Minnesota Vikings 2015 NFL Offseason Draft Scouting Guide
The Minnesota Vikings are rolling into draft season again. The team has had scouts deployed for months gathering vital information and will bring its process to a close with events like the Senior Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine and various pro days.
While accumulating an endless supply of scouting reports on eligible players, the team will start narrowing down its focus, eliminating prospects for a wide variety of reasons. Most importantly, general manager Rick Spielman and his staff will be identifying those who fit Minnesota's offensive and defensive schemes and depth chart.
The 2015 draft class may not be top-heavy, but teams will find gems from top to bottom as usual.
Let's first go through which picks the Vikings currently own and follow that up by identifying team needs—first on the offensive side of the ball and then on the defensive side of the ball. Each team need has a list of prospects who make sense for the Vikings given a variety of factors, such as those listed above.
Draft Picks Owned
1 of 8
| Round | Pick | Overall |
| 1 | 11 | 11 |
| 2 | 13 | 45 |
| 3 | 12 | 76 |
| 4 | 11 | 107* |
| 5 | 13 | 141* |
| 6 | 12 | 172* |
| 7 | 11 | 203* |
The Vikings currently hold their designated picks with one in each round. As always, Spielman and company will be looking to wheel and deal on draft day.
*Will change after release of compensatory picks
Vikings Need: Wide Receivers
2 of 8
| Prospect | School | Height | Weight |
| Amari Cooper* | Alabama | 6'1" | 210 |
| DeVante Parker | Louisville | 6'3" | 209 |
| Kevin White | West Virginia | 6'3" | 210 |
| Devin Funchess* | Michigan | 6'5" | 230 |
| Jaelen Strong* | Arizona State | 6'3" | 215 |
| Sammie Coates* | Auburn | 6'2" | 201 |
| Vince Mayle | Washington State | 6'3" | 219 |
| Tony Lippett | Michigan State | 6'3" | 190 |
| Austin Hill | Arizona | 6'2" | 210 |
Size is the common denominator for receivers the Vikings should and seemingly will target. Charles Johnson (6'2", 215 pounds) is the lone starter who brings size to the table, but he fails to often play like a big receiver. Cordarrelle Patterson, while listed at 6'2" and 220 pounds, plays small as well.
The two mainstays in the corps, Greg Jennings and Jarius Wright, both measure in at 6'0" or under and do their best work from the slot.
A large receiver would complement Minnesota's current personnel and add much-needed qualities to the offense. The Vikings were often unwilling or unable to finish drives through the air, lacking red-zone targets outside of the tight end position. First-round quality prospects like Parker, White, Funchess and Strong all thrive in that aspect of the game.
As the 2014 rookie receiver class showed, college football is pouring out quality pass-catchers. This year's class may not measure up to the last one, but it has talent of its own. Minnesota should strike while the iron is hot.
*Denotes eligible underclassmen
Vikings Need: Offensive Line
3 of 8
| Prospect | Position | School | Height | Weight |
| Brandon Scherff | OT/OG | Iowa | 6'5" | 320 |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | OT | Texas A&M | 6'5" | 300 |
| La'el Collins | OT | LSU | 6'5" | 321 |
| T.J. Clemmings | OT | Pittsburgh | 6'5" | 305 |
| Ty Sambrailo | OT | Colorado State | 6'5" | 315 |
| Jake Fisher | OT | Oregon | 6'6" | 299 |
| A.J. Cann | OG | South Carolina | 6'3" | 311 |
| Josue Matias | OG | Florida State | 6'6" | 325 |
| Laken Tomlinson | OG | Duke | 6'3" | 320 |
Minnesota's need for offensive line help is no secret. With big bucks already invested in John Sullivan, Brandon Fusco and Phil Loadholt, the Vikings may opt to take a cheaper approach on the left side of the line by bringing in young talent.
Pass protection skills are of the utmost importance. Norv Turner's offense utilizes deeper drops for the quarterback and has Bridgewater holding the ball longer than an average NFL QB as a result.
In evaluating left tackles, the Vikings will be looking for two qualities above all else. The first is movement skills. A left tackle must have nimble feet and tremendous balance. He must also have a strong base that can hold up against powerful rushers who press the pocket. Collins and Ogbuehi are quality first-round prospects if Minnesota is ready to move on from Matt Kalil.
