While the Minnesota Vikings have a core of veterans nearing or over 30, a young group of players is looking to step in and take their place. As a person who is often focused on the veteran impact players and a few young studs, it’s easy to overlook that there is a dramatic shift in age happening.
The fact is, the Vikings actually have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.
One of the reasons I forget the team is so young is because of the newly revamped offensive line. They just haven’t been good. The players themselves have been overlooked, and the lack of a veteran presence on the line has led to possibly slower development. It’s easy to forget that the oldest starter next season could be 25-year-old Brian O’Neill.
Christian Darrisaw and Wyatt Davis could now make a group of five young linemen who could become a solid line next season if you consider draft capital a good unit of measurement.
On the other hand, they are still inexperienced. It’s a double-edged sword. There’s the hope that they are young and will develop chemistry to be a strong unit for years to come. But the team also now has the looming excuse for a year or two that they haven’t had time to mesh or get used to NFL speed. It’s a question of whether or not this is the group that will be a quality line.
Another reason this team is skewed young is the ridiculous amount of draft picks Rick Spielman has cultivated over the past few seasons. The Vikings have had the most picks in four of the last five NFL drafts.
His strategy has provided some good depth players, but the wide net Spielman casts in the late rounds haven’t done much more than that. However, that isn’t entirely a bad thing. The reality is that Spielman is a master at garnering late picks and taking a swing on undrafted free agents they think can evolve into role players — and it’s worked with players like Eric Wilson, Alexander Mattison, Tyler Conklin, and Anthony Harris.
Another young group to consider is the tight ends. It’s especially exciting now that Conklin has shown he can make some big-time plays in the absence of Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr.
It was becoming evident that it was about time to move on from Rudolph. His contract could have potentially gotten in the way of free-agent signings or even keeping Danielle Hunter on the team. Plus, Smith, 22, has proven that he can be a starter as long as he is healthy, and Conklin, 25, is a great backup tight end.
Conversely, a lot of the veterans are on defense. It’s not absurd to expect a few more good years from Harrison Smith, Patrick Peterson, Anthony Barr, and Eric Kendricks, but they are nearing or over 30. By no means does that spell the end of their careers. However, it’s definitely the beginning of the end for many players. It adds a wrinkle as they start to slow down and their contracts come closer to expiration. That’s around the time the team needs to make business decisions about the future.
The good news is, Spielman’s strategy of mass drafting has begun to pay off at the linebacker and cornerback positions.
Kris Boyd and especially Harrison Hand are intriguing at corner. They were forced to play last season and proved they can keep up with NFL wide receivers. That’s a win in my book, considering they were fifth- and seventh-round picks, respectively.
But the most evident winner at corner is Cam Dantzler. He made PFF’s All-Rookie Team and is going to be the starter alongside Peterson next season. It quickly became clear that getting him in the third round was a steal.
The Vikings run many nickel formations, so there won’t be more than two linebackers on the field much of the time. But we all saw how badly they missed Barr last year. Drafting depth at the position was more important than seeking starters who could fill other roles.
Some young linebackers on the team are Troy Dye, Blake Lynch, and rookie Chazz Surratt. While linebacker hasn’t been a position of need since Kendricks was drafted, the front office has made an effort to draft for depth here. And while the newer players aren’t meant to replace Barr or Kendricks, they are there to fill in and grow as role players, similar to Wilson’s time with the Vikings.
I’d be remiss not to mention Hunter, Justin Jefferson, and Dalvin Cook when talking about the Vikings’ young core, too. They are already staples on the team and are all 26 and under. They are the next wave of franchise players who will earn bank-breaking contract — if they haven’t already.
Many of the older Vikings on the team were drafted high, but this year’s Minnesota Vikings is a young team with a strong core of veterans at nearly all levels. I think that’s why Mike Zimmer has been open to starting rookies as of late. Also, because of injuries. Okay, mostly injuries.
