with the No. 3 pick in the draft which should shift Johnson to a guard spot, presumably the left.

The Vikings need Johnson to perform better at the guard position than he did at the left tackle position so that Ponder has time to pass and Toby Gerhart or Adrian Peterson have holes to run through in 2012.

7. Toby Gerhart

With Adrian Peterson's status for the 2012 season uncertain, the bulk of the carries will go to Toby Gerhart, who is recovering from an MCL injury.

Gerhart showed great improvement in 2011 after his 2010 rookie campaign.

In 2011 he rushed for 531 yards on 109 carries (4.9 yards per carry.) Adrian Peterson averaged 4.7 yards per carry with one touchdown. He added 23 receptions for 190 yards and three touchdowns.

The former Stanford running back displayed an ability to punish defenders last season as he finished off runs and appeared more and more difficult to bring down as the season progressed.

But Minnesota needs him to progress even further on his 2011 campaign because of Peterson's injury and the state of the NFL in 2012. It's a league that demands teams utilize the dual running back.

6. Chris Cook

Chris Cook's 2011 campaign was cut short by off-the-field issues but while on the field, Cook showed great promise as an NFL cornerback.

He used his size well (6'2" and 212 pounds) and has the ability to compete with taller receivers for jump balls. His run support isn't as strong as Antoine Winfield's—but then again not many corners provide run support like Winfield—but is solid.

Cook did a great job on Detroit's Calvin Johnson when the Vikings played Detroit in September, despite Johnson's seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

Minnesota believes that Cook is its future No. 1 cornerback and this will be Cook's year to prove himself worthy of that label.

He showed promise in 2011, but in 2012, Minnesota needs to see that skill set over an entire season.

5. Phil Loadholt

After a promising rookie season, Phil Loadholt has had two down years since 2009.

Minnesota's starting right tackle certainly has the size (6'8" and 343 pounds) to be an exceptional tackle in the NFL. But in the previous two seasons we haven't seen the skill set.

Loadholt has regressed as a pass- and run-blocker. He constantly got beat by quicker defensive ends while pass-blocking and wasn't the force in the running game he was in 2009.

I do not know if it is a mental thing or if it is physical, but he has to correct it. That isn't to say he has been terrible; he has been an adequate right tackle but is capable of so much more.

4. Kyle Rudolph

The future is now for Kyle Rudolph.

The Vikings let their 2011 tight end Visanthe Shiancoe walk in free agency and signed free-agent John Carlson to likely be the team's No. 2 tight end. That places Rudolph as Minnesota's should-be No. 1 tight end entering 2012.

As a rookie, Rudolph showed glimpses of the talent that made many project him as a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He caught 26 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns in his rookie campaign.

Rudolph displayed sure hands and an ability to snatch passes out of the air against smaller defensive backs or more physical linebackers. He's not the NFL's fastest tight end but has good speed for the position.

Minnesota needs him to step up and become a strong pass-catching tight end to make life easier for Christian Ponder, whom Minnesota did not help much with its moves this offseason.

3. Erin Henderson

After deciding that they couldn't get anyone else at a better price, the Minnesota Vikings re-signed Erin Henderson to a one-year, $2 million contract.

In his first season as an NFL starter, Henderson recorded 70 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. WalterFootball.com named him the third-best free-agent outside linebacker in 2012. It also said he "has a bright future ahead of him."

Minnesota needs that bright future to start in 2012.

Henderson made the most basic plays last season but never did anything that made you jump out of your chair and scream, "Wow!" 

Like much of the Minnesota defense, his strength is stopping the run. Like the rest of the defense, he still needs work on his pass defense.

2. Jasper Brinkley

The importance of Jasper Brinkley will decrease rapidly if Minnesota re-signs E.J. Henderson or acquires someone else to be its starting middle linebacker. But as it stands now, Brinkley will be the man quarterbacking the defense.

Last time Minnesota fans had extended exposure to Brinkley, he replaced Henderson late in the 2009 season after Henderson's broken femur.

During that time, Brinkley proved himself to be equivalent to Henderson as a run-stopper but struggled greatly in pass coverage. Brinkley did not play in 2011 as he recovered from hip surgery.

Minnesota may keep Brinkley out of its nickel packages to reduce his exposure to passing situations, but it's not like NFL offenses don't pass on other downs. Minnesota needs Brinkley to improve his abilities in pass coverage to aid a secondary that cannot help itself.

1. Christian Ponder

To put it lightly, the future of the Minnesota Vikings franchise rests on the shoulders of Christian Ponder.

The Vikings invested the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NFL draft on the 24-year-old quarterback and plan to give him the time he needs to develop into a franchise quarterback.

In today's NFL, the success of a team is based in the play of its quarterback.

Ponder, who wasn't supposed to see the field in 2011, showed glimpses of greatness during his 10 starts last season. He threw for 1,853 yards, 13 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and completed 54.3 percent of his passes.

Minnesota needs the interceptions to decrease and the completion percentage to increase.

The former Florida State quarterback showed an ability to make plays with his arm and legs outside of the pocket but needs to operate better in the pocket. Sometimes he looked comfortable and other times he looked flustered. He looked like a rookie.

The Vikings have made no notable acquisitions to make Ponder's life easier as a passer, so the pressure's on him to make his own successes.