A Different Position

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Ask most football observers and Vikings fans what positions Minnesota needs to address during the 2008 draft and you will surely here “defensive end.”

The Vikings were last against the pass last season and the lack of a consistent pass rush can be identified as one of the reasons for the low ranking. While the team did show an eight-sack improvement from 2006 to 2007, there were too many times that opposing quarterbacks stood comfortably in the pocket while receivers broke away from coverage.

But the NFL is a competitive business, and the Vikings front office is charged with improving the entire roster, not just identifying one area of need and addressing it. Vikings Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman calls maintaining an NFL roster a “never-ending process,” a characterization that rings especially true this time of year as teams continue their tireless preparation for the draft.

While defensive end is likely an area the Vikings will address during the upcoming draft, it’s even more likely that plenty of attention will be given to multiple other positions as well – maybe even first-round attention.

So while many maintain that the Vikings should address defensive end in the first found, there is plenty of reason to argue for a different position.

The Vikings front office maintains the draft philosophy of always taking the best player available. What does that exactly mean? It means that when it’s the Vikings turn to select, they will use their draft board as a guide, not just a list of team needs.

Such a philosophy explains last year’s first-round pick, Adrian Peterson. Chester Taylor was coming off a 1,200-yard rushing season and running back was certainly not considered a position of need for the Purple. But Peterson, a Heisman runner-up as a freshman at Oklahoma, fell to them at #7. And the Vikings pounced.

While a player of Peterson’s caliber may not slide to the Vikings at pick #17 this year, the fact remains that the team will stay true to their board when it’s their time to select.

With all of that said, there is also something to be said for addressing perceived weaknesses and improving the overall strength of the team and depth at certain positions. That’s why the Vikings front office will address team needs as well as assign a grade and ranking for each draftable player.

So, what are a few other positions the Vikings could address in the first round, and subsequent rounds, that would accomplish the goal of improving overall team strength? Let’s examine a few…

Ryan Cook, a 2006 second-round pick, appears to be the player slotted in this position. But Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress loves competition, and he will make certain that Cook has someone (at least one person) to compete with for the starting right tackle spot in 2008. The other four positions across the line seem to be settled, so a first-round pick at right tackle may go a long way towards settling the fifth position along the offensive line.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

The Vikings have attacked both of these positions in recent offseasons with the signing of players like Bernard Berrian, Bobby Wade and Visanthe Shiancoe. But don’t think for a moment that the Vikings are completely satisfied. The offense clearly could utilize another explosive option to partner with Peterson and Berrian.

At first glance one might consider this position completely shored up. But again, Coach Childress stresses the importance of competition and he doesn’t want any player thinking he has a job locked down. Youngsters Cedric Griffin and Marcus McCauley appear to have bright futures in the league, but with so many great passing offenses in the NFL a team can never have too many good cover corners or ball-hawking safeties. Also, the Vikings will be looking to acquire depth at safety.

Clearly, defensive tackle is a strength of the Vikings. The Williams Wall has gone to two straight Pro Bowls together and the Vikings were tops in the league against the run over the past two seasons. But defensive line is a position of attrition, especially at tackle. As the New York Giants showed on the way to defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, a fresh and fast defensive line can do a lot of damage. It would be no surprise to see the Vikings fortify their depth at defensive tackle.