Ranking Every Vikings Position Group By Overall Talent and Depth

At this point in the NFL offseason, the vast majority of every team's roster building for the year has already happened. There are still some free agents out there and various moves to be made, but 90-man rosters are mostly pretty full with OTAs approaching.

The Vikings, once they hire a new general manager, could still do some tinkering with their roster. They have one spot remaining under the 90-player limit. For the most part, though, the guys they've got are the guys they're going to move forward with.

With that context in mind, let's take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of Minnesota's roster by ranking all of their position groups. We'll go from the room we believe is the Vikings' biggest strength to one that looks like their most significant current weakness.

A few quick notes: Offensive linemen will be split up into tackles and interior players, specialists are included as one of the 12 rooms, and we made some judgment calls on players who can play multiple positions. Depth matters, but the talent of the projected starters carries the most weight.

1. Wide receiver

• Justin Jefferson
• Jordan Addison
• Jauan Jennings
• Tai Felton
• Myles Price
• Jeshaun Jones
• Joaquin Davis
• Dontae Fleming
• Dillon Bell
• Shaleak Knotts
• Marcus Sanders Jr.
• Luke Wysong

After the recent addition of Jennings, the Vikings appear to have the best wide receiver trio in the NFL. The best player on their roster and one of the very best in the league plays receiver, and Addison and Jennings are both highly dangerous weapons as well. That makes it the best position group on this Vikings roster, even if the depth is Felton and a bunch of former or current UDFAs.

2. Offensive tackle

• Christian Darrisaw (LT)
• Brian O'Neill (RT)
• Ryan Van Demark
• Caleb Tiernan
• Walter Rouse
• Caleb Etienne
• Tristan Leigh

For this exercise, we're assuming everyone is healthy. And when that's the case, Darrisaw is probably the Vikings' second-best overall player. O'Neill is also excellent and a pillar of consistency on the other side. The depth is pretty strong here too, with Van Demark as the swing tackle and a recent top-100 pick in Tiernan as a developmental player who might have a bright future at tackle or guard.

3. Linebacker

• Blake Cashman
• Eric Wilson
• Jake Golday
• Ivan Pace Jr.
• Josh Ross
• Jacob Roberts
• Scooby Williams
• Keli Lawson

Cashman is an outstanding middle linebacker whose importance in Brian Flores' defense might be underrated nationally. Wilson is back after stuffing the stat sheet in a career year. His blitzing ability makes him a great fit in this scheme. For now, we're considering Golday, the Vikings' second-round pick, as an off-ball linebacker, even if he could end up at OLB eventually. That decision, as well as the presence of Pace, is why this room is the best on Minnesota's defense.

4. Quarterback

• Kyler Murray
• J.J. McCarthy
• Carson Wentz
• Max Brosmer

The Vikings needed to add an established quarterback this offseason, and they may have struck gold when Murray became available for just the veteran's minimum. He's a two-time Pro Bowler and former No. 1 overall pick who has had stretches of MVP-level play in the past. Assuming he wins this job, it's going to be fascinating to watch him play in Kevin O'Connell's offense. With McCarthy and Wentz, there's some real depth in this QB room as well.

5. Defensive line

• Jalen Redmond
• Caleb Banks
• Domonique Orange
• Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
• Levi Drake Rodriguez
• Eric Johnson II
• Taki Taimani
• Elijah Williams
• Monkell Goodwine
• Smith Vilbert

No Vikings position group got more of a bump during last month's draft than the defensive line, with first-rounder Banks and third-rounder Orange stepping into the spots previously held by Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. If Banks is healthy, those two rookies are going to be a lot of fun to watch alongside Redmond, who has turned into a heck of a player. Ingram-Dawkins also has some upside going into his second season, and there should be some good competition for roster spots among this group of players.

6. Specialists

• Will Reichard (K)
• Johnny Hekker (P)
• Andrew DePaola (LS)
• Brett Thorson (P)

Reichard is one of the best kickers in the league. DePaola is a very reliable long snapper. Whoever wins the punting job between Hekker and Thorson will have a chance to be an upgrade over Ryan Wright.