Addressing the left guard spot with an early pick might be more likely. The team could select Scherff or Sambrailo at the LG spot with an eye toward a future move to left tackle. Others listed could slide right into the lineup on the left side.
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Vikings Need: Running Backs
4 of 8
| Prospect | School | Height | Weight |
| Todd Gurley* | Georgia | 6'1" | 226 |
| Melvin Gordon* | Wisconsin | 6'1" | 207 |
| Mike Davis* | South Carolina | 5'9" | 223 |
| Jay Ajayi* | Boise State | 6'0" | 216 |
| Javorius Allen* | USC | 6'1" | 220 |
| T.J. Yeldon* | Alabama | 6'2" | 221 |
| David Cobb | Minnesota | 5'11" | 229 |
| Cameron Artis-Payne | Auburn | 5'10" | 210 |
| Karlos Williams | Florida State | 6'1" | 225 |
The outcome of the Adrian Peterson situation will play a big role in Minnesota's future at running back. To be safe, at least from a scouting standpoint, the Vikings may assume he will not return.
Size, power and skills in the passing game are important to evaluate. Any back Minnesota brings in will slide into a committee with Jerick McKinnon and maybe Matt Asiata. McKinnon is a smaller back who can thrive on early downs as a runner but is still raw in pass protection and unreliable in short yardage.
Assuming Minnesota addresses RB early, it should look to upgrade Asiata's role in a two-man rotation. Davis of South Carolina stands out as a thicker, bruising back with tremendous skills in protection and as a receiver. He, Ajayi, Artis-Payne and Williams stand out as backs the Vikings could possibly bring in with a third-round selection or later who could add value immediately.
Early-round guys like Gordon and Gurley seem to be less realistic, because Minnesota is unlikely to invest that much.
*Denotes eligible underclassmen
Vikings Need: Linebackers
5 of 8
| Prospect | School | Height | Weight |
| Shaq Thompson* | Washington | 6'2" | 231 |
| Benardrick McKinney* | Mississippi State | 6'4" | 249 |
| Denzel Perryman | Miami | 5'11" | 242 |
| Eric Kendricks | UCLA | 6'0" | 230 |
| Hayes Pullard | USC | 6'1" | 235 |
| Ramik Wilson | Georgia | 6'2" | 237 |
| Jordan Hicks | Texas | 6'2" | 244 |
| Jake Ryan | Michigan | 6'3" | 235 |
| Bryce Hager | Baylor | 6'1" | 235 |
Chad Greenway and Jasper Brinkley may both be gone. Even if the Vikings feel comfortable promoting Audie Cole and Gerald Hodges into starting positions, the unit's depth would be gutted. A linebacker pick in one of the first three rounds seems likely at this point.
In identifying "Mike" LB candidates, the Vikings want a physical run-stopper who can hold his own between the tackles. This player may not feature in the nickel package, so any investment made will be small. If he hangs around long enough, McKinney of Mississippi State could fit right in.
At Greenway's "Will" spot, Minnesota will seek a more versatile LB who can play behind a defensive tackle on the offense's strong side against the run and make an impact in the passing game. Mike Zimmer will use this LB in his A-gap blitzes, so any addition needs some rushing potential as well as range to drop into coverage. Minnesota won't find a better athlete for the job than Thompson, but the cost will be high.
Leadership traits will also be amplified with this positional group. If the veteran Greenway will need to be replaced, Minnesota will have a new play-caller on defense.
*Denotes eligible underclassmen
Vikings Need: Safeties
6 of 8
| Prospect | School | Height | Weight |
| Landon Collins* | Alabama | 6'0" | 222 |
| Gerod Holliman* | Louisville | 6'0" | 201 |
| Derron Smith | Fresno State | 5'11" | 197 |
| Anthony Harris | Virginia | 6'1" | 190 |
| Cody Prewitt | Ole Miss | 6'2" | 217 |
| Kurtis Drummond | Michigan State | 6'1" | 200 |
| Durell Eskridge* | Syracuse | 6'3" | 203 |
| Clayton Geathers | UCF | 6'2" | 208 |
| Jaquiski Tartt | Samford | 6'1" | 218 |
Minnesota may not end up replacing Robert Blanton before the start of the 2015 season, but its scouting staff will certainly be digging into the safety class.
Zimmer will be looking for a versatile player. The safety opposite Smith is not solely a strong safety. Minnesota often deployed Blanton as a center field type who provided cover over the top.
It is not a free safety position in totality either. This safety must be strong as a tackler and be able to step down in coverage over the middle of the field. Man-coverage skills will be important.
This year's safety class seems to be worse than normal. Major flaws doom too many players. Landon Collins, often labeled the best of the bunch, looks unathletic in coverage and is slow to react. Interception machine Gerod Holliman is a terrible tackler. Derron Smith is small. The rest are more role players than impact guys.
The Vikings won't mind a role player, though. Harrison Smith is the facilitator and the playmaker. His running mate only needs to be reliable and come up with a play once or twice per game.
*Denotes eligible underclassmen
Vikings Need: Cornerbacks
7 of 8
| Prospect | School | Height | Weight |
| Ifo Ekpre-Olomu | Oregon | 5'9" | 195 |
| Trae Waynes* | Michigan State | 6'1" | 183 |
| Marcus Peters* | Washington | 6'0" | 198 |
| P.J. Williams* | Florida State | 6'0" | 196 |
| Quinten Rollins | Miami (Ohio) | 6'0" | 203 |
| Eric Rowe | Utah | 6'1" | 201 |
| Senquez Golson | Ole Miss | 5'9" | 176 |
| Kevin Johnson | Wake Forest | 6'0" | 175 |
| D'Joun Smith | Florida Atlantic | 5'11" | 190 |
Teams can never have too many cornerbacks. How many Minnesota actually has is not exactly clear. Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson were up-and-down in 2014, so projecting their roles for the future is tricky.
Minnesota will bank on what it has in Xavier Rhodes, though. Late in the season, he shadowed opposing No. 1 receivers, which should influence how Minnesota views CB prospects. If Rhodes will continue to follow receivers who tend to be taller, the size requirement would become less important.
As a result, talented athletes with ball skills move up the ladder. Senquez Golson, Kevin Johnson and Quinten Rollins have the footwork and athleticism to fit in and could be targeted.
If the Vikings wanted to pair another tall CB with Rhodes, they actually have a decent pool of prospects to pick from.
Considering the dearth of safeties, the Vikings could also look to convert a CB to that position. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is coming off a torn ACL but is a perfect candidate for the transition. He is a highly instinctive player who possesses ball skills to make plays. He is also what Minnesota is looking for in a tackler, as he is unlikely to miss in space.
*Denotes eligible underclassmen
Vikings Need: Defensive Line
8 of 8
| Prospect | Position | School | Height | Weight |
| Eli Harold* | DE | Virginia | 6'4" | 235 |
| Trey Flowers | DE | Arkansas | 6'3" | 270 |
| Owamagbe Odighizuwa | DE | UCLA | 6'3" | 270 |
| Za'Darius Smith | DE | Kentucky | 6'5" | 264 |
| Grady Jarrett | DT | Clemson | 6'1" | 295 |
| Christian Covington* | DT | Rice | 6'3" | 295 |
| Gabe Wright | DT | Auburn | 6'2" | 284 |
| Louis Trinca-Pasat | DT | Iowa | 6'2" | 290 |
| Marcus Hardison | DT | Arizona State | 6'4" | 300 |
Minnesota's need for defensive line help is entirely depth-based. The starting four is set, but the second wave is a question mark unless Tom Johnson returns.
In defensive ends, the Vikings will be trying to bring in competition for Scott Crichton. Picking a rusher before the fourth round seems unlikely, so Minnesota will wish to identify traits that stand out. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, for example, is a physical specimen who could be molded into a quality player down the road.
If the team needs to replace Johnson, Minnesota will have a few qualities in mind for its backup 3-technique DT. He must be explosive off the snap with the ability to split a gap and disrupt the backfield. The tackle's weight need not be over 305, and Zimmer has eyed converts from defensive end in the past. The ability to rush the passer is important, because this player will have a rotational role behind Sharrif Floyd.
Defensive line is where Minnesota may turn on Day 3 of the draft and look for diamonds in the rough.
*Denotes eligible underclassmen
Prospect heights and weight via CBSSports.com.
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