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The Minnesota Vikings finished third in the NFC North during the 2020 NFL season with a 7-9 record. The Vikings used the 2021 NFL Draft to rebuild their offensive line and defense in hopes of being competitive against their NFC North rivals next season.
Minnesota Vikings 2021 Depth Chart
Here's what the Minnesota Vikings' depth chart should look like entering Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season:
Offense
Quarterback: Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond
Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Running Back: Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Ammer Abdullah, Kene Nwangwu
Tight End: Irv Smith Jr., Tyler Conklin, Zach Davidson
Center: Garrett Bradbury
Left Guard: Ezra Clevland
Right Guard: Dakota Dozier, Wyatt Davis
Left Tackle: Christian Darrisaw
Right Tackle: Brian O'Neill
Defense
Linebacker: Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Chazz Surratt, Ryan Connelly
Defensive Line: Danielle Hunter, Stephen Weatherly, Patrick Jones III, Janarius Robinson
Corner: Patrick Peterson, Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler
Free Safety: Xavier Woods
Strong Safety: Harrison Smith
Special Teams
Kicker: Greg Joseph, Riley Patterson
Punter:Britton Colquitt, Zach Von Rosenberg
Long Snapper: Andrew DePaola
Kick/ Punt Returner: K.J. Osborn
Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart Analysis
Offense
Quarterback: Kirk Cousins has been a reliable quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in his three seasons with the team. Although he has had issues performing well in primetime games, Cousins still has a huge arm and makes plays when the Vikings need them.
The Minnesota Vikings drafted quarterback Kellen Mond out of Texas A&M in the third round. While Cousins' job currently isn't in danger, the Vikings drafted Mond with the view of grooming him to be the starter soon.
Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson had an outstanding debut campaign where he broke the rookie record with 1,400 yards along with seven touchdowns. Along with Jefferson, Adam Thielen has been a significant part of the Minnesota Vikings' offense.
After having a career-best season in 2018, Thielen has struggled with injuries the last two seasons. He is still the team's best option in the slot.
Running Back: Dalvin Cook had a career-best season in 2020 with 1,557 rushing yards and sixteen rushing touchdowns in fourteen starts. Not only did he make his presence known in the ground game but also in the air with 361 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Cook missed just two games and in his absence, Alexander Mattison made quite the splash and showed he could be a solid number two back. The Minnesota Vikings also have veteran Ameer Abdullah and drafted Kene Nwangwu in the fourth round for depth.
Tight End: The Minnesota Vikings lost a big part of their offense when Kyle Rudolph left in free agency. Irv Smith Jr., who has been Rudolph's backup for the last two seasons, will now play a bigger part. The Minnesota Vikings also drafted Zach Davidson out of Central Missouri in the fourth round.
Offensive Line: The Minnesota Vikings made some big moves in the 2021 draft to address the offensive line. With a veteran quarterback, a star running back and a young receiver, the line will need to be stacked and strong.
With Garrett Bradbury at center, the Minnesota Vikings drafted highly rated prospect Christian Darrisaw to start at left tackle. Ezra Cleveland will likely start at left guard with Brian O'Neill at right tackle. Dakota Dozier could be at right guard, but the Minnesota Vikings drafted Wyatt Davis in the third round.
Also Check Out: 2021 NFL Depth Chart for all 32 teams
Defense
Linebacker: Anthony Barr will start at strong side linebacker and Eric Kendricks at middle linebacker. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Chazz Surratt in the third round. Ryan Connelly will likely start be the weakside linebacker.
Defensive Line: Danielle Hunter, Patrick Jones III and Stephen Weatherly all make up a solid defensive end core. The Minnesota Vikings also drafted defensive end Janarius Robinson in the fourth round of the draft.
Michael Pierce and Armon Watts will start in the nose tackle positions, while veteran Dalvin Tomlinson and James Lynch will be the defensive tackles.
Corner: Patrick Peterson, who spent ten seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, signed with the Minnesota Vikings during free agency. Peterson should be able to help the Vikings secondary in big ways.
Free and Strong Safety: Another addition to the secondary is former Dallas Cowboys free safety Xavier Woods. The veteran had a solid career with the Cowboys. He recorded 247 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, eighteen pass deflections and eight interceptions during his time with the team.
Harrison Smith will be entering his tenth season as strong safety for the Minnesota Vikings. Smith, along with Woods, should provide that added protection in the secondary that the Minnesota Vikings need against those strong offenses in the NFC North.
Special Teams
The Minnesota Vikings do have some competition at kicking and punting. Britton Colquitt and Zach Van Rosenberg will be the punting options. Greg Joseph and Riley Patterson will compete in training camp for the kicker's job.
K.J. Osborne, a second-year special teams option, is on both kick and punt return duties.
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