7. Outside linebacker

• Andrew Van Ginkel
• Dallas Turner
• Bo Richter
• Tyler Batty
• Chaz Chambliss
• Cam'Ron Stewart
• Arden Walker
• Jordan Botelho

Before trading away Jonathan Greenard, this room would've been a lot higher on this list. As currently constructed, the Vikings could very much use a veteran free agent addition here. Van Ginkel is a perfect Flores fit and one of the best players on this defense, while Turner could be in line for a huge third season in Greenard's old role. There just isn't really any proven depth to speak of. Each of the other six players on the list went undrafted.

8. Running back and fullback

• Aaron Jones
• Jordan Mason
• Max Bredeson (FB)
• Demond Claiborne
• Zavier Scott
• Kejon Owens

This isn't a bad running back room by any means, it's just not super exciting. Jones is back for a third year in Minnesota and will look to stay healthy at 31 years old. Mason is a quality between-the-tackles runner. The two Day 3 rookie additions are fun, with Bredeson replacing C.J. Ham at fullback and Claiborne possessing legitimate upside as an electric change-of-pace back.

9. Tight end

• T.J. Hockenson
• Josh Oliver
• Ben Yurosek
• Gavin Bartholomew
• Bryson Nesbit

Quarterback and tight end are the Vikings' only position groups that don't have any rookies, and this is the only one without a single new player of any kind. Hockenson and Oliver remain a solid duo whose skills complement each other nicely, even if Hockenson hasn't quite been the same player since his December 2023 knee injury. It'll be interesting to see if Bartholomew contributes this year after missing his entire rookie season due to injury.

10. Cornerback

• Byron Murphy Jr.
• Isaiah Rodgers
• James Pierre
• Dwight McGlothern
• Charles Demmings
• Zemaiah Vaughn
• Marcus Allen
• Tyreek Chappell
• Da'Veawn Armstead

This is another group that is fairly uninspiring on paper but shouldn't be a major weakness. Murphy was a Pro Bowler two seasons ago. Rodgers had a good first season with the Vikings, even if almost all of his playmaking production occurred in one Week 3 game. Pierre may have been a great value addition in free agency. Demmings' rare athleticism gives him legit upside as a fifth-round pick, though he may need some development before he's ready to play.

11. Safety

• Josh Metellus
• Theo Jackson
• Jay Ward
• Jakobe Thomas
• Tavierre Thomas
• Kahlef Hailassie
• Jacob Thomas

It's now mid-May and we still don't know if Harrison Smith is playing football this season. The safe assumption continues to be that he'll end up retiring, but who knows? If he's back, safety would climb up at least a few spots on this list. Metellus is a great Flores fit who hasn't quite replicated his 2023 peak over the last two years. Jackson is a capable starter with some upside. Ward could be a breakout candidate in a contract year, and there's a lot to like about Thomas as a third-round pick. This could prove to be too low of a ranking even without Smith returning.

12. Interior offensive line

• Donovan Jackson (LG)
• Will Fries (RG)
• Blake Brandel (C)
• Michael Jurgens (C/G)
• Gavin Gerhardt (C)
• Joe Huber (G)
• Henry Byrd (G)
• Vershon Lee (C/G)
• Delby Lemieux (C/G)
• Tomas Rimac (G)

It was somewhat surprising to see the Vikings wait until the seventh round to draft a center after Ryan Kelly's retirement. Whether that was the plan all along or not, it comes across as a vote of confidence in Brandel as their starter. On paper, center looks like the single biggest weakness in the Vikings' starting lineup.

Jackson, last year's first-round pick, will look to build on a solid rookie season at left guard. Fries has to be better in his second year in Minnesota to live up to his contract. The depth situation on the interior is a lot more concerning than it is at tackle, though that could change if Tiernan winds up at guard long-term.

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