What Positions Should Minnesota Vikings Target in 2015 NFL Draft?

While free-agent acquisitions have proven vital to the success of many teams in the past, championship rosters are generally built through the draft.

After addressing multiple needs during the 2014 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings (6-7) will attempt to continue their recent run of draft success this coming May.

The Vikings' season is not technically over just yet, but their chances of reaching the playoffs this season are slim to none, as pointed out by Kevin Cusick of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

As a result, general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer will begin putting together their offseason game plan a little earlier than they would have hoped.

Minnesota will have an opportunity to address some of its roster issues during free agency, which will begin a few months prior to the 2015 draft, but these needs cannot—and should not—all be satisfied by offseason signings.

Sure, it would be great to see the Vikings land a big-name free agent like Dez Bryant to fill a void at a position of need, but it is unlikely a scenario like this would come to fruition.

Fortunately, the Vikings can target talented fillers for these positions of need through the draft.

Based on their current 6-7 record and upcoming schedule, the Vikings should receive somewhere between the ninth and 12th overall pick. Correspondingly, the team should have a solid opportunity to land a premier talent at a position of need in the first round.

The Vikings have plenty of holes to fill, but some of these holes are far greater than others.

While offensive tackle and wide receiver were expected to be strengths for Minnesota this season, both positions may need to be addressed with early-round picks. The Vikings would also be wise to seek potential upgrades at linebacker, offensive guard, running back and strong safety.

Offensive Tackle

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Probably the best place to start this discussion is with the offensive line. Between consistent ineffectiveness and injuries, the Vikings' offensive line has been miserable this season.

The root of this roster issue—and the heart of many arguments in favor of Minnesota spending a first-round pick on an offensive tackle this coming May—is former fourth overall pick and starting left tackle Matt Kalil.

While the eye test should suffice in determining how poorly Kalil has played this season, he is currently rated the third-worst (minus-29.4) offensive tackle in the NFL and has allowed the most sacks (12) this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Simply put, Kalil has played awful this season, but targeting a potential replacement in the first round may not actually be the best move Minnesota could make.

Kalil was a Pro Bowl-level player in his rookie season—which seems like forever ago now—and still has one more year left on his current contract.

As a result, it may make more sense to sign a veteran like Michael Roos during free agency to challenge Kalil with hopes of him regaining his rookie form, as opposed to replacing him through the draft.

Still, Spielman and the Vikings should consider drafting an elite talent at offensive tackle, especially if one were to fall into their lap. Currently, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranks Cedric Ogbuehi, Brandon Scherff and Ronnie Stanley as his top three offensive tackles.

Linebacker

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While Kalil's struggles do make an appealing case for drafting an offensive tackle early, I would rather see the Vikings target either a middle linebacker or an outside linebacker with one of their early-round picks.

Once again, Minnesota could elect to fill one (or both) of these spots with probable free agents like Rey Maualuga or K.J. Wright. With Jasper Brinkley's contract expiring at the end of this season, it seems likelier the Vikings would improve the middle linebacker position through free agency.

Another solution to filling Brinkley's middle linebacker spot could be moving Chad Greenway inside. Greenway, who will be 32 at the start of the 2015 season and will become a free agent following it, is not getting any younger and has shown signs of regression in recent years.

Moving him inside and drafting an outside linebacker to fill his spot would make the Vikings more athletic and versatile at the middle level of their defense.

Potential early-round draft options at outside linebacker include Vic Beasley, Shaq Thompson, Benardrick McKinney (maybe better suited at middle linebacker), Hau'oli Kikaha and multiple others.

Additionally, the Vikings could opt to solve a different positional need with their first-round pick and select a player like Zach Hodges or Jordan Jenkins in the second or third round.

At any rate, the Vikings must target a linebacker early—and possibly during multiple rounds—assuming they are not planning to move forward with Gerald Hodges as a starter.

Wide Receiver

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While Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright have done a nice job of silencing the Vikings' issues at wide receiver lately, it should still be considered a target position for Minnesota come draft day.

Between Cordarrelle Patterson not progressing quickly and Greg Jennings (31 years old) continuing to underperform, the Vikings would be wise to lend another young and talented target to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Assuming Johnson continues to find consistent success and Wright builds on the strong performance he had against the New York Jets last Sunday, Minnesota should roster two solid options at wide receiver for the foreseeable future.

However, there will be plenty of great options at this position in the 2015 draft.

Minnesota could choose to spend its first-round pick on Bridgewater's Louisville partner, DeVante Parker, or grab a big target like Jaelen Strong or the troubled Dorial Green-Beckham with an early-round selection.

Additionally, Auburn's Sammie Coates or Florida State's Rashad Greene could prove to be great adds in the early-middle rounds.

As of now, I wouldn't consider wide receiver to be the Vikings' greatest positional need—especially if they somehow manage to land a big-name free agent—but adding youth and talent here certainly couldn't hurt.

Other Positions to Target

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Given that there are seven rounds in the NFL draft, the Vikings will be adding a number of players at multiple positions.

Outside of offensive tackle, wide receiver and linebacker, Minnesota could elect to draft players at a few different positions, depending on circumstances and how satisfied the coaching staff is with its current starters.

What Minnesota decides to do with Adrian Peterson will largely determine if or how early it elects to draft a running back. With a class that includes Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman and Minnesota fan favorite David Cobb, there certainly will be plenty of replacement options in the first three or four rounds.

While I am seemingly in the minority of those satisfied by the production of strong safety Robert Blanton, I am also enamored by the possibility of upgrading the strong safety position with Alabama's Landon Collins.

Collins would almost certainly prove to be an upgrade, but spending a first-round pick on a position that has provided solid results probably wouldn't be cost-effective. Minnesota does also roster rookie Antone Exum, who carries with him plenty of potential.

With Xavier Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson, the Vikings do roster a solid group of young cornerbacks. However, grabbing a taller, lengthy cornerback like Trae Waynes would certainly be helpful, given the problems Robinson has had covering big wide receivers like Brandon Marshall.

If the Vikings do not land a free agent like Mike Iupati or are unhappy with the progression of last year's fifth-round selection, David Yankey, they could look to add an offensive guard with a middle-round pick. Alabama's Arie Kouandjio, brother of Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Cyrus, may be a good fit.

While certainly not a need by any means of the word, the Vikings could look to add depth at defensive end with a later-round selection. Minnesota did spend a third-round pick on Scott Crichton during last year's draft, but Brian Robison is beginning to get up there in age (31).

Identifying the Vikings' roster issues is simple enough, but placing these issues in order of importance is far more complicated.

With that said, determining how early in the draft a given position should be targeted—or if it should be targeted at all—will be no easy task for Spielman and his team, and they may be best served using the "best available" draft method.

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

For more Vikings news, analysis and discussion, follow me on Twitter @RobertReidell.