Written By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Vikings head into a pivotal draft as they’re teetering on a return to long-term relevancy. General manager Rick Spielman might have answered the team’s decade-long search for a franchise quarterback by selecting Teddy Bridgewater last year, and a young nucleus helped guide a 7-9 season that might have been a few plays away from sniffing the playoffs.
As the second year of the Mike Zimmer era approaches, this draft will need to supplement the talent on the team while adding impact players that can achieve the goal of a playoff berth.
One of the areas that could use an upgrade is the offensive line. While Phil Loadholt and Brandon Fusco succumbed to torn pectoral muscles, Matt Kalil struggled for the second straight season and Charlie Johnson became just another guy. Adding a premier offensive lineman could keep Bridgewater off his back and spring a running game that performed admirably in the absence of Adrian Peterson.
Any discussion with upgrading the offensive line starts with the tackle position. Most fans feel like it’s time for a change despite selecting Kalil with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft. Still, the folks at Winter Park feel like the embattled tackle deserves one more chance.
On the surface, there seems to be a valid argument. Kalil underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last May and played slightly better toward the end of the season (possibly signaling a return to health). The void at the left guard position might not have helped either as that might be the reason that Kalil blasted Pro Football Focus, who graded him as one of the worst left tackles in the league last year.
It would still be a good idea to look at tackles, and there are several who could look good in purple come April 30.
A more likely scenario would see the Viking upgrade that left guard position. Since Steve Hutchinson left after the 2010 season, there’s been a massive hole in the middle of the line. A selection of a guard could provide more value as Spielman could fill another hole in the first and then snag a guard in the second (or, of course, he could trade up as well).
A dream scenario for the Vikings would be to obtain the services of Scherff. With the ability to also play tackle, he could represent a tremendous insurance policy for Kalil should he falter on his final opportunity.
If Scherff is off the board, the Vikings might want to look elsewhere and attack the offensive line later in the draft. While Tomlinson and Cann aren’t superior athletes, they can at least provide stability and help upgrade the unit from a season ago.