It’s that time of year again where NFL fan bases are getting excited about the players their team acquired within the first week of free agency. Teams that believe they are only a few key pieces away from making a deep run in the playoffs have begun to make those big splashes in free agency.
For the Minnesota Vikings, this week has been the exact opposite of landing flashy free agents. The team that Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman have built over the years lost some of its biggest pieces that have made them successful.
Names like Mackensie Alexander, Trae Waynes, Linval Joseph, Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo have all been reportedly lost in the free agency market, while Xavier Rhodes and Everson Griffen are still exploring the market. The Vikings also released Josh Kline and traded away Stefon Diggs for a first, fifth and sixth round pick in this year’s draft and a fourth rounder in 2021.
The Vikings biggest reported addition has been former Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce. The team also resigned Dan Bailey, Britton Colquitt and restructured Danielle Hunter’s contract. The Vikings extended C.J. Ham and Kirk Cousins, too.
Though there haven’t been too many big moves up to this point, the Vikings restructuring Hunter’s contract should still leave fans hopeful that some sort of move is coming in the near future. The team is extremely thin at cornerback, wide receiver, defensive line and offensive line, so some sort of free agency additions will be critical heading into the 2020 season.
Having said that, the Vikings have 12 total selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. Rick Spielman has been known for moving around frequently in the draft, so that could be the case again this year given he has the inventory to move around.
Here are some names to keep an eye on in the first round of the Draft: