Minnesota Vikings: 6 Players Who Can Replace Charlie Johnson This Offseason
So much for a quiet offseason for the Minnesota Vikings, right?
Of all the white noise that blew out of Indianapolis over the last week at the NFL combine, the Vikings managed to grab a share of the headlines when, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Minnesota's Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski and Adrian Peterson's agent Ben Dogra got into a shouting match and had to be separated from each other.
Dogra reportedly said that his client would never again play for the Vikings.
While the incident may be a cartoonish opening salvo in an attempt by both parties to figure out where Peterson might play next season, reading too much into it at this juncture probably doesn't do anybody any good.
Where will Peterson play in 2015? Your guess might be as good as Jerry Jones' at this point. Just try not to get into any public shouting matches over it.
While the Peterson saga still has a ways to play out before anyone has any answers, one position the Vikings will almost certainly have a new starter at in 2015 is left guard.
Charlie Johnson has started there for Minnesota for the past three seasons, and as Johnson hits free agency, it's a pretty good bet that the Vikings will be looking elsewhere for a new starter.
As much as we'd like to avoid talking about the Peterson situation at this point, it's relevant to any Vikings discussion, because so much of what they do in both free agency and in the draft will depend on what happens with the superstar running back.
Regardless of Peterson's future, the Vikings need a new starter at left guard. Will it be through free agency or the draft? Here are some pretty good options either way.
Potential Second-Round Pick Laken Tomlinson
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The Vikings like smart football players, and in guard Laken Tomlinson, that's exactly what they'd be getting.
A four-year starter at Duke, Tomlinson is projected by many to be selected in the top half of the second round. At 6'3", 323 pounds, Tomlinson has the requisite size and strength to step right into a starting lineup in the NFL.
Tomlinson had a double major at Duke, evolutionary anthropology and psychology, and has aspirations of becoming a doctor. According to Mike Huguenin of NFL.com, NFL analyst Mike Mayock tabbed Tomlinson as having one of the best weeks at the Senior Bowl and expected that he "shot up draft boards."
There's probably little doubt that Tomlinson could step in and start in Minnesota, but the Vikings will obviously have to evaluate if they think Tomlinson is a lot more valuable than somebody they could get in the third or fourth rounds.
It remains to be seen if Minnesota will make offensive line—and particularly left guard—a priority in free agency. If they do, then the chance of them drafting an offensive linemen in the first three rounds would be very small.
If, however, Minnesota spends elsewhere in free agency, it would be pretty surprising if they didn't snap up an offensive lineman in the first three rounds of the draft.
Free Agent Clint Boling
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Free-agent guard Clint Boling is ranked by most analysts, including Pro Football Focus, as the third-best available guard on the market.
The 6'5", 311-pound Boling has displayed the versatility that Minnesota loves in their offensive linemen. A starting left guard for all four of his seasons with Cincinnati, Boling shifted seamlessly to right tackle last year when injuries left the Bengals shorthanded.
Like a lot of guards, Boling is much more effective as a run-blocker than as a pass protector, but his toughness and durability are attractive features. Boling suffered a torn ACL late in the 2013 season, but he was back as good as ever for the start of the 2014 season.
Boling is just 25 years old but already has 47 NFL starts under his belt after being a fourth-round pick out of Georgia in 2011.
He'd be an instant upgrade for Minnesota at left guard and would also provide another versatile lineman for the Vikings. Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer obviously has some familiarity with Boling, as part of the Bengals coaching staff during Boling's first three years in the league.
Boling won't cost quite as much as the top two guards in free agency, but he won't come cheap, either. With a pretty talented offensive line class available in this year's draft, the Vikings may opt to spend their free-agent dollars elsewhere, but if guard is a priority, Boling would fit in nicely.
Potential Second-Round Pick A.J. Cann
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A.J. Cann was a four-year starter at South Carolina and is the top-rated pure guard in this year's NFL draft.
The 6'3", 313-pound Cann is a brute force in the middle of an offensive line and is a punishing blocker with tremendous strength through his hips and midsection.
Cann posted an impressive 26 reps in the bench press at the combine, and NFL.com says he has "plug-and-play traits that could make him an instant starter."
Cann also possesses all the intangibles that the Vikings are looking for. He's a smart, intelligent player with leadership qualities. He was a two-year captain at South Carolina.
Andrew Krammer of 1500espn.com quotes Cann as saying the following separates him from the other guards in this year's draft:
"I think maybe character speaks for itself. Off the field, as a player, you can trust me. You ask guys back at South Carolina, they never had a problem with me. I think I'm one of those guys you would never have a problem with.
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That has to be music to Minnesota's ears, after having to deal with far too many off-the-field distractions recently.
Draft prognosticators have Cann all over the map in recent mock drafts, going anywhere from late in the first round all the way to the third round.
It's a shot in the dark as to whether he'll be available when the Vikings choose at No. 45 in the second round, but if they were able to land him, he'd be a huge upgrade and add another smart, dependable, tough football player to Minnesota's offensive line.
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Free Agent Orlando Franklin
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Where will the Vikings spend their free-agent dollars this offseason?
Offensive line? Wide receiver? Linebacker? Secondary?
Those are all great guesses, and the truth is the Vikings themselves may not even know at this point. Much will depend on how the market breaks and how Minnesota is leaning in its draft preparation.
What is almost a certainty is that Minnesota will have a new starting left guard next season. If the Vikings choose to pursue a difference-maker via free agency, Orlando Franklin is almost certainly one of the players Minnesota will be kicking the tires on.
Like Boling, Franklin is a member of the 2011 draft class, and he's started every game he's played in during his four years with the Broncos.
At 6'7", 320 pounds, Franklin is a massive man who had a few struggles moving to left guard in 2014 after spending his first three seasons starting at right tackle for Denver. As the season wore on, Franklin became more than comfortable at guard, though, and was phenomenal down the stretch for the Broncos.
At just 27 years old, Franklin is another player who would bring versatility to Minnesota's offensive line corps. He could fill an immediate need at left guard and also be insurance at either tackle spot should the Vikings' incumbent starters struggle.
Pro Football Focus has graded Franklin very highly over the last three seasons, and Ben Stockwell writes this about him as he heads toward free agency:
"Whether at guard or tackle Franklin will be a highly sought after free agent when the new league year rolls around. After an inconsistent start to the 2014 season at guard Franklin came alive after the defeat to the Rams in Week 11. With an increased focus on the ground game from that point on Franklin displayed a consistency as a run blocker that we rarely saw from him at tackle.
Whether at guard or tackle, Franklin has produced as a run blocker and pass protector in the three years since his 2011 debut. With versatility and an all round game there is even an argument to be made that Franklin is the most valuable free agent offensive lineman available this off-season.
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While Franklin probably isn't a top-five guard in the league, he's still a hugely valuable commodity and will be looking for a pretty sizable contract.
For as much as he'd improve the Vikings offensive line, it would be worth the investment.
Potential First-Round Pick Brandon Scherff
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How good of an athlete is Brandon Scherff, the top-ranked offensive lineman in the 2015 NFL draft?
Well, he was a 280-pound quarterback during his junior year in high school.
Scherff's days as a skill-position player are now behind him, as he developed into a 6'5", 320-pound, Outland Trophy-winning tackle at the University of Iowa. Most see Scherff as a guard in the NFL, and if he's still available when the Vikings pick at No. 11, he'd be very tough to pass up.
NFL network analyst Mike Mayock has continually compared Scherff to one of the steals of the 2014 draft, guard Zack Martin, who was an All-Pro as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys.
Mayock talked about Scherff during a conference call on Monday, via Nick Powell of NJ.com:
"It's a question of a very similar conversation that we had with Zack Martin last year. You could start [Martin] at left tackle, and he'd be a good left tackle, you could start him at right tackle and be a very good right tackle. But as it turned out, he was an All-Pro, year one, at right guard. And when I look at Brandon Scherff, I see a similar example, I see a similar kid with longer arms, so that leads me to think he can play outside more easily. And again, I believe he can play outside. However, I think his best position, because of his power, his toughness, and his football sense is inside. I think he's an All-Pro guard, but that doesn't mean he can't play tackle in the NFL.
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Again, Scherff would bring a versatility that the Vikings covet in their offensive linemen. Scherff has every trait you look for in a dominant guard: size, strength, athletic ability and smarts.
The obvious advantage in getting Scherff over one of the free agents is that he wouldn't cost nearly as much over the length of his rookie deal, but he might give you every bit as much value.
Picking 11th, there's a pretty good chance that Scherfff will be off the board by the time the Vikings pick, but if he's still there, Minnesota will pounce, especially if they haven't addressed the position in free agency.
Free Agent Mike Iupati
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Massive left guard Mike Iupati is probably looking to become the highest-paid guard in the NFL when he hits free agency in March.
The 6'5", 331-pound mauler will turn 28 years old in May and is probably going to be looking for a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $45 million.
That's a huge amount of money for a guard who's probably below average as a pass-blocker, but it's a pretty good indication of just how dominant Iupati is in the running game.
There's no doubt that Iupati is among the best run-blockers in football, as detailed by Ben Stockwell for Pro Football Focus:
"Few guards in the league can match Iupati’s sheer physical dominance in the running game, let alone any available as a free agent next month. Only once since he entered the league in 2010 has he finished the season outside our top five in our run blocking grades, finishing second to Evan Mathis and Marshal Yanda in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
The question mark for Iupati however, and what may serve to limit his appeal, is his work in pass protection. Since he entered the league he has never been better than an average pass protecting guard and in the last couple of seasons has even fallen away from that. His run blocking is as good as you’ll find in the league, but in a widely pass first league Iupati may be overlooked in favor of more assured pass protectors.
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Iupati tends to be too aggressive as a pass-blocker, and one would think that the Vikings would be confident that offensive line coach Jeff Davidson could help Iupati dramatically in that department.
Signing Iupati would sink a lot of money into a position that might not seem that important, but examining where the Vikings are, it might make sense.
They have a promising second-year quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater who needs as much help around him as possible, and Iupati would be a significant upgrade to the offensive line.
If Adrian Peterson doesn't return to the Vikings, there's a chance Minnesota's two main backs will be second-year man Jerick McKinnon and a 2015 draft pick, who would both be helped substantially by having a force like Iupati up front.
Finally, much of the Vikings' future success is dependent on left tackle Matt Kalil becoming the star they thought he could be when they used the fourth-overall pick on him in 2012.
After a great rookie year, Kalil has struggled for two seasons. He seemed to take a step forward down the stretch in 2014, and putting a three-time Pro Bowler next to him at left guard would probably do wonders for Kalil's confidence.
In 2006, the Vikings spent $49 million on Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson and never regretted it for a second. Hutchinson had made three Pro Bowls when the Vikings signed him, and he made four more in Minnesota. Might history repeat itself?
